Darkness swallowed the ancient city of Lunareth.

Only the glowing blue rivers beneath the crystal streets remained, casting long shadows across the silent ruins.

The masked warriors of the Veiled Eclipse stood motionless on every rooftop, their golden masks reflecting the pale light. Not one of them spoke.

Captain Seraphine stepped in front of Ren.

“No one touches him.”

The masked leader chuckled.

“Still as fearless as ever, Captain.”

He slowly drew his twin crescent blades.

“We aren’t here to kill him.”

“We’re here to protect what belongs to us.”

Ren frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll learn soon enough.”

Without warning—

The masked warriors attacked.

Steel clashed against magic.

The quiet city exploded into chaos.

Seraphine spun her silver spear in a dazzling arc, knocking three enemies backward at once.

Mira ducked beneath an incoming blade.

“Hey!”

She threw a small pouch into the air.

“What is that?” Ren shouted.

“My emergency snack!”

“It exploded!”

“Exactly!”

The pouch burst into a cloud of spicy powder.

The masked warriors began coughing uncontrollably.

One even sneezed so hard he fell off a rooftop.

Ren couldn’t help laughing.

“You carry exploding spices?”

“I get hungry.”

“That explains absolutely nothing.”

Before Mira could answer, another warrior charged toward Ren.

Ren grabbed a broken spear from the ground.

He couldn’t match magical strength…

But he could read movement.

The enemy swung.

Ren sidestepped.

The blade struck the crystal floor instead.

Using the opening, Ren hit the warrior’s wrist with the wooden shaft.

The sword slipped from the attacker’s hand.

A second enemy attacked from behind.

Ren spun and kicked loose stones into his face.

The masked warrior stumbled.

Seraphine finished him with the flat side of her spear.

She glanced at Ren.

“You’ve improved.”

“I’ve had plenty of practice getting beaten up.”

“Somehow that explains your fighting style.”

The battle raged across Lunareth.

Suddenly—

The masked leader raised one hand.

“Enough.”

Every Veiled Eclipse warrior instantly retreated.

No hesitation.

No confusion.

Complete discipline.

The leader looked directly at Ren.

“We’ll meet again.”

“The Seventh Echo has finally awakened.”

Before anyone could stop him…

The masked warriors vanished into shimmering black mist.

Silence returned.

…

Later that evening…

Inside the expedition camp, everyone discussed what had happened.

“The Seventh Echo…” Ren repeated.

“What does it mean?”

No one answered.

Even Grand Sage Orion remained unusually quiet.

Finally, he spoke.

“There are truths…”

“The kingdoms buried long ago.”

“Until we understand more…”

“You must keep today’s events secret.”

Ren nodded.

But questions filled his mind.

Who were the Veiled Eclipse?

Why did they call him the Seventh Echo?

And why did they seem determined to protect him rather than kill him?

…

Weeks passed.

Ren remained in Skyreach.

Rather than joining the knights…

He entered the Royal Academy.

His classmates laughed.

“The boy without magic?”

“He won’t survive a week.”

The instructors thought the same.

During combat training, Ren was defeated repeatedly.

He lost.

Again.

And again.

Every night, however…

He trained after everyone else had gone to sleep.

Sword forms.

Balance.

Footwork.

Strategy.

He studied every mistake.

His hands blistered.

His muscles screamed.

Still…

He refused to quit.

One evening, while practicing alone, he noticed an old groundskeeper sweeping leaves.

The elderly man watched silently.

After several minutes, he spoke.

“You’re wasting movement.”

Ren blinked.

“What?”

“Your feet.”

“The sword follows them.”

Not the other way around.”

Ren listened carefully.

The old man demonstrated with nothing more than a wooden broom.

His movements were effortless.

Perfect.

For the next month…

The mysterious groundskeeper trained Ren in secret.

No flashy techniques.

No magic.

Only discipline.

Only precision.

Only patience.

“You don’t need to become stronger than everyone.”

“You need to become harder to predict.”

Slowly…

Ren improved.

…

One month later…

The Kingdom Tournament began.

Every kingdom sent its finest young warriors.

The winner would earn the right to explore the legendary dungeon known as the Crown Abyss.

Thousands filled the arena.

Flags waved across the massive stadium suspended between floating islands.

Mira bounced excitedly.

“I brought snacks.”

“You always bring snacks.”

“I also brought extra snacks.”

Ren smiled.

“You planned ahead.”

“I believe in preparation.”

The announcer’s voice echoed.

“First Match!”

Ren versus Kael Draven!

The crowd erupted.

Kael stepped into the arena wearing crimson armor.

His fire magic surrounded him like a living storm.

He smiled confidently.

“So…”

“You’re the famous powerless boy.”

Ren simply drew his wooden practice sword.

The audience laughed.

“A wooden sword?”

“He’ll lose instantly.”

The referee raised his hand.

“Begin!”

Kael attacked immediately.

Flames burst across the arena.

Ren rolled aside.

Another attack.

Another dodge.

Again.

Again.

Again.

The audience grew confused.

“He hasn’t attacked once.”

Kael became frustrated.

“Stand still!”

Ren smiled.

“You first.”

The crowd laughed.

Kael roared.

His attacks became reckless.

Exactly what Ren wanted.

At the perfect moment—

Ren stepped inside Kael’s guard.

One precise strike.

Kael’s sword flew from his hand.

The arena fell silent.

The referee raised Ren’s arm.

“Winner!”

No one believed it.

The boy without magic…

Had defeated one of the tournament favorites.

…

Ren continued winning.

Not through power.

Through intelligence.

Observation.

Patience.

Every opponent fought differently.

Every victory forced him to grow.

By the semifinals…

People had stopped laughing.

Instead…

They watched him carefully.

…

That night…

Ren found the old groundskeeper waiting outside the training hall.

“You’ve done well.”

Ren bowed.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

The old man smiled gently.

Then…

He removed the fake beard from his face.

Ren froze.

“You…”

Standing before him…

Was Grand Sage Orion.

“I wanted to see your true character.”

Ren stared in disbelief.

“You trained me yourself?”

Orion nodded.

“Strength gained too quickly is easily lost.”

“You earned every step.”

Before Ren could respond—

Alarm bells echoed across the capital.

BOOOOOM!

A massive explosion shook Skyreach.

Everyone rushed outside.

The floating castle above the city was burning.

Black banners carrying the symbol of the Veiled Eclipse covered the palace walls.

The masked leader stood high above the city.

His voice echoed across every street.

“Hear me, Seven Kingdoms.”

“The age of lies ends tonight.”

He slowly raised a glowing crystal.

It projected ancient images into the sky.

The people watched in horror.

The images showed the founders of the Seven Kingdoms…

Murdering the guardians of Lunareth.

Destroying records.

Erasing an entire civilization from history.

Grand Sage Orion whispered,

“No…”

“The truth…”

The masked leader pointed toward Ren.

“And the last heir of that forgotten civilization…”

“Is standing among you.”

Every eye in the kingdom turned toward Ren.

Some looked shocked.

Some fearful.

Others…

Filled with hatred.

The tournament was forgotten.

The truth had begun to tear the kingdoms apart.

And somewhere in the shadows…

A hooded figure smiled.

“The first move is complete.”

END OF CHAPTER 3