The windshield wipers thumped rhythmically, struggling to clear the thick snowflakes as they fell in a relentless dance. Headlights carved a narrow path through the darkness, illuminating a winding road that seemed to disappear into the white veil beyond. The world outside was muffled, sound swallowed by the falling snow, leaving only the hum of the car's engine and the soft crunch of tires over the thickening layer of powder.

Azriel gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles pale against the cold leather. He could feel the car's subtle shifts as it navigated the slippery curves, the tires occasionally skidding ever so slightly; even so, his heartbeat was slow, not with a sense of calm but with a heart without a sense of purpose. The music he was listening to cut as the sound of a call rang out. He checked the caller ID, and it was Ellie Burnside. Ellie was his close friend and manager; he wondered why she was calling this late; he hit the button on the touchpad to answer.

"Hey, it's Ellie just checking in. How are you feeling?" she asked with a cheery tone.

"I'm doing okay, how about you?" Azriel responded.

"I'm doing okay...hey, Azzy?"

"Yes, Ellie, what's wrong?"

"Are you really quitting on being a voice actor?"

Before his great-grandpa's passing, Azriel was a co-writer and voice actor for a series known as Tales of Astraquilla. Arthur Nighthawk wrote the original story in a novel of the same name, but it was in his own words; the novel was his autobiography. It was his great-grandpa's favorite joke to tell his family, but for some reason, his grandpa, great-aunt, and great-uncle took it seriously. Regardless, Tales of Astraquilla received an animated TV series in which Azriel's voice acted as the younger version of his great-grandpa at his request. After Arthur's death, he decided to finish voice acting for the final season.

"Ellie, I'm just taking a break," Azriel chirped. "After I take some time to relax, I'll come back."

"In Azriel Nighthawk's terms, taking a break means not going to do this anymore," Ellie quickly retorted.

"Ellie, I'm really just-"

"No, you're not!" Ellie interrupted, "Is this about..."

"Enough. I'll talk to you later," Azriel said with a bizarrely cold tone that bothered even him. He hung up the phone before Ellie could get another word.

***

After a long drive, Azriel finally arrived back at his great-grandfather's, but it was now his mansion. After driving into the garage and parking, he got out of his vehicle and texted Ellie his apology for the way he ended the call. For some reason, he felt like she was the one who had crossed the line. Shaking the thought off, he entered his home, locking the door as he entered. The lights automatically came on, revealing the beautiful home to Azriel; the mansion reminded him of John Wick's home from the first movie.

"Now that I think about it, I have never really explored the basement in a while," he thought to himself. As he looked around, gripped by his sudden curiosity, he passed by his old bedroom. Just looking at the door caused his anger to rise and his stomach to turn, remembering the event. Azriel pried his eyes away and looked to the stairs that led to the basement, finally choosing to descend it.

When he entered the basement, he mainly saw workout equipment; despite his great-grandpa's old age, he was pretty muscular. Anytime Azriel

was available, his great-grandpa would always make him work out with him. Azriel continued walking through the basement. Memories came flooding in as he walked past the bar where he had his first drink, the living room where a lot of holiday events took place, and finally, the giant medieval-style door with a phoenix emblem on it.

"Wait, what the?" Azriel said as he made a double-take. He walked up to the door, inspecting it; despite its medieval appearance, it looked to be made of white marble with a gold lining. He tried opening it, but it was locked. He saw the key slot was similar in shape to any standard medieval door, but when he received the over two dozen keys from his great-grandpa's will, they didn't match.

"Wait a second," Azriel looked at the phoenix emblem on the door once again, "That looks just like!"

With realization, Azriel ran up two flights of stairs toward his office. He opened the door to a room with a desk in the center and a window at the back overlooking the nearby homes and forests. The office had the stereotypical feel of any CEO office featured in a movie. He walked over to a display case containing a blue leather-bound book with an emblem of a phoenix, just like the door in the basement. As he opened the case and took the book out, a sad smile crossed his face; it was the very last gift his great-grandpa gave him, stating it was an "Unofficial guidebook to Astraquilla."

When he looked at the top of the book, he found a blue ribbon at the back. As he pulled the ribbon out, he found a medieval-style silver key with a red crystal in the center. Azriel decreased back down to the basement stairs with both the key and book.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Once I open the door and find out what's inside, I'll read the book and see what's inside."

Azriel found himself at the door once again; he inserted a key into the slot and turned it to unlock it. Suddenly, he felt something stab his thumb, drawing blood.

"Ow, what the hell!" Azriel pulled his thumb away and looked at the key. The crystal in the middle began emitting a crimson light, and a status widow from a video game appeared in his vision.

Prerequisite Met: Nighthawk Descendent's Blood

Ownership of Dimension Door and Title Patriarch has been transferred.

Conditions have been met, and Dimension Door will now teleport the new Patriarch to Astraquilla.

Before Azriel could react, the door swung open, revealing not just a room but an unsettling vastness, a space that seemed both infinite and hollow, as if it existed only to unmake him. The air buzzed with an almost imperceptible hum, a sound that clawed at his mind and tugged at the deepest corners of his fear. Shadows writhed along the floor, growing, stretching, weaving together into something darkly alive. A silent plea rose within him, wishing he could be anywhere but here, that some force might whisk him far from this place, where the air felt heavier with each heartbeat and reality itself seemed to unravel. In an instant, the floor beneath Azriel shifted as if the room itself had drawn a deep breath. The shadows slithered around his ankles, tightening like icy chains, and before he could wrench himself free, an invisible force yanked him forward, the Dimension Door slamming behind him.

***

At the edge of the Phoenix of Retribution's domain, a young with brown skin and silver-white dreadlocks. He was wearing dark, comfortable pants that allowed for easy movement, paired with a long robe-like jacket that draped gracefully over their shoulders, its deep fabric adorned with shimmering stars and swirling nebulae that seemed to dance across the cloth as if they were cloaked in a fragment of the night sky itself. He watches as a tunnel of light springs to life, connecting Earth and Astraquilla. He watches as Azriel travels through it, feeling his panicked state. His thoughts were interrupted by the call of a warm voice.

"Arthur, what are you looking at, husband?" Freyja Solaris asked.

Arthur Nighthawk turned to look at his wife, who was wearing a red sundress. She had given him a new, youthful body for his soul to inhabit. Rather than answering Freyja, he pointed at the vast space where the tunnel was. Freyja looked toward where Arthur pointed.

"Our great-grandson finally opened the Dimension Door?"

"Yes, he did," Arthur answered with concern in his voice.

"Don't worry about him, Arthur."

"Why should I not worry about him?" he asked, looking at her.

"Husband, you gave that boy a cheat item, training, and a royal title."

"Freyja, he-"

"Shut," she said, placing a finger on his lips. "Our great-grandson has better Attribute scores than me when I was born, and he, his twin, and his daughter hit the genetic lottery!"

"I understand, but what about the mana breathing technique you burrowed from the Astal Sentinel that you gave me to teach Azriel?"

"Oh right," Freyja realized. "It should be fine."

"It should be fine!?" Arthur looked at her, stunned.

"Relax, he would be on Seraphandor this universal cycle," Freyja said. "Besides, our great-grandson has a weapon from my armory."

"Which one?" Arthur asked, concerned.

"Myth Maker," Freyja answered with a smile on her face.

Arthur Nighthawk was known to be calm even when facing unexpected complications, but nothing prepared him for his wife's antics. He looked at the tunnel, which Azriel was still flying through, even more worried than before.

"Hang in there, Azriel."

***

Azriel tumbled helplessly through the vastness of space, the stars spinning past him in a dizzying blur, each one colder and more distant than the last. His lungs ached as he gasped, but no air filled them, only the hollow emptiness of the void. Panic clawed at him, threatening to consume his mind, but then he remembered a meditation technique his great-grandfather had taught him long ago. It was simple, grounding, a way to quiet the chaos. He forced himself to close his eyes, to focus on a steady, imagined rhythm, breathing in as if he were filling himself with light and exhaling slowly, letting go of the fear. In the silence of his mind, he pictured roots stretching from his center, anchoring him, and for a moment, he felt the calm warmth of his great-grandfather's presence, a steady hand guiding him through the darkness.

Astral Breathing

Astral Breathing is taking effect you are currently absorbing Astral Mana.

A high skill level was detected; until System Integration is complete on Astraquilla, bonuses earned from high skill levels will not be earned.