The chamber convulsed.
The heart, now fully awakened by Kael's presence, twisted its roots inward, wrapping itself in layers of old memories and corrupted aura. It throbbed like a second sun—sick, violent, eternal.
Kael didn't move.
His Ashen Aura burned calmly around him—silent as snowfall, sharp as a blade. His breathing was even. His hands didn't tremble.
But inside?
He felt it.
Resonance.
Not just with the Eternal.
But with the truth.
"Kael…" Lyra's voice cracked behind him. "That thing... it's fusing with the root core. If it completes the process, it'll reformat the entire region. Noctheron will die."
Drayke growled. "Let it try. I've got fists, fire, and trauma to spare."
Kael raised a hand. "No."
He stepped forward, toward the heart.
The others stared.
"Wait, what are you—" Lyra reached out.
But Kael's aura surged.
He wasn't walking toward the Eternal.
He was walking into it.
[Fusion Interface Detected – Unknown Aura Sync Attempt]
Warning: Ashen Aura does not comply with Eternal protocols.
Override?
Kael didn't hesitate. "Yes."
[Aura Fusion: Domain Sync – Initiated]
There was no light.
There was no pain.
There was only memory.
Inside the Heart Core
Kael floated in a sea of fragmented voices and withered dreams. The Eternal's essence spread before him like an ocean of vines—interconnected trauma, broken timelines, collapsed truths.
And at the center—
A boy.
Barefoot, cloaked in leaves. Crying.
Not a monster. Not a god.
Just a soul that had never stopped breaking.
Kael stepped closer.
"Is this who you were before you became Myr'veln?"
The boy didn't answer.
He simply looked up—his eyes hollow, tired, begging.
Kael felt the Ashen Aura react. Not in aggression… but in empathy.
Ashen wasn't destruction.
It was absorption.
Evolution.
Adaptation.
Kael knelt.
"You were chained by your pain."
The boy nodded.
"So was I."
He offered his hand.
For a moment… eternity held its breath.
Then—
The boy took it.
[Sync Complete – Ashen Domain Expanded]
New Skill Unlocked: Verdant Ash – Converts corrupted aura into adaptive shielding and life-null fields.
Relic Sync Detected: Soulbrand is evolving…
Kael's eyes snapped open.
He stood in the center of the chamber—but the heart was gone.
In its place, a forest of glowing ash trees had bloomed from the roots, silent and unmoving, with no more screams beneath the earth.
The Eternal's physical form lay slumped at his feet—silent, unmoving.
Dead?
No.
Freed.
Kael turned to his allies.
Drayke blinked. "You just… talked it to death?"
Kael sheathed Soulbrand, now darker, sleeker, and humming with resonance.
"No."
He looked toward the surface.
"I forgave it."
[Verdant Maw Dungeon Cleared]
Kael Arclight – Rank Up: A → S (Hybrid Class Evolution: Bladesoul Revenant – Phase II: Requiem Path)
Relic Evolved: Soulbrand → Oathveil
New Trait Acquired: Aura Nullification (Limited Time Field)
The sky above Noctheron cleared for the first time in centuries.
The marsh shimmered with light—ashen, soft, like embers at dawn.
Lyra stepped beside him, staring at the changed landscape.
"You did it."
Kael said nothing.
He was listening to the silence.
No chains.
No screams.
Just peace.
Even if it wouldn't last.
But then—
A sound.
Low.
Metal on stone.
Zera emerged from the edge of the treeline, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Took you long enough."
Kael eyed her. "You knew this was coming."
She shrugged. "Knew? No. Suspected? Always."
Then she tossed something to Kael.
He caught it midair.
A sealed scroll. Branded with an unfamiliar sigil—a sun split in half.
"What is this?"
Zera's tone darkened.
"A summons."
Kael unrolled it slowly.
[Sunspire Directive: All S-Rank Hunters to report immediately. Emergency Protocol Risen One: Active.]
Reason: Another dungeon has awakened. Not just any. The one tied to the First Eternal.
Location: Zenith's Reach.
Kael's grip tightened.
Lyra stared. "That's the highest point in Aurenya."
Drayke's smile was grim. "Then I hope you like climbing."
Kael turned away from the now peaceful marshland.
Time to ascend.
Time to face the mountain.