Renji had begun to notice there were two palaces inside the palace.
The one for show — bright halls, servants, training grounds.
And another — hidden, hushed, forbidden.
That was how he first found the library.
It stood apart, its doors plated with gold, walls glowing faintly even in shadow. When Renji walked past it, he felt something unnatural press on his chest. His heart raced, pride and dread crashing together in a single breath. He staggered, his legs weak, as though the library itself had judged him unworthy to stand.
When he asked the Old Man, the elder only said: "Do not linger there."
But Renji's curiosity burned.
Later, he asked Ash.
Ash glanced at him sharply, then lowered his voice.
"That place is not for us. The Golden Library belongs only to the Monarch of the time. It is passed down like a
keepsake — never opened to common hands. Inside are manuscripts older than lineages, filled with golden magics."
Renji frowned. "Magics? Then why not let the strong learn them?"
"Because strength is not enough," Ash replied. His eyes darkened. "If someone unworthy touches those manuscripts, they don't just die. They are denied Warriors Mirage."
Renji froze. "Warriors Mirage?"
Ash nodded slowly.
"When a man or woman lives with pride and worth, when they die in honor, their soul is carried to Mirage. A heaven for warriors, where every proud moment lives forever. It is our afterlife — our glory. But the Golden Manuscripts… they kill in another way. They strip you of honor, of Mirage itself. You become nothing. Not living, not remembered. Erased."
Renji's stomach turned cold. He pictured the dead man in the alley — his body fading to black smoke, leaving no trace.
"Then… even Monarch can use them?" he asked.
Ash hesitated. "Not all. Even Monarchs only manage a few. Some say the manuscripts choose their wielder. Others say they demand a purity no mortal has ever fully reached. But it is unsettled. No one knows why."
The Old Man had given Renji more access to the palace library than he deserved. Its shelves stretched endlessly, crammed with tomes that smelled of dust and forgotten battles.
But this night, Renji stumbled upon something different. A book bound in cracked obsidian leather.
When he opened it, the letters seemed to move — like shadows shifting under firelight.
And there he read of them.
The Obsidian Circle.
Not kings. Not warriors. Not even Monarchs. But gods — or tyrants, depending on who spoke of them.
Basaltos
God of Brute Force.
Endurance, unity, loyalty. Protector of armies, breaker of walls. His symbol was stone and iron. His followers said his fists could shake the earth into ridges, and his breath could harden men into unbreakable lines.
Skayr
God of Shadows.
Stealth, cunning, patience, precision. He was the whisper in the dark, the knife before the scream. Every strategist, every assassin traced their ways to him. His symbol was the dagger hidden under a cloak.
Oculon
God of Sky and Mind.
Strategy, agility, reconnaissance, intelligence. He ruled the unseen — vision from above, the falcon's clarity, the storm's speed. His symbol was the eye, always watching.
At first, Renji thought them divine. But the deeper he read, the more the truth revealed itself: they were tyrants who called as gods.
They had enslaved entire generations, bent kingdoms until loyalty, shadow, and vision themselves became weapons in their hands.
The scrolls said the Circle kept the balance of the world.
Renji's eyes stopped at a final name:
Valerius.
He was written not as a god, but as their right hand. The sword of the Circle. The voice between them and mortals. His loyalty was said to have been absolute, his will sharper than any blade.
But the text ended abruptly — no death recorded, no grave mentioned. Just a single phrase etched in fading ink:
"When the Circle vanished, Valerius walked into shadow. One knows if he sleeps, serves, or waits."
Renji closed the book, his heart hammering.
And he suddenly thought about the second name of the captains who fought each other the other day
He thought that they might be from the royal family.