The royal army had already left the capital.
From the palace balcony, the last torches of the marching knights slowly disappeared into the distant night.
The road to the northern mountains had become a line of moving lights.
Saksham remained standing there silently.
The dark storm above the mountains continued to grow.
Each minute the pressure of dark mana became heavier.
Inside his mind, the system appeared again.
SYSTEM ALERT
Void Guardian Awakening:
54% → 58%
Ritual Progress Increasing
Estimated Time to Critical Stage:
Unknown
Saksham clenched his fists.
"It's still rising…"
Orion leaned against the balcony wall, watching the storm quietly.
For the first time since Saksham met him, Orion looked serious.
Not calm.
Not relaxed.
Serious.
Saksham noticed.
"You know something about this ritual."
Orion didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked a question.
"Have you ever wondered why darkness magic disappeared from history?"
Saksham nodded.
"All records about it were erased."
Orion looked toward the mountains again.
"They weren't erased by accident."
"They were sealed."
Saksham frowned.
"Sealed?"
Orion finally turned toward him.
"Because darkness magic once almost destroyed the continent."
The wind grew stronger around the balcony.
Orion continued speaking slowly.
"Centuries ago, the Void Cult discovered a way to turn darkness into living creatures."
"The Void Guardian is one of those creations."
Saksham remembered the system message.
Boss Entity: Void Guardian.
"So that monster was made using forbidden magic."
"Yes."
Orion nodded.
"And it requires a massive amount of darkness energy to awaken."
Saksham crossed his arms.
"Which is what the ritual is doing."
Orion smiled slightly.
"You learn quickly."
But Saksham looked directly into Orion's eyes.
"You're not telling me everything."
The wind suddenly became quiet.
Orion remained silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"You're right."
He stepped closer to the balcony edge.
"Because I have seen that ritual before."
Saksham's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Orion's voice became quieter.
"I was there."
The words hung in the air.
Saksham stared at him.
"You were… part of the cult?"
Orion didn't deny it.
"Long ago."
The night wind moved through his silver hair.
"I studied darkness magic with them."
"But I left when I realized their real goal."
"And what was that?" Saksham asked.
Orion's eyes became cold.
"To awaken a power far worse than the Void Guardian."
Saksham felt a strange chill.
Inside his mind, the system suddenly flashed.
SYSTEM MESSAGE
Hidden Lore Discovered
Void Cult Objective:
Unknown Entity Awakening
Threat Level:
Catastrophic
Saksham looked back at Orion.
"You betrayed them."
Orion nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And they have been hunting me ever since."
At that moment—
far away in the mountains—
the cult leader suddenly opened his glowing eyes.
He looked toward the direction of the capital.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
"So you're still alive…"
He whispered softly.
"Orion."
Behind him, the Void Guardian roared again.
The ritual circle glowed brighter.
Back in the capital—
Saksham looked toward the storm once more.
The real battle had not started yet.
But something told him that soon—
his destiny, Orion's past, and the cult's plan
would collide.
To be continued…