The meeting was ended.
Elias moved through the academy halls without slowing. The pressure he left behind faded slowly, but the tension did not.
He reached the Null side of the academy.
Silas was there.
Elena and Caleb stayed close to him, voices low. The air around Silas still felt unstable, like something had not fully gone back to sleep.
Elias entered.
All three turned toward him.
Caleb spoke first.
That thing he made, Caleb said.
It almost crushed my power.
Elena looked directly at Elias.
What is his ability? she asked.
Tell us.
Silas stayed quiet.
Elias looked at him.
That wasn't an a ability, Elias said.
It was a remnant.
Silas frowned.
A remnant of what?
Elias answered without delay.
The former head of the Seventh Family.
Silence followed.
Elena's eyes widened slightly.
That family doesn't exist, she said.
There are no records.
That's because they were erased, Elias replied.
He continued.
The weapon you created has a name, he said to Silas.
Lucas.
Silas repeated it quietly.
Lucas…?
It means light, Elias said.
But not the kind that saves.
Caleb swallowed.
You're saying that weapon—
Appeared once, Elias interrupted.
Over a thousand years ago.
Elena clenched her hand.
That's impossible, she said.
Even the Circle doesn't have records that old.
Elias looked at her.
Everyone who knew about it,
he said,
was killed.
Silence deepened.
That weapon ended an era, Elias continued.
After that, the Seventh Family vanished.
Elena's gaze sharpened.
Then how do you know about it?
she asked.
Even the Cuts don't.
She took a step closer.
Who are you?
Elias met her eyes.
I'm no one important, he said.
Then he added,
I don't stand with good.
Or with evil.
Caleb frowned.
Then what side do you stand for?
Elias looked past them, toward the darker side of the academy.
I only watch, he said.
The same way I always have to do.
Silas felt the weight of the name again.
Lucas…
A weapon that should not exist. And somehow…
It had answered him.
---
Silas looked at his hand.
The word escaped him before he could stop it.
Lucas.
The air reacted.
Darkness gathered again but this time it didn't form a weapon.
The shadows stretched upward.
A shape appeared.
Human.
Tall. Calm. Made of shifting black and faint silver light. No solid body, yet clearly present.
A voice echoed.
…It has been more than a thousand years.
Everyone froze.
That name, the figure continued,
the last time someone used to call me that… but the world end up burned.
The figure turned. Its eyes stopped on Elias. For the first time, its expression changed.
…You.
The air trembled.
How are you alive? Lucas asked.
No—how are you here?
Elias didn't move.
What are you talking about?
Elias replied.
You're projecting too pressure. Control yourself.
The shadows around Lucas twisted.
Then—Something changed.
Fear.
Lucas pulled back slightly.
That pressure…
That intent…
…No, Lucas said.
That killing intent—
He shook his head.
…Maybe I'm mistaken.
Silas stared between them.
What are you? Silas asked.
And how are you in human form?
Elena stepped closer.
That's not a human body, she said.
It's a spirit form.
Caleb pressed his hand against his chest again.
It's happening again, Caleb said.
My blood feels like it's reacting.
Lucas turned toward him.
Oh, Lucas said with a faint laugh.
That explains it.
He looked amused now.
You carryWolf King blood, Lucas said.
That's why your power reacts.
Caleb's eyes widened.
Wolf… King?
Lucas glanced toward Elena.
And you, he continued.
Dragon blood.
Elena's expression hardened.
Vampire lord. Wolf king, Lucas said lightly.
They all fought me.
A smile crossed his face.
With everything they had, he added.
Haha.
The air grew colder. Silas felt it clearly now. This wasn't just a weapon. This was something that remembered wars. And somehow…
It had answered him.
---
Lucas lifted his head slightly.
The war didn't start because of power, he said.
It started because of fear.
The shadows around him shifted, showing faint images—broken skies, burning land, collapsing towers.
They feared the Seventh Family, Lucas continued.
Not because we ruled… but because we could end rules.
Silas felt a chill.
The Circle wanted control,
Lucas said.
The Cuts wanted order.
So they united, Elena said quietly.
Lucas laughed.
Yes, he replied.
They called it balance.
Caleb clenched his teeth.
And the Wolf Kings? he asked.
Lucas looked at him.
They sent first, he said.
Kings and lords or you call them loyal dogs for war.
Caleb's chest tightened.
Wolf king fought me with pride, Lucas added.
But in the end he lost.
Lucas turned toward Elena.
The Vampire Lords came next, he continued.
They believed this time was on their side.
Elena didn't look away.
They burned, Lucas said.
One by one. Killed by me in the end.
Silence followed.
And the Dragons? Silas asked.
Lucas paused.
For the first time, he said,
the world shook.
The shadows trembled.
They didn't fight for the side of Circle and Cuts, Lucas continued.
They fought to stop the war.
Elena's eyes narrowed.
To protect the realms, she said.
Lucas nodded.
Yes, he replied.
But in the end they couldn't stop what came next.
Silas felt pressure rise again.
What ended the war? Silas asked.
Lucas turned back to Elias.
His voice lowered.
He did.
The air froze.
He was something—
Lucas stopped himself.
…No. He was no one.
Elias didn't react.
He walked through battle like it was not there, Lucas said.
No banner. No side.
Caleb swallowed.
He wasn't human, Lucas continued.
And he wasn't a god.
Lucas' gaze darkened.
Within blink he erased the battlefield, he said.
Not the armies.
The shadows faded.
That day, Lucas said,
the Seventh Family disappeared.
Elena's voice stayed steady.
And the Circle?
Lucas smiled.
They survived, he said.
Because he allowed it.
Silas looked at Elias.
You were there, Silas said.
Elias finally spoke.
That war ended, Elias said.
And it should stay buried.
Lucas looked at Silas again.
But you, Lucas said softly.
You called me back.
Silas felt the weight of history press down. A war older than memory. And a name that should never have returned.
---
Silas took a slow breath.
It's because of Elias, he said.
He told us your name first.
Lucas froze.
The shadows around him stopped moving.
…He did? Lucas asked.
Silas nodded.
He said your name,
Silas continued.
And when I repeated it… you answered.
Lucas looked at Elias again.
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Understanding.
So that's how, Lucas said quietly.
The name was never lost.
Elias spoke.
I didn't summon you, he said.
I only let the name exist again.
Lucas laughed softly.
That's dangerous, he replied.
You know what a true name does.
Elias met his gaze.
That's why I waited, Elias said.
Until the seal weakened on its own.
Lucas turned toward Silas.
You didn't call me by force,
Lucas said.
You called me because the path opened.
Silas frowned.
I didn't feel like I opened anything, he said.
You didn't, Lucas replied.
He did.
Lucas nodded toward Elias.
The one who breaks balance,
Lucas said.
Never by standing in the center.
Elena felt a chill.
You're saying this was planned?
she asked.
Elias shook his head.
No, he replied.
This was inevitable.
Caleb swallowed.
Then what happens now?
he asked.
Lucas smiled faintly.
Now, he said,
the past knows you're alive again.
The shadows around him thinned.
And when the Circle senses me,
Lucas added,
they won't ask questions.
Silas felt his chest tighten.
They'll come, Lucas said.
Or they'll send others.
Lucas looked at Silas one last time.
And next time, he said,
I may not answer so quietly.
The spirit began to fade. Elias watched without stopping it. Silas understood something then. Calling the name once had already changed everything.
————
END OF CHAPTER 6