Several days after Alarion fled in disgrace and Albus quietly vanished with Blanche and their clan, a cataclysmic upheaval erupted in Dragonmarsh. It struck without warning at Aylka, the inner city in Oakvale.
That day began with clear skies, and Oakvale was as bustling as ever. At noon, a deep, distant rumble rolled through the earth. It was as if some primordial leviathan was waking deep within the mantle.
At first, people felt only a faint tremor beneath their feet and assumed it was an earthquake. But then, in the center of the vast plaza before the Aetherium in Aylka, the seemingly indestructible golden brick pavement suddenly bulged upward and cracked.
The explosion was deafening. A blinding surge of ochre light erupted from the fissures as the base of an impossibly massive mountain tore through the earth’s crust. It had not flown in from afar but grew from deep within the ground, rising at an unnatural speed that defied all reason.
Massive boulders tumbled as soil surged like tidal waves. The palace of golden brick and carved stone crumbled like a child’s blocks before this irresistible force. Its structures were shoved aside, torn open, and buried.
Ramparts, towering halls, and meticulously crafted gardens collapsed in rapid succession. In mere moments, the grand architectural complex that symbolized the absolute pinnacle of secular royal power was mercilessly swallowed by the rising mountain base.
And that was only the beginning. The mountain’s base alone was vast enough to blanket the entire former site of Aylka, and it continued to expand outward at a terrifying pace.
Its surface was ancient and weathered, a mottled grayish-brown stone unlike any ordinary rock. Enormous, cryptic patterns covered it naturally, emanating a desolate, primordial presence that made souls tremble.
Strange light coursed over the mountainside, flaring and dimming in turn, as though it contained secret power left behind at the birth of the universe. It continued to grow, thrusting straight toward the sky. At first, the mountain’s full form remained visible. Moments later, its midsection vanished into the clouds.
No matter how hard they strained to look up, people could see only a colossal peak with no discernible end, rising from the center of what had once been Oakvale.
Clouds swirled around its midsection. Higher up, the peak vanished into raging gales and lightning beyond mortal sight, its actual height impossible to measure.
The entire city of Oakvale shook violently. Countless houses collapsed, and the ground split apart. The citizens were seized by terror, crying out as they fled in all directions, as if it were the end of the world.
“Oh my God! What is that?”
“A mountain! It’s rising out of the ground.”
“The royal palace complex is gone!”
“Run!”
Although the mountain’s growth was astonishing, it wasn’t instantaneous. Its expansion centered primarily around the former royal palace complex, which gave people time to react.
Grace, the future queen, immediately mobilized government personnel to evacuate citizens toward the outskirts of the city. She activated all preset evacuation routes to protect as many people as possible.
Faced with this catastrophic event, she displayed decisiveness and leadership far beyond that of ordinary people. She’d already prepared contingency plans for ” extraordinary incidents” that might occur in Oakvale, though she’d never imagined something on this scale.
Grace personally oversaw operations from the temporary command center, issuing orders in rapid succession and mobilizing every available government resource.
Chaos was inevitable, and casualties did occur. Still, under her efficient leadership, the vast majority of Oakvale’s residents were evacuated over the next two days from a capital suddenly overtaken by a towering mountain.
The entire nation was in an uproar, and the world was stunned.
Through the communication networks and satellite systems that were still operational, images of a colossal mountain suddenly appearing in the capital of Dragonmarsh and swallowing the royal palace complex were transmitted worldwide.
With no scientific explanation and no rational answer, panic and speculation spread rapidly across the globe. Senior officials in governments around the world urgently reached out to Dragonmarsh, attempting to learn what had actually happened.
But unlike the fear and unease gripping the outside world, the reaction within the reclusive cultivation families was entirely different. Many had already quietly slipped into Oakvale, while others had been watching it for a long time.
After the initial shock passed, what rose within them wasn’t fear, but an indescribable surge of excitement and elation.
“It’s Mount Aethermoor. The mountain is manifesting in our world.”
An elderly cultivator from a lineage recorded in an ancient manuscript was moved to tears.
“This mountain appears once every 3,000 years, bridges the Heavenly Realm and the mortal world. Legend says there’s the Aethermoor Palace at its peak, housing ancient immortal artifacts and supreme cultivation methods.”
“This is our chance. A once-in-an-era opportunity. If we can reach the palace and obtain even a single treasure, it would be enough for our clan to rise and dominate an entire region.”
“Quick! Summon all our elite disciples immediately and bring our most precious treasures. We must reach Mount Aethermoor.”
The Jornells, the Frosts, the Quintons, the Judds, and the Killians emerged one after another from their hiding places. Some were well known, while others had remained unseen for generations.
They mobilized their elite forces, their gazes burning with desire as they fixed on the towering mountain that now stood atop the ruins of Oakvale.
All the conflicts and schemes that had arisen from hunting Blanche or supporting the Mosey mansion were suddenly and unanimously set aside. Nothing mattered more than the opportunity that awaited on Mount Aethermoor.
Even reclusive independent cultivators of great power and ancient sects that hadn’t been heard from in ages were stirred into action. They dispatched their disciples or came themselves toward Oakvale.
For a time, all forces converged, and hidden powers finally revealed themselves.
