The roads to Thelara were a gamble. Twisting trails through shadowed forests, narrow passages carved by time and weather—places where goblins bred and orcs prowled. For years, adventurers and merchants braved these perilous routes, hoping the promise of Thelara's rising light would outweigh the danger that lurked in the dark.
But hope alone was not armor.
Mito, a grizzled vendor with the heart of an adventurer and a pack filled with rare herbs and letters of trade, rode out alone. His mission was simple—collect payment for Thelara's latest grain shipment from the southern village of Kellern and return before dusk.
He never made it back on time.
The sun dipped low as Mito rode through a narrow gorge, his horse nervous beneath him. He felt it before he heard it—a crack of twigs, the sharp grunt of something inhuman.
The orcs came fast.
Three of them, hulking beasts with rotted tusks and rusted blades, surged from the underbrush. Mito barely dodged the first swing, leaping from his horse as the beast screamed and bolted. He drew his short blade, eyes wild, sweat mixing with blood as the edge of a jagged axe caught his arm.
Pain. Fire in his bones.
He rolled beneath a second blow, thrust upward, catching one in the gut. The orc roared, falling back, but the others came on. Mito ran—not from fear, but because he knew he had to live. For Thelara. For Nova. For the families counting on him.
Bleeding, clutching his wounded arm, he ducked into the undergrowth and vanished like a wraith.
By the time he staggered back into Thelara, half-conscious and leaning on his sword like a crutch, the village was already alight with torches.
Nova was the first to reach him.
"Mito!"
The old vendor collapsed into his arms.
"The roads," he gasped. "They'll never reach us. Not like this."
Nova's jaw clenched. His usual calm was gone, replaced by a quiet fury.
"No more," he murmured.
The next morning, Nova stood at the village center, eyes ablaze with purpose.
"We build," he said. "Not for convenience—but for survival. For future. For peace."
Scarlet stepped beside him, her druid staff glowing with nature's breath. It was not the same staff she once wielded—this one was the Serpent's Root, a relic claimed from the heart of her battle with Kolokawa. Its gnarled wood was etched with deep emerald runes, and its tip shimmered with a latent green flame, a gift left behind when the life of the serpent was absorbed.
"This staff," she whispered once to Nova, "carries the memory of that beast… and its power. I'll use it to protect this realm."
She raised her hand, vines curling into a massive scroll. A rough sketch unfurled—routes that snaked toward the Seven Cities, paths forgotten by time and now reclaimed by hope.
"I've marked the land," she said. "Forests, rivers, ravines. We'll clear what must be cleared."
Veteran adventurers from Thelara—Garren the shieldbearer, Mira the scout, Lio now older and wiser—stepped forward to help. Their faces were lined with resolve.
Nova wrote letters with a precision only a former commander could manage. Each message bore Thelara's new seal—a golden tree rooted in stone, branches stretched to the stars.
"To the Sovereigns of the Seven Cities: Let us build a bridge not just of trade, but of trust."
Three days passed. Ravens flew. Riders rode.
Then the replies came.
Five out of the Seven Cities agreed: Martha. Zeba. Torent. Quban. Ethelifa.
Each city was unique in its essence:
Martha, the Steel City, home to blacksmiths and forgers. Its rulers sought ore and sturdy roads.
Zeba, nestled in crimson canyons, was famed for its alchemists and enchanted dyes.
Torent, seated by the sea, was a port of fishermen and philosophers.
Quban, veiled in mists, boasted the continent's finest weavers and scholars.
Ethelifa, the Emerald Crown, thrived in lush valleys of fruit and spice, ruled by a matriarchal council.
Nova climbed to the stone outcropping above the Heart Tree, overlooking all of Thelara. Scarlet stood below, watching him with a heart full of pride and fire.
[System: Trade Route Protocol - Activated]
[Energy Core: 1275 / 1300 Units Remaining]
[Command: Execute Global Terrain Reshape? Y/N]
Nova closed his eyes, felt the power hum beneath his skin.
"Y."
He raised his hands.
The world obeyed.
The ground trembled as stone reshaped and roots gave way. Trees parted gently, without violence, as if bowing to something greater. Mountains were split—not with wrath, but with purpose. Ridges lowered, valleys filled, and through it all, golden roads emerged.
Their surfaces shimmered—part magic, part stone, crafted to endure time and tempest.
[System: Road to Martha - Constructed]
[System: Road to Zeba - Constructed]
[System: Road to Torent - Constructed]
[System: Road to Quban - Constructed]
[System: Road to Ethelifa - Constructed]
Scarlet moved swiftly. At every 10 kilometers, she and her team placed ancient artifacts—Orbs of Shield, relics charged with stored mana. They pulsed, each orb releasing a dome of translucent energy above the road, shimmering in the sunlight like guardian halos.
"These will hold," she said, her voice tinged with both exhaustion and pride. "No beast nor blade will cross without facing our will."
Nova stood breathless, not from fatigue, but awe.
"We've carved peace into the bones of the world," he whispered.
Four days.
That's all it took.
In just four days, Thelara was no longer a hidden corner of the map. It was a nexus. Merchants from Zeba arrived first—mouths open in wonder at the unmarred, glowing roads. Soon came Torent's jewel traders, Quban's silk caravans, and Ethelifa's spice wagons.
The people of Thelara lined the roads. Farmers with soil-stained hands stared in awe as their carts rolled smoothly toward bustling city hubs. Children played near the shield orbs, watching the light ripple like pond water. Mito, his arm now wrapped, stood by his stall and smiled, tears trailing silently down his cheek.
Nova stood at the crossroads outside the village.
He looked out—not at danger, but at possibility.
Scarlet joined him, taking his hand.
"From roots and ruins," she said.
"We built a kingdom," he replied.
And the roads, golden and glowing, stretched far into the horizon—each one a promise, each one a path to a future earned by sweat, blood, and belief.
[System Notification: Thelara - Regional Trade Nexus Status: Activated]
[World Integration Progress: 17% Complete]
[New Artifact Registered: Serpent's Root - Class: A - Status: Bound to Scarlet]
[Next Milestone: The United Guild Council Summit]
The kingdom moved not with armies, but with roads. And the world would never forget the day Thelara opened its gates.