Legendary CORE

Chapter 2 The Silent Palms

Chapter 2 The Silent Palms

Augustus smiled faintly as he watched his children gather around Zeyn with pure innocence. He placed his large hand on Myra’s small head, patting it gently, before lifting his gaze toward Garrett.

In a calm but firm voice, he said, "The conversation is over."

Garrett nodded, a barely perceptible smile touching his face. He then turned to the crowd and clapped his hands once.

"Gentlemen, let us not spoil the celebration over a family dispute. Tonight is the Night of Awakening for the children of the nobility, so let us enjoy it."

The moment he finished speaking, the music gradually resumed, and servants began moving between the tables once more, carrying food and drinks. However, the atmosphere was no longer what it had been minutes ago. Everyone began looking at the Lohan family from a distance, as if afraid to approach them.

As for Zeyn, he heard nothing of what was happening around him.

He kept his eyes fixed on the ground for a moment, then raised them toward the youths who were beginning to flock toward the Awakening Stage in the center of the hall.

It was a massive circular platform carved entirely from a rare white stone, interwoven with thousands of intricate magic lines. At its center rose a transparent crystal pillar, three meters high, inside of which a faint blue light rotated slowly like a beating heart.

The High Priest stood before the stage, raising his staff adorned with a golden crystal.

"Let the celebrations begin."

The first youth stepped forward.

He placed his palm against the crystal.

Silence enveloped the room.

Just two seconds later, the magic lines beneath his feet ignited in a crimson hue, and bursts of flame erupted around his body without burning his clothes.

Grasps of admiration echoed through the hall.

The youth smiled confidently and extended his hand; the flames merged around his arm until they transformed into a massive fiery claw.

The High Priest shouted:

"Fire Element... and the path of Fiery Transformation. A first-class talent!"

A wave of warm applause broke out.

The youth returned to his family amid proud smiles.

Then, another person stepped forward.

He placed his hand on the crystal.

This time, the light gleamed a silver hue, and dozens of small swords made of mana manifested, rotating around him in perfect circles.

"Magic Sword Master... first-class."

Next was a girl.

The moment she touched the crystal, ice blanketed half of the stage, and wings of blue crystal formed behind her back.

"Ice Element... a first-class talent."

Every minute or so, a new type of power manifested.

One summoned a stone wolf the size of a horse.

Another was enveloped by a golden aura that covered his entire body until his muscles visibly swelled.

A third youth waved his staff, and six water spheres rose into the air, spinning rapidly before sharpening into lethal spears.

The hall filled with applause after every awakening.

As for Zeyn...

He wasn't clapping.

He watched in silence.

His eyes shifted between the various abilities, as if a part of him desperately wished to feel what they felt.

Even the toddlers were running between the tables, shooting tiny sparks from their fingertips, laughing and showing off to their families.

Zeyn lowered his gaze to his palms once more.

He raised his right hand in front of his face.

He took a deep breath.

He slowly opened his fingers.

He closed them.

Then opened them again.

He moved his thumb across his palm.

He concentrated with everything he had.

"If only there was a single speck..."

He whispered to himself.

"...Anything."

He closed his eyes.

He imagined the mana moving inside his body, exactly as the instructors had described it.

He imagined it starting from the heart.

Then moving across the chest.

To the shoulder.

Then the arm.

All the way to the fingertips.

He waited.

A second passed.

Then two seconds.

Then five.

He opened his eyes quickly...

Nothing.

Not even the air around his fingers stirred.

He clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

His breathing grew heavy.

But he tried again.

He opened his palm.

Closed it.

Opened it.

He repeated the movement in rapid succession, entirely unaware that Myra was watching him in silence.

The little girl approached him, gripping his finger tightly out of fear.

"Brother..."

He turned to her.

She smiled a faint smile and said in a childish voice, "Even if you don't have mana... you are strong."

Zeyn’s eyes widened slightly.

Then he laughed softly and placed his hand on her head.

"And who told you that?"

She answered with the absolute certainty of a child who doesn't know how to lie:

"Papa."

Time froze for him for a moment.

He turned slowly toward Augustus.

His father was speaking with one of the generals, but feeling his son's gaze, he turned directly toward him.

He smiled.

And gave a thumbs-up.

A simple gesture...

But it was enough to restore some warmth to Zeyn’s heart.

Little did he know...

That this smile would be the last one he would ever see on his father's face while he was alive.

The music swelled again, and the hall buzzed once more with conversations and laughter, but Zeyn was no longer listening. He was still staring at his father, who was exchanging words with several military commanders, while Elena stood beside him with her usual calm demeanor.

A few hours after the celebration ended, the palace began to regain its quiet. Most of the chandeliers were extinguished, the guests departed one by one, and only family members and servants remained.

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, the military courtyard inside the palace grounds was bustling with soldiers. Dozens of knights lined up in disciplined formations, mages reviewed their incantations, and support crews loaded weapon crates and healing potions into the military airship.

This was no ordinary mission...

It was an expedition to seal an S-Rank Cataclysmic Gate that had appeared inside the Abyss Volcano, one of the most perilous locations in the empire.

The soldiers stood in absolute silence when Augustus appeared.

He wore his gleaming black armor, and the dawn light reflected off his long military cape, which fluttered behind him in the wind. He strapped his massive sword to his hip, then began to advance with steady strides toward the vessel.

Beside him, Elena walked in lockstep.

Noticing this, one of the commanders rushed forward and bowed respectfully.

"My Lord... will Lady Elena be accompanying the expedition? The area is exceptionally dangerous."

Augustus looked at him for a moment before answering calmly, "Yes."

"But..."

Augustus cut him off without raising his voice.

"There is a reason known only to her and me."

The commander dared not question further; he simply bowed and stepped back.

The truth was...

No one else knew.

A few days prior, a classified report had reached Augustus from scouts who had miraculously returned alive from the perimeter of the Gate.

The report mentioned that a rare, legendary flora had been spotted on one of the rocky cliffs surrounding the volcano—a plant that only blooms near Cataclysmic Gates.

It was known as...

The Cosmic Star Flower.

An ancient legend claimed that its nectar was capable of awakening damaged magic cores, and perhaps even curing conditions that everyone else deemed impossible.

Ever since he read that report...

Augustus had made his choice.

Even if he had to face an S-Rank Gate completely alone...

He would bring that flower back for his son.

...

Only Augustus and Elena were aboard the vessel.

It was not a troop transport ship, but rather a small, swift military aircraft reserved for high-ranking commanders.

The roar of the magical engines filled the space, while the windows revealed a sea of black clouds laced with volcanic ash.

Elena sat by the window, staring silently at the horizon.

Augustus stood before a magical holographic map floating in the air.

He pointed to a pulsing red dot near the center of the volcano.

"Here."

Elena approached.

"Do you believe it truly exists?"

Augustus sighed.

"I don't know."

Then, he smiled faintly.

"But if there is a chance... even one in a million... I will try."

She stared at him for a long moment.

"For Zeyn?"

He nodded.

"For Zeyn."

She lowered her head for a second, then smiled as well.

"I knew you would do it."

Augustus walked over to her, wrapping her hands within his large palms.

"I will bring him back to his normal life."

"Even if it costs me my life."

Elena’s eyes widened the moment she heard those words.

She quickly placed her hand over his mouth.

"Do not say that."

He smiled at her.

Then, he pressed his forehead against hers for a brief moment.

"Just promise me... if anything happens to me..."

She shook her head fiercely.

"Nothing will happen."

"Elena..."

"Nothing will happen."

Silence settled between them.

Neither of them knew...

Fate had already made its decision.

...

After about an hour of flight, the sky began to shift.

The blue vanished entirely.

In its place, a thick, choking black smoke took over.

The vessel began to shudder slightly.

Then, the turbulence grew progressively violent.

Augustus looked through the window.

The volcano finally came into view.

It was colossally massive.

Rivers of magma flowed down its slopes like cascading waterfalls, while pillars of flame and ash erupted hundreds of meters into the sky.

And in the center of the crater...

A torn, black void ripped through the very air.

The S-Rank Gate.

The aircraft's magical warning system blared:

"Warning... massive mana disruption."

"Warning... external field highly unstable."

Augustus gripped the steering controls, fighting to stabilize the ship.

"We are close."

And suddenly...

All sound ceased.

For just a fraction of a second.

Then...

BOOM!!

The vessel shuddered violently.

The entire right side exploded, showering the interior with shards of molten metal.

Flames surged inward, and sirens wailed frantically across the decks.

The magical runes inscribed on the walls flared a volatile crimson.

"Stabilization system failure."

"Shield protection system compromised."

"Imminent crash in ten seconds."

Augustus raised his head sharply.

This was no ordinary explosion.

He could feel it with absolute clarity...

A hostile pulse of mana.

Someone...

Or something...

Had intentionally attacked the vessel.

Sirens echoed throughout the ship as the floor tilted violently to the right. Elena clung to the nearest seat to keep herself from falling, but the force of the next impact threw her several meters, her shoulder slamming hard against the metallic bulkhead.

Augustus lunged toward her immediately, catching her arm before she could slide into the gaping debris.

"Elena! Are you alright?"

She shook her head with difficulty, struggling to catch her breath.

Before either of them could utter another word, a second explosion erupted—far louder than the first.

Half of the ceiling tore open, allowing scorching air and volcanic ash to flood the cabin. Through the massive tear, a sea of glowing orange magma could be seen beneath them, rushing upward at a terrifying speed.

Augustus glanced at the control panel.

Every single rune had turned solid red.

The stabilization system was offline.

The engines were dead.

The crash was inevitable.

He closed his eyes for a single second.

Then, he opened them.

He had no time left to think.

He raised his right hand, and golden magic circles began manifesting around his arm one after another, until the entire cabin was bathed in a warm, radiant light. Mana surged from his core like a raging torrent, to the point that cracks began to spiderweb across the vessel's floor from the sheer, immense pressure.

Elena sensed what he was about to do.

She grabbed his arm with both hands.

"No... Augustus."

He looked at her calmly.

There was no fear in his eyes.

No regret.

Nothing but... a profound sorrow.

He offered a gentle smile and reached out to brush away a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Take care of Zeyn."

She shook her head violently.

"We will get out together."

"And tell him..."

He paused for a brief moment, as if searching for his final words.

"...That I never stopped believing in him."

The ship's tremors intensified.

Metal plates began tearing away all around them.

Augustus closed his eyes, then roared the name of his final spell.

"Absolute Protection!"

A colossal burst of golden light erupted, filling the entire cabin until everything vanished inside the radiance.

A massive protective barrier formed around Elena, transparent as crystal, with thousands of ancient magical runes dancing across its surface.

In stark contrast...

The golden aura enveloping Augustus's body began to fade rapidly.

His magical core was expelling absolutely everything inside it.

Every drop of mana.

Every ounce of life force.

Until nothing remained within him.

He lifted the crystal sphere with both hands and roared, throwing it with the absolute last vestige of his strength toward the gaping tear in the hull.

The sphere launched through the shattered wall, rocketing through the ash-choked air toward a rocky ridge outside the volcano's crater.

As for Augustus...

He could no longer even stand.

He looked up at the sky one last time.

An image flashed in his mind—Zeyn as a little boy running toward him in the palace gardens.

Then Myra laughing.

Then his youngest son.

Then Elena.

He smiled.

"Forgive me..."

In the next instant...

The remnants of the floor gave way entirely.

His body fell directly into the churning sea of magma.

He did not scream.

He did not struggle.

He simply kept his eyes fixed on the distant golden light carrying his wife to safety, until the molten fire swallowed him whole.

On the ridge, the protective sphere slammed into the jagged rocks with immense force. The barrier held for a fraction of a second, then microscopic fractures began to splinter across its surface.

One...

Then two...

Then dozens.

Before the sphere came to a complete halt, the shield shattered entirely.

The force of the impact threw Elena’s body against the stones, sending a brutal shockwave through her spine.

She tried to stand...

But her legs would not respond.

She tried to move her arm...

Then her fingers...

Then even her lips...

Nothing.

Nothing remained operational except her eyes, which widened in absolute, paralyzing horror as she stared down at the volcano that had just consumed her husband.

From that exact moment onward...

She would never be able to stand again.

Augustus had fallen into the miraculous magma warped by the S-Rank Gate.

Such was the end of the man who sacrificed his life for his family...

Little did he know what agonizing trials lay in store for the family he left behind.