𝐀𝐝𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬: 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲

Chapter: 3 All Rulers Aren't Meant To Be Broken.

Beneath a sky cloaked in an eerie mixture of darkness and light, King Athdar and Prince Tiberius approached the ancient altar of Tarum. The air was thick with a palpable magic, neither dark nor light, but a complex weave of both, casting the land in a perpetual twilight. The monolithic stone structure loomed before them, its entrance marked by a massive stone gate, the threshold to the sacred keeper's domain.

Flanked by the King's elite guard, their torches casting a flickering glow upon the corridor's walls, the royal pair advanced toward grand double barred doors. As they reached the portal, figures emerged from the darkness-keepers of the altar of tarum demigod of tbe dead, shrouded in dark robes, their feet bare against the cold stone, a testament to their solemn vow.

One keeper, his eyes piercing through the shadows, circled Prince Tiberius, his voice a whisper of fate. "You are the one who seeks communion with Tarum." His gaze shifted to the King, reading the unspoken fears etched upon his face. The keeper raises and eyebrow in response to the look on the kings face. "Will you proceed, knowing the weight of what may come?" King Athdar, his resolve a steel fortress, affirmed their path. "My son shall embrace his destiny within my kingdom. We shall proceed."

As they ventured deeper into the sanctum, the keepers spoke of the reagent stone, an artifact of power now lost or stolen from their Tarum Conclave to the south. "It is meant for the one chosen by Tarum, which " they mused, "and yet it has been taken. Who, we wonder, dares steal such a sacred relic? This I've questioned since it's absence"

The corridor gave way to a vast circular chamber, its heart dominated by a stone table-an altar of sacrifice. "Here, the ritual will unfold. Are you prepared to face the consequences if you are not the chosen?" The King, his eyes closed in silent contemplation, he turned to his son with a father's concern. "Be certain, my son, for you shall be in Tarum's grasp."

Prince Tiberius, with a solemn nod, shed his royal cloak and armor, standing in vulnerability before the altar. "I am ready to meet my fate Father," he declared, his voice echoing in the chamber.

The keepers secured him upon the stone, chains binding him as an offering. The ritual began, chants rising in a haunting melody, smoke swirling like spirits awakened. The lead keeper, sword in hand, halted his incantation, the blade poised above Tiberius's heart. Fear flashed in the Prince's eyes, a silent scream as the sword plunged, claiming his lifeblood.

King Athdar watched, his heart a tempest of pride and dread. "We have done what must be done," he proclaimed, even as the keepers warned of the past's vengeful ghosts. "Tarum's will be done," they intoned, "whether it be days or weeks."

As they departed the chantry, the King's command was clear: "Find those who threaten us. Eliminate them." And with that, the kings guard was set forth to Tianin, his mind set on retrieving the stolen stone, his suspicions a guiding star.

While prince tiberius set out with his father. Adwin was on his own mission sanctioned by the queen of nev'rene herself, queen Temera. Muttering curses under his breath, Adwin's thoughts were consumed by Vandimir, the wily dwarf whose reputation for mischief was as vast as the mountains of Vengren themselves. He knew that Vandimir was close, their paths having crossed in a fleeting moment on the journey to this place. The stone, a gem of untold power, was surely in the dwarf's grasp, and Adwin was certain that retrieving it would be no simple feat-it could very well lead to a duel where death was the only victor.

Adwin's instincts whispered of Vandimir's hideout-a den of thieves nestled in the rugged embrace of the north. It was said to be a haven for the lawless, where coin ruled and loyalty was as fleeting as the mountain mists. With a grim set to his jaw, Adwin mounted his steed, a creature as dark as the night sky, and set off towards the mountains' shadowy folds.