Remembering had a price. And that price was always paid in blood.
The scream Kaelen unleashed in the arena had torn through more than just Verricks name; it had shredded his own lungs. When he collapsed over Rens lifeless body, the world went dark. The roar of the stands faded into a muffled hum. That divine, terrifying Void energy in his right eye left his body like a river whose dams had burst. All that remained was an empty shell, a trembling heap of flesh.
When the guards swarmed him, Kaelen could not resist. They tried to take Grief from his hand.
Leave it... Kaelen growled. His voice was like the sound of glass grinding underfoot.
The blade seared the guards hand. The metal refused to be separated from its master. It clung to Kaelens hand as if fused to his very flesh.
Dont touch it!
The command did not come from the box. It came from Alchemist Verrick, who had descended onto the sands of the arena.
Verrick approached Kaelen, his expensive leather boots stepping through the bloody sand. There was no anger on his face. No disappointment either. Only the cold curiosity of a scientist trying to solve a complex equation. He leaned down and lifted Kaelens chin with his gloved hand.
You broke through the chemical dam, Verrick whispered. You burned through Memoriam-X. And you absorbed the memories of that boy... Specimen 0-2.
Kaelen wanted to spit in Verricks face, but only a black bile trickled from his mouth.
I will... kill you...
Verrick smiled. Perhaps. But not today. Today, you have given me data far more precious, Kaelen. Your emotions... especially your rage, resonate with the Void. If I sedate you, you lose your power. If I set you free, you lose control.
Verrick stood up and turned to the guards.
Do not take him back to the Wells. He is no longer a candidate for champion.
Where shall we take him, sir? asked the head guard.
Verrick pointed to a massive, rusted grate on the arena floor. Beneath that grate lay the deepest, darkest layers of the citys sewer system. A place considered the bottom even by the standards of the Rust District.
Throw him into the Waste Zone, Verrick said. If he survives the things down there... then we shall talk.
When Kaelen opened his eyes, he was in cold, foul-smelling water.
The darkness was not absolute. Faint, greenish lights leaking from cracks in the ceiling illuminated the wet walls around him. This was not a cell. These were the bowels of the city. He tried to sit up, but every muscle ached. The withdrawal of Verricks medicine had caused an earthquake within his body.
Elara...
He whispered the name. Now he knew it. He remembered her face, her scent, the sense of peace she gave him. And in that moment, a light flickered in the gray void of his mind. Elaras voice was clearer than ever, closer than ever.
...Kaelen... You remembered me...
Kaelen leaned his back against the mossy wall. Grief lay in his lap.
How could I have forgotten you? he asked the emptiness. Tears streamed from his eyes. What did they do to me, Elara?
...They sealed our minds. But they could not seal our hearts. Now you are awake. And now you are in danger...
I am coming for you, Kaelen said. I will climb that tower. I will destroy Verrick, Arthus... all of them.
...No... Do not rush. You are not ready yet. That black eye... it is consuming you. First, you must learn to control it. Otherwise, when you reach the tower, you will not be the man who saves me, but the monster who destroys me...
Kaelen touched his right eye. It was closed, but behind the eyelid, that energy was still swirling.
How?
...Survive. Survive in that dark place. And listen to me. I am your compass...
The voice faded.
Kaelen took a deep breath. He rose from the water. It was quiet here. But it was not a peaceful silence. It was a hunters silence.
The splashing of water could be heard. Not behind Kaelen, but above him.
He looked up. In the pipes on the ceiling, shadows that looked human but were not human were moving. They had no eyes. Pale, deformed creatures that followed only sound and scent.
Kaelen gripped the hilt of Grief.
Welcome, he growled.
He was no longer running. He was no longer hiding. The pain he remembered gave him strength. Just then, a familiar, small voice echoed through the darkness.
Giant? Are you there?
Kaelen startled.
Rico?
A small rope was lowered from a grate above. And at the end of that rope, a soaking wet, trembling Rico slid down.
I saw them throw you into that hole, the boy said, jumping into the water. I followed you after Verricks men left.
Kaelen looked at the boy. Why did you come, you foolish child? This is a grave.
Rico smirked, though his lips trembled with fear. He lit the small lantern in his hand.
Because youre my partner. And... Im the one who brought you that medicine. Im the one who made you forget. I have to pay my debt.
Kaelen placed his hand on the boys shoulder. Ricos loyalty was the only clean thing in this dark world.
You owe nothing, Rico, Kaelen said. But if you want to get out of here, stay behind me.
Rico held the lantern into the depths of the tunnel. The light illuminated a sewer labyrinth that seemed endless.
Where are we going?
Kaelen felt the compass in his mind, the faint pull of Elara. But this time, the direction was not up, it was deeper down.
To the heart of the darkness, Kaelen said. Because to go up, you must first hit rock bottom.
And Grief glowed with a purple light in Kaelens hand, illuminating the tunnel.
Something had awakened in the depths of the sewers. In the place Verrick called the Waste Zone, a king created by alchemical waste lived. And that king did not like uninvited guests.
But Kaelen was no longer just a guest. He was a catastrophe, armed with his memory and his sword.