Chương 114: Chapter 112: The Seed of Origins

The moment Rayan's fingertips touched the crimson seed... Time stopped. Not only inside the Heart of Memory. Not only inside the Library of Origins. Everywhere. The oceans ceased flowing. The stars halted in their paths. The Final Eclipse, hanging above the world for centuries, froze in the heavens. Even the Seven Authors looked upward in surprise. The crimson seed slowly rose from Mira's hands. Instead of entering Rayan's body... It dissolved into countless particles of light.

Each fragment drifted toward him before merging into his chest. There was no pain. No overwhelming surge of power. Only warmth. It felt... Like coming home.

WORLD SYSTEM Final Inheritance Accepted Seed of Origins Synchronization... 1% Rayan suddenly found himself standing in an endless white space. There was no sky. No earth. Only silence. Footsteps echoed behind him. He turned. Standing there was a young man wearing simple crimson robes. His face was hidden beneath a hood, yet an aura of peace surrounded him. The man smiled.

"So..."

"My successor has finally arrived." Rayan instinctively reached for the Dharma Dragonblade. The weapon was gone.

"So you're..."

"The Crimson Author?" The figure laughed softly.

"I was."

"But now..."

"I'm only a memory." The Crimson Author walked past Rayan. With every step, flowers bloomed beneath his feet. Entire constellations appeared above them.

"You've probably imagined me as some great creator." He shook his head.

"I wasn't."

"I was simply someone who loved stories." He raised his hand. A single blank page appeared.

"Tell me, Rayan."

"What makes a story worth remembering?" Rayan remained silent. The Crimson Author continued.

"Is it victory?" The page remained blank.

"Power?" Still blank. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Fame?" Nothing changed. Finally, he looked directly at Rayan.

"What do you think?" Rayan thought about his journey. The battles. The victories. The people he had lost. Then he remembered something. Cassian's laughter. Lyra's unwavering faith. His father's proud smile. Kael extending his hand instead of his sword. Caelum abandoning conquest for unity. Aster discovering who he truly was. Rayan smiled.

"A story isn't remembered because its hero wins."

"It's remembered because..."

"... its people change each other." The blank page suddenly filled with golden light. Words appeared one after another. Truth Confirmed Stories are inherited through hearts. The Crimson Author closed his eyes.

"Exactly."

"That..."

"... is the answer the Seven Authors could never understand." Back inside the Heart of Memory... Mira smiled.

"The synchronization has begun." Aster looked at the glowing mark appearing over Rayan's heart.

"What does it mean?" Mira answered quietly.

"The Seed isn't giving him power."

"It's remembering who he was always meant to become." Suddenly— BOOOOOOOOM!! The chamber shook violently. A massive section of the World Root exploded apart. Silver light flooded the chamber. The Prime Editor descended through the broken ceiling, its silver-thread blade crackling with enough power to tear reality apart. Behind it... Hundreds of Editors followed. The Heart of Memory had been found. The Prime Editor raised its blade toward the glowing Seed now merging with Rayan. Its voice echoed across the chamber.

"Final Inheritance detected."

"Immediate erasure authorized." Kael stepped forward, black flames erupting around his sword. Caelum drew Fimbul, freezing the broken ground beneath his feet. Aster's crimson threads spread like a protective web around Rayan. Mira calmly walked to the front. For the first time... The gentle guardian of memory revealed a determined expression.

"If you wish to erase the future..." She raised her hand.

"... you must first defeat the past." Crimson roots burst from every corner of the chamber, wrapping around the descending Editors. The battle for the Heart of Memory... Had finally begun. The crimson roots erupted from the Heart of Memory like living dragons. They surged across the chamber, twisting around pillars of silver light as hundreds of Editors descended from the shattered ceiling.

Their emotionless masks reflected the crimson glow, while their silver-thread blades hummed with the power to erase existence itself. The Prime Editor stood at their head. Its single silver eye remained fixed on Rayan.

"Priority One..."

"Destroy the Successor." Without another word... The entire legion attacked. BOOOOOOM!! Kael met them first. Black celestial flames exploded from his sword, swallowing the front ranks of Editors in a sea of darkness. The impact shook the chamber. Yet when the flames faded... The Editors simply stepped forward once more. Their masks remained untouched. Their bodies rewove themselves from silver threads. Kael clicked his tongue.

"They're regenerating faster." Caelum raised Fimbul. A freezing storm spread through the chamber, instantly sealing dozens of Editors inside towering pillars of crystal ice. For a brief second... The battlefield fell still. Then— CRACK! The frozen statues shattered from within. Silver threads stitched the Editors back together. Caelum narrowed his eyes.

"So long as they're connected..."

"... they cannot truly die." Meanwhile, Aster stood before Rayan. Thousands of crimson threads extended from his fingertips, weaving an intricate barrier around the Heart of Memory. Each thread shimmered with countless tiny images. Forgotten heroes. Lost kingdoms. Unfinished dreams. Every story the Crimson Author had protected flowed through Aster's weave. When the Editors' silver threads struck the barrier... The stories themselves pushed them back. For the first time... The Editors hesitated.

Deep within the white realm... Rayan remained unaware of the battle. The Crimson Author stood before him, watching with calm eyes.

"The Seed has accepted you."

"But accepting the Seed..."

"... is only the beginning." He waved his hand. The endless white space transformed into a vast battlefield. Broken kingdoms stretched to the horizon. Millions of abandoned swords lay buried beneath crimson grass. At the center... Stood a lone child. The boy held a tiny wooden sword. His clothes were torn. His face stained with tears. Rayan slowly recognized him.

"... Me?" The Crimson Author nodded.

"No."

"Every child." The battlefield changed again. The lone child became hundreds. Then thousands. Children from every race. Humans. Dragons. Elves. Giants. Demons. All staring toward a ruined world.

"They are every generation that inherited the consequences..."

"... of those who came before." The Crimson Author looked at Rayan.

"A king protects the people of today."

"A legend protects tomorrow."

"But do you know..."

"... what a Dharma King protects?" Rayan remained silent. The Crimson Author smiled.

"He protects the right..."

"... for the next generation to choose a better future." Outside... The battle intensified. The Prime Editor suddenly vanished. Not through speed. Through erasure. It reappeared directly before Aster. Its silver blade pierced through the crimson barrier. Aster barely managed to twist aside. The blade cut across his shoulder. Instead of blood... Crimson threads spilled from the wound. Aster fell to one knee. The Prime Editor raised its sword again.

"Weaver..."

"Correction complete." Before the strike could fall— CLANG!! The Dharma Dragonblade blocked the attack. Golden light erupted across the chamber. Rayan had returned. The crimson mark over his heart glowed brilliantly beneath his armor. His golden eyes now carried faint crimson rings around their pupils. The Prime Editor tilted its head. For the first time... Its emotionless voice faltered.

"... Synchronization..."

"... Twenty-five percent..." Rayan helped Aster to his feet.

"You did well." Aster smiled despite his injury.

"I was just buying time." Kael grinned as black flames ignited around his blade once more.

"Took you long enough." Caelum rested Fimbul upon his shoulder.

"Let's see what this inheritance has changed." Rayan slowly raised the Dharma Dragonblade. It no longer burned with only golden Astra. Crimson roots of light wrapped around the blade, intertwining with golden flames to form an entirely new power. The World System materialized above the battlefield.

WORLD SYSTEM New Authority Recognized Successor of the Crimson Author Synchronization: 25% New Skill Unlocked MEMORY DOMAIN"No story shall be forgotten."

The chamber trembled as crimson light spread from Rayan in every direction. The final battle... Had entered a new stage. To Be Continue....