BOOK FOUR: THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE LAST GATE
Chapter 11: The Army of the Forgotten
The Archive burned without fire.
Golden memories shattered above them, falling like pieces of dying stars.
Riva stood frozen beneath the enormous chamber.
Thousands of shadow figures surrounded the First King.
They wore crowns.
Armor.
Robes.
Some carried swords.
Others held strange weapons made from light and darkness.
But none of them had faces.
Only empty shadows.
The First Guardian stared at them.
"The Forgotten."
The Last Unwriter nodded.
"Every ruler erased from history."
Eva looked around.
"There are thousands."
The First Guardian corrected her.
"There are millions."
---
The First King raised his hand.
Every shadow stopped.
Then he looked directly at Riva.
"You finally remember."
Riva stepped forward.
"Not everything."
"You will."
"What do you want?"
The First King smiled.
"The same thing I wanted when the first kingdom existed."
"Freedom."
Riva frowned.
"Freedom from what?"
The First King looked toward the burning Archive.
"From being forgotten."
---
A shadow stepped forward.
It wore a broken crown.
"I was King of the Northern Lands."
Another stepped forward.
"I was the first Keeper of Memory."
Another:
"I was the Queen who opened the Fourth Gate."
Another:
"I was the child sacrificed to create the Seven Flames."
Their voices overlapped.
"We were erased."
"We were forgotten."
"We were turned into stories."
"We were removed from history."
The First King spread his arms.
"I gave them a chance to return."
---
Riva looked at him.
"By destroying the world?"
"Not destroying."
"Replacing."
Aren stepped forward.
"Replacing it with what?"
The First King smiled.
"With a world where no one can ever be forgotten again."
Aren shook his head.
"That's not a world."
"It's a prison."
---
The First King looked at him.
"You still don't understand."
He raised one finger.
A shadow soldier appeared beside Aren.
It looked exactly like him.
Aren froze.
The shadow spoke.
"I remember you."
Aren's face went pale.
"No."
The shadow smiled.
"You killed me."
Aren stepped backward.
"I never..."
The shadow's face changed.
It became an older version of Aren.
A man covered in scars.
"You did."
---
Riva looked at Aren.
"What is that?"
Aren couldn't answer.
The shadow laughed.
"You want the truth?"
Riva nodded.
The shadow pointed toward Caelan.
"He isn't your brother."
Everyone froze.
Caelan's expression changed.
Aren immediately shouted:
"Don't listen!"
The shadow continued.
"He was created from the First Flame."
Caelan shook his head.
"That's impossible."
"Then ask your Guardian."
Everyone turned toward the First Guardian.
He said nothing.
Caelan's face fell.
"You knew."
---
Riva looked at the Guardian.
"Tell us."
The Guardian closed his eyes.
"Caelan was created."
Riva stared at him.
"Created?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
The Guardian looked at Caelan.
"To protect you."
Caelan's voice became quiet.
"So I wasn't human."
"You became human."
"That's not what I asked."
The Guardian couldn't answer.
---
Caelan looked at Riva.
"Did you know?"
"No."
He nodded slowly.
"Good."
Riva stepped toward him.
"Caelan..."
He moved away.
"I need a moment."
Then he disappeared into the shadows of the Archive.
Riva wanted to follow him.
But the First King spoke.
"Don't."
She turned.
"Why?"
"Because this is the moment he has been waiting for."
Riva frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"He finally knows what he is."
---
The Archive shook again.
The First King raised both hands.
The shadow army moved.
Thousands of soldiers began marching toward the golden door.
The First Guardian drew his weapon.
"Everyone!"
The Keepers formed a line.
Riva stepped forward.
"We can't fight millions."
The First Guardian looked at her.
"Then don't."
Riva frowned.
"What?"
"Fight the King."
---
The First King smiled.
"Finally."
He stepped down from the darkness.
His feet touched the floor.
For the first time...
He looked human.
He had silver hair.
Pale skin.
And the same eyes as Riva.
Riva stared.
"You look like me."
He smiled.
"Because you look like me."
"Why?"
"Because you were created from my soul."
Riva's breath stopped.
The First King continued.
"When I tried to destroy the Last Gate..."
"My soul was divided."
"One half remained with me."
"The other became you."
---
Riva whispered:
"So I'm your..."
"My daughter?"
He smiled.
"No."
"You're my other half."
---
The room became silent.
The First King extended his hand.
"Come with me."
Riva didn't move.
"You want me to join you."
"I want you to become whole."
"And if I refuse?"
The First King looked toward the shadow army.
"Then they will destroy Elaris."
Riva clenched her fists.
"You'll kill everyone just to force me."
"No."
He looked toward the Archive.
"I'll erase them."
"Forever."
---
A voice came from behind Riva.
"Then you'll have to erase me first."
Caelan returned.
His sword was glowing.
The First King looked at him.
"Interesting."
Caelan stood beside Riva.
"I don't care what I was created from."
"I don't care if I'm human."
"I choose who I am."
The First King smiled.
"You sound like her."
Caelan raised his sword.
"That's because she taught me."
---
Riva looked at him.
For the first time since learning the truth...
She smiled.
The First King sighed.
"Then I suppose we'll do this the difficult way."
He raised his hand.
The Forgotten Army charged.
The Keepers attacked.
The Archive exploded into chaos.
---
Riva raised the silver key.
The Flame of Hope burst forward.
Eva released a wave of Memory.
Aarvi summoned Sacrifice.
Lucien unleashed Courage.
Aren called upon Beginning.
The others joined them.
The seven Flames illuminated the battlefield.
For a moment...
The Forgotten Army began disappearing.
But then...
They stood again.
Stronger.
The First Guardian stared.
"They can't be destroyed."
Riva understood.
"They're memories."
The Last Unwriter nodded.
"Exactly."
"You can't kill a memory."
Riva looked toward the First King.
"Then we don't kill them."
She raised the Key.
"We remember them."
---
Riva spoke the first name.
"King Arion."
A shadow stopped.
Its armor disappeared.
A man's face appeared.
He looked confused.
Then peaceful.
He vanished into golden light.
Another.
"Queen Selene."
Another shadow disappeared.
"Keeper Mael."
Another.
"Princess Elira."
One by one...
The Forgotten began changing.
The First King screamed.
"STOP!"
Riva continued.
Names.
Thousands of names.
The Archive began glowing.
Every forgotten person she named became a memory again.
Not a weapon.
Not a soldier.
A person.
The First King rushed toward her.
"You don't understand!"
Riva looked at him.
"I understand now."
"You don't want to save them."
"You want to own them."
The First King stopped.
Riva raised the Key.
"And I won't let you."
---
The First King suddenly smiled.
"Then remember this."
He snapped his fingers.
The entire Archive went dark.
Riva couldn't see.
Then she heard a scream.
Caelan.
"RIVA!"
She turned.
Caelan was standing at the edge of the golden river.
A black chain was wrapped around his chest.
The First King held the other end.
Riva's face changed.
"Let him go."
The First King smiled.
"Choose."
"Your memories..."
"...or him."
The black chain tightened.
Caelan gasped.
Riva stepped forward.
The First King whispered:
"Let's see what you are willing to forget..."
"...for the person you love."
End of Chapter 11