The sky above the Land of Dawn did not darken.
It burned.
At first, the citizens of Moniyan thought it was sunrise. A strange, radiant dawn spilling gold across marble towers and cathedral spires. But dawn did not tremble. Dawn did not hum with ancient power that rattled bones and shook the earth beneath armored boots.
Freya felt it before she saw it.
The Valkyrie stood at the highest balcony of the Monastery of Light, silver hair whipping against her shoulders as the wind rose unnaturally around her. Her armor blessed by divine runes glowed faintly against her skin, reacting to the surge in the atmosphere.
This was not ordinary magic.
This was the Nexus.
A pillar of celestial fire erupted beyond the western horizon, splitting the heavens like a blade. Blue light spiraled upward, piercing the clouds and twisting into a sigil so large it cast a shadow across the capital.
The Celestial Nexus had awakened.
And it had not awakened in over a hundred years.
Behind her, the heavy monastery doors opened.
"Lady Freya," a young acolyte gasped. "The High Council demands your presence. Immediately."
Freya did not turn.
She already knew.
The prophecy carved into the cathedral walls since the first war echoed in her mind:
When the Nexus burns, five shall rise.
Five shall defend.
Five shall conquer.
Only one shall remain.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her blade.
"Summon the Council," she said calmly. "And bring the relic."
The acolyte paled. "The… the Divine Core?"
"Yes."
If the Nexus had awakened, then war had begun.
And she would not be unprepared.
Miles away, in the darker outskirts of the Land of Dawn, where ruined villages and abandoned battlegrounds whispered of older conflicts, a different warrior felt the same tremor.
Alucard was knee-deep in demon blood when the sky ignited.
The beast beneath him shrieked, dissolving into ash as his blade tore through its corrupted heart. He stepped back, breathing hard, silver hair falling over sharp eyes that reflected the burning horizon.
He had hunted demons since he could walk.
He had buried his parents because of them.
And he had sworn, under the broken banners of Moniyan, that no darkness would ever rise unchecked again.
But this…
This was not demon magic.
The air felt older.
Colder.
Alive.
Alucard wiped his blade against his coat and looked upward. The blue pillar pulsed once twice and then a surge of energy shot across the continent like a heartbeat.
Pain lanced through his wrist.
He hissed, gripping his arm as a mark burned into his skin. The symbol formed slowly, cruelly an intricate crest shaped like twin blades crossing over a fractured star.
Chosen.
His jaw tightened.
The Nexus did not choose randomly.
It chose warriors strong enough to survive it.
Across the Land of Dawn, four others would be marked.
Five from each kingdom.
Fighters. Mages. Marksmen. Assassins. Tanks.
Roles defined not just by skill but by destiny.
Alucard stared at the glowing crest on his wrist.
"So," he muttered darkly. "You finally noticed me."
He had never fought for glory.
Never fought for a throne.
If the Nexus wanted a champion…
It would get a weapon instead.
Back in Moniyan's capital, the High Council chamber trembled with panic.
Mages in long ceremonial robes argued in frantic whispers. Golden-armored knights stood rigid along the walls, hands resting on hilts as if expecting enemies to materialize from thin air.
In the center of the chamber floated a crystal orb the size of a human heart.
The Divine Core.
Freya entered without hesitation.
The murmurs died instantly.
Unlike the others, she did not look afraid.
She looked ready.
"The Nexus has awakened," one elder mage began, voice shaking. "We believe"
"You don't believe," Freya interrupted gently. "You know."
Silence.
She stepped toward the orb. It pulsed in response to her presence, golden light intertwining with the distant blue blaze in the sky.
"Five will be chosen from Moniyan," she continued. "You've already confirmed the marks."
The eldest knight nodded grimly. "Yes, my lady. A marksman from the eastern battalion. A battle mage from the Arcane Tower. A jungle assassin stationed near the southern wilds. A guardian from the northern wall."
"And me," Freya finished.
No one argued.
They didn't need to.
Her mark had appeared moments after she stepped into the chamber a radiant sigil shaped like celestial wings etched into her forearm.
Fighter.
Valkyrie.
Champion.
The youngest mage swallowed. "The last Nexus war destroyed three kingdoms."
"And left two barely standing," another added.
Freya studied the Divine Core.
Then she spoke the question none of them dared voice.
"What if this time… the Nexus isn't just choosing champions?"
The chamber stilled.
"What do you mean?" the elder knight asked.
She looked up.
"What if it's choosing survivors?"
Beyond the safety of Moniyan's walls, the other kingdoms were not idle.
In the Shadow Marsh, a masked assassin watched the sky with calculating eyes.
In the Arcane Citadel, a young mage shattered her practice staff when the mark carved itself into her palm.
In the Goldhaven Barracks, a legendary marksman smiled coldly at the burning heavens.
Five per kingdom.
Twenty-five champions total.
Only one kingdom would stand at the end.
The rules of the Nexus were simple.
Destroy the enemy towers.
Slay the jungle guardians.
Protect your Core.
But the Nexus had never awakened this violently before.
And deep beneath the battlefield far below the stone lanes and jungle paths something stirred.
Ancient.
Forgotten.
Hungry.
That night, Freya stood alone in the cathedral courtyard.
The Nexus light still burned in the distance, refusing to fade.
Footsteps approached behind her.
Heavy.
Confident.
She didn't turn.
"I wondered how long it would take you," she said quietly.
Alucard stopped a few feet away.
"So you felt it too."
She faced him now, eyes sharp and unreadable.
"Of course."
Silence stretched between them.
They had fought together before. Trained together. Survived battles side by side.
But this felt different.
This wasn't a mission.
This was destiny.
"You were marked," she observed.
"Yes."
"And you're not pleased."
A faint smirk touched his lips. "When am I ever?"
Freya stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"The Nexus doesn't choose weaklings."
"No," he agreed. "It chooses sacrifices."
Her expression flickered just for a second.
Then hardened.
"We will not lose."
He studied her carefully.
"You sound certain."
"I am."
"And if the Nexus is corrupted?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Then we destroy it."
For a moment, the air between them felt charged like the calm before a storm.
Two fighters.
Two forces of will.
If war was coming, they would stand at its center.
But neither of them noticed the faint shift in the sky.
The blue pillar flickered.
Dark veins crept through its light.
And somewhere beneath the future battlefield, a low, echoing laugh reverberated through stone and soil.
The Nexus had awakened.
But it was no longer pure.
And the champions it had chosen…
Were already walking into a war far greater than they understood.