Far West – Orvelian Empire

In the far west of Raven Spire, beyond the borders of Raven Court, in the heart of the Orvelian Empire, a single tower stood sentinel over the capital: the Mage Tower.

As the first dawn light fell through the windows of the highest floor, a blonde-haired woman in black attire walked toward the window with measured grace. Her dress flowed to her ankles, split high along one side to reveal slender thighs with each step. Her doll-like face basked in the early rays, features so perfectly sculpted they seemed carved from porcelain rather than born from flesh.

Behind her, papers rustled in chaotic symphony.

A messy teenager with unkept black hair and huge round circular glasses collected scattered documents in one fell swoop, though the order remained as messy as the holder herself.

"Umm... ahh..." She immediately caught a paper threatening to escape and continued gathering. "Miss Bella, it's about time. The students in the Mages' Academy are awaiting to hear from you."

She tried to bow despite the rebellious papers threatening to scatter again.

But Bella didn't move.

Her honey-blonde hair danced in the wind flowing through the window she faced.

Her eyes, striking amber, almost golden in the dawn light never left the rising sun.

The student hesitated, shifting her weight nervously. Finally, she decided to speak up once more, considering the task at hand involved making the Emperor himself wait.

"Um... Miss Bella..."

But Bella didn't move again.

This time, however, she spoke, her gaze still fixed on the dawn sun with an intensity that made the student shiver.

"Something has changed."

The student followed her teacher's line of sight, looking past her toward what appeared to be a perfectly normal and mundane early sun.

She couldn't understand what her teacher saw.

Then her teacher turned.

The student stood frozen, breath catching in her throat.

Bella walked past her student with fluid grace and opened the door herself.

"Let's go."

"Y-yes..." The student fumbled, falling into order behind her teacher, papers clutched haphazardly to her chest.

'What's that smile...?'

She wondered as she recalled the expression she'd just witnessed on her teacher's face: the slight upward curve of those perfect lips, the spark in those golden eyes.

She'd never seen Bella smile like that.

Not in the fifteen years she'd studied under her.

Not once.

Far South – Beast Kingdom

In the far south of Raven Spire, beyond the southern borders of Raven Court, in the heart of the Beast Kingdom's capital where the sun burned hotter and the air carried the scent of exotic spices and wild growth, two figures strolled through the dawn's first light.

One possessed the head of a fox and the body of a powerfully built human. The other bore the majestic head of a lion atop an equally impressive human form. Both wore long but light robes suited to the warm southern climate, flowing garments that allowed for both dignity and comfort in the heat.

Their footsteps were perfectly synchronized, each movement speaking of years, perhaps centuries spent walking side by side.

Then one pair of feet halted abruptly.

The lion-headed figure suddenly stopped and turned to watch the early sun with an expression that was difficult to read on such bestial features, yet somehow conveyed profound contemplation.

The fox-headed one stopped a foot later, patient as always, and turned to observe his companion watching the sun. He waited silently, his sharp vulpine eyes never leaving the lion's form, reading the subtle shifts in posture that others might miss.

"Perhaps I should pay a visit to my old friend."

The lion-headed one spoke, his voice a deep rumble that carried both amusement and something more dangerous beneath. His smile was both amusing and majestic, befitting his station.

"You have hundreds of them. Which one?" The fox asked, sighing with the weariness of someone who'd had this conversation in various forms many times before.

"Yuejian."

The single word stole the breath from the fox-headed warrior. He shuttered, taking an involuntary step backward.

"Wh-what? Are you still drunk from last night?" His voice rose in pitch, panic creeping in. "You can't break the truce! If you step into human lands, then... then..."

The fox shuttered, his mind racing through the catastrophic scenarios that the mere presence of the lion-headed one could cause in human territories. Wars had been started over less. Entire kingdoms had mobilized at rumors of his movement.

"Relax." The lion-headed figure laughed, a sound like distant thunder rolling across plains. "I didn't mean meet like meet for a fight."

He resumed his stroll, each step casual despite the weight of power he carried with every movement.

The fox simply panted, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Besides..." The lion-headed one's tone shifted, becoming less jovial. "It's not the old dog I want to meet."

He spoke as if he were any younger than the Sword King.

"Something else caught my eye." This time he wasn't laughing. The tone was both skeptical and intrigued, the voice of a predator who'd spotted something unexpected and potentially dangerous moving through what he'd thought was familiar territory.

"I understand, Your Majesty." The fox replied, bowing slightly despite the informal nature of their walk.

The Beast King's smile widened, showing teeth that could rend steel.

Whatever had changed in the world, he intended to investigate personally.

Far East – Elvian Kingdom

In the far east of Raven Spire, beyond the eastern borders of Raven Court, in the heart of the Elvian Kingdom where ancient trees grew tall enough to pierce clouds, an old couple watched the early sun from the castle's window.

They were old even by elvian standards yet their appearance suggested nothing more than elegant figures in their mid-thirties. After all, elves hardly aged.

"Are you sure?" The Elvian King asked his wife.

"I am." His wife replied with absolute certainty.

She had a silk band tied around her eyes, covering them completely, yet she turned her face toward the sun as if she could see it more clearly than those with functioning sight. Her silver hair danced in the breeze that carried the scent of eternal spring through their chambers.

No one who looked at this doll-like woman would believe she was the First Queen of the Elvian Kingdom: the one who'd stood beside the first king since five centuries ago when their kingdom was nothing but scattered tribes seeking unity.

She turned toward her husband, and her hand rested gently on his, fingers intertwining with the practiced ease of centuries together.

"The thread of fate has been pulled," she said softly, her voice carrying prophetic weight. "The gods have finally decided to change the tragic fate of our world."

Despite her certainty, the Elvian King did not smile. His expression remained troubled, brow furrowed with concerns.

"But the war is certain..." His voice carried the exhaustion of someone who'd seen too many conflicts, survived too many battles. "And the Spirit King is in human lands, and the Archer King has gone rogue..."

His concerns centered on the impending war between the three races.

A conflict that had been brewing for decades, held back only by fragile treaties and the mutual threat of annihilation.

He and his wife were both tenth-circle mages, wielders of power that could reshape landscapes and alter weather itself. But without their titled warriors to support them the war would not go in their favor.

"Should I call back the Spirit King?" He asked the woman holding his hand, seeking her wisdom as he'd done for five centuries.

She slowly shook her head, silver hair swaying with the gentle motion.

"In the oracle I dreamt, the Spirit King will help the Carvus Constellation to balance the peace between worlds." She smiled as she spoke.

"Do not worry." Her tone shifted, becoming firm. "Nothing can shake these lands blessed by the Goddess herself. Not the Sword King, nor even the Beast King."

The Elvian King nodded slowly, finding comfort in her words as he always had.

He watched as the first light of dawn decorated his wife's pristine face, illuminating her smile.

Whatever was coming, whatever had changed in the world to cause ripples that reached even here... They would face it together.

As they always had.

As they always would.

The sun continued its ascent, indifferent to the opinions of kings and queens, beasts and elves, mages and warriors.

But across the world, those with power enough to sense it felt the shift.

Something had changed.

Someone had broken a barrier that was never meant to be broken.

And the world for better or worse, would never be quite the same again.

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Author's PS:

Hello, dear readers!

Thank you for journeying all the way to the end of WCS. I hope the ride was worth your time and if my rookie writing felt a bit… wobbly at times, thank you for bearing with me. I promise the next book will come back better.

This is the end of WCS, but definitely not the end of Rune's story. I'll return to continue his journey soon. But before that, I'll be taking you to the Netherworlds... specifically the one Cass was having a melt down about. Expect all the elements you enjoyed in this novel, but with cleaner writing, a slightly more ruthless protagonist, and… a tiny bit more smut. (I swear I don't have any suspicious fetishes.)

Please do tell me: would you prefer the next story in third-person POV or first-person POV? Which one hit better for you?

A huge thank-you to my top readers and everyone who supported this book despite my beginner-level chaos. I truly hope you'll stick with me for the next one, which will begin serializing in a few months.

And before you go, drop a comment or review! (Reviews feed authors' souls. It's scientifically unproven but emotionally accurate.) Share any critiques, thoughts, or things you wished were done differently. I will take them into account for the next book.

Thank you again for coming this far. See you soon in the netherworld!

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