The sea was calm.
Too calm.
Kael and Lirien stood atop a dead Leviathan's ribcage, half-buried beneath sand and salt. The beast had been dead for centuries, but its bones still hummed with echoes of ancient power.
"The last test lies below," Lirien said. "The Vault of Forgotten Depths."
Kael raised a brow. "What's inside?"
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"Things not meant to be remembered."
---
š³ļø Descent into the Vault
They descended through spiral coral tunnels until they reached a doorānot stone, not wood, but woven water, held together by runes glowing faintly in Tideborn script.
Kael placed his hand on the door.
It opened.
Inside was a chamber lost to time.
Dust hovered. Magic tingled in the air like a living thing. The walls were covered in murals of dragons, ocean lords, and black suns.
But at the center stood a pedestal.
On it rested:
- šŖ A ring of black opal, pulsing with shifting stars ā The Void Ring.
- š A sealed tome, titled "Codex of Calling".
- š¦“ Bones shaped like weapons, humming faintly.
- š¤ And a mirrorā¦ that reflected nothing.
---
Kael picked up the ring first.
It slid onto his finger like it had always belonged there.
The world shifted.
He felt it.
A whisper in his head.
"Claim them. Shape them. Command the Deep."
Then, the book opened by itself.
---
āØ Knowledge Awakened: "The Codex of Calling"
The tome didn't just contain spells.
It held rituals of summoning, contracts with creatures beyond understanding, and blueprints for building armies from the deep.
"Soā¦ this is power," Kael muttered.
---
š§ A Genius Emerges
In the days that followed, Kael didn't sleep.
He memorized the book faster than Lirien could track. He disassembled the summoning runes and re-wrote them to be more efficient.
He began to create his own summon circlesāshaped not just by magic, but strategy.
The first creature he called forth was not a monster.
It was a shadow construct in the form of his father.
"I will not forget," Kael whispered. "But I will never be controlled by memory again."
---
āļø Custom Skill Tree Unlocked: Voidbound Architect
Kael now has access to a unique system of building powers:
- š§æ Summon creatures from his own altered Codex
- š Design magical structures, traps, and sigils
- š Combine techniques with surgical precision
---
Lirien watched him from afar, whispering to Gravik.
"He's not just changingā¦ He's becoming something new."
"He's becoming dangerous," Gravik replied. "But to whom?"
---
š„ End of Chapter Eight
Power isn't given.
It's designed. Engineered. Controlled.
And Kael was done being a pawn.