As soon as Zeron gave the command, the Shadow Ledger forces mobilized with brutal efficiency. The troops, led by Zeron and his four Tier 5 Masters (including the healed Lenard), warped away from the marsh. Their target was clear: the capital city of the Dwarf Kingdom, Khazad-Dar. Zeron's intention was to bypass the defenses and strike directly at the core of the kingdom's power—the palace itself—to achieve total collapse.
The Dwarf Kingdom guards, alerted by King Borin's immediate return and the urgency of the war council, rushed to their posts. King Borin and Jai had predicted that if their plan to lure Zeron was successful, the war would break out immediately, forcing the toughest siege the Dwarf Kingdom had ever faced. Guards reinforced the outer defenses of all towns under the King's dominion, but the main thrust was heading for the capital.
Zeron teleported himself and his key companions—Lenard and the four Tier 5 elemental masters—directly to the King's Palace within Khazad-Dar. Their arrival was not subtle.
A colossal impact shook the entire capital city. Houses trembled, stone streets cracked, and the very air compressed and vibrated violently. This was the combined spiritual pressure of the five high-Tier Masters and Zeron's terrifying core.
Inside the palace, Zayn heard the explosion of force and felt the physical impact of the spiritual pressure. He looked at Jai, his eyes wide with concern.
"What is this Vortex, Arthur?" Zayn asked, his voice strained. "This place is going to be destroyed today, isn't it?"
(Note: Vortex is the narrative term for the immense spiritual pressure used by Masters.)
King Borin, standing in the palace foyer, immediately gestured to Minister Brokk. "Take the boys—Jai, James, and Zayn—inside! Now!"
Borin then turned his attention outward. He could see the advancing columns of the Shadow Ledger troops pouring into the capital's outer districts. Among the commanders, he recognized faces he had not seen in years: his own brother and cousins, corrupted and now leading the enemy. The betrayal was crushing.
Borin forced himself to calm his racing heart, his brown eyes fixed on the blue-haired figure of Zeron. "He is my son in my heart," Borin thought, a deep ache in his chest, "but that body is not him."
Borin stepped forward, breaking the terrifying silence of the Vortex hanging over the city. "How are you? Did you truly come back as my son? Or are you a spirit trying to impersonate him?"
Zeron laughed—a loud, hollow, and chilling sound that echoed through the palace walls. "See, Father? If I am like this, you and your family are the reason!" Zeron's blue eyes flashed with intense malice. "My brother was the one who murdered my mother, and my own blood-related father killed me with his own hands! I am exactly what you made me!"
As Zeron spoke, a new figure stepped forward from the advancing Shadow Ledger army. This was a dwarf with brown skin, striking white hair, and black eyes. He wore a distinct, ancient-style armor that resembled a historical Chinese ceremonial suit, symbolizing his traditionalist nature.
King Borin stared at the figure, his political instincts screaming at him to halt the war. "Younger brother!" Borin called out, his voice filled with desperate hope. "Zevan! How are you?"
Borin tried to compromise, pleading with Zevan to stop the war. Borin knew Zevan wanted revenge on dwarf kingdom, but a full-scale war here would lead to the collapse of the entire kingdom. Zevan and the Shadow Ledger commanders, however, refused to listen, spitting insults and demanding Borin's surrender.
As the negotiations failed and Zevan was about to give the order to begin the siege, disaster struck inside the palace.
Little Arthur and Morisa, having been taken to a supposedly safe vantage point, were now looking out over the palace courtyard. They saw Zeron, Lenard, and Zevan standing before King Borin.
Little Arthur, upon seeing Zeron's striking blue hair and chilling blue eyes, froze. Then, driven by an instinct he couldn't control, he ran. He bolted past the confused guards and raced out into the courtyard, directly into the danger zone.
Jai instantly noticed the child's reckless dash. The sheer Tier 9 instinct elemental master took over. He chased Little Arthur and managed to scoop him up just feet from the devastating Vortex field surrounding Zeron.
James and Zayn immediately followed, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Jai held the boy tightly in his arms, his disguise face close to the child's. "What happened, Arthur? Why are you running outside?"
Little Arthur, shaken and pointing his small hand at Zeron, said in a voice filled with utter confusion and shock:
"Big Brother, that person with blue hair and blue eyes is my father!"
Jai, James, and Zayn froze. The blood drained from their faces. The enemy commander, the murderous leader of the Shadow Ledger—Zeron—was the biological father of Little Arthur, the young Human Prince they had sworn to protect. The strategic and familial conflict had just become impossibly complex.
Zeron, having heard the childish declaration, turned slowly. His blue eyes narrowed, not in recognition, but in calculation. His Dominance flickered briefly, a sign of his immense inner shock at seeing the child.
Zayn was the first to react, his loyalty overriding his shock. He grabbed Little Arthur from Jai's arms and sprinted back toward the palace entrance. "Get inside! Now!"
Jai stayed momentarily, his mind, the Tier 9 Imperial Core, working at impossible speed. He locked eyes with Zeron.
Zeron's sneer returned, colder than before. "A past life is irrelevant, Arthur. I didn't even know who this kid is"?. But thank you for confirming my suspicions. You two are even more valuable alive than I thought."
King Borin, watching the exchange from the palace steps, felt the true nature of the crisis. He knew Zeron's greatest fear was Beatrice. If Zeron killed Arthur or James, the Human Queen would dismantle the Shadow Ledger, ending the war before Zeron could achieve his goals. Borin had to leverage this fear to gain time.
Zevan began to explain the horrific truth of Zeron's return, his voice hollow and devoid of emotion.
"After the King killed Zeron and left his body to be consumed by the mountains, we, the devoted few, performed the forbidden ritual. We channeled the energy of the Shadow Ledger and the Void element to appeal to the Death God. We performed the ancient sacrifice to bring back the soul of Zeron. Ultimately, the soul—filled with rage and Dominance—did return."
"But Zeron's original dwarf body was too weak. The new, ancient spirit was far too powerful; it would have detonated the corpse instantly. We needed a host. A strong vessel to contain that monumental soul."
Zevan's gaze turned dark, filled with the guilt and cold necessity of their past actions. "We began searching for the perfect vessel—a Master whose body possessed high elemental compatibility and immense spiritual fortitude. We encountered the target in a remote mountain forest—the very parents of your young ward, Little Arthur."
"His father, Alex, was a formidable Tier 4 Master who specialized in a rare combination: Fire, Dark, Space, and Void elements. His mother, Bella, was an even rarer Tier 6 Master of Water and Void."
"We understood the risk," Zevan continued. "A Tier 4 and a Tier 6 together were a dangerous pair. We planned meticulously, sending a large strike force: two Tier 4 Masters and three Tier 5 Masters—a force capable of destroying an entire small army."
"Alex was stronger than any of us anticipated. Driven by the protection of his family and the raw power of his unusual elemental mix, he fought with absolute ferocity. He held off all five Masters for two grueling days."
"He finally died, not in defeat, but in peace, having ensured his wife and child had enough time to flee. He was the perfect, resilient vessel."
"Once Alex was dead, we used a combination of forbidden artifacts to prepare his body," Zevan revealed. "The key artifact was the Soul-Anchor Gem (Tier 3, Dark/Void). This gem stabilized the physical form, ensuring it wouldn't be destroyed when Zeron's powerful spirit was introduced."
"The second, more crucial artifact was the Aetheric Conduit (Tier 3, Spirit). We forced Alex's body to absorb this. This conduit acted as a catalyst, merging the returning Zeron's soul—which, due to the ritual, was now only capable of manifesting as a Tier 3 physical core—with Alex's strong Tier 4 body."
"This process transformed the physical shell. The Tier 3 core we created is unnaturally dense, using the resilient elements of Alex's original body, granting Zeron the Tier 5 spiritual Dominance you witnessed. This is why a mere Tier 3 can wield such power. He is running on Alex's power, fueled by his own massive soul."
"And that, Prince Zayn," Zevan concluded, his voice laced with triumph, "is how we created the weapon that will end your family's reign."
The devastating backstory was complete. Jai, James, and Zayn stood in horror, realizing the true nature of the enemy: a resurrected soul wearing the skin of their young ward's father, wielding immense, stolen power.
Zayn could only stammer, the shame of his previous doubt now completely replaced by rage. "So, my brother is a grave robber! A thief wearing the mask of a hero!"
"Call him what you will," Zevan retorted, turning his back. "The hour is almost up. We will meet at the outer gates. May your resistance be swift, Prince." Zevan warped away, his final message delivered.
The hour was indeed almost up. The three princes turned toward the exit, their mission now deeply personal: they had to defeat the man who murdered Little Arthur's father and stole his identity.
The war between Son and Father has finally started!