Chapter 3: Whispers of a Ghost
The chamber was cold, carved from black stone that seemed to drink in the light.
Arkan stood at the head of a long obsidian table, his cloak draped over his shoulders like a shroud. The flickering torches painted his expressionless face in shadow, but his subordinates could feel it — the silent storm brewing beneath.
One of them — a tall, hooded woman with silver markings etched across her skin — finally broke the oppressive silence.
"You let Krayn die."
Her tone was sharp, almost taunting.
Arkan didn't even glance at her. "Watch your tongue, Sira."
She smirked. "Why? It's the truth."
Another voice cut in — this one deep, ragged, with a faint metallic rattle. A gaunt man cloaked in chains leaned against the wall, his hollow eyes glinting in amusement.
"Don't tell me you're shaken, Arkan," the chained man rasped. "You saw him, didn't you?"
Arkan's grip on his blade tightened. "…Yes."
The chained man's smile widened. "Then it's true. It was him."
Sira scoffed. "Him? That relic? Impossible. Omkar hasn't been seen in centuries."
Arkan finally turned his gaze toward her, his calmness more threatening than any outburst.
"Do you know what I felt when I struck at him?" he asked softly.
Sira raised a brow, saying nothing.
"The same suffocating pressure I felt the day I first knelt before our Lord."
That made the room go still.
Even Sira's smirk faltered.
"Then it really was him…" the chained man whispered.
Arkan stepped forward, his presence filling the room. "Do not mistake Omkar for the others we've faced. He fought in the Ancient War. His name alone once silenced battlefields."
"Centuries ago," Sira muttered, though the confidence in her voice wavered. "You're saying he hasn't weakened?"
Arkan's gaze darkened.
"No," he said simply. "If anything… he's worse."
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Finally, Sira crossed her arms. "If Omkar is protecting the boy, this won't be easy. The Lord won't like this."
Arkan turned his back to them, his cloak whispering against the floor.
"The Lord wants the boy alive," he said. "And if Omkar stands in our way…"
He paused.
"Then we'll bring an army."