In the quiet room, Kaelvir lay unmoving, as though caught in a dream too deep to escape. The air was thick with dread, silence pressing down like a shroud. His siblings and Fay stood at his side, their expressions carved with worry, every heartbeat weighted with fear.
Three days had passed since Kaelvir had fallen unconscious—his body rejecting his very soul. Not one of them had left his side, terrified that even a step away might cost them the moment he slipped forever.
Ani's eyes brimmed with tears as she whispered broken prayers, trembling with every word. Esuryon and Kaelvon tried to soothe her, but their faces carried the same shadow. Neither dared say it aloud, yet both feared the worst.
The clan elders had come and gone, each leaving with grim silence. None could wake him. If only Father were here, they thought. If only Zar could reach him. But messages sent through the Aroko had gone unanswered.
The elders' last words gnawed at them like poison: If Kaelvir does not wake today… prepare for the worst.
So they waited. Silent. Hoping. Dreading.
Suddenly, Kaelvir's body shuddered—gold and black light flickering beneath his skin. His frame convulsed, thrashing as though seized by unseen chains.
"Y-young master!" Fay cried, rushing forward, clutching his arm with both hands. Her tears streamed unchecked, her voice breaking. "Please… please wake up! Everyone is waiting—please, I beg you!"
Ani seized his hand, clinging even as his body shook violently. Her tears splashed onto his skin as she whispered, her voice breaking into sobs.
"No… you can't! You promised you'd be safe! You can't leave us now… why is this happening?"
Kaelvon's jaw tightened, his eyes burning. Esuryon's hands trembled, but he held himself still. At last, Kaelvon leaned close to Kaelvir's ear, his tone rough with desperation.
"If you die before me, Father will punish me. If you make Ani cry, Father will never forgive you. And if you make the whole family grieve—don't think you won't be cast out for the dogs to eat. So listen here, little brother… you better wake up fast."
As if his words struck home, Kaelvir's body froze. His muscles went rigid, his energy boiling violently, pressure swelling until the very air threatened to collapse.
If it escaped, he would be torn apart from within.
Esuryon and Kaelvon moved instantly, standing on either side of his bed. Their cultivation flared—Kaelvon's Soul Forge Realm surging with blazing force, Esuryon's Peak Body Ascendance roaring in unison. If the kingdom had seen them then, the world would have shaken.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was their brother.
Their strength pressed down, suppressing Kaelvir's raging core. Yet instead of calming, the power grew wilder, defiant.
Then—boom!—the pressure erupted, a storm blasting outward. Both brothers were hurled against the walls, blood spraying from their lips. The force swelled, threatening to burst beyond the chamber.
And then… it stopped.
An aura, immeasurable and cold, sealed the storm within four walls.
A voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding:
"Everyone, out. Stand guard. Do not breathe a word of this."
"Father!" Kaelvon and Esuryon gasped in unison, relief flooding their battered bodies. Zar strode into the room, expression grim.
"Why are you still here? Out!"
They obeyed without hesitation, pulling Ani and Fay with them. None doubted. Their father would save Kaelvir.
Once the room was empty, Zar's hands moved swiftly. Formations ignited at each corner, runes flickering in and out of sight, bathing the room in shifting light.
He approached the bed, brushing Kaelvir's damp hair from his face, then unleashed the formation. The storm erupted again—but its rage was trapped, caged within the glowing runes.
Zar stood unmoving, bearing the weight as though it were nothing. Yet his eyes narrowed. He had felt something…
His golden eyes flared, a red lotus blooming within them. His vision pierced the void behind Kaelvir—into the unseen.
And there, he saw them.
Two indistinct figures, half-real, half-unreal. In the next instant, they blazed into light, condensing into a single form: a youth clad in black and gold armor, wings vast and radiant at his back.
The youth's face… was Kaelvir's.
From afar, the armored figure turned. Golden eyes burned like suns—and with one beat of his wings, he vanished, rushing straight toward Kaelvir's soul.
The vision shattered. Zar's heart pounded, excitement and dread crashing through him.
On the bed, Kaelvir groaned. His fingers twitched. His brow furrowed.
The storm surged again, fiercer than before. Zar pressed his palm against Kaelvir's forehead, channeling a surge of emerald life energy. His own vitality poured forth, healing, strengthening, reforging the boy's body.
So this is it… the only way forward is to make the vessel stronger than the power it carries.
Zar's face paled, vitality draining swiftly. Even the runes trembled under the strain.
Above the clan, the sky blackened. Clouds swirled violently, thunder splitting the heavens. Cultivators across the Sacred Fire Kingdom rushed into the open, staring upward in awe.
"Is a great treasure being born?" some whispered.
But the clouds vanished as suddenly as they had come, leaving only silence.
Whispers spread like wildfire. The truth struck deep: a new Title Holder had appeared.
Across Soneth, powers stirred. Spies moved, envoys gathered, kingdoms whispered. For some, this was hope. For others… it was a target.
In the Veydrak clan, cultivators broke from seclusion, faces grim as their gazes fell upon Kaelvir's courtyard.
Inside, Zar's body swayed, ghostly pale. But he did not stop. He poured everything into his son.
Kaelvir's eyelids twitched, then opened. His eyes blazed with golden light, black runes etched deep into his irises.
He looked awake—yet his consciousness was not his own.
His body convulsed, caught between death and rebirth. Black and gold lightning lanced across his veins, tempering bone and flesh alike.
Zar's eyes gleamed, excitement burning even as his vitality waned.
Kaelvir devoured it greedily, the storm exploding brighter, fiercer.
At last, Zar's strength faltered. He sat cross-legged to the floor, wanting to close his eyes to recover—yet his gaze never left his son.
"Yes… be reborn, Kaelvir. Become the vessel strong enough to hold it all."
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