Chương 75: Chapter 73: The Second Heir

The battlefield seemed to fade into the background. Explosions continued to shake the capital. Saints clashed against Archons in the skies. The First Child of Origin stood motionless amidst the chaos, its crimson eyes fixed on Rayan. Yet none of that captured his attention. His gaze remained locked on the glowing crystal in his hand.

"... Valen?" The name echoed in his mind. The Guardian stared at the crystal with an expression Rayan had never seen before. Fear. Not the fear of defeat. The fear of remembering. Rayan stepped closer.

"You know him." The Guardian closed his eyes.

"I prayed that history had buried his name forever." The crystal pulsed once. Golden light spread across the shattered palace floor. The air shimmered. Then, before Rayan's eyes, the battlefield disappeared. He stood inside an endless white hall. Ancient pillars stretched toward a sky that did not exist. Golden flames floated like silent stars. The place felt timeless. Almost sacred. Footsteps echoed through the hall. A young man emerged from the light. He looked no older than twenty-five.

Long black hair tied behind his back. Golden eyes identical to Rayan's. A black cloak embroidered with silver dragons flowed behind him. Unlike Arkan, whose presence carried the weight of a king, this man radiated calm confidence. He smiled.

"So..."

"You finally reached this memory." Rayan instinctively tightened his grip on Shadowbreaker.

"Who are you?" The man bowed slightly.

"My name is Valen." The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"The Second Dharma Heir." Outside the memory... Time stood still. Neither the battle nor the soldiers moved. Only Rayan and Valen existed within the crystal's hidden world. Valen slowly circled the young prince, studying him from head to toe.

"You resemble Arkan." He chuckled softly.

"But your eyes..."

"They're your own." Rayan frowned.

"The Guardian said you were dead." Valen nodded.

"I am."

"Then..."

"This is only a fragment." He tapped his own temple.

"A memory left inside the Dharma Astra." Silence settled between them. Finally, Rayan asked the question weighing on his heart.

"Who was the First Child of Origin?" Valen's smile disappeared. The atmosphere instantly grew heavier.

"It..."

"... was once human." Rayan's pupils contracted.

"What?" Valen looked toward the endless horizon.

"Long before Heaven declared war on humanity..."

"There was another civilization."

"A civilization more advanced than ours."

"They mastered Astra beyond imagination."

"They conquered disease."

"They conquered death."

"They even challenged time itself." His voice became quieter.

"But they desired one thing more."

"Perfection." Golden images appeared around them. A magnificent kingdom. Floating cities. Towering golden trees. People wielding impossible Astra Arts. Then... Darkness consumed everything.

"They discovered Origin." The beautiful city twisted. Its people transformed into monstrous creatures. Their bodies warped. Their souls devoured.

"The First Child..." Valen whispered.

"... was their greatest king." Rayan couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"The monster..."

"... was once protecting humanity?" Valen slowly nodded.

"Just like you." The vision shattered. Reality returned. The battle resumed. Explosions echoed once more. Rayan stared at the First Child. For the first time... He no longer saw only a monster. He saw a tragedy. The creature noticed his expression. Its four crimson eyes narrowed.

"... You know." Rayan didn't answer. Instead, he asked quietly,"What was your name?" Silence spread across the battlefield. Even the Archons paused. The First Child slowly lowered its head. No one had asked that question in thousands of years. Its voice came as little more than a whisper.

"... Aster." The name drifted across the ruined capital like a forgotten prayer.

"Aster..." The Guardian closed his eyes.

"So even you remembered." The monster looked toward the heavens.

"I was humanity's first king." Every warrior froze. King Dasrath's sword slipped from his grasp. Cassian stared in disbelief. Siena's lotus petals scattered on the wind. The First Child continued.

"I built the first kingdom."

"I united the first people."

"I protected the first children." Its voice hardened.

"And Heaven repaid us with extinction." A crushing silence followed. Queen Seraphina's expression, visible through the celestial mirror, remained unreadable. But her fingers tightened around the armrest of her throne. The secret had been revealed. Far sooner than she expected. Rayan slowly walked toward Aster. Ignoring the terrified cries of nearby soldiers. Ignoring the warnings from the Guardian. Ignoring the countless Archons surrounding them. Until only a few meters separated them.

The First Child looked down at him.

"You are not afraid." Rayan met all four crimson eyes without hesitation.

"I am." Aster blinked.

"But courage isn't the absence of fear." Rayan planted Shadowbreaker into the shattered ground.

"It's choosing to walk forward anyway." For several long moments... Neither spoke. Then... To everyone's astonishment... The First Child smiled. Not the terrifying grin from before. A genuine smile. One that briefly resembled the man he had once been.

"You truly are different." The smile vanished. Dark energy erupted from his body once more.

"But whether you deserve humanity..."

"... will be decided by battle." The skies split apart. The ground collapsed beneath their feet. Aster raised one hand. Behind him, a second black portal slowly began to open. The Guardian's face turned deathly pale.

"No..."

"There can't be another..." A colossal silhouette moved within the darkness. Bigger. Older. Far more terrifying. Rayan instinctively reached for Shadowbreaker. The war they had been fighting until now... Had only been the beginning. To Be Continue....