Chapter 28: The Other Ethan

The City of Ash was silent.

No wind moved through the broken streets.

No birds circled above the ruined towers.

Even the ash beneath Ethan Vale’s boots remained perfectly still.

The city had not changed much since his death.

The walls were broken, but the streets remained in the same arrangement. The ruined statues still stood along the main road, each one depicting a different version of him.

Azeroth the King.

Azeroth the Conqueror.

Azeroth the Archmage.

Azeroth the Calamity.

And one statue that had no face at all.

Ethan stopped in front of it.

The young man waiting at the black tower watched him.

He had Ethan’s face.

The same black hair.

The same sharp features.

The same violet-blue eyes.

But something about him was wrong.

He looked too calm.

Too complete.

Ethan could not feel any mana from him.

The dead zone prevented magic from functioning, but the fragments inside Ethan’s soul were silent as well.

The young man did not seem affected.

Noah Blake stepped closer to Ethan.

"I am going to ask the obvious question."

"Do not."

"Who is that?"

The young man smiled.

"A reasonable question."

Ethan raised the black sword.

Nothing happened.

The Fourth Fragment remained silent.

The blade did not appear.

The other fragments did not respond.

The young man looked at Ethan’s empty hand.

"Magic does not work in this city."

"I know."

"Your fragments cannot hear you."

"I know."

"Your body is weaker than it was before."

"I know."

"You have forgotten more than you remember."

"I know."

The young man tilted his head.

"Then you already understand how much of an advantage I have."

Ethan stepped forward.

The young man did not move.

"What is your name?"

"I have had many."

"Choose one."

The young man thought for a moment.

"Ethan."

Noah frowned.

"That is confusing."

"It is accurate."

"You cannot both be Ethan."

The young man looked at him.

"Why not?"

Noah opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Ethan stared at the other version of himself.

The gate behind them had closed.

The road back through the dead zone was blocked by black stone, and the silence of the city pressed against his mind.

This place had been created by him.

Or by someone who knew him better than anyone else.

The young man turned toward the tower.

"Come inside."

Ethan did not move.

"Why?"

"To see the truth."

"Which truth?"

"The one you have been avoiding."

The young man began walking.

After a moment, Ethan followed.

Noah, Elena, Adrian, Professor Voss, and Veyron moved with him.

The statues watched them pass.

Their stone eyes followed Ethan.

Some of them whispered.

Others smiled.

One raised a stone hand.

Ethan did not look at them.

Noah did.

"That statue looks like it is judging us."

"It is."

"Why?"

"Because I made it."

"That does not answer why it is judging us."

"It may be disappointed."

"By what?"

"Everything."

Noah walked faster until he was beside Ethan.

"You are not allowed to make jokes like that and then pretend everything is normal."

"I have never pretended this was normal."

The black tower rose above them.

Its entrance was covered with nine symbols.

Eight had been destroyed.

The seventh remained.

A black circle filled with violet light.

The young man placed his hand against the door.

It opened without a sound.

Inside, the tower was not empty.

Thousands of candles burned along the walls.

Each flame contained an image.

A memory.

Ethan saw himself learning to cast his first spell.

He saw himself standing before the throne of a defeated king.

He saw himself speaking to Veyron.

He saw himself meeting Evelyn.

He saw himself ordering an army to retreat.

Every candle showed a piece of his life.

Some memories were familiar.

Others were not.

A candle near the entrance displayed Ethan as a child.

He was standing in a small village surrounded by snow.

The boy looked nothing like Ethan Vale.

He had golden hair and green eyes.

A woman held his hand.

Ethan stopped.

"That is not my memory."

The other Ethan looked back.

"It is."

"Who is the boy?"

"You."

"I have never seen him."

"Because you were not born as Ethan Vale."

The flame inside the candle changed.

The village disappeared.

A large laboratory appeared.

The boy was inside a glass chamber, surrounded by magical instruments.

A woman in a white coat stood outside the glass.

She had silver hair.

Ethan recognized her.

Evelyn.

But she looked younger.

Azeroth stood beside her.

His hand rested against the glass.

The boy inside the chamber was unconscious.

"What is this?" Ethan asked.

The other Ethan continued walking.

"A memory of your first body."

Ethan followed him into the tower.

The doors closed behind the others.

The staircase ahead spiraled upward.

There were no windows.

Only candles.

Each candle contained a memory.

One showed Ethan’s first conversation with Veyron.

Another showed the creation of the Crown Fragment.

Another showed Seraphina kneeling before the First Door.

Ethan tried to ignore them.

The other Ethan stopped beside a candle.

Inside it, two young men stood in a courtyard.

Azeroth was holding a black book.

Veyron stood before him.

"You have mastered the second principle," Azeroth said.

Veyron smiled.

"What is the third?"

"To understand why the second exists."

"That sounds like a trick."

"All important lessons are."

Veyron looked toward the black book.

"Will you teach me everything?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because knowing everything does not make you wise."

Veyron’s expression darkened.

"Then what makes someone wise?"

"Knowing what not to use."

The memory faded.

The other Ethan looked at the candle.

"Veyron believed you were withholding knowledge from him."

"I was."

"Why?"

"Because he was not ready."

"He believed you were afraid he would surpass you."

Ethan looked at the dark flame.

"Perhaps I was afraid."

The other Ethan smiled.

"That is the first honest answer you have given."

Ethan turned toward him.

"You are not a memory."

"No."

"Then what are you?"

The young man leaned against the wall.

"I am the Identity Fragment."

Ethan stared.

"The Seventh Fragment."

"Yes."

"Why do you have my face?"

"Because identity requires a form."

"You could have chosen another."

"I could have."

"Why did you choose mine?"

"Because you are trying to decide whether you are Ethan or Azeroth."

Ethan’s expression became cold.

"I already answered the gate."

"You gave a diplomatic answer."

"I gave the truth."

"The truth is not always a decision."

The Identity Fragment walked past him.

"You are both names, but you are neither completely. You carry the memories of Azeroth and the life of Ethan. You have his body, his friends, his weaknesses, and his fear."

"I do not fear."

The other Ethan stopped.

"Then why did you refuse to enter the Sixth Fragment alone?"

"Because it was dangerous."

"Why did you choose Elena?"

"Because she was innocent."

"Why did you share the lock?"

"Because one person should not carry that burden."

The Identity Fragment turned toward him.

"And why did you refuse the Crown?"

Ethan remained silent.

The other Ethan nodded.

"That is what you fear."

"I do not fear becoming a king."

"You fear becoming the kind of king you were."

Ethan looked at the candles.

Every flame reflected a version of him.

The tyrant.

The teacher.

The soldier.

The murderer.

The savior.

The child.

None of them were complete.

All of them belonged to him.

The Identity Fragment began climbing the stairs.

"The Seventh Fragment does not contain the missing truth about Seraphina."

Ethan followed.

"Then why did Veyron say it did?"

"Because he wanted you to come here."

"What is the fragment’s purpose?"

"To decide which memories you are allowed to keep."

Ethan stopped.

The other Ethan looked back.

"The Identity Fragment was created to protect you from yourself."

"By whom?"

"By you."

Ethan’s hand tightened.

"What did I do?"

"You separated your identity from your power. Then you placed the power in the other fragments."

"Why?"

"Because you knew the fragments would be hunted."

"So you remained hidden in the City of Ash."

"Yes."

"Why did you show yourself now?"

"Because the First Door recognized you."

The tower shook.

Several candles went out.

The dead zone around the city became darker.

The young man looked upward.

"The Observer is trying to reach the Identity Fragment."

"Why?"

"Because identity is the only thing it cannot copy."

A golden line appeared across the tower wall.

It moved like a crack.

The Observer’s presence entered the city.

The candles began to flicker.

One by one, the flames changed.

Ethan saw copies of himself inside them.

Azeroth wearing Noah’s face.

Azeroth wearing Elena’s face.

Azeroth wearing Ethan’s face.

The copies turned toward him.

The Identity Fragment raised one hand.

"Do not look at them."

The golden line spread.

A voice entered the tower.

**Identity is only a memory.**

Ethan felt the golden mark over his heart burn, even inside the dead zone.

**Memories can be changed.**

The candles began to disappear.

Professor Voss raised her staff.

The staff did nothing.

Elena drew her sword.

The blade remained ordinary metal.

Adrian stepped forward.

"We cannot use magic."

"No," Ethan said.

"Then how do we fight it?"

Ethan looked toward the candles.

The Observer was not attacking their bodies.

It was attacking their memories.

If the candles disappeared, Ethan would lose parts of himself.

The first flame went out.

Ethan forgot the face of the woman in the laboratory.

The second went out.

He forgot the name of the first village he had conquered.

The third went out.

He forgot the sound of Veyron’s voice before the betrayal.

The fourth went out.

He forgot why Evelyn had cried.

Ethan staggered.

The Identity Fragment watched him.

"You must choose what remains."

"What?"

"The fragment cannot preserve everything."

The golden crack spread across the tower.

The Observer spoke again.

**Give me the past.**

The Identity Fragment pointed toward the candles.

"Some memories are burdens."

Ethan looked at the flames.

There were thousands.

He could save only a few.

The Observer continued:

**Give me the name Azeroth.**

One candle turned black.

**Give me the pain.**

Another flame began to shrink.

**Give me the guilt.**

A third candle flickered.

**Give me the people you abandoned.**

The candles showing Veyron, Evelyn, Seraphina, and Caelan began to fade.

Ethan understood.

The Observer was not trying to erase his memories randomly.

It was offering him freedom from them.

No guilt.

No shame.

No responsibility.

He could become Ethan Vale completely.

A new life without the weight of Azeroth.

The offer was tempting.

It was also a lie.

Without the past, he would not be free.

He would be incomplete.

Ethan stepped toward the candles.

"I will keep everything."

The Identity Fragment shook its head.

"That is impossible."

"Then I will choose."

"Choose carefully."

Ethan looked at the flame containing the woman in the laboratory.

Evelyn.

He did not know the full truth of their relationship, but he remembered her standing beside him when everyone else had left.

He reached toward the candle.

"I keep her."

The flame brightened.

He moved to the candle containing Veyron before the betrayal.

"I keep him."

The flame brightened.

He found the candle containing Seraphina.

He remembered her fear.

Her betrayal.

Her sacrifice.

"I keep her."

The Observer’s golden crack widened.

The tower shook.

A voice screamed through the candles.

**They betrayed you.**

"Yes."

**They lied.**

"Yes."

**They used you.**

"Yes."

**Then forget them.**

Ethan looked at the flames.

"No."

The Observer’s presence pushed harder.

The tower walls began to split.

The Identity Fragment stepped beside Ethan.

"You cannot preserve all the memories."

"I do not need to."

"What will you sacrifice?"

Ethan looked at the candle showing himself on the black throne.

Azeroth giving orders.

Azeroth commanding armies.

Azeroth forcing the world to kneel.

He understood.

The memories were not the problem.

The authority attached to them was.

Ethan placed his hand over the black flame.

"I sacrifice the right to return to my throne."

The candle shattered.

A wave of darkness passed through the tower.

The Crown Fragment inside his soul went silent.

The Observer recoiled.

The golden crack stopped spreading.

Ethan continued:

"I sacrifice the right to rule."

The black sword mark faded.

"I sacrifice the right to be obeyed."

The identity fragment began to glow.

The candles showing the throne, the armies, and the conquered kingdoms turned into silver light.

The Observer screamed.

**You cannot abandon yourself.**

Ethan looked toward the golden crack.

"I am not abandoning myself."

He reached toward the final black candle.

"I am deciding what part of myself deserves to remain."

The candle shattered.

The tower went dark.

Every memory disappeared.

For one moment, Ethan could not remember his name.

Then a single flame appeared before him.

It was small.

Warm.

Inside it, Noah stood in the rain, holding a broken sandwich and complaining about the road.

Another flame appeared.

Elena stood beneath the northern sky, telling Ethan he was still thinking like a king.

A third showed Adrian drawing his sword despite the truth about his family.

A fourth showed Professor Voss correcting a spell.

The flames were not memories from his first life.

They were memories from his second.

The Identity Fragment stepped toward Ethan.

"You have chosen."

Ethan looked at the flames.

"I have."

"Then take your name."

The Seventh Fragment dissolved into light.

It entered Ethan’s chest.

The dead zone around the city shattered.

Magic returned all at once.

Every fragment inside Ethan’s soul awakened.

The Crown.

The Witness.

Knowledge.

The Sword.

The White Flame.

The Sixth Prison.

And now the Identity.

The tower exploded with light.

Outside, the City of Ash trembled.

The statues cracked.

The black road split open.

The golden presence of the Observer was forced out of the city.

Ethan fell to his knees.

The other Ethan was gone.

In his place stood a small black crystal.

Ethan reached for it.

The crystal dissolved into his hand.

A new message appeared in the air.

**IDENTITY CONFIRMED.**

**ETHAN VALE.**

**AZEROTH VEYR.**

**THE TWO ARE NO LONGER SEPARATE.**

Noah rushed toward him.

"Are you alive?"

Ethan looked at him.

"Yes."

"Do you remember who you are?"

Ethan glanced toward the black tower.

Then at the people standing around him.

"I remember enough."

Veyron stepped closer.

For the first time, he looked uncertain.

"What did you sacrifice?"

Ethan stood.

"My throne."

Veyron stared.

"Then what are you?"

Ethan looked toward the city.

The final memory remained locked somewhere in the tower.

Seraphina had been waiting for him.

The Seventh Fragment had confirmed his identity.

But the truth was still incomplete.

Ethan turned toward the distant black road.

"I am Ethan Vale."

Then he looked at the ruins of his old capital.

"And I am what remains of Azeroth Veyr."

The city gates opened by themselves.

From the highest balcony of the black tower, Seraphina Crow appeared.

Her golden eyes met Ethan’s.

This time, she did not speak through magic.

She spoke aloud.

"You finally remember the first promise."

Ethan raised his head.

"What promise?"

Seraphina looked toward the sky.

"The promise you made before you became the Black Sovereign."

Behind her, a golden door opened.

Something stood on the other side.

A woman.

A man.

A child.

And a younger version of Ethan.

Seraphina’s voice traveled across the city.

"The promise to never become your father."

Ethan froze.

The black tower doors closed.

The Seventh Fragment pulsed inside his soul.

And somewhere deep beneath the City of Ash, the final memory began to awaken.

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**Author’s Note: Add the novel to library, and send support if you like it!**