Chapter 2674: Story 2675: The Eighth Memory

The door opened.

Then the darkness breathed.

A wave of ancient wind exploded from the heart-door, sweeping across the forgotten kingdom. Mountains cracked. Even the First Father staggered backward.

“Stay behind me!” he shouted.

Kael did not move.

He stood at the staircase, sword glowing with white stars.

Lena reached him.

“What is inside?”

Kael stared into the darkness.

“I don’t know.”

The crimson-eyed child suddenly grabbed his hand.

“I do.”

Kael looked down.

“It is not a place.”

The door trembled.

“It is a memory.”

A voice rolled through the kingdom.

“Elarion.”

The ancient statues shattered.

From their broken bodies rose pale armored figures.

Adrian stepped backward.

“They were waiting here.”

The figures slowly turned toward Kael.

Then every warrior dropped to one knee.

“Guardian.”

Kael’s heart tightened.

Azael raised his blade.

“They recognize him.”

“No,” the First Father said quietly.

“They remember him.”

The darkness beyond the door suddenly changed.

Kael saw a vast white battlefield.

Seven children stood beneath the white tree.

There were no stars, kingdoms, or darkness. Only silence.

Then Elarion appeared.

White armor covered his body, and a sword of light rested in his hand.

Across from him stood the black creature.

But it was not alone.

Behind it waited an enormous shadow with countless wings.

Kael froze.

“What is that?”

The First Father stared into the door.

“My failure.”

The shadow opened its wings. Every world disappeared.

Lena whispered,

“It is consuming them.”

The crimson-eyed child shook his head.

“It is not consuming worlds.”

He looked at Kael.

“It is consuming memories.”

The shadow turned toward them. One enormous white eye opened within its body.

Kael felt something tear inside his mind.

He dropped his sword.

“Kael!”

Lena caught him.

A voice entered his thoughts.

YOU FORGOT ME.

Kael screamed.

Images flooded through him.

He saw Elarion standing before the shadow.

He saw the seven children crying.

Then he saw something impossible.

There had once been an eighth child.

A small figure stood behind Elarion.

Its face and body were covered in silver markings.

The figure reached toward Kael.

“Brother.”

Kael’s eyes widened.

“Eighth...”

The crimson-eyed child whispered,

“There were never seven.”

The First Father closed his eyes.

“There were eight.”

“Why did you hide the eighth?” Kael demanded.

The Father looked ashamed.

“Because the eighth was not a child.”

The shadow screamed.

The kingdom shook.

The white battlefield began collapsing.

The hidden figure finally lifted his head.

Kael saw his own face.

But its eyes were completely silver.

The figure smiled.

“I am the memory you erased.”

The heart-door suddenly pulled Kael forward.

Lena seized his arm.

“I won’t let you go!”

Kael grabbed her hand.

“Then come with me.”

They stepped into the door without a backward glance.

Behind them, Azael, Elias, the fifth child, sixth child, and First Father followed.

The black creature remained outside.

It whispered,

“Too late.”

The door slammed shut.

And somewhere beyond time, the forgotten eighth child opened his eyes.