Chapter 24– The Beast That Shouldn't Exist
Scene One: The Seal Cracks
The ground trembled beneath Aflety Academy as Evan stepped into the open courtyard. The wind had picked up, carrying the scent of something ancient, something forgotten. It was as though the very foundations of the Academy were alive with a presence that had been dormant for centuries.
Ashen stood a few paces away, his blindfold removed. His eyes, though devoid of sight, gleamed with a strange, unearthly light. He wasn't like any other student Evan had met. His aura resonated differently—a blend of light and shadow, chaos and order.
The air around them thickened with energy, and Evan could feel it in his chest. Nex's low growl reverberated in his mind. "This is no coincidence. That boy isn't a student, Evan. He's a catalyst."
Ashen raised his hand slowly, and Evan watched in awe as something flickered in the space between them—a spark of ancient energy that thrummed with untapped power.
"It begins," Ashen whispered, his voice a low hum. "The seal breaks tonight."
The sound of cracking stone echoed in the distance, and a low rumble shook the ground. The massive, ancient seal hidden beneath the Academy's foundations—one that even the oldest professors barely remembered—began to break apart.
Scene Two: The Beast Awakens
Inside the vault, deep beneath Aflety, something stirred. The beast sealed away for centuries, the one that had once been both a guardian and a destroyer, began to wake.
It was the Sixth.
The one who was not a beast, nor a god, but something far more dangerous: an entity of forgotten creation. A creature bound by ancient forces, meant to be held in check by the very barriers that now cracked and splintered beneath the Academy's ground.
Its eyes opened.
Evan's heart raced as Nex's voice reverberated in his mind again.
"It's waking. The beast of the void, the one the gods never spoke of. It was never meant to be freed."
The massive door to the vault shattered, and a wave of pure, malevolent energy surged out, sending students and faculty scrambling for cover.
Ashen stood firm, his hand outstretched. "You're free," he said softly, almost tenderly. "You've been waiting, haven't you?"
The beast's roar shook the Academy walls, but it wasn't a roar of hunger or rage—it was a cry of liberation.
Scene Three: The Council's Decision
The Beast Council met in emergency session as chaos spread throughout Aflety. Professors rushed to the Vault, but the barrier they had erected to contain the Sixth was already gone. The elders were scrambling, but their magic was useless against a force so ancient.
"Do you understand what this means?" Professor Veylan asked, his voice strained with disbelief. "We've all been blind. The seal—"
"It was a lie," interrupted Ashen. "The Sixth was never meant to be locked away. It was meant to be awakened, to guide."
He turned to Evan. "It's why I'm here. Why you're here. To help the Sixth realize its true purpose."
Evan didn't understand. "Purpose? To what end?"
Ashen smiled faintly. "The Sixth is a force of balance, of the void that stands between all things. It was the last force to be sealed. But now that the barrier is broken, it seeks to restore the balance. Whether you're ready for it or not."
Scene Four: The Sixth's Voice
A low, gravelly voice resonated in the hearts of everyone present.
"I have waited. For eons, I have slumbered. Now I return. The time has come to undo the false bond between beasts and their masters. To break the chains of obedience."
A shadow materialized before them—a being of incomprehensible shape, ever-changing and fleeting like the shifting void itself. It towered over them, its presence suffocating and infinite.
Evan stepped forward, but Nex's warning was immediate. "Do not get too close, Evan. This is not a beast you can tame. It is the unmaking of the world itself."
Ashen, however, stepped toward the creature. "It's time," he said softly, as if speaking to an old friend. "The world needs to remember its roots. The beasts are not our servants. They are our equals."
The Sixth's form flickered, and its vast, all-encompassing presence fixed upon Evan.
"You… you are the one who bonds with a divine beast. You are the key."
Evan's heart skipped a beat. "The key to what?"
The Sixth's voice turned cold and distant.
"To the reawakening of a world beyond this one. A world where beasts and mortals are not separated by chains, where gods are no longer worshipped as masters."
It paused. "It begins with you. Will you unlock the door?"
Evan's hand instinctively moved toward the seal on his chest, the mark that had bound him to Nex. Was this truly the path he was meant to walk? The Sixth's words reverberated through his mind, and something deep within him stirred.
Nex's voice cracked through his thoughts. "No, Evan. Don't listen. This is not what we were meant to be a part of."
But Evan felt something stirring inside him, an echo of something that had long been buried—something that resonated with the Sixth, with the beast that had never been meant to serve.
Scene Five: The Choice
The wind howled around them as the creature's presence filled the Academy's courtyard. Students and professors gathered from the far reaches of Aflety, watching, waiting for the decision that would shape their futures.
Ashen turned to Evan. "It's time. The choice is yours. Will you stand with the Sixth, and allow the balance to return? Or will you protect this world, even at the cost of everything you know?"
Evan stood still, his mind racing. Could he truly side with the Sixth? Was this the path he was meant to walk?
The answer wasn't clear.
But one thing was certain: The world was about to change forever.
___
Scene One: The Council's Wrath
The air in the courtyard grew heavy with tension as the towering form of the Sixth loomed over them. Ashen stood unwavering, his expression one of serene acceptance, while Evan remained rooted to the spot, torn between the weight of the Sixth's words and the warnings from Nex.
"Evan," Professor Veylan's voice was sharp, breaking through the silence. "You can't be serious. Do you understand what you're doing? The Sixth is not a force of balance—it's chaos, an unstoppable void that will undo everything we've built!"
Beside him, Kaelen gripped the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowed in anger. "You would side with a monster that could destroy everything? Your beast—that thing—might have given you power, but it's no different from the rest. It will turn on you when it's done using you."
Evan felt the heat of their gaze, their judgment pressing down on him like a weight.
The Sixth's presence seemed to pulse with an otherworldly power, sending ripples through the air. It was not a beast in the traditional sense; it was an idea, a force, a concept beyond the comprehension of the Academy's teachings. A being who had existed before time, yet had been kept bound in chains of secrecy.
And yet… the call, the weight of its words, echoed in Evan's mind.
"Will you unlock the door?"
Nex, in Evan's mind, was pleading. "This is not our path, Evan. Do not listen to it. This is a temptation—a false path disguised as salvation. You have to choose a side, and it cannot be this one. The Sixth is not the answer to your questions. It is only the beginning of an end."
But Ashen spoke once again, a voice filled with certainty.
"The Sixth is not a destroyer. It is the true beginning. It was never meant to be locked away. It was meant to be freed."
Evan's breath caught in his throat as the weight of the decision pressed upon him. His chest tightened as the two forces—the desires of the Academy to preserve order and the promises of Ashen and the Sixth to bring a new reality—pulled him in opposite directions.
Scene Two: The Choice
Ashen extended his hand toward Evan. "You have the choice, Evan. We can destroy the old world and rebuild something truer. A world where the bond between beasts and their masters is no longer tainted by the shackles of control. You were chosen for this, whether you accept it or not."
The Sixth's eyes, or what passed for eyes, turned to Evan, its presence pressing down on him like a weight on his shoulders. The void beckoned. The potential for freedom. The promise of an unshackled world.
But it was Nex's voice—deep and grounding—that reached him in that moment.
"You are not alone, Evan. There are others who would fight by your side, who would stand with you. But they won't stand if you side with the Sixth. This path… it leads to destruction, not rebirth."
Evan closed his eyes, the swirling emotions threatening to overwhelm him. The vision of the future—the choice—stretched before him. A new world, or one that would be destroyed.
But then something else surfaced.
A memory of the bond he shared with Nex. The bond of trust, of partnership, of mutual respect. The way Nex had been there when Evan needed him the most. The way they had grown together, not as master and servant, but as allies. Friends.
He opened his eyes and looked at Ashen, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him.
"I refuse."
Ashen's face didn't change, but something shifted in his expression—something like disappointment, like he'd known this outcome all along. The Sixth's voice rumbled ominously behind him.
"So it is. The world will remain as it is… but you will remember what could have been."
The void stirred, swirling around them. Evan felt the pressure building. He had made his choice. He had chosen to protect the world he had come to know, the world of bonds and harmony.
He stepped back, raising his hand. "I choose my friends. I choose them."
Nex's presence flared up in his chest, a wave of energy radiating outward. The very air hummed with power as the Basilisk's aura surged, stronger than it ever had been before. The connection between them strengthened, unbreakable.
Ashen narrowed his eyes but stepped aside, lowering his head in acknowledgment. "So be it."
The Sixth turned away, its form fading into the void. A presence that had once been so overwhelming now retreated into the depths, leaving only a ripple in the air. But as it disappeared, it left a warning.
"This world will not remain untouched. Time is running out, Evan. The door will open again."
Scene Three: Aftermath
The courtyard fell silent as the Sixth withdrew. The tension that had filled the air moments before began to dissipate, but the weight of Evan's decision hung heavily over him. The Beast Council remained in their positions, their eyes now filled with a mix of caution, anger, and relief.
Professor Veylan was the first to speak, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and admiration. "You… you chose the old world. You chose to protect it, even when faced with the temptation of ultimate power."
Evan nodded slowly, his eyes meeting each member of the Council's gaze. "I chose the bonds we've forged, the relationships that matter. If I lose that, I lose everything."
Ashen's lips curled into a faint smile. "You are a fool… and yet, a rare kind of fool. The Sixth will not be so easily dismissed, but you've chosen your path. We shall see where it leads."
Kaelen scoffed, but there was no venom in his voice this time. "You've made your choice. The future's yours to shape now, but know this: there will always be those who seek to break the chains we've forged. The war is only just beginning."
Evan turned to look at the Academy, the place that had been his home for so long. His heart was still heavy, but he knew that the choice he made wasn't just for him—it was for everyone.
And as he stood there, Nex's voice was calm within his chest.
"You made the right choice. The Sixth may return, but we will stand against it together."
[End of chapter 24]