Chapter 19: Echoes of Origin
Leon stepped into the silver flames.
The world around him melted—sight, sound, and even thought faded into a vast, weightless void. His feet found no ground, yet he stood. The silver light behind him vanished. All that remained was silence.
Then—movement.
Flickers of memories danced like fireflies across the dark.
A child laughing beneath cherry blossoms.
A woman whispering lullabies in a forbidden tongue.
A man with gold-threaded robes pressing a finger to his lips. "Remember nothing."
The air thickened. Something ancient stirred, brushing against his mind like cold silk.
> [Trial Initiated: Path of Origin]
A voice echoed, not from the system—but from beyond.
"You are not what they made you."
Leon's breath hitched. "Who… who are you?"
"You were broken, scattered, and yet you endured. Come, child of dusk. Face the mirror."
Suddenly, a shape emerged in the darkness—a floating shard of crystal, cracked down the center, pulsing with voidlight.
Leon approached.
As his fingers brushed the shard, his body convulsed. Visions ripped through him—
A sealed chamber beneath the capital. Runes etched in blood. Screaming. His parents bound in chains, defiant.
A black sphere. Pulsing. Consuming.
Then… silence.
He collapsed, gasping.
A figure appeared before him—tall, draped in shadows, faceless. But familiar. The same voice that had once whispered to him beneath the Forsaken Grave.
"You have touched truth," it said. "But truth demands sacrifice."
Leon rose, fists clenched. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"
"No… Leon Voss. What do you want?"
The figure vanished. In its place stood a younger version of himself—eyes hollow, trembling, holding the dying body of his mother.
"I want answers," Leon whispered. "I want justice."
"Then embrace what you are becoming."
> [New Ability Unlocked: Forsaken Rebirth]
A latent power awakens—born from pain, shaped by void, and fueled by forgotten blood.
---
Return to the Throne Room
Leon stumbled out of the silver fire, back into the Celestial Emperor's hall. Sweat soaked his robes. His eyes burned with a new light—pale violet, rimmed with black.
The Emperor studied him, fingers laced before his chin. "You saw it, didn't you?"
Leon said nothing.
The Emperor's voice lowered, grave and calm.
"Even I dared not enter the Forsaken Grave. But you did… and something answered. If you still hear its voice, Leon Voss—be wary. Not every gift is meant to be unwrapped."
Leon met his gaze. "It's too late for that."
The Emperor didn't smile. "Then may the heavens forgive what you'll become."
Above them, the palace trembled—just slightly. A ripple through the ley lines. A warning in the heavens.
Far away, in a forgotten realm beyond the stars, a slumbering force began to stir.
A celestial war approaches.