Chapter 53 – Ryze the Fallen Monarch

The vision hit like a punch to the soul.

Ren staggered back, breath caught in his throat as the ancient memory clawed its way into his consciousness.

A battlefield.

Scorched skies. Shattered stars.

Monarchs waged war—titanic beings of power beyond comprehension. Amid the chaos stood Ryze, draped in obsidian armor, a crown of fractured crystal floating above his head.

[Archive Playback – Year 000: The First Collapse]

“You were supposed to protect the gates!” a voice shouted.

Ryze turned. His expression… calm. Too calm.

“We were never meant to protect them,” he replied coldly. “We were meant to control them.”

With a wave of his hand, the Abyss surged forward—not as an enemy, but as his army.

Ren’s eyes flew open, heart pounding.

He stumbled, knees buckling as Aelira caught him.

“What did you see?” she asked, worried.

Ren's voice was barely a whisper. “Ryze… betrayed the Monarchs. He led the Abyss.”

Kael clenched his jaw. “So you finally know the truth.”

Aelira looked between them. “Wait—how’s that possible? He died during the First Collapse, right?”

“No,” Kael said grimly. “He disappeared. And he took the original Monarch Core with him.”

Ren’s mind raced. Everything he’d been taught… every story he knew… it had all been a lie.

[System Update: Monarch Alignment Path Unlocked] [New Objective – Face the Fallen Monarch]

Elsewhere…

Beneath the capital ruins of what was once Solara Prime, a massive gate pulsed with corrupted energy. At its center stood a throne of bone and shadow.

And on it, sat Ryze.

Older. Stronger. Scarred by time—but very much alive.

He watched the projection of Ren’s awakening with a smirk.

“So… the boy’s still clinging to his crown.”

He stood.

“Let him come. I’ll show him what it means to truly rule the Abyss.”

Next: Chapter 54 – Crown vs. Crown: Monarchs Collide! 👑🔥