Chapter 2681: Story 2682: The First Soul

The white fire vanished.

For one heartbeat, silence covered every world.

Then the darkness screamed.

Kael stood before the colossal gate, sword burning in his hand. His silver eyes reflected countless stars collapsing beyond the threshold.

Azael stepped beside him.

“Kael.”

Kael did not look away.

“What?”

“That thing knows your name.”

Kael tightened his grip.

“It knows more than my name.”

Behind them, the silver-eyed figure approached the throne.

“You should not have awakened.”

Kael turned.

“Who are you?”

The figure smiled sadly.

“The part of you that survived when you were broken.”

Kael raised his sword.

“Then give it back.”

The figure’s smile disappeared.

“I cannot.”

“Why?”

“Because it is no longer mine.”

The ground suddenly split.

White light poured through the cracks.

Across the dead kingdom, millions of corpses began rising.

Azael looked around in horror.

“They are not coming alive.”

Kael watched the dead soldiers turn toward him.

“They are remembering.”

One by one, the corpses dropped their weapons.

Then they bowed.

The sound of millions of knees striking stone shook the kingdom.

Kael stared.

“Why are they bowing?”

The silver-eyed figure whispered,

“Because they remember who commanded them.”

A gigantic shadow appeared behind the gate.

Its shape was impossible to understand.

Six arms.

A crown of broken stars.

A face covered by white fire.

The figure raised one hand.

Every dead soldier screamed.

Kael stepped forward.

“Stop.”

The shadow froze.

Azael looked at him.

“You commanded it.”

“No.”

Kael shook his head.

“I only spoke.”

The shadow lowered its head.

“Elarion.”

The name echoed through every world.

Kael felt something awaken inside his chest.

A second heartbeat.

Then a third.

The white symbol on his chest opened.

Light exploded outward.

Lena appeared within the radiance.

“Kael!”

He reached toward her.

“Lena!”

But her image flickered.

Her face suddenly became frightened.

“Do not open the gate.”

Kael froze.

“Why?”

Lena looked behind herself.

Something was standing there.

A tall black figure with countless white eyes.

“It found me,” she whispered.

The image shattered.

Kael turned toward Azael.

“Where is she?”

Azael’s expression hardened.

“Somewhere beyond the gate.”

The silver-eyed figure shook his head.

“No.”

Kael looked at him.

“She is not beyond it.”

“Then where?”

The figure pointed toward Kael’s chest.

“She is inside the First Soul.”

Kael’s breathing stopped.

Suddenly, every voice in the dead kingdom became one.

“Remember.”

The colossal gate began opening.

Behind it was not another world.

It was a vast white chamber.

At its center floated a heart made of light.

Eight chains surrounded it.

Seven were broken.

The eighth remained.

Kael stared at the heart.

“That is...”

Azael whispered,

“Our soul.”

The eighth chain suddenly cracked.

A deep voice came from within the heart.

“Not yours.”

Kael raised his sword.

“Then whose?”

The heart pulsed.

The chamber trembled.

And a ninth heartbeat answered from somewhere beyond the gate.

Kael lowered his weapon.

The voice whispered one final word.

“Mine.”

Then the heart opened its eyes.