The Great Library of Oros was a hurricane of flying parchment and dust. On one side, Elara, the Sage of Whispers, floated amidst a sea of glowing runes. On the other, Leofric, the First Paladin, stood like a golden pillar, his massive spear—the Sun-Piercer—radiating a heat that threatened to ignite the very air.
Valerius stood between them, his black cloak tattered but his presence unshakable. The concentric circles in his eyes spun slowly.
"Two rats in one trap," Valerius murmured, his voice echoing through the hollowed-out tower. "Elara, you always did prefer to hide behind a shield. Even a thousand years hasn't changed your cowardice."
"It is not cowardice, Valerius. It is strategy," Elara replied, her starlight eyes glowing brighter. "Leofric, now! While his Mana Circuit is still stabilizing!"
Leofric didn't waste a breath. He lunged, his spear turning into a streak of pure light. "Holy Art: Heaven's Descent!"
The thrust was so fast it bypassed the concept of distance. But Valerius didn't parry. He tilted his head by a fraction of an inch, the spear whistling past his ear and obliterating the marble wall behind him.
In the same heartbeat, Valerius pivoted. He didn't strike at Leofric. Instead, he threw the Void Eater like a javelin toward Elara.
"NO!" Elara shrieked, snapping her fingers to conjure a dozen Chronos Shields—layers of distorted time meant to slow any projectile to a standstill.
The black sword entered the first shield. It didn't slow down. It simply erased the time distortion. It pierced the second, the third, and the fourth, until it was inches from her heart.
"LEOFRIC! PROTECT ME!"
The Paladin appeared in a flash of gold, intercepting the black blade with his bare gauntlet. The holy metal of his armor shrieked as the Void began to eat through it. He managed to deflect the sword, sending it spinning into the ceiling, but his hand was left charred and blackened.
"The Void... it doesn't just burn," Leofric grunted, his face pale behind his lion-helm. "It rots the soul."
"Indeed," Valerius said, his empty hand reaching out. The Void Eater dissolved into smoke and reappeared in his palm. "And you just gave up your life for a woman who would let you die without a second thought."
Valerius closed his eyes for a second. His heartbeat slowed. The 30% limit of his power began to strain against his blackened Mana Circuit. He needed to end this quickly before the strain forced a backlash.
"50% Release: Partial Manifestation."
The shadows beneath Valerius's feet didn't just expand; they rose. They formed the skeletal ribcage of a gargantuan demon around him—a phantom armor made of solidified darkness. Two massive, ethereal wings erupted from his back, tearing through the roof of the library.
"What... what is this?" Leofric stammered, raising his spear. "This isn't just Mana! This is... Primordial Chaos!"
"This," Valerius said, his voice now layered with a thousand demonic whispers, "is what you tried to bury a thousand years ago."
Valerius pointed his finger at Elara. "Void Art: Absolute Silence."
A sphere of pure darkness encased Elara. Within that sphere, no sound could travel, no light could exist, and most importantly—no spells could be cast. Elara clawed at the air, her mouth moving in a silent scream, her starlight eyes dimming.
"Now, Paladin," Valerius turned his gaze toward Leofric. "Let us see if your 'Sun' can shine in the depths of the Abyss."
Leofric roared, pouring every ounce of his life force into his spear. He became a sun himself, charging at Valerius in a final, suicidal gambit. "FOR THE UNION! ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: SOLA—"
Valerius didn't move. As the tip of the holy spear touched the phantom ribcage of his armor, Valerius simply caught the blade with his bare fingers.
Crack.
The divine weapon, a relic of the gods, shattered like cheap glass.
"Your faith is loud, Leofric," Valerius whispered, leaning in close. "But the Void is louder."
Valerius drove the Void Eater through the center of the Paladin's chest. There was no blood. The man's body simply turned into gray ash, his soul consumed by the blade to fuel Valerius's growing power.
The silence in the library was absolute. The sphere around Elara dissipated, and she fell to the floor, gasping for air. Her starlight eyes were gone, replaced by dull, human brown. She had used up her immortality just to survive the Silence.
Valerius walked toward her, the phantom demon wings behind him casting a shadow that covered the entire room. He stood over her, the tip of his sword resting on her collarbone.
"Now, Elara," Valerius said, his eyes glowing with a terrifying calm. "Tell me about the Chronos Scroll. And tell me why the Sages are so afraid of the 'True King's' return."
Elara looked up, her face wrinkled and aging by the second. "Because... because you weren't the only one who survived that night, Valerius."
Valerius froze. "Explain."
"The Sages... we didn't just kill you," she wheezed, a bloody smile on her lips. "We split your soul. The part of you that could feel... the part of you that was human... she's been a prisoner for a thousand years."
Valerius's grip on his sword tightened until the hilt groaned. "Where is she?"
"In the Crystal Tower of the Holy City," Elara whispered. "But you'll never reach her. The High Sage... he's already begun the ritual to use her as a vessel for a new God."
Valerius didn't kill her immediately. He looked out the shattered window toward the Holy City on the horizon. His human side. His "Light."
"Ignis! Vorgath!" Valerius roared, his voice shaking the mountain. "Change of plans. We aren't just reclaiming a kingdom."
He looked back at Elara, his eyes turning a deeper, darker red than ever before.
"We are going to burn the Heavens."