Chapter 2686: Story 2687: The Ninth Heart

The second heartbeat thundered inside Kael.

He dropped to one knee.

Azael rushed toward him.

“Kael!”

Kael raised one hand.

“Stay back.”

His voice sounded different.

Deeper.

Ancient.

The chamber trembled.

The white heart inside his chest began glowing, but beneath its light, something black moved like a living shadow.

Lena screamed inside his mind.

“Kael, it is waking!”

“What is?”

“The ninth heart.”

Kael looked toward the shattered throne.

“Where is it?”

Azael stared at his brother.

“Inside you.”

Kael closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he saw another chamber.

It was endless and completely black.

At its center stood a child.

The child had Kael’s face.

But unlike Kael, his eyes were completely dark.

The child looked up.

“You came back.”

Kael stepped toward him.

“Who are you?”

The child smiled.

“You already know.”

Kael stopped.

“Are you the ninth?”

The child shook his head.

“No.”

“Then what are you?”

“I am what the ninth became.”

The vision shook violently.

Behind the child appeared the white tree.

Its branches stretched across countless worlds.

Chains wrapped around its roots.

And beneath those roots, something enormous was sleeping.

Kael whispered,

“What is that?”

The child looked afraid for the first time.

“The original body.”

Kael’s blood turned cold.

“Whose body?”

The child pointed at him.

“Yours.”

The vision shattered.

Kael opened his eyes.

Azael was kneeling beside him.

“What did you see?”

Kael struggled to breathe.

“My first body.”

Azael’s expression changed.

“That makes no sense.”

The chamber suddenly filled with white light.

Lena appeared before them.

Her form was clearer now.

But black cracks covered her silver armor.

“Kael, listen carefully.”

He stood.

“I am listening.”

“The First Soul was never divided to create the children.”

Azael looked at her.

“Then why?”

Lena stared at Kael.

“To create vessels.”

Kael’s face hardened.

“For what?”

Lena looked behind him.

The ninth shadow had returned.

“To contain the original body.”

The shadow raised its hand.

The floor disappeared.

Kael and Azael fell into darkness.

Lena vanished.

Azael reached for Kael.

“Brother!”

Kael caught his arm.

They stopped falling.

Below them was an enormous sleeping figure.

It had Kael’s face.

Its body was covered in ancient armor.

Eight chains pierced its chest.

The ninth chain was broken.

Kael stared in horror.

“That is me.”

Azael shook his head.

“No.”

The sleeping figure opened one silver eye.

A voice filled the darkness.

“You are only the echo.”

Kael raised his sword.

“Then wake up and tell me the truth.”

The ancient body smiled.

“I cannot.”

“Why?”

“Because you already woke me.”

The ninth heart inside Kael suddenly beat.

Once.

Twice.

The sleeping figure opened its second eye.

All eight chains shattered.

Azael screamed,

“Kael, run!”

But Kael stood frozen.

The ancient body rose.

And every world outside the darkness began to die.

“Now,” it whispered, “the soul remembers its body.” Kael tightened his grip as darkness swallowed the worlds, while the ancient figure stepped through the final broken chain.