Arkath remained where he stood
His eyes locked onto his father.
And the silence between them…
was heavier than any battle.
Finally, he spoke.
"Explain what's happening."
He paused.
Then added, more sharply:
"And why you disappeared."
His father did not answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at him for a long moment.
As though measuring what had changed within him.
Then he turned away.
And said calmly:
"Follow me."
He began walking.
Without waiting.
Arkath and Zalrik exchanged a brief glance.
Then followed him.
The path was silent.
No wind.
No sound.
Only the echo of their footsteps against ancient stone.
The farther they walked…
the more the place changed.
The rocks became more structured.
Walls appeared.
Fragments of carvings.
Ancient pathways…
hidden within the mountains.
Zalrik spoke quietly:
"This place wasn't built recently."
Arkath's father answered without turning:
"It was forgotten."
They continued onward.
Until they reached a massive stone gate.
Half-buried within the wall.
His father approached it.
Placed his hand upon the surface.
At once—
the carvings trembled.
Then—
the gate slowly moved.
The sound of ancient stone echoed through the passage.
Then it opened.
They entered.
The chamber beyond…
was enormous.
Circular.
Cold.
And inside it—
stood five statues.
Facing one another.
Each bore a different symbol.
Fire.
Wind.
Shadows.
Mist.
And Will.
At the center—
stood a massive stone table.
Its surface covered in carvings.
And in its center…
a circular hollow.
As though something had once rested there.
Arkath stopped.
His eyes moved between the statues.
Then he asked:
"What is this place?"
His father stepped slowly toward the table.
Ran his hand across the carvings.
Then said:
"Every hundred years…"
Silence fell.
Then he continued:
"...one of the five clan leaders is chosen."
Zalrik froze.
Arkath did not take his eyes off him.
His father continued:
"Not to lead."
He looked toward the table.
"...but to guard."
Arkath stepped closer.
"Guard what?"
His father raised his head.
Looked directly at the core in Arkath's hand.
Then answered:
"The Prime Core."
Heavy silence filled the chamber.
Then he added:
"And what you carry now…"
His gaze lowered toward Arkath's hand.
"...is only a secondary core."
Arkath froze.
His grip tightened around it.
Then he said:
"Then this…"
His father interrupted him:
"Is a guide."
A pause.
Then:
"...leading to the original."
Zalrik looked toward the statues.
Then asked:
"And why is it guarded?"
Silence again.
Longer this time.
Heavier.
Then Arkath's father answered:
"Because if it falls…"
He looked directly at them.
And for the first time—
his eyes were no longer calm.
"...everything falls with it."
Silence settled over the chamber.
The carvings along the walls glowed faintly.
And the five statues…
seemed to be watching them.
Then his father spoke again:
"This matter…"
A pause.
"...is more secret than either of you can imagine."
He looked toward the statues.
"Even among the clans…"
Then continued:
"...only a few ever knew of the Prime Core's existence."
Heavy silence followed.
Then he said calmly:
"But after what happened…"
His gaze shifted to Arkath.
"...there is no longer any reason to hide it."
He stepped forward.
Then said:
"Give the core to Zalrik."
Arkath froze.
Looked at the core.
Then at Zalrik.
Confusion crossed his face.
"What?"
But his father did not repeat himself.
He only said:
"Now."
A brief silence.
Then Arkath extended his hand.
He gave the core to Zalrik.
The moment it touched Zalrik's palm—
Thud.
Everyone froze.
But this pulse…
was not like the others.
It was deeper.
Heavier.
Then—
the energy erupted.
Darkness surged from the core.
But not chaotically.
Instead—
like an extension.
It wrapped itself around Zalrik.
The shadows across the chamber walls rose.
The ground trembled.
And the air inside the chamber suddenly became heavier.
Arkath's eyes widened.
Because this…
had never happened with him.
Not once.
As for Zalrik—
he froze.
Not from fear.
But shock.
The core did not reject him.
It did not test him.
Instead—
it responded instantly.
The energy poured into him.
Without resistance.
As though it knew him.
As though…
it had been waiting for him.
Zalrik slowly raised his head.
His eyes—
lost their boundaries.
The darkness within them deepened…
into something alive.
The shadows around him moved.
But they were no longer separate from him.
Instead—
they were part of him.
Arkath whispered:
"...What's happening to him?"
But his father did not move.
He did not seem surprised.
Instead, he said calmly:
"Do not resist it."
The words were directed at Zalrik.
At that same moment—
Zalrik closed his eyes.
And the shadows around him…
grew still.
Then—
they entered him.
Slowly.
Like water returning to the sea.
Zalrik took a deep breath.
Then opened his eyes.
But—
something inside him…
had changed.
He looked at his hand.
Then at the shadows surrounding him.
Then whispered:
"...I can feel it."
A pause.
Then, in a lower voice:
"...as if it's me."
Silence followed.
Then Zalrik slowly raised his head.
And his eyes this time—
were no longer looking at the shadows.
But through them.
Then he said:
"...I'm not controlling it."
A pause.
Then he finished:
"...I am the shadow itself."
The chamber trembled.
And the carvings upon the Shadow statue—
lit up.
For the first time since they had entered.
As for Arkath—
he watched in silence.
And finally understood…
why the core had nearly killed him.
Because—
it had never belonged to him in the first place.
End of Chapter XIV 🔥