Soren woke up in a chair.
Not a comfortable chair.
Not a normal chair.
But a research chair — the kind with straps, glowing runes, and the energy of "you are about to learn something you don't want to know."
He groaned. "I hate this place."
The fox sat in his lap, glowing faintly, chirping in soft reassurance.
Kael stood behind him, arms crossed, expression calm but tense.
Lira hovered nearby, frost‑wolf curled at her feet.
Aldric leaned against a bookshelf, looking like he was waiting for Soren to faint again so he could say "pathetic."
Soren blinked. "Where am I."
Kael answered, "The Arcane Archives."
Soren screamed. "I'M NOT ALLOWED IN THE ARCANE ARCHIVES."
Lira whispered, "You are now."
Aldric smirked. "Because you're a hazard."
Soren threw a book at him. "STOP TALKING."
The Panic Begins Immediately
The room was enormous — shelves stretching up into darkness, filled with ancient tomes, scrolls, and artifacts that radiated "touch me and you will die."
Soren clutched the fox. "Why am I here. Why am I in the forbidden library. Why am I surrounded by cursed books."
Seraphine appeared from behind a shelf. "Because you are cursed."
Soren screamed. "I KNOW."
Veylan stepped forward, nightmare‑wolf at his side. "We need to research Rhyxos."
Soren froze. "NO. NO. I DON'T WANT TO RESEARCH HIM. I WANT TO IGNORE HIM. I WANT TO PRETEND HE DOESN'T EXIST."
Arcturus entered last, cloak billowing like a storm cloud. "Ignoring him is no longer an option."
Soren whimpered. "I hate this place."
The Books Come Out (Soren Suffers)
Seraphine placed three ancient tomes on the table.
They thudded like they weighed the same as Soren's anxiety.
Soren pointed. "NO. NO OLD BOOKS. OLD BOOKS MEAN OLD PROBLEMS. OLD PROBLEMS MEAN ANCIENT EVIL."
Aldric shrugged. "Accurate."
Soren threw another book at him. "STOP TALKING."
Kael placed a steadying hand on Soren's shoulder. "We're here."
Lira nodded. "You're not alone."
Soren whispered, "I FEEL ALONE."
The fox nuzzled him.
Soren sighed. "Okay. I feel slightly less alone."
Seraphine opened the first tome.
Dust rose.
Soren sneezed. "I'M ALLERGIC TO ANCIENT TRAUMA."
The First Discovery
Seraphine pointed to an illustration — a swirling mass of red and white energy, shaped vaguely like a tree root.
Soren screamed. "NO. NO. THAT LOOKS LIKE MY CHEST."
Kael leaned in. "It's similar."
Lira whispered, "It's identical."
Aldric muttered, "You're doomed."
Soren threw a quill at him. "STOP TALKING."
Seraphine read aloud:
"Rhyxos — an entity predating recorded magical history. Associated with deep‑rooted energies, spiritual resonance, and catastrophic awakening events."
Soren screamed. "CATASTROPHIC WHAT."
Kael frowned. "Awakening events."
"I DON'T WANT EVENTS. I WANT SLEEP."
Lira placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay."
"NO IT'S NOT."
Aldric shrugged. "Could be worse."
"HOW."
"You could be dead."
Soren threw a scroll at him. "STOP TALKING."
The Second Discovery (It Gets Worse)
Veylan opened the second tome.
A page showed a forest — twisted, corrupted, pulsing with red light.
Soren screamed. "NO. NO. THAT'S THE FOREST. THAT'S THE FOREST WE WERE IN. WHY IS IT IN A BOOK."
Veylan read:
"Where Rhyxos stirs, the land responds. Forests twist. Beasts warp. The ground pulses with his presence."
Soren clutched his hair. "I HATE THIS PLACE."
Kael murmured, "This explains the corruption."
Lira nodded. "It wasn't random."
Aldric smirked. "It was him."
Soren threw a bookmark at him. "STOP TALKING."
The fox chirped anxiously.
Soren hugged him. "Buddy, why me."
The fox chirped again.
Soren whispered, "That's not an answer."
The Third Discovery (It Gets Even Worse)
Arcturus opened the final tome.
The page showed a silhouette — tall, cloaked, shifting like smoke.
Soren froze. "NO. NO NO NO. THAT'S HIM. THAT'S THE WHISPER MAN. THAT'S THE 'FIND ME' MAN. THAT'S THE MAN WHO LIVES IN MY SOUL."
Arcturus read:
"Rhyxos manifests through chosen vessels. He seeks resonance. He seeks awakening. He seeks… return."
Soren screamed. "RETURN TO WHAT. RETURN TO WHERE. RETURN TO WHO. I DON'T WANT ANYONE RETURNING ANYWHERE."
Kael's jaw tightened. "He's using you."
Lira whispered, "He's connected to you."
Aldric muttered, "You're doomed."
Soren threw a paperweight at him. "STOP TALKING."
The fox pressed its head to Soren's cheek.
Soren whispered, "Buddy… am I going to die."
The fox chirped softly.
Soren groaned. "That's not comforting."
The Final Blow
Arcturus closed the tome.
The sound echoed like a death sentence.
"Vale," he said, "we now understand the situation."
Soren squeaked. "What situation."
Arcturus answered:
"You are not hosting a corruption core."
Soren blinked. "I'm not?"
Arcturus shook his head.
"You are hosting Rhyxos himself."
Soren screamed.
Loudly.
For a long time.
Kael caught him before he fainted.
Again.
Aldric rolled his eyes. "Pathetic."
Lira sighed. "Expected."
The fox curled up on Soren's chest and chirped.
And the entire Arcane Archives watched the boy who accidentally became the vessel for an ancient entity with a name, a history, and a plan.