Chapter 6: The King Within
849 Words
Chapter 6: The King Within
The shattered remains of Aiden's home burned quietly behind him.
Rain hissed as it struck the flames, filling the air with steam and the smell of wet ash.
Neither side moved.
The seven Void Sentinels stood perfectly still, their crimson eyes glowing behind their featureless masks.
Aiden stared at his trembling hands.
He could still feel the impact of the strike.
The broken bones beneath his palm.
The overwhelming force that had exploded from his body.
It didn't feel like his power.
It felt borrowed.
Or perhaps...
Remembered.
His breathing grew heavier.
"What... am I?"
The question escaped his lips before he realized he had spoken.
No one answered.
The silence itself seemed to have become part of the battlefield.
---
The leader of the Void Sentinels slowly stepped forward.
Unlike the others, his armor bore golden markings across the chest.
A long black cape flowed behind him despite the absence of wind.
His voice echoed through the empty street.
"Threat level updated."
"Immortal Soul synchronization has begun."
"Probability of full awakening..."
He paused.
"...Three percent."
The other Sentinels lowered their weapons simultaneously.
"New directive."
"Eliminate immediately."
---
Without warning, all six remaining Sentinels disappeared.
Aiden barely had time to blink.
A spear flashed toward his throat.
Clang!
Seraphina intercepted it.
Another blade descended from above.
Lucien caught it between two fingers.
The weapon shattered into black fragments.
A third Sentinel appeared behind Aiden.
This time...
No one came to save him.
The spear thrust toward his back.
The voice inside his soul whispered again.
"Feel the rhythm."
Aiden didn't think.
He moved.
His body twisted just enough for the spear to brush past his shoulder instead of piercing it.
Pain shot through his arm as the blade sliced his flesh.
Warm blood soaked through his shirt.
But he was alive.
Before the Sentinel could recover, Aiden drove his elbow backward.
The impact echoed like thunder.
The armored warrior stumbled.
Aiden followed with a punch to the chest.
The Sentinel was launched across the street, crashing into a stone fountain that exploded into hundreds of fragments.
Aiden stared in disbelief.
"I shouldn't be able to do this..."
"No," Lucien replied while effortlessly blocking another attack.
"You shouldn't."
---
The battle intensified.
Seraphina moved like a silver streak through the rain, her sword dancing between the enemy's spears.
She was fast.
Faster than anyone Aiden had ever seen.
Yet every exchange pushed her further back.
She was losing.
Lucien, however, hadn't taken a single step.
Every attack aimed at him simply stopped.
Some shattered before reaching him.
Others bent away as though reality itself refused to let them touch him.
Aiden watched in amazement.
"He's incredible..."
The voice inside him answered.
"He always was."
Aiden frowned.
"You knew him."
"More than anyone."
"Then why did he kill us?"
Silence.
For the first time...
The voice refused to answer.
---
The leader suddenly raised one hand.
The remaining Sentinels retreated instantly.
They formed a perfect circle around Aiden.
Crimson symbols lit up beneath their feet.
The ground began to shake.
Seraphina's face turned pale.
"No..."
Lucien's calm expression finally disappeared.
"They're using it already?"
The leader spoke one word.
"Seal."
The glowing symbols connected.
Lines of crimson light shot across the battlefield, surrounding Aiden in a massive magical formation.
The air became unbearably heavy.
Aiden dropped to one knee.
It felt as though invisible chains had wrapped around his body.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't move.
His heartbeat slowed.
"What..."
His voice barely escaped.
Lucien's eyes widened.
"They're trying to imprison your soul."
Aiden looked up.
"My... soul?"
"Your body isn't what they fear."
Lucien took a step forward but stopped.
The crimson barrier pushed him back.
"They're sealing the Immortal King."
The leader nodded.
"Correct."
"If the soul is sealed..."
"...history remains unchanged."
---
Inside Aiden's mind...
Darkness.
Endless darkness.
He found himself standing in a vast empty space.
No sky.
No earth.
Only silence.
Then...
Footsteps.
Someone approached from behind.
Aiden slowly turned.
His breath caught in his throat.
Standing before him was a man wearing black armor trimmed with gold.
A crimson cape flowed behind him.
A broken crown rested upon his head.
His silver eyes shone with impossible power.
He looked exactly like Aiden.
Only older.
Stronger.
His face carried centuries of sorrow.
The man smiled gently.
"So..."
His voice was calm and familiar.
"We finally meet."
Aiden couldn't speak.
The stranger looked at him as though meeting an old friend.
"You've done well."
"I know this has been frightening."
Aiden finally found his voice.
"Who are you?"
The man chuckled softly.
"I think you already know."
Aiden shook his head.
"No."
The stranger stepped closer.
"I am the life you forgot."
"The name the world erased."
"The king who died..."
"...so that you could live."
Aiden's heart pounded.
"The Immortal King..."
The man nodded.
"Yes."
Aiden stared into eyes that were identical to his own.
"So you're..."
The King smiled.
"I'm you."
Outside, the crimson sealing formation continued to tighten.
Inside Aiden's soul...
The forgotten king extended his hand.
"It's time."
"Remember."
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