Chương 3: Chapter 2: The Voice Beyond Time

Darkness stretched endlessly. Rayan couldn't feel the arena. Couldn't hear the crowd. Couldn't even feel his own body. Only the voice remained. Ancient. Immense. As if an entire era was speaking through a single sentence.

"Will you inherit the First Dharma Astra?" Golden light erupted. The darkness shattered. An endless realm appeared. Massive pillars stretched toward an invisible sky. Broken chains hung across the heavens. Ancient battlefields floated in the distance. Corpses of giants. Broken stars. Destroyed kingdoms. It looked less like a dream and more like a forgotten memory. Rayan stood frozen.

"What is this place?" The voice answered immediately." The Hall of Origins." A figure emerged. Tall. Wrapped in golden robes. His face remained hidden beneath a hood. Yet his presence alone made the world tremble. Every instinct screamed danger. Not because the figure was hostile. Because he was powerful. Beyond comprehension. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"You are the voice?"

"Yes."

"Who are you?" The figure was silent for a moment. Then he answered.

"I have carried many names." His golden eyes appeared beneath the hood.

"But once..." The world shook.

"I was called the First Guardian." Rayan's heart pounded. The First Age. Every child knew the legends. The age when gods walked among mortals. The age that ended in catastrophe. The age whose history had been erased.

"You should be dead." The figure laughed softly.

"I am." Rayan froze.

"What?"

"A remnant."

"A memory."

"A fragment left behind." The Guardian stepped closer.

"I have waited thousands of years for someone capable of inheriting Dharma." Rayan frowned.

"Then you chose the wrong person." The Guardian smiled.

"No." The smile widened.

"I chose the only person." Silence. The words felt heavier than mountains. The Guardian raised his hand. Countless visions exploded into existence. Wars. Empires. Gods. Demons. The destruction of entire worlds. Rayan staggered.

"What am I seeing?"

"The future." The Guardian's voice became grim.

"The world is dying." The visions accelerated. Black creatures. Burning skies. Fallen kingdoms. Mountains of corpses. Then— A man. Standing alone against the darkness. Golden energy surrounded him. Countless Astras revolved around his body. The image vanished. Rayan stared.

"Who was that?" The Guardian looked directly into his eyes.

"You". Silence. For the first time all day— Rayan laughed. A genuine laugh.

"You must have the wrong person." The Guardian didn't laugh. That terrified him more than anything.

"Accept the Astra." The world shook." Or watch humanity perish". Everything disappeared. The arena returned. Rayan gasped. The crowd remained frozen. Only a single second had passed. Yet he felt like hours had gone by. Inside his chest— Something warm pulsed. Like a sleeping sun. And for the first time in his life... He sensed Astra energy. Tiny. Weak. But real. Very real. Far beneath the kingdom. An ancient seal cracked. A golden eye opened. Someone had awakened. And the darkness had noticed.