The air in the relatively intact Lord's chamber within the Sylvan Bastion's central tower was thick with the scent of old wood, lingering elven incense, and the faint, sharp tang of ozone from recent magical exertions. Renn sat at Ardyn's commandeered command table, the complete Reliquary map spread before him, its surface no longer burning but pulsing with a faint internal light, like embers in a dying fire. Lilith was perched on the edge of the table, legs crossed, one black-booted foot swinging idly, her gaze fixed on the "Unique Summoning Seal" Renn turned over and over between his fingers. Seraphina, Nyra, and Valka stood around him, an assembly of power and devotion.
"So, this is it," Renn stated, his voice a low rumble. He tapped the Seal—a small, obsidian disk etched with four intricate, glowing sigils he didn't recognize. "The key to summoning… whatever those voices were."
Nyra leaned forward, her violet eyes scrutinizing the Seal. "The craftsmanship is unlike anything I've encountered, My Lord. The sigils… they don't belong to any known arcane language of the current era, nor do they resemble the glyphs of the pre-Collapse ages I've studied. They feel… primordial." She looked up at Renn. "The voices you heard, 'seductive and ancient'—this Seal resonates with that same ancient, almost alluring power."
Valka, who had been staring intently at the Reliquary map, finally spoke, her voice carrying the solemnity of ocean depths. "The map… it calls to this Seal, My Lord." She pointed to a newly illuminated convergence point on the ancient parchment, a location deep within a mountain range depicted in the far northern territories of the Endless World—a region notoriously designated as a High-Level Zone. "There. That is where the summons must be answered. The voices emanate from that focal point, amplified by the Reliquary's network."
"A High-Level Zone?" Seraphina's brow furrowed. "My Lord, even with our recent victory, venturing into such a perilous region to conduct an unknown summoning… the risks are astronomical. We don't even possess an Advanced Teleportation Token to reach such a random location, let alone a specific point."
"And we have the Tithe to worry about," Renn added, the practical burden tempering the allure of the mystery. "Thirty days isn't a long time to gather ten tons of fertile land and the rest."
Lilith, however, was undeterred, her eyes shining. "But My Lord, think of the power! Four ancient entities! If they're as potent as their voices suggest, the Tithe would become trivial! We could simply command the resources into existence, or take them from anyone foolish enough to stand in our way!" She practically purred the last part, her succubus nature briefly surfacing.
"Your enthusiasm is noteworthy, Lilith," Nyra said, a touch of amusement in her voice. "But such power rarely comes without a price, or an agenda. These beings demanded to be summoned. They weren't offering their services freely."
Renn knew they were right. This wasn't a simple troop summoning. The voices felt like… an awakening. He held the Obsidian Seal. It was cool to the touch, yet it vibrated with a latent energy that made the hairs on his arm stand on end.
"The Reliquary map is our guide to the 'Dark Entity' and the Lost Reliquary," Renn stated. "These voices, this summons, are clearly connected to it. Ignoring it isn't an option if we're to pursue that quest. And Valka," he looked at the serene Valkyrie, "this is tied to your purpose, to what you sensed."
Valka met his gaze, a flicker of deep gratitude in her oceanic eyes. "It is, My Lord. My very essence resonates with this call. I believe… I must believe… that answering it is a necessary step, however perilous."
"Then we prepare for the perilous," Seraphina declared, her voice firm. "My Lord, if this is your decision, we must approach it with utmost caution and strategy. First, the Pool of Primordial Essence. Valka, you and Nyra will attempt to locate it within the Bastion's territory. Its described abilities to amplify magic and empower rituals could be crucial for both this summoning and for resource generation for the Tithe."
Renn nodded. "Agreed. While you do that, Lilith, I want you to use your… unique talents. Gather intelligence within the Bastion. Ardyn held this place for a year. There must be records, logs, anything that can tell us more about the northern High-Level Zones, or any local legends about these mountains the map indicates."
Lilith's smile was predatory. "Consider it done, My Lord. I have ways of making stones talk… and Ardyn's former servants sing."
For the next three days, the Sylvan Bastion, now the "Shrine of the Twin Peaks" as Renn had begun to call it, was a hive of activity. Valka and Nyra, using a combination of Valka's elemental senses and Nyra's arcane tracking, scoured the dense forests and rocky crags surrounding the fortress. On the second day, near a waterfall cascading down a sheer cliff face hidden deep in a secluded valley, they found it: the Pool of Primordial Essence.
It wasn't a lake, as the System note might have implied, but a vast, subterranean grotto, the air thick with raw, pulsing magic. A crystalline pool of liquid light, shimmering with all the colors of the spectrum, lay at its center, its surface smooth as glass. Runes, ancient beyond comprehension, glowed softly on the cavern walls, absorbing and re-radiating the Pool's energy. The moment they stepped inside, both Valka and Nyra felt their own magical reserves surge, their senses sharpening.
[System: Pool of Primordial Essence (Epic Quality) discovered. Passive Effects for all allied units within Bastion Territory: +10% Mana Regeneration, +5% Skill Potency. Active Ritual Empowerment: Complex rituals and summonings performed in direct proximity to the Pool have significantly increased success chance and potency, and reduced cost.]
Simultaneously, Lilith, with her seductive charm and shadow-play, had been 'interviewing' the few remaining elven servants and low-ranking guards who had surrendered rather than fight to the death or flee with Kael. Most knew little, but one elderly elven loremaster, spared due to his frailty, spoke of the "Whispering Peaks" in the far north – a place shunned even by dragons, said to be a graveyard of forgotten gods, where the very air vibrated with voices from the void. He spoke of four "Sleepers" bound there, entities of immense power that, if awakened, could reshape reality or shatter it. He knew of no ritual, only that a "Key of Night and Dawn" was needed. The Obsidian Seal.
When this information was brought to Renn, the path became both clearer and more daunting.
"A graveyard of forgotten gods… Four Sleepers…" Renn murmured, the Obsidian Seal feeling heavier in his hand. "This goes far beyond anything the Academy ever taught."
They gathered in the grotto of the Pool of Primordial Essence. The very air felt alive, thrumming against their skin. The Reliquary map was laid upon a natural stone dais, its light interacting with the Pool's glow, making the highlighted point in the Whispering Peaks shine like a baleful star. Renn held the Obsidian Seal aloft.
"The loremaster said there was no specific ritual, only that the Key… this Seal… needs to be presented at the correct focal point, a place of power within those mountains," Lilith reported. "But he warned that to awaken them is to invite their judgment."
"Judgment is something we deliver, not receive, when it is in our Lord's name," Seraphina stated, her hand resting on the pommel of her light-forged spear, her golden eyes fixed on the Seal.
Renn looked at each of his devoted companions. Lilith, her power now a blend of seductive shadow and holy fire, ever eager. Seraphina, the Luminara Redemptrix, her faith a burning, unbreakable shield. Nyra, wise and ancient, her shadows a comforting lethality. Valka, the Sainted Valkyrie, her spirit as vast and deep as the ocean. They were his strength.
"The voices demanded I summon them," Renn said, his voice resolute. "They didn't ask. This Seal is the means. Valka feels the call. The Reliquary quest demands we investigate. The risks exist, but the potential power… for the Order, for Earth… is too great to ignore." He took a deep breath, the energized air of the grotto filling his lungs. "We will answer this summons. But not from afar. We will go to the Whispering Peaks. We will present the Seal there, at the focal point Valka identified on the map. We will face these Sleepers on our terms, as much as possible."
A new System notification chimed, specifically for Renn.
[System: Path Chosen. The 'Unique Summoning Seal' can be used to attempt the Summoning of the Four Sleepers. WARNING: Direct summoning at the focal point in a High-Level Zone is exceptionally dangerous. Recommended Power Level for expedition: 150,000+. Current estimated Lord Power Level: 38,500 (Note: The Sacred Order's True Power Level is significantly underestimated by standard metrics).]
[System: New Quest Available: 'The Sleeping Titans.' Journey to the Whispering Peaks. Locate the focal point of the summons. Use the 'Unique Summoning Seal' to awaken the Four Sleepers. Objective: Survive and understand their nature. Rewards: Unknown (Potentially Catastrophic or Transcendental).]
Renn smirked. "Underestimated, as always. Good." He looked at his nuns. "This won't be easy. A High-Level Zone, ancient beings… But when has anything ever been easy for us?"
Lilith's grin was wide and fearsome. "Easy is boring, My Lord."
"Our faith is our shield, our Lord our spear," Seraphina intoned.
Nyra nodded. "Wisdom and preparation shall be our allies."
Valka simply stated, "The currents will guide us to them, and through them."
"First, however," Renn said, a practical tone returning to his voice, "the Tithe. We have one month. This journey to the Whispering Peaks will take time and resources we can't fully afford if we neglect our duty to Earth. Seraphina, Nyra, how are our resource stockpiles for the Tithe looking after securing the Bastion's initial stores and what the Sanctum can provide?"
Nyra produced a small, ethereal ledger. "My Lord, the Bastion was rich in lumber and some rare ores, but deficient in large-scale fertile land and easily harvestable basic crops. The Sanctum provides a steady, but modest, supply of these. After initial tallies, we are at approximately 60% of the lumber requirement, 40% for water—thanks to the Sanctum's purity—but only 20% for fertile land and 15% for miscellaneous crops."
Renn frowned. "That… is not enough. Thirty days. We need a plan for the Tithe before we even think about marching north." He looked at the Pool of Primordial Essence, its light reflecting in his eyes. "This Pool empowers rituals. Nyra, Valka… can it be used to create or transform resources? Can we purify blighted land? Conjure water? Accelerate crop growth on a massive scale?"
Nyra's eyes lit up. "My Lord, your insight is keen! Legends of such Pools often speak of their life-giving and transformative properties. A ritual of creation or transmutation would be incredibly complex and energy-intensive, but with the Pool's amplification, and perhaps by focusing the faith of the entire Order… it might be possible."
A new, desperate hope mingled with the ominous anticipation of the northern summons. Earth's fate, and the mystery of the Sleepers, both hung in the balance, and Renn, with his Sacred Order, stood at the precipice of both. The month ahead would test them as never before.