Later — Sacred Solos of Light
The breeze that blew there seemed to sing.Lorien walked ahead, his royal-blue cloak swaying lightly, while Kelvin followed in silence.
— "Lorien… where are we going?" — the young man asked, his voice hoarse.
Lorien didn't look back.His tone was calm, almost reverent.— "To a place where the world speaks to those who dare to listen. Where light and shadow face each other without fear."
They passed through an ancient arch covered in runic inscriptions.Beyond it, the world seemed suspended in time.The ground was a white stone platform surrounded by floating crystals that pulsed in harmony.A forgotten sanctuary.
— "This is the Sanctuary of Clarity," — Lorien said, stopping at the center. — "If there's a place where you can face what haunts you… it's here."
Kelvin hesitated.The air there was dense, heavy — as if the universe itself was watching.But he took a step forward.
The moment his feet touched the stone, the shadows awoke.
Whispers tore through the air.A second heartbeat echoed inside him.
"You already know me, boy…""Don't fight what you are."
The ground glowed with black symbols.Power coursed through his veins — alive, cruel, desperate.Kelvin fell to his knees.
Lorien knelt beside him, golden light emanating from his hands.— "Breathe… you're still here, Kelvin. The shadow doesn't rule you."
Kelvin lifted his gaze, his voice trembling.— "It's not a shadow. It's someone."
At the same moment — Ray Stormbreak's Office
The clock marked nearly midnight.Ray watched the city from the window — the glow of buildings reflected in his tired eyes.A soft knock on the door.
Lorien entered.— "He saw it again," — he said bluntly. — "The throne of bones. The spear. The red eyes."
Ray turned slowly.— "Then it's begun."
Silence.The kind that weighs more than any word.
Lorien stepped closer.— "Ray… what are you hiding from me?"
Ray sighed, moving away from the window.His hands, calloused from old battles, clasped behind his back.— "Eleven years ago. You, Diana, and Kai found a ruined village. Remember?"
Lorien frowned.— "How could I forget? A burned village. No survivors… except for one child."
— "Yes." — Ray met his eyes, his voice heavy. — "That child was Kelvin Nox."
Lorien's face went pale.— "Then… that mission…"
— "It was staged. A trail left by Tyrus."
That name fell between them like a blade.
Ray stepped closer, his tone firm.— "Tyrus left him there on purpose. A vessel… waiting to be awakened."
— "A vessel?" — Lorien stepped back, incredulous. — "You mean—"
— "Yes." — Ray cut him off. — "Kelvin is Tyrus's biological heir. The Son of Ruin."
The room seemed to shrink.The air turned cold.
Lorien whispered:— "That explains the whispers. The instability. The blood… corrupted."
Ray nodded slowly.— "And it explains why the Order of Tyrus wants him alive. Not to destroy him… but to claim him."
Lorien clenched his fists.— "And Inavy? Where does he fit in all this?"
Ray looked at him with sorrow.— "The Heir of Chaos and the Son of Ruin… two destinies intertwined since before humanity existed. One shapes. The other destroys. But together… they could rewrite the balance."
Lorien's gaze faltered.— "Then we're standing on the edge of an ancient war. Something that began before creation itself."
Ray nodded.— "The war between Ruin and Chaos. And their awakening… has already begun."
A long silence lingered.The ticking of the clock echoed like a distant lament.
Ray walked to the table, placing his hands on a city map.— "We can't reveal anything yet. Not to the Phoenix Guild. Not to the Association."
Lorien narrowed his eyes.— "You want to hide this? Ray, we're talking about the end of the world."
Ray laid a firm hand on his shoulder.— "No. We're talking about protecting them — until they can choose their own paths."His gaze hardened.— "Because no one else can do it. No one else bears that burden."
Night — Kelvin's Room
Moonlight cut through the window, draping a pale veil over his face.He sat still, staring at the black pendant hanging from his neck.
A whisper slithered through his mind — cold, distant, unmistakable.
"You've seen the future, my son… and yet you keep running.""There is no escape from what was born inside you.""When you awaken… the world will tremble."
Kelvin closed his eyes, trying to silence the voice.But deep down, he knew — part of it was already his.
The air froze.The mirror before him quivered.
For an instant, the reflection changed — and crimson eyes stared back.
Depths of Elkaris — Hours Later
Beneath the earth, in ruins swallowed by shadow, something stirred.Stone cracked.Darkness rose like living smoke.
A figure wrapped in blackness opened its eyes — blood-red — and breathed for the first time in centuries.
Behind it, dozens of distorted forms began to move, their bodies made of bone and corrupted light.
The voice echoed through the caverns — ancient, powerful, inevitable:
"The son shall awaken.""And when he does… the world shall know the true meaning of ruin."
The Order of Tyrus was moving.And the ancient war, forgotten even by the gods, had begun to breathe once more.