The city of Vash'kar had not ged, but the eople looked at Rael had.

  A week had passed since his st duel against the Pendragons, a small-sized Level 2 guild, and the once-frequent challenges had all but ceased. Word had spread fast—Noctus didn’t lose. The price of failure was too steep; the system tracts ehat any guild wagering their reputation against him would owe Eclipse something tangible. Fame alone wasn’t worth that risk, not when so many other battles loomed on the horizon.

  Rael sat in the Eclipse guild hall, arms crossed as he skimmed through the test reports. The room, though still humble, looked well-maintained and slightly more spacious—courtesy of their ret upgrade to Level 3. A single banner adorhe far wall, its emblem depig a silver moon eclipsed in shadow—a quiet promise of rising power amid the city’s t fortresses.

  He had gained 18 tracts. A det number, but not enough.

  Vash'kar was a boiling pot of petition, home to maablished guilds. Eleven of them were at Level 3, and three had already asded to Level 4. pared to them, Eclipse was still finding its footie reag Level 3. The differeween Levels 3 and 4 was more than just prestige—it was a matter of influence, resources, and power. Yet none had reached Level 5, a milestone few could hope to achieve—ohat stood just beyond reach, tempting all who dared to cim it.

  Rael's fiapped against the wooden table as he sed a translut system window h above the surface. The interface dispyed the list of tracted guilds, eaame apanied by a small iarking the terms of their agreement. Most were small or medium-sized fas—useful, but not enough to shift the tide of power. He would need more if Eclipse was to cim anything substantial in this city.

  “Eighteen’s not bad,” Gale remarked from across the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His tone was grounded, practical as always. “Could’ve been worse.”

  “It’s still only five pert,” Rael replied without looking up. “Barely a fra of the guilds in Vash'kar.”

  “True, but it's not like people are eager to challenge you anymore. After what happeo the Pendragons, I doubt anyone’s eager to owe us favors.” Gale's lips curved into a faint smirk, though his eyes remained serious.

  Rael didn’t respond. His gaze remained on the window, but his mind was elsewhere. The duels had served their purpose—to aent. The tracts provided leverage, but it wasn’t enough to secure a sting advahere was still the matter of territory, resources, and, most importantly, snty rights.

  “Even if we push harder, it won’t matter if we’re stuck at Level 3,” Leon added, seated nearby with one leg crossed over the other. His posture was rexed, but the sharp look in his eyes showed he wasn’t taking the situation lightly. “Those Level 4 guilds are already ahead of us. They have better perks, more members, and more influence.”

  “They’re not untouchable,” Rael said.

  “Maybe not, but they're a problem.”

  Kepler Inc.’s ret annou had only added to the chaos. The message had been simple: to gain sn trol over territory within Order-trolled regions, a guild had to tribute something of value. What that meant, no one was quite sure. The creators of Ast had tried to crify with a follow-up thread, but the details raised more questions than answers.

  Settlements could be established at any level, but those outside Order territory would receive no proteaking them vulnerable to attack from anyone willing to cim them. Only guilds that reached Level 5 could create settlements within the Order’s domain, ensuring some measure of security. Anything less, and you were little more than a target with a pri your head.

  “So, what’s the pn now?” Gale asked, stepping closer to the table. “We’ve got the tracts, the duels are done... What’s ?”

  Rael closed the system window with a flick of his fingers. “We focus on leveling up the guild. The sooner we reach Level 4, the sooner we pete with the top guilds here. tracts are leverage, but levels are power.”

  Leon tilted his head slightly. “You think that’s enough? Even if we reach Level 4, we still have to figure out how to gain snty. No one knows what Kepler meant by ‘tribution,’ and if we guess wrong, we could waste time while the uilds get ahead.”

  “Then we figure it out first,” Rael said simply.

  He gnced betweewo. “For now, focus on guild tasks. We o cover as much ground as possible.”

  Gale and Leon heir footsteps fading beyond the thick wooden doors. Siletled over the guild hall once more, leaving Rael aloh his thoughts. Fiapped idly against the polished table as he mulled over the facts.

  The path to Level 5 was steep—far more than most realized. Even reag Level 4 would take Eclipse around two months, assuming they all focused solely on leveling. Beyond that, the experiend reputation required increased expoially, with each level demanding signifitly more tha. Without reag Level 5, establishing a settlement within Order-trolled territory was impossible.

  But getting ruling rights over Vash'kar was a different matter.

  Utlements, which required both a high guild level and an unknown tribution to the Order, city governance revolved around a siem: the Golden Token. This token gras holder the right to govern a specific city within the Order’s domain—not full ownership, but something close. With it came a pertage share of the city’s revenue, signifit freedom in managing trade, w enfort, and other administrative affairs, as well as direfluence over the region's ey. Most importantly, it provided unique guild perks that accelerated growth, making it easier to level up, expand influence, and unlock advanced systems otherwise out of reach.

  And in a world as vast as Solmora, that advantage was invaluable.

  At its core, Ast offered freedom beyond what most MMOs could provide. Pyers could shape their journey however they wished—adventuring, dungeon raiding, crafting, trading, or building businesses. Every path led to wealth and power in its own way, and the sheer variety of choices made the game feel more like a living world than a structured system.

  But despite all that freedom, oruth remaihe greatest power y in kingdom building.

  Any pyer who had glimpsed the higher-tier guild perks could see the difference. While adventurers gairength individually, guilds with territorial trol unlocked bes that elevated their entire membership—faster leveling, exclusive resources, enhanced crafting capabilities, and rge-scale eic advantages. bined with the ine from city governance, a guild holding such power could snowball beyond the reach of its petitors, establishing a foothold that would only grow stronger over time.

  Yet, Solmora wasn't like other MMOs.

  Its sheer scale set it apart—five tis, each far rger thah’s ndmasses, stretched beh the endless sky. Even within the tral ti dominated by the Order, the world teemed with life: indepe kingdoms, a s, underground anizations, and hidden societies scattered across the ndscape. While seg power within the Order’s territory offered stability and reition, it wasn’t the only path to domihe world beyond the Order’s borders promised opportunities few could yet imagine.

  Pyers had multiple ways to grow without relying on the Order—especially within the tral ti’s indepe kingdoms and fas. With humans enjoying greater safety uhe Order’s prote, petition there was fiercer. Meanwhile, pyers who aligned with other realms could secure positions of influeh fewer rivals. Rael had e across a forum post from a pyer who cimed to have bee a court magi in a kingdom far east he deserts—just holding that title grahem resources and sway within the kingdom’s court. It roof that power didn’t always lie in the Order’s shadow.

  And once pyers discovered a way to traverse the Veil, even the Order’s influence might pale in parison to what y beyond.

  But that roblem for the future.

  Rael shifted his gaze to the guild interface, but his mind lingered on the petition. In a city as petitive as Vash'kar, rising to the top wasn’t just about leveling aining influe was about surpassing those already poised to cim power. And among them, three Level 4 guilds posed the greatest threat.

  First was Imperium Vitae—a hat carried weight far beyond Ast. Known for their dominan previous MMOs, they were a guild built on experience, discipline, and professional leadership. Their core roster sisted of seasoned pyers roached the game with the efficy of a well-oiled mae. PvP, dungeon raids, territory trol—they excelled in every aspect of petitive py. With their reputation alohey’d attracted a sizable pyer base within Solmora, and their presen Vash'kar meant they had their sights set oy’s Golden Token.

  Then came Throneseekers, a guild fed with a singur purpose: bat. Unlike Imperium Vitae, whose strength y in banced gamepy and strategic growth, Throneseekers focused solely on battle. Their embers were high-level pyers who thrived on PvP, entering Ast specifically to domih the arena and open-world skirmishes. Skill, aggression, and raw bat power defihem—and when it came to seizing trol of a tested city, that strength could tip the scales.

  Lastly, there was Mystic Oath—the most enigmatic of the three. Uhe others, their strength didn’t lie in bat or quest. Instead, they operated behind the ses, leveraging the game’s ey to build influence. Known for their dominan trade and resource acquisition, they trolled a signifit portion of the market fh-demand materials, rare crafting pos, and potions. Their preseended beyond Vash'kar, pg them among the top 10% of guilds in Solmora when it came to business dealings. Though their military strength was less publicized, the wealth and es they held made them a threat that couldn’t be ignored—especially in a city where eic leverage could be just as powerful as a sword.

  Rael exhaled slowly, leaning back as the guild interface vanished.

  Three guilds. Three different strengths.

  And Eclipse would have to surpass them all.

  * * *

  The sun hung low over the horizon as Rael and Gale rode eastward from Vash'kar, the rolling grassnds beh their mounts swayily in the breeze. Their steeds—a pair of sturdy, bck-scaled drakorns—moved swiftly across the terrain, cws digging into the soil with rhythmic thuds. Though not as fast as traditional reptilian hoofers, drakorns possessed superior endurand could traverse rough terrain with ease.

  "Think it's actual demons, or just more corrupted beasts?" Gale asked, his eyes fixed ahead as the wind tugged at his cloak. His armleamed faintly in the sunlight, the edges worn from ret battles.

  "Could be either," Rael replied, adjusting the reins of his drakorn. "The quest description was vague—just that the vilgers reported shadows moviheir fields and livestock going missing. The Order sent scouts, but none came back."

  Gale snorted. "Sounds like demons, thes don't usually make scouts disappear."

  Rael said nothing, gaze focused on the distant outline of the vilge. It y led between low hills, the faint glimmer of torchlight visible even from this distance. Sparse trees dotted the ndscape, their skeletal branches g at the sky as winter approached. The air carried a faint chill, though not enough to bite through armor.

  They rode in silence for a time, the rhythmic beat of their mounts’ cws the only sound. The vilge wasn’t far—maybe aen mi their current pace.

  Then it happened.

  Rael’s vision ed without warning—the world around him flickering as though someone had torn through the game’s code. Bd white static sshed across his interface, jagged symbols fshing too fast to prehend.

  And then it was gone.

  Rael blinked, his grip tightening on the reins as the world returo normal. The grassnds stretched before him, untouched. The vilge still waited in the distance. His drakorn snorted, seemingly unbothered, while Gale rode beside him without pause.

  Rael hesitated. The first time it happened, he’d dismissed it as a bug—immersion pods weren’t perfect, and glitches were bound to happen in a game this massive. But this was the sed time now. Each occurreed only seds, but the whispers... those weren’t normal.

  “Hey... you notiything weird just now?” he asked.

  Gale gnced over. “Weird how?”

  “Like... a s glitch or something.”

  Gale frowned, brow furrowing. “No. Why? Your pod ag up?”

  “Maybe. Just felt like my s glitched for a sed.” Rael kept his tone casual, but the thought li the back of his mind.

  “Probably some bug or server hiccup.” Gale shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” Rael hough the unease didn’t quite fade. He’d message the pany ter—better safe than sorry. Last thing he needed was some hardware malfun frying his brain.

  * * *

  The vilge gates stood ajar as Rael and Gale rode through, their drakorns’ cws g against the cobblestoh leading toward the square. The air felt heavy—not with the chill of approag winter, but with a tension that g to the air like unseen fog. Dim nterns flickered beside the stone and timber houses, their faint glow uo dispel the shadows stretg from narrow alleyways.

  Yet the square was empty.

  No merts at their stalls. No children pyihe well. Not a soul stood beh the vilge’s worn stone archway, its weathered crest of the Order faintly illuminated by a nearby torch. Only the faint creak of wooden signs swaying in the breeze disturbed the silence.

  “...I don’t like this,” Gale muttered, dismounting his drakorn with a fluid motion. His boots thudded against the ground, and his haed loosely he hilt of his sword as he sed the surroundings. “Feels like we rode into a ghost town.”

  Rael followed suit, his gaze sweeping the square with practiced calm. There—behind cracked shutters and thin curtains—flickers of movement caught his eye. Faces, pale and wary, peered out from shadowed windows. Some vahe moment his gaze passed over them, while others liheir eyes hollow with fear.

  “They’re still here... but hiding,” Rael murmured. His voice carried just enough to reach Gale, whose expression hardened.

  “Question is—from what?”

  Before Rael could ahe faint groan of hinges broke the silence. A weathered wooden door swung open across the square, revealing a figure stepping cautiously into the torchlight.

  An older man, perhaps in his sixties, with silver-streaked hair and a face carved with lines of hardship. His simple wool tunid cloak were worn thin by time, and his eyes—dark with exhaustion—sed the two adventurers with a mix of hope and caution. Still, he offered a faint smile as he approached.

  “Blessed be the Order… You’ve e.”

  Rael and Gale exged a gnce before Rael stepped forward. “We received a request from the Adventurers’ Guild. Demonic activity in the area—missing livestock, shadows he fields, and scouts who didn’t return. Are we correct?”

  The old man paused, his expression briefly flickering with something unreadable before he nodded. "Aye… though it’s more than just livestoow. People’ve gone missing too. The patrol from the Order never returned. And those who venture beyond the vilge at night…” His voice dropped to a hush. “…some say they hear whispers in the dark. Others… never e back at all.”

  Whispers.

  Rael’s eyes narrowed slightly, though his expression remained posed. Beside him, Gale crossed his arms. “That’s more serious than what the guild reported. Their notily mentioned livestod shadows.”

  “Aye, it did,” the old man said. His gaze flicked toward the watg windows before he lowered his voice. “But I sent that request weeks ago. Things have grown worse sihough we dared not send another. We feared the ht judge us as tainted.”

  Rael kept his expression still, though suspi stirred in his mind. The Adventurers’ Guild usually updated quest information when new developments arose. For them to have received outdated details suggested something had deyed or withheld the vilge’s follow-up reports. Whether it was the Order’s doing—or someone else’s—remained unclear.

  “We need more information,” Rael said. “When did the disappearances begin? And the whispers—what do they say?”

  The old maated, gng toward the shadows pooling at the square’s edges. “...It began three weeks past. At first, it was only livestock… then one of our hunters vanished while trag deer he eastern woods. A week ter, a family of three disappeared from their home—no signs of struggle, no broken doors. Just… gone.”

  His voice dropped lower, as if afraid the night itself might overhear. “As for the whispers… those who’ve heard them say they call out heir names.”

  Siletled over the square once more, broken only by the distant cry of a night bird somewhere beyond the vilge walls.

  Rael exged a gh Gale. Whatever they’d expected, this was something more. And though her spoke the thought aloud, both khe same truth:

  This quest had just bee far more dangerous than they’d beeo believe.