The shadow smiled, its eyes glowing like ancient embers—
"Let the hunt begin."
Everything after that single sentence collapsed into chaos.
A shockwave blasted across the Forgotten Temple.
Pillars cracked.
Ancient murals shattered like fragile glass.
The air itself vibrated with dark energy.
Len instinctively pulled Arin behind him, shielding her with his own body as dust and debris rained from above.
Ryn shouted over the tremors,
"Move back! That thing isn't fully materialized yet—this is your only chance!"
But Len didn't move.
Not because he was frozen—
but because he felt something move inside him.
A heat.
A flame.
A spark he had never felt before.
Arin sensed it too.
"Len… your aura… it's—"
Glowing.
Blue fire flickered around his hands, small at first, then growing brighter, burning brighter than the torches lining the ancient temple.
Ryn's eyes widened.
"Impossible… The Flame of the First Bearer… it's awakening inside you."
The shadow stepped forward, completely unfazed by Len's new power.
The entity's master spoke again—
a voice colder than deep space:
"You were chosen by fate… but fate doesn't understand what I am."
The temperature in the room dropped instantly, frost spreading across the stone floor.
Arin shivered.
"Len… this cold… it feels like it's freezing my soul."
Len clenched his fists.
"Stay behind me. I won't let anything touch you."
Arin's eyes softened for a brief moment.
But the shadow didn't allow them even a second of peace.
With a flick of its hand—
BOOOOM!!
A dark blast shot toward them.
Len grabbed Arin, rolled across the floor, and covered her as the blast smashed into the wall behind them, turning the ancient stone into black ash.
Ryn shouted,
"We can't fight it directly! Follow me! The temple has a sanctuary chamber—its seals might slow the shadow down!"
Len nodded.
He pulled Arin up and the three sprinted deeper into the temple.
Behind them, the shadow walked slowly but with absolute confidence.
Not chasing.
Not rushing.
Knowing it would catch them eventually.
Its voice echoed through the corridor—
"You can run.
You can hide.
But the Twin Bearers… belong to me."
Arin clutched Len's arm tighter.
"Don't listen to him… he just wants to break your mind."
Len nodded, jaw clenched.
They reached a massive stone doorway covered in thousands of glowing runes.
Ryn slammed his hand on the central seal.
A deep hum filled the space.
The door slowly opened…
…revealing an enormous circular chamber with floating symbols, starlit energy, and ancient celestial patterns glowing midair.
Len's breath caught.
Arin whispered,
"What is this place?"
Ryn answered,
"The Chamber of Origin. It's where the first Bearers awakened their power."
Len stepped inside cautiously.
But the moment he did—
The entire chamber lit up.
Symbols spun rapidly.
Stars rearranged themselves in the air.
Golden constellations formed circles around Len and Arin.
Arin gasped,
"This… this feels like—"
But she couldn't finish.
Because the chamber responded to both of them.
Twin rings of light—one blue, one white—rose from the floor, surrounding them.
Ryn looked terrified.
"No… no… this can't be happening now—!!"
Len looked at him sharply.
"What's happening?!"
Ryn swallowed hard.
"You two… you're awakening."
Arin blinked.
"A-awakening what?"
Ryn took a step back.
"The power of the prophecy.
The power the Sealed Ones feared."
The floating symbols around Len and Arin began to merge into their bodies.
Len felt like fire ran through his blood.
Arin felt like light pulsed inside her heart.
Their systems activated simultaneously—
[Bearer Awakening Sequence Initiated]
[Warning: Power Levels Critically High]
[Converging—Twin Synchronization 12%… 23%…]
Arin grabbed Len's hand, panting.
"Len… this energy… I can't—"
Len tightened his grip.
"I'm here. Just hold on."
Their auras began to rise.
Blue fire around Len.
White starlight around Arin.
And both energies twisted, merging toward a single point between them.
Ryn backed away further.
"This is too fast… The prophecy said the awakening would take days—why is it happening instantly? This—"
A loud cracking sound cut him off.
The door behind them—
Shattered.
The shadow entity stepped into the chamber, unaffected by the seals.
Len froze mid-synchronization.
Arin's light flickered.
Ryn whispered the words Len feared most—
"It broke through the Sanctuary Seal… that's not just a shadow."
"That's a lord of the Abyss."
The Abyss Lord's eyes locked onto Len and Arin.
"You cannot awaken.
You cannot ascend.
I will end your destinies before they begin."
It raised its hand—
and darkness poured out like a tidal wave.
Len shouted,
"Arin—hold on to me!"
She nodded, grabbing him tightly.
But the darkness hit them first.
WHOOOOM—!!
The world went black.
Len felt Arin ripped away from him.
He screamed her name—
but he couldn't hear his own voice.
He reached blindly—
but found nothing.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
His consciousness flickered.
His system beeped faintly—
[Emergency Protocol Activated]
[Spatial protection barrier deploying…]
Then—
Silence.
A void.
A heartbeat.
His own heartbeat.
Len opened his eyes.
He was lying in a forest.
A night sky above him.
Cold air.
A completely different place.
He tried to stand—
But he was alone.
No Arin.
No Ryn.
No temple.
Nothing but darkness and trees.
His heart slammed painfully against his ribs.
"Arin… ARIN!!"
His voice echoed through the forest, unanswered.
He ran, searching desperately.
"Arin, where are you?!"
Nothing.
Only the cold wind.
Until—
A whisper.
Soft. Weak.
"Len…?"
His breath stopped.
He turned slowly.
Arin stood a few meters away—
her clothes torn
her energy unstable
her eyes trembling with fear.
"Arin—!!"
He ran to her, but before he could reach her—
A chain of darkness wrapped around her ankle and dragged her backward.
Arin screamed,
"LEN!! HELP ME—!!"
Len lunged forward—
But he wasn't fast enough.
A circle of shadows opened behind her—
A portal.
The Abyss Lord's voice echoed from inside it:
"The girl comes with me."
Len grabbed her hand just in time—
Their fingers locked.
Arin cried,
"Don't let go! Please!"
Len screamed back,
"I won't—never—!!"
But the shadow chain tightened.
The portal pulled.
Len's feet slipped across the ground.
Arin's grip weakened.
"Len… it hurts…!"
"I'm not letting you go!!"
Their hands slowly began to separate.
Arin's tears streamed down her face.
"Len… I—I'm scared…"
And then—
Her fingers slipped.
Len's hand closed on empty air.
Arin was dragged into the darkness—
screaming his name—
"LENNNNN!!"
The portal slammed shut.
Len fell to his knees, shaking violently.
His hands trembled.
His vision blurred.
And for the first time in his life—
Len screamed in raw, broken rage:
"BRING HER BACK!!!"
The whole forest shook.
Blue flames exploded around him—
And a voice he had never heard before whispered inside his mind:
"Awaken, Bearer…
If you want to save her—
you must embrace the fire."
Len looked up, eyes burning with fury.
"Then burn me alive if you have to—
But I WILL bring her back."
Far away, in the darkness—
Arin's terrified scream echoed again.
Len stood up.
His blue flames roared higher.
And he whispered:
"Arin… wait for me.
I'm coming."
—END OF CHAPTER 13—
Chapter 14 coming soon.
Chapter 14 coming soon!
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