Chapter 127 - The New Forge

The hundred-and-twenty-first dawn washed over Kael El's nascent empire with a fragile golden glow, the western valley—a fledgling dominion—stirring amidst the ash of ruin. The skyline was humble—a single bone keep rising, its frame stark against the horizon, no Colossus to cast its shadow, only faint golden veins pulsing in the earth. Kael stood on the keep's ramparts, Stormforged Blade gripped tight, shard-pommel humming softly, like a distant song. EX: Dragonflame Reaver gleamed faintly at his hip, Stormhide Armor patched but resolute, Lyra's survival and Rhea's fierce love anchoring his will. His flirty smirk flickered briefly, tempered by a steady gaze, masking a raw determination—the Error's death, the empire's fall, and the survivors' chants fueling his blood. He flexed EX: Gold Dominion, golden veins threading through the keep's stone, molten but growing, answering the shard's quiet call.