The library had grown quieter as the night deepened.
Most citizens had already left, leaving only a few scattered scholars studying under dim lantern light. The large stone windows reflected the faint glow of the moon outside, casting pale light across rows of ancient books.
Kael sat alone at the wooden table where Ari had left him.
In front of him lay the heavy book she had placed earlier.
"The Fall of the Seven Sovereigns."
Its leather cover looked older than any book he had ever seen. The edges of the pages were slightly worn, and faint golden markings ran along the spine.
Kael opened it slowly.
Dust rose into the air.
The first page contained only a single sentence written in faded ink.
"Before kingdoms were born, before nations existed, the Sovereigns ruled the world."
Kael leaned back in his chair.
His eyes moved across the page carefully.
According to the text, thousands of years ago the world had been very different. There were no human empires, no great cities, and no organized guilds.
Instead, the land was divided among seven ancient rulers.
These rulers were not ordinary beings.
They were the Sovereigns.
Each Sovereign controlled a fundamental force of reality itself.
Their power was so overwhelming that entire continents trembled when they fought.
Kael flipped the page.
A diagram appeared showing seven symbols arranged in a circle.
Each symbol represented one Sovereign.
The Radiant Sovereign, ruler of light and purification.
The Storm Sovereign, master of lightning and the sky.
The Stone Sovereign, embodiment of mountains and earth.
The Ocean Sovereign, lord of tides and endless waters.
The Dream Sovereign, controller of thoughts and illusions.
The Void Sovereign, wielder of space and nothingness.
And finally—
The Abyss Sovereign.
Kael's gaze stopped there.
Unlike the others, the symbol beneath the Abyss Sovereign looked different.
Darker.
More complex.
It resembled a circle split in half, one side black and the other pale like bone.
He read the description beneath it.
"The Abyss Sovereign governs the boundary between life and death."
"Her domain is the eternal cycle."
"From death, life returns. From life, death is inevitable."
Kael's hand unconsciously moved toward his chest.
The Abyss Core inside him pulsed faintly.
The sensation was subtle but unmistakable.
Almost like the Core reacted to the words on the page.
He exhaled slowly.
"So that's what you are…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
The book continued describing the ancient era when the Sovereigns ruled the world together.
For a long time there had been balance.
Each Sovereign governed their domain without interfering with the others.
But peace never lasts forever.
Eventually conflicts began.
At first the disagreements were small.
Territory disputes.
Differences in philosophy.
But the real conflict began when the other Sovereigns realized something frightening.
The Abyss Sovereign's power was different.
Unlike the others, she could control the cycle of life and death itself.
That meant she could theoretically revive the dead.
Or erase life completely.
The book described how the other Sovereigns feared what that power could eventually become.
So they made a decision.
They would seal the Abyss Sovereign before her power grew beyond control.
Kael frowned.
"That sounds suspiciously convenient."
He flipped another page.
The next chapter described the War of the Sovereigns.
A catastrophic battle that nearly destroyed the world.
The sky burned with lightning from the Storm Sovereign.
Mountains collapsed under the power of the Stone Sovereign.
The oceans themselves rose like massive walls during the Ocean Sovereign's attacks.
Entire civilizations vanished during that war.
But the strangest part came near the end.
According to the book, the Sovereigns did not win.
They also did not lose.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
During the final battle, the Abyss Sovereign unleashed a power that no one had anticipated.
A power connected to the true nature of life and death.
The result was catastrophic.
Reality itself fractured.
Fragments of the Sovereigns' power scattered across the world.
Those fragments eventually became the Cores.
The war ended immediately afterward.
But none of the Sovereigns were ever seen again.
Kael slowly closed the book.
The silence around him felt heavier now.
He stared at the wooden table for several seconds.
"So the Cores…"
"…are pieces of them."
"Exactly."
The voice came from behind him.
Kael turned his head.
Ari stood between two bookshelves, holding another stack of books.
She walked toward the table calmly and sat down again.
"You read quickly," she said.
Kael shrugged.
"It's interesting."
She placed the books on the table.
"These are older records," she explained.
"They're not available to the public."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"You stole them?"
"I borrowed them."
"Borrowerd from where ? The restricted value?"
"Let's just say the librarian has very predictable Tea shedule."
Kael opened the first book.
The pages contained drawings of strange symbols and ancient ruins.
"These records describe the origins of Cores more accurately," Ari said.
"The fragments that scattered during the Sovereign War evolved over time."
She pointed to one page.
"At first they were raw energy crystals."
"But eventually they merged with living beings."
Kael looked at the drawing.
A human silhouette with glowing light in the center of the chest.
"A Core becomes part of the body?" he asked.
"Yes."
"That explains a lot."
Ari continued explaining.
"Most Cores are simple fragments."
"Flame Cores, Storm Cores, Earth Cores."
"Those represent basic aspects of the Sovereigns' power."
"But some are different."
She flipped to another page.
"These are called Origin Cores."
The illustration showed seven larger crystal fragments.
"These came directly from the Sovereigns themselves."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So those are the rare ones."
"Extremely rare."
She looked directly at him.
"There are only seven."
Kael remained silent.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Ari continued.
"Each Origin Core corresponds to one Sovereign."
"The Radiant Core."
"The Storm Core."
"The Stone Core."
"The Ocean Core."
"The Dream Core."
"The Void Core."
She paused before saying the last one.
"And the Abyss Core."
Kael's heart skipped once.
He kept his expression calm.
But the Core inside his chest reacted again.
Stronger this time.
A faint pulse spread through his body.
Ari noticed.
Her eyes focused on him carefully.
"Your reaction is interesting," she said.
Kael leaned back slightly.
"Just listening."
But she didn't look convinced.
Instead she asked another question.
"Do you know about the organizations?"
"What organizations?"
"The ones trying to revive the Sovereigns."
Kael's attention sharpened immediately.
"Explain."
Ari folded her hands together on the table.
"Over the centuries, different groups formed around the belief that the Sovereigns should return."
"Some worship them as gods."
"Others believe the world needs their power again."
She opened another book.
Inside were sketches of strange symbols.
"These are the marks used by the seven organizations."
Each symbol matched one of the Sovereigns.
"Every organization serves a specific Sovereign."
"They search for Core fragments."
"They study ancient ruins."
"And some of them perform rituals."
Kael frowned.
"To bring their Sovereign back?"
"Yes."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
She looked directly into his eyes again.
"If even one Sovereign returned, the balance of the world would change completely."
Kael thought about that for a moment.
Then he asked the question that had been bothering him.
"Do these organizations know about the Origin Cores?"
"Yes."
"And if someone had one?"
Ari didn't answer immediately.
Instead she closed the book slowly.
"They would become the most valuable target in the world."
Silence filled the space between them.
Kael felt the weight of those words.
His hand moved unconsciously toward his chest again.
Ari noticed that too.
Her expression changed slightly.
"…Interesting."
Kael stood up.
"I should probably go."
"You just got here."
"Still."
He placed the books back on the table.
"Thanks for the history lesson."
Ari watched him carefully.
"You're hiding something."
Kael smiled faintly.
"Aren't we all?"
He turned and began walking toward the exit.
But as he reached the library doors—
The Abyss Core suddenly pulsed violently.
Kael froze.
A sharp chill spread through his entire body.
The lights inside the library flickered.
Several books fell from nearby shelves.
A strange pressure filled the air.
"What was that?" Ari whispered.
Kael's breathing slowed.
Inside his mind—
The same voice from before returned.
Faint.
Ancient.
"…the fragments gather…"
Kael clenched his fist.
"…the cycle awakens…"
The voice echoed again.
"…bearer of the Abyss…"
The pressure vanished instantly.
The library returned to normal.
Lanterns stopped flickering.
The fallen books lay scattered across the floor.
Ari stared at Kael.
"What just happened?"
Kael didn't answer.
Instead he looked down at his hand.
The Abyss Core was glowing faintly beneath his skin.
"…Nothing," he said quietly.
But deep inside his mind—
The voice whispered one final sentence.
"…the Sovereigns will rise again."
And for the first time since receiving the Core—
Kael felt something he had not expected.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
But anticipation.