Chương 80: Chapter 78: The False Heir

For several heartbeats, no one spoke. The messenger remained kneeling, his breathing uneven after riding without rest across half the continent. Sweat mixed with the dust covering his face as he struggled to steady himself. Rayan stepped forward.

"What did you say?" The messenger lowered his head.

"The Northern Sanctuary..."

"... has already been claimed." The words settled over the valley like a heavy fog. Cassian was the first to break the silence.

"Impossible." He pointed toward the glowing Sanctuary of Courage behind them.

"The Guardian said only a Dharma Heir could awaken these places." The Guardian's expression had darkened.

"I did."

"And I still believe it." Rayan studied the old spirit.

"You think the messenger is wrong?"

"No." The Guardian's voice was calm.

"I think someone wants us to believe something impossible." Back inside the temporary command tent, a detailed map of the continent was spread across a wooden table. The messenger pointed toward the northern tundra.

"The Sanctuary of Wisdom awakened here three days ago." He moved his finger across several mountain ranges.

"When the northern kingdoms arrived..."

"... the gates were already open." King Dasrath folded his arms.

"What happened inside?"

"No one knows."

"Every knight who entered..."

"... never returned." The room fell silent.

"The only survivor was an old hunter." The messenger swallowed.

"He claimed he saw a man wearing black armor."

"A sword of golden light." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"And..." He hesitated.

"Golden eyes." Rayan's eyes narrowed.

"Like mine." The messenger slowly nodded. That evening... Rain fell over the Ironwood Mountains. Rayan stood alone outside the camp, watching droplets slide down the blade of Shadowbreaker. His thoughts refused to settle. A Dharma Heir. Another one. Or someone pretending to be one. Neither possibility made sense. Footsteps approached behind him. Siena quietly stopped beside him, holding two steaming cups of tea. She offered him one.

"You've been thinking too much." Rayan accepted it with a grateful smile.

"I've been trying to understand."

"And?"

"I can't." The rain continued to fall. Finally, Siena spoke.

"Do you remember what you told me after Elysion?" Rayan looked at her.

"You said..."

"... truth isn't something we find."

"It's something we earn." She smiled gently.

"Then stop chasing answers."

"Start chasing the person." For a moment... Rayan simply laughed.

"You always make complicated things sound simple."

"That's because they usually are." Deep beneath the frozen north... A colossal stone gate stood shattered. The Sanctuary of Wisdom had fallen. Ancient statues lay broken across the floor. Golden flames flickered weakly against the walls. At the center of the sanctuary... A lone figure knelt before an enormous crystal. He wore a long black cloak. His face remained hidden beneath a hood. Only his eyes were visible. Golden. Identical to Rayan's. He slowly reached toward the crystal.

The moment his hand touched it— Darkness spread through the sanctuary. Golden light turned crimson. Ancient runes cracked. The crystal screamed. A voice echoed through the chamber. Not from the sanctuary. From the crystal itself.

"You are..." The figure smiled.

"I know."

"... not the Heir."

"I never claimed to be." The crystal trembled violently.

"Then why have you come?" The hooded man slowly removed a black gauntlet. His right hand was covered in crimson markings that pulsed like living veins.

"I came..."

"... to erase your history." With one crushing motion— He drove his hand into the crystal. CRACK. The Sanctuary of Wisdom shattered. Golden light burst toward the heavens. Across the continent, every remaining sanctuary trembled. Inside the Sanctuary of Courage... The Guardian suddenly collapsed to one knee. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Cassian rushed forward.

"Old man!" The Guardian ignored him. His eyes stared toward the north.

"H-He destroyed it..." Rayan immediately understood.

"The sanctuary?" The Guardian nodded weakly.

"The Wisdom Legacy..."

"... has been consumed." Silence. Consumed. Not inherited. Destroyed. The possibility had never crossed anyone's mind. Far away... Within the Celestial Palace... Queen Seraphina slowly opened her eyes. She had felt it too. One of the Seven Legacies... Had vanished. The six-winged Archon beside her frowned.

"Our forces weren't involved."

"I know." The Queen walked toward the great celestial window overlooking the mortal realm.

"This wasn't Heaven."

"It wasn't humanity." She closed her eyes.

"So..."

"He has awakened." The Archon looked confused.

"My Queen..."

"Who?" Seraphina whispered a name she had not spoken for thousands of years.

"... Kael." Back in the mortal world... Night covered the mountains. The camp slept. Only Rayan remained awake. The crystal around his neck suddenly floated into the air. Golden light surrounded it. Unlike before... No Dharma Heir appeared. Instead... A cracked mirror materialized before him. Within the reflection stood a young man. Black hair. Golden eyes. A black cloak. The stranger smiled.

"You finally noticed me." Rayan instinctively reached for Shadowbreaker.

"Who are you?" The young man chuckled.

"I've had many names." He stepped closer to the mirror.

"But once..."

"... they called me the Eighth Heir." The Guardian's voice thundered from behind Rayan.

"LIAR!" The spirit's usually calm face burned with anger.

"There has never been an Eighth Dharma Heir!" The stranger's smile widened.

"You're right."

"There wasn't." His golden eyes slowly turned crimson.

"But there will be." The mirror exploded into countless fragments. The crystal around Rayan's neck dimmed. A freezing wind swept across the mountains. For the first time since inheriting the Dharma Astra... Rayan felt something he had never experienced before. Someone... Was hunting the Dharma Heirs. To Be Continue....