Part 32: The Blind Sage's Stand and the Genesis of Hind
Acacia was vengeance incarnate, driving her Dark Fighters towards the Ninth Mountain. Her heart was a battleground of rage and agonizing love. Every step was a step towards erasing the memory of her closest friends, Ogunye and Rama, who had betrayed the sacred Rage Vow.
The target, the Altar of the Old Hell, was shielded by powerful, shifting psychic defenses. Acacia, however, tore the veil. She unleashed a focused, brutal explosion of rage-smoke that ripped the dimensional barrier, forcing the ancient sanctuary into the visible world.
Inside, Ogunye, the Blind Sage, stood ready. His special, sightless eyes perceived the incoming threat not as physical warriors, but as tides of emotional and magical energy. His focus was absolute. He drew his massive sword—the one Solon would inherit—a weapon he wielded with unparalleled control. His unique power was not just swordsmanship; it was the ability to subtly control and dampen the rage of other God Seekers, a discipline that made him a nightmare for Primus's army.
The first wave of Dark Fighters breached the defenses, but they were met by the ferocious demons of the Old Hell and Ogunye's devastating skill. The fighting was fierce, but Ogunye was superior. He moved with impossible grace, his sword turning the rage-coated weapons of the Dark Fighters against themselves. Slowly, steadily, Ogunye was victorious, killing all the Dark Fighters that made it past the demons.
However, the cost was immense. He was gravely injured, bleeding from countless, deep wounds. The exertion was pushing his body past the point of no return.
Rama, moments from giving birth, could no longer hold back. The chaotic energy of the Soul Medallion and the stress of the battle became too much. Her contractions began immediately. She gave birth to the twins on the cold stone floor of the Altar, amidst the wreckage of the first wave.
Ogunye, seeing his wife's exhaustion and the imminent arrival of the second wave, acted decisively. He took the Soul Medallion, which instantly split into two halves. He pressed the physical half onto the infant Solon's chest, and the ancient demons rushed to seal the baby into the deepest, darkest sanctuary of the Old Hell. He then placed the invisible, ethereal half into the soul of the infant Kai.
Ogunye handed Kai to Rama. "Go, my love. Escape. Hide him. Live!" He pushed her towards a hidden exit. Rama, weak and near death, stumbled out into the wilderness, clutching her son.
Ogunye turned to face the main force of the second wave, now led by a bloodied, sorrowful, but utterly furious Acacia.
Acacia, ignoring the surrounding carnage, rushed straight for Ogunye. Her hatred exploded into berserk rage, her movements pure, uncontrolled vengeance.
The duel between the former friends was agonizing. Acacia struck with the annihilating force of a force of nature. Ogunye, however, controlled the chaos of her rage, turning her own furious energy against her while inflicting precise, debilitating wounds. He fought to survive and to buy Rama time, never trying to kill his friend, only to subdue her.
Yet, rage is a volatile force. Despite Ogunye's mastery, the sheer power of Acacia's grief-fueled attacks overwhelmed his defenses. He was fatally struck, his massive body finally collapsing. He had successfully gravely hurt Acacia, whose body was ripped and bleeding from the raw power she had unleashed.
Acacia stumbled to her knees beside his dying form, the rage momentarily broken by the shock of his death. She cried, sorrowful tears mixing with the blood on her face.
"Why, Ogunye?" she choked out, her voice a raw lament. "Why did you leave me to this rage?"
With his last breath, Ogunye smiled. "For... the future, Acacia..." And the Blind Sage was gone.
Acacia, severely wounded, screamed in agony—not in triumph, but in profound, consuming failure. She looked down at her own ruined body, knowing she was about to die, her purpose unfinished.
But just as Acacia's vision blurred, a terrifying stillness fell over the chamber. A strange little girl—ethereal, silent, and ancient—stepped out from the shadows of the Altar.
The girl walked past the slain Ogunye and knelt beside the collapsing Acacia. She did not express pity or anger. She simply placed a delicate hand on Acacia's forehead. A shimmering, complex magical seal—a silent, ancient script—flared and burned into Acacia's skin. The girl was not killing her; she was preserving her, containing the immense, residual rage and trauma within her dying form, binding her to the mortal realm.
Acacia died.
But.....
Hind!!! a voice called out.