Morning broke over Aurion, but its light felt hollow. The palace shone as it always did, yet the brilliance seemed muted, as though something unseen had drawn the warmth out of the air.
Inside Lysander's private chamber, the silence was sharp. Arka sat on the edge of a stone bed, his right arm bare. The black mark that had appeared the night before had grown curling up his forearm like smoke frozen in place, pulsing faintly with dark energy.
Lysander stood nearby, studying the mark with narrowed eyes. His sword, unbelted but ready, rested within reach on the table.
"It's spreading faster than I expected," he muttered. "The energy pattern it's feeding on your aura."
Arka flexed his fingers slowly. "It's not painful. Just... heavy. Like something is pulling at the edges of my soul."
Lysander shot him a look. "That's not comfort. That's corruption."
He reached for the silver rune crystal beside him and pressed it gently to Arka's skin. The mark hissed, the air rippling with dark steam. Arka gritted his teeth but didn't flinch.
"It rejects purification," Lysander said, lowering the crystal. "The Abyss is binding itself to your core. If it fuses completely, even the Astral Sigil won't hold it back."
Arka's voice was quiet. "Then I don't have much time."
Lysander looked at him sharply. "Don't talk like that. We'll find a way before that thing takes control."
Their eyes met one filled with determination, the other with a growing shadow. For a moment, neither spoke. Only the faint hum of the curse filled the air, beating in rhythm with Arka's pulse.
A sudden knock broke the tension.
"Your Highness," came a muffled voice. "Elder Kaen requests your presence. He says the Council is convening about the attack."
Lysander glanced at Arka. "They can't know about the mark. Not yet."
Arka nodded. "Agreed. If the Council's behind this, showing weakness would only make me their next target."
Lysander hesitated, then pulled a strip of dark cloth from his drawer. "Here."
Arka took it wordlessly and wrapped it around his arm, hiding the crawling sigil beneath the folds. When he finished, the black energy dimmed, quieting as if waiting.
They made their way through the gilded halls, the silence between them filled with unspoken weight. The Council Chamber loomed ahead, massive doors carved with depictions of celestial beasts bound in chains.
Inside, twelve figures sat in a semicircle. Among them Elder Kaen, calm but watchful; General Harkan, his gaze cold; and at the center, the Empress herself, veiled in faint gold light.
Lysander stepped forward first. "Your Majesty, we've confirmed traces of Abyssal energy in the sanctum. The attack wasn't an accident."
Whispers rippled through the chamber.
Elder Kaen leaned forward. "And your evidence?"
Arka drew a breath. "The sigil was left as a warning. Whoever placed it did so to draw attention to me."
General Harkan scoffed. "How convenient. The same one who gains the most fame from the trials now becomes the target of mythical beasts."
Lysander's tone sharpened. "Watch your words, General."
But before another word could be spoken, a chill swept through the room. The torches flickered, and the air dimmed. From the center of the chamber, faint threads of shadow began to coil upward unnoticed at first, then rising like smoke through cracks in the floor.
Arka's arm burned beneath the bandage. The mark pulsed once, hard, and his vision swam. He clutched the edge of the table, struggling to steady his breath.
Lysander saw it. "Arka"
The shadows in the chamber suddenly converged toward him, drawn as if by instinct. Gasps filled the hall.
"Contain it!" Elder Kaen roared.
But before any spell could form, the black energy burst outward, scattering the golden light like shattered glass. The mark on Arka's arm flared bright, spreading up his neck, and for a heartbeat his eyes turned completely black.
Then silence.
Arka dropped to one knee, gasping for air. The shadows recoiled, vanishing as quickly as they had appeared.
Lysander rushed to his side, kneeling beside him. "Stay with me."
Arka forced a smirk, his voice hoarse. "Guess... the Abyss didn't like being ignored."
But behind his faint humor, he could feel it.
The thing inside him had awakened.
And it wasn't going to sleep again.