Chapter 188: The Bad News
The tranquility that had settled over the wooden house with Aryan's return was like a delicate mist beginning to evaporate under the midday sun. Although Diyari was still under the influence of the positive shock of his father returning alive, Rina, with that sharp intuition she always possessed, noticed something strange in Aryan's eyes. Those eyes did not just show the fatigue of years of imprisonment; they held a deep, ancient fear—a fear she had not seen in the eyes of any Light warrior, even during the war against the Grandmother. In the living room, where the scent of tea and the burning wood of the stove filled the air, Aryan sat in silence, staring at his trembling fingers.
Diyari sat beside him eagerly, wanting to use every second to make up for the years he had been deprived of his father. But when Aryan raised his head and looked at Rina and Diyari, the color of his face changed to a terrifying paleness. He said: "Diyari, my son, Rina... I hope you remember the peace you tasted tonight forever, because the darkness you defeated was only a veil to hide something much greater." This statement was like cold water poured over Diyari's body. Diyari asked in surprise: "Father, what are you talking about? The Grandmother is dead, her army is gone, and the white light has purified every corner of this earth. What could be greater than that?"
Aryan took a deep breath, as if wanting to gather all the pain of history in his chest. He said: "The Grandmother... she was only a parasite. She had only stolen an ancient piece of magic to gain power. But the one she took that magic from, the one who is the root of all the darkness in this universe, is still immortal. In the depths where I was imprisoned, there were not just walls surrounding me. I heard the beating of a heart... a heart beating in the core of the earth. It is the heart of Arkados, the first shadow that existed before the creation of man and light." When Rina heard the name Arkados, she felt the whole room grow cold. That name was mentioned in the most ancient books of magic as a legend, something used only to scare children, but now, from the tongue of a warrior like Aryan, it sounded like a bitter reality.
Aryan continued and said: "Arkados was in a deep sleep for thousands of years. The magic you used to defeat the Grandmother, that great explosion of light that saved the world—unfortunately, it was the same energy needed to awaken him. Light and shadow are like two sides of the same coin; when one reaches its peak power, the other stir in the depths. I felt that vibration when my chains broke. It was not just the breaking of the Grandmother's magic, but the breaking of the sacred seal that kept Arkados asleep." Diyari stood up, his hands shaking. All the sacrifices he had made, all the friends he had lost—was it all just to awaken a greater danger?
Rina approached and placed her hand on Diyari's shoulder to calm him, then turned to Aryan and asked: "Where is he now? And how can we stop him? If that ancient power truly exists, will our light be enough to confront it?" Aryan shook his head sadly and said: "He is nowhere and everywhere. He is like a smoke emerging from the cracks of the earth. He does not need an army; he draws power from the hatred and fear in the hearts of the living. Your light is pure, but Arkados knows how to distort that light. The bad news I have brought is not just his appearance, but that there is only one way to stop him—a path that perhaps none of us will want to take."
A deadly silence filled the room. Only the crackling of the wood in the stove could be heard. Diyari looked at his father and said: "Whatever it is, I am ready. I will not let this new world we have built with blood fall into darkness again. Father, what is the way?" Aryan was silent for a long time, then said in a low voice: "To reseal Arkados, the white light and the golden light must gather in a single source... but not as a weapon, but as a sacrifice. One of you must become the guardian of that seal in the depths, forever. That means leaving this world, leaving the sunlight, and remaining in an eternal silence so that Arkados stays asleep."
Rina felt the ground tremble beneath her feet. This was the bad news that shattered all their dreams. After all that pain, after finding Diyari's father, they now had to talk about an eternal separation. Diyari looked at Rina; in his eyes was the conflict between responsibility and love. Aryan continued: "I tried hard to stay there, I wanted to be that sacrifice myself, but my strength is no longer enough. I am only a weary shadow of the warrior I once was. Arkados is waking up, and I feel his first breath is reaching the surface. That gray mist you saw tonight was only the beginning."
These words were like a dagger in the heart of the home's peace. Rina went to the window, looking at the beautiful garden she had planted. Was all this beauty only for a few days? Is life so merciless that it does not allow them to live in peace even for a season? She understood why Aryan was so sad; he had returned not just to see his son, but to be the messenger of the death of their dreams. Diyari took his father's hand and said: "Father, do we have time? Can we think of another way?" Aryan only shook his head in a 'no' gesture. "Arkados does not know time; he comes when everyone thinks they are safe."
The air outside changed; a cold, dry wind began to blow, as if the earth were about to exhale an unpleasant breath. Rina, Diyari, and Aryan, in the house that was supposed to be their paradise, now appeared like strange travelers waiting for a destructive storm. Aryan said: "You must go toward the Cave of Nineveh, the place where the first light rose. Only there can you decide who must be the sacrifice. I will go with you to show you the way, but I know my body will not endure for long."
Diyari looked at his sword in the corner of the room. The sword he thought he would no longer need now appeared as a burden. He turned to Rina and said: "Whatever happens, I am not saying goodbye. We will find a way." But Rina knew this time was different. This was not a war to be won with swords and magic; it was a spiritual war where the greatest thing must be offered. Aryan's bad news was not just about an ancient power, but about the end of the era where humans wanted to live by light alone.
That night, which was supposed to be a night full of happy stories of father and son, became a night full of planning for a dangerous journey. Aryan spoke of how Arkados appears in dreams and how he tries to break the trust between them. He said: "That ancient power knows that you love each other, and it will use that love as a weapon against yourselves. You must be careful, because the true shadow is not outside, but in the doubt he plants within you."
Rina felt every word of Aryan's as a heavy weight on her shoulders. She looked at her own hands; the white light she had always seen as a symbol of hope now appeared as a terrifying responsibility. Could she leave Diyari? Or could Diyari let Rina be the sacrifice? This was the question Aryan had planted in their minds. The bad news was not just about danger, but about testing the authenticity of the love that had saved the world.
When the dawn of morning came, the mist had grown thicker, and the sound of birds was no longer heard. The world, as if feeling the awakening of Arkados, had chosen a silence full of fear. Aryan stood up and put on his ancient cloak. "We have no time; we must head toward the cave before the first shadow of Arkados reaches this hill." Rina and Diyari, with hearts full of grief and eyes full of uncertainty, left their beloved home—the home where they had spent only one night of peace.
As they walked down the hill, Rina looked back. The wooden house was disappearing into the mist. She understood that this might be the last time she would see that place. Aryan walked in front, his steps heavy but steady. He knew this was his last duty as a father and a warrior. Diyari held Rina's hand tightly, as if wanting to tell her that no ancient power could separate them, but inside, they both knew this was a very difficult beginning.
The bad news was only the start of the journey. Before them lay a path full of ancient shadows and impossible tests. Arkados, the power that history had forgotten, was now spreading his wings over the world. The white and golden lights would have to fight together once more, but this time not against an army, but against the primordial darkness itself. Aryan said in a low voice: "Watch over each other, for inside that cave, only truth can light your way." The journey began, and their short-lived peace became a distant memory within their hearts.
Written by: Dlin_myth