Chapter 205 - 207: Ereborn Continent

Words : 1654 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Alix unfurls it slowly, the corners weighed down by the small black stones set into the table. The surface of the parchment glows faintly with enchantments—names, symbols, colors shifting subtly as his gaze moves across it. Ocean divide continents. Hundreds of kingdoms, factions, and scattered city-states mark the known world. Alix leans over the map, eyes narrowing as it comes to life beneath his gaze. The room is quiet except for the faint flutter of the map. Each continent glows with a different hue—some bright and active, others dim with fading power. His eyes scan it all carefully. "...Hundreds of them," he murmurs. "And that's just the recorded ones." Alix's eyes glides along the parchment, following the curved edges of one vast continent, then moving on to the next. Every single continent is surrounded by sea. Deep azure lines form the swirling oceans that separate realms, others wide and empty like forgotten voids. He leans forward slightly, eyes flicking to the far corners of the map. "There," he mutters. "The Three Kingdoms continent. And Caeland." Alix's gaze lingers on the two landmasses nestled side by side, far from the map's crowded center. The Three Kingdoms continent—drawn in sharp, angular borders, fragmented into its famously unstable triad of warring empires. And just beside it, Caeland—once a stronghold of isolated power, now fully subdued under his rule. He exhales, slowly. "We really are in the corner," he mutters, almost amused. "Tucked away. Like someone tried to forget about them." A faint knock sounds at the chamber door—soft, respectful. Alix doesn't look up. "Enter." The door opens with a muted creak, and Draya steps inside. A silver tray rests in her hands, bearing a steaming pot of dark tea and two small glasses. "You've been at the desk for four hours," she says, setting the tray down without waiting for an answer. "You should drink something, your majesty." Alix gives a faint nod, but his eyes remain fixed on the map. She notices, of course. "...That's the world map?" she asks, stepping beside him. "Yes." His voice is quiet, distracted. " I hope it's accurate. Her eyes scan it briefly. "There's more continents than I thought." Then he gestures to the center of the parchment—where three vast, almost ominously large landmasses stretch across the heart of the map. "It is," he says quietly. "The two continents we have now... are already big. Caeland alone took months to conquer even with everything I had now." He pauses. "I can't imagine these three main continents... each one looks a thousand times the size of Caeland or the Three Kingdoms." Draya leans in, brows lifting as she follows his gaze. The three core continents are massive—so large they almost distort the scale of the map. Entire archipelagos fit inside a single province. Rivers wider than seas. Cities that look like entire countries. Alix's eyes shift from the immense continents at the center of the map. Slowly, his hand drifts down—toward a smaller continent not far from Caeland. It's broader than the Three Kingdoms, shaped like a rough crescent, dotted with scattered kingdoms and thick forests rendered in dusky green. He taps it once, firm and deliberate. "This," he says, his voice low. "This is our next target." Draya leans closer, studying the region. There are no monstrous symbols etched into the parchment. No beast empires, no ancient monster cities. Just human settlements—dozens of them, marked with clean, rigid borders and clustered capitals. Alix's gaze darkens. "This continent is home to the humans. There's no monster race here that's thriving. Just like in the Three Kingdoms continent. The monsters here are shackled. Slaves. Hunted. Used." Draya's lips tighten slightly. "So it's the same pattern," she murmurs. "Order built on chains. Kingdoms built on backs." Alix nods once. "It's stable... because they keep it that way. Through fear." He looks at her. "We'll change that." She meets his gaze. "That's good, Your Majesty. Then we now have purpose in this new world." Draya straightens, her voice firmer now, almost reverent. "We'll build an empire of monsters. One the humans can't enslave. One that stands above theirs." Alix doesn't smile. But there's something resolute in the way he folds his arms behind his back. ----- Back in Caeland, within the new heart of the continent, the Dar-Khan city. In the war room glows with soft light cast from enchanted lanterns. A massive stone table dominates the center—its surface etched with strategic markers, miniature figures, and a copy of the world map now central to their planning. Gander, clad in his usual dark mage robes, stands at the head of the table. Beside him are Lysaria, Veyrith, and Astram—each bearing the quiet intensity of seasoned generals awaiting the next campaign. A new order has come. From their king. Their god. The next invasion is set in motion. Gander places something on the map, tapping the crescent-shaped landmass just beyond the eastern shores of Caeland. "This is it," he says. "The continent of Ereborn. His Majesty has chosen it as our next target." The room falls still for a moment. Then Gander glances toward Veyrith and Astram. "Well?" he asks. "What do you two know about Ereborn?" Astram steps forward, arms folded, golden eyes narrowing slightly as he peers at the marked continent. "Dozens of human kingdoms. Some bound in alliance, others constantly at odds. But they share one thing—hatred of the monster races." "They've institutionalized it," Veyrith adds, his voice calm but sharp. "Monster bloodlines are outlawed. Most captured monsters are turned into war beasts or slaves. The stronger ones are collared and used as spectacle in their gladiator arenas." Lysaria's expression hardens. "Charming." Astram nods. "They've grown complacent. Safe behind high walls and long traditions. They don't expect an invasion—not one like ours. Their enemies are each other. Not us." Gander hums thoughtfully. "Then we'll be their first real threat in centuries." Astram leans over the table slightly, his expression more serious now. "To tell you the truth," he says, voice low, "I already tried to infiltrate Ereborn once." Gander raises a brow. "Oh, how did it go." Astram gives a faint smirk, then shakes his head. "It didn't go the way I expected. I spent a full month inside—during the height of one of their wars. Thought I could gather intelligence. Maybe even stir something from the inside." "And?" Veyrith asks, folding his arms. "I pulled out," Astram says simply. "It wasn't worth it. Every inch of that place is crawling with patrols, magical wards, and anti-monster enchantments. Even in disguise, I could feel the hostility. And worse—the kingdom that guards the natural portal. They're no joke." "Their king is a peak Tier 6," Astram says. "And he's no ornamental ruler. We fought once, and I only lasted three minutes before I fled. If I hadn't, I would've died there." Gander frowns. "The natural portal... that's the one you told us about before? The one that links continents?" "Yeah," Astram nods. "A stable portal. No rift instability. No anchor arrays needed. It's natural. Just... there. Always has been. Our sits in eastern shores." He pauses, tapping the space between the two landmasses. "Only a handful of continents don't have one. The Three Kingdoms, for example—that whole place is isolated." Lysaria tilts her head. "So what is it, exactly? Who made it?" Astram shrugs slightly. "No one knows. It predates any written record. Modern mages have tried studying it, sealing it, even destroying it. Nothing works. It's immune to spatial magic. No one can even trace its origin signature." "So it's been open all this time?" Gander asks. "All this time," Astram confirms. "Unmoving. Unaffected. The kingdoms of Ereborn have built an entire fortress-city around their side of it. Always guarding it." Gander narrows his eyes. "Then that will be our first objective. If we want to push into Ereborn, we take that fortress." "We'll need a full-scale force," Veyrith says. "And a proper counter to a peak Tier 6." Astram glances at her, then smirks. "We already have one." ---- The next few days... The entire continent of Caeland buzzes with unprecedented energy. News spreads like wildfire—first whispered in crowded taverns, then shouted in open marketplaces, finally formalized by proclamation across every city and stronghold. The message is simple, bold, and absolute: A new campaign begins. A new world awaits. Veyrith stands atop the blackstone platform in the central square of Dar-Kharn city, voice magically amplified, his crimson cloak fluttering in the warm wind. "All monster clans of Caeland!" his voice rings out. "By command of His Majesty Alix—the true ruler of this world—we march to war! Not here, not in our lands. But across the sea. To Ereborn!" A roar of disbelief and excitement follows, echoing across the square. Astram stands beside him, arms crossed and eyes gleaming as he addresses the gathered crowd next. "Every recognized monster clan is ordered to send a force of no less than one thousand combatants. From warriors to spellcasters, young elites to veteran champions. This is not a raid. This is not a border skirmish." His voice drops into a deep growl. "This is invasion." A ripple of shock spreads across the crowd. Then a surge of thrill. Cheers erupt. Claws slam on shields. Weapons are raised to the sky. For once in Caeland's bloodstained history, they are united. ---- In a dimly-lit adventurer's guild hall in the northern port city of Kharneth, the news arrives via a crystal projection—Veyrith's proclamation glowing mid-air. The hall bursts into noise. "No way!" a scaled beastkin adventurer barks, slamming his mug down. "They're invading another continent? This is a huge opportunity!"

Chapter 205 - 207: Ereborn Continent

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