The male adventurer, Kael, fell to his knees as the shadows tightened around his neck. His companion, Lira, trembled with fear, unable to believe the weak man before them wielded such power.
"P-please, lord! We didn't mean to desecrate your resting place!" Kael pleaded.
"The seven kingdoms... the Union of Light rules now!"
"Union of Light?" Valerius repeated. The name alone made his blood boil. "Where is the Infernum Empire? Where are my generals?"
The two adventurers exchanged glances, confusion etched on their faces. "Infernum... it's gone, thousands of years past," Lira replied in a shaking voice. "We were taught in the academy that the Demon Lord was defeated by the Heroes and his lands turned into a wasteland. Now, humans, elves, and beast-kin live under the peace of the holy church."
Valerius released his spell. The two collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. For Valerius, this news was more painful than the sword that had pierced his heart. His empire, his kin he considered family—all erased by history.
"Peace..." Valerius whispered, staring outside the ruin. "A peace built on my ashes."
He approached Kael and snatched his bag. He took a map, some silver coins, and a dark cloak. He donned the cloak to hide his pale form.
"Leave before I change my mind," he ordered.
The two didn't hesitate. They fled the altar, abandoning their belongings.
Valerius remained, studying the map. He noticed a crucial detail: his current location was the former Border of Shadows, but on the map, it was called Whispering Woods, a small forest at the edge of a town named Oakhaven.
But one thing caught his attention—a seal in the continent's center with the name "The Hero's Sanctuary."
"If the world became peaceful because of my death, then this world doesn't deserve its salvation," Valerius said to himself.
He exited the altar and, for the first time in a millennium, felt sunlight. But it wasn't warm to him; it was scorching. His power was at 1% of its former strength.
He needed to grow stronger, reclaim his Relics, and find if any of his loyal servants remained.
As he walked through the forest, he noticed a black raven staring at him from a branch. The raven's eyes were purple—a color unnatural for a bird.
The raven paused and spoke in a voice like a soul from beneath the earth. "Lord... is that you?"
Valerius stopped. A smile crept onto his lips. It seemed he wasn't alone in this new era.