The King stared at Kais for a few moments.
Then he calmly said:
"You must return that power."
Without a second of hesitation, Kais replied:
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"I don't trust you."
A brief silence settled between them.
But contrary to what Kais expected, the King didn't get angry.
He simply nodded.
And quietly said:
"Then come with me."
He turned around.
His long cloak dragged across the stone floor.
Without another explanation, he began walking toward the exit of the hall.
Kais hesitated for a few seconds.
But eventually followed behind him.
The guards moved as if to accompany them.
But the King didn't even look back.
"There is no need."
Everyone stopped where they stood.
As Kais passed by the Royal Magician, the old man wore a strange smile.
And whispered:
"When you see it..."
Kais stopped.
"See what?"
The magician simply looked at him.
"You'll be the one begging to give that power away."
...
Kais frowned and continued walking.
---
School of Geniuses – Principal's Office
The office door burst open with a deafening sound.
BOOOOM!
Several people jumped in surprise.
A silver-haired girl wearing a black robe rushed inside, breathing heavily.
"Principal!"
Work Hart frowned.
"Aria... how many times have I told you not to enter without permission?"
But the girl paid no attention.
Her face was pale.
As if she had seen something she still couldn't believe.
"He... he's awake!"
The room fell silent once more.
The King slowly raised his head.
"Who?"
Aria swallowed.
"Varan..."
Everyone's eyes widened.
One of the teachers whispered:
"Impossible... he should still be unconscious."
But Aria shook her head.
"No... he got out of bed on his own."
Work Hart gave her a deep look.
"And?"
The girl hesitated for a few seconds.
Then quietly said:
"All of his wounds are gone."
This time, even the King raised an eyebrow.
One of the teachers laughed.
"No way."
"His body was practically torn apart!"
"That's impossible!"
But Aria continued with a trembling voice:
"I thought so too... until I saw him."
Work Hart closed his eyes.
"What else did you see?"
Aria quietly replied:
"When he woke up... for a few seconds..."
Her voice faltered.
Fear filled her eyes.
"His eyes turned red."
Silence.
"And behind him..."
She let out a shaky breath.
"There was a shadow standing there."
One of the teachers angrily shouted:
"A shadow?!"
"You're talking nonsense, girl!"
But Aria yelled back:
"I'm telling the truth!"
The room fell silent again.
Work Hart calmly asked:
"What did it look like?"
The girl thought for a moment.
Then said in a barely audible voice:
"Like a man..."
"Very tall..."
"Wearing a black cloak..."
"And carrying a massive scythe over his shoulder..."
---
Hidden Stronghold of the Golden Elves
A few minutes later, they entered the same massive corridor once again.
They passed the black pillars.
Left the main hall behind.
And this time...
Instead of heading toward the palace exit, the King turned into a side passage.
A corridor Kais had never seen before.
At its end...
There was a stone staircase.
Leading deep underground.
Without stopping, the King began descending.
Kais followed.
The deeper they went...
The colder the air became.
And the darker everything grew.
Their footsteps echoed through the underground passage.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Several minutes passed.
Then ten minutes.
And they were still descending.
Finally, Kais grew irritated.
"Where are we going?"
No answer.
"Hey! I'm talking to you."
Silence again.
The King didn't even turn his head.
The path continued.
And the darkness deepened.
Until it became almost impossible to see.
Kais muttered:
"Damn it... I can't see anything."
He raised a hand.
A small golden flame appeared in his palm.
Wooooom...
Its warm light illuminated the area around them.
Shadows danced along the walls.
The King glanced at him.
"What are you doing?"
Kais looked confused.
"I'm lighting the way."
The King remained silent for a moment.
Then sighed.
"You really are just like him..."
"What?"
But the King didn't answer.
Instead—
Snap!
With a simple snap of his fingers—
WOOOOOOOM!
The entire tunnel lit up.
Thousands of ancient runes carved into the walls began to glow.
Golden light flooded the passage.
As though the sun itself had risen beneath the earth.
Kais's eyes widened.
"Oh..."
He quietly extinguished the flame in his hand.
And tried to act as though nothing had happened.
The King gave a brief smile.
And continued walking.
Some time later...
They finally reached the end of the tunnel.
There...
Stood a gigantic gate.
Larger than any door Kais had ever seen.
Made of black metal.
Worn by age.
And covered in strange inscriptions.
Symbols unlike any language he had ever seen.
Kais quietly asked:
"What is this?"
The King stopped before the gate.
Placed his hand upon its cold surface.
And began to speak.
But not in the language of humans.
Nor in the language Kais had heard the elves use.
It was an ancient tongue.
Heavy.
Unfathomable.
"Aur... Neskar Elder... Val Tora... Erkes Nahir..."
With every word...
The symbols on the gate shone brighter.
The ground began to tremble.
WOOOOOOM...
Then—
CLANK!
Massive locks deep within the gate disengaged.
A sound like colossal chains breaking echoed through the darkness.
The gate slowly began to open.
But with great difficulty.
As if it carried the weight of an entire mountain.
GRRRRRRRRR...
A narrow gap appeared between the two halves of the gate.
And through that gap...
Something could be seen.
At first, Kais saw only a shadow.
Then...
His eyes widened.
His breath stopped.
All color drained from his face.
Cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
He took a step backward.
"No..."
The gate opened further.
And what lay beyond it...
Was the worst thing Kais could possibly imagine.
"NOOOOO..."
His voice trembled.
This time, even his legs no longer had the strength to hold him upright.