Chapter 136 Listen

Chapter 136 Listen
The night was too silent when Steve left the castle.
The corridors had emptied hours ago, and only a few guards remained on the walls, watching the dark forest beyond the gates.
He needed to get out of there.
He needed to breathe.
Because since the previous night…
the voices hadn't completely stopped.
Low.
Distant.
But constant.
Steve crossed the main gates alone, ignoring the suspicious glances of the guards as he followed the narrow road surrounded by the dark trees of the pack.
The cold of the early morning cut through the air.
But it wasn't that that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
It was the feeling.
The presence.
As if something had been following him since the moment he left the castle.
Steve quickened his pace.
Trying to ignore it.
Trying to act as if he still had control of the situation.
Then he heard it.
A whisper. “Chosen…”
He stopped immediately.
His eyes scanned the surrounding forest.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Darkness.
Silence.
Steve took a deep breath before continuing to walk.
Faster this time.
His hands tense at his sides.
Another whisper echoed among the trees.
Closer.
“Balance…”
“Show yourselves,” Steve growled irritably, though his own voice didn’t sound as firm as he would have liked.
The wind swept violently through the forest at that instant.
And the shadows appeared.
First among the trees.
Then gliding across the ground.
Too dark.
Too alive.
Steve recoiled immediately.
His heart racing.
The shadows surrounded him slowly, moving like liquid smoke among the roots and stones of the road.
But they didn’t attack.
That was the worst.
They just watched.
They followed his movements.
As if studying him.
“What do you want with me?” Steve asked through gritted teeth.
The shadows trembled violently.
Then one of them slowly climbed up the trunk of a nearby tree.
Taking shape.
Human.
Almost human.
Steve felt the air leave his lungs.
Because that figure didn't seem monstrous.
It seemed…
ancient.
The eyes, made of pure darkness, remained fixed on him.
And then the voices began again.
Louder.
Clearer.
“The heir will pave the way.”
Steve clenched his teeth immediately.
“I don't want to know about that child.”
The shadows stirred violently around him.
As a reaction.
As irritation.
“The king will fail.”
That sentence made Steve freeze.
A chill ran down his spine.
Because part of him hated to admit it…
but he was starting to believe it too.
Conrad was losing control.
Of the kingdom.
Of the situation.
Of himself.
Steve took another step back.
“You’re trying to drive me crazy.”
A shadow slowly slid down to stop before his feet.
Then it retreated.
Like an invitation.
His heart raced again.
No.
This was wrong.
Dangerous.
He knew.
But still…
Steve couldn’t tear his eyes away from the shadows.
Because deep down…
a part of him wanted to understand.
Wanted to know why those creatures followed him.
Why they watched him.
Why they seemed to call to him.
Then the wind blew again.
And a single phrase echoed among the dark trees:
“Balance needs a new king.”
Silence slowly returned to the forest.
The shadows began to recede among the dark trees, gradually disappearing like smoke carried by the dawn wind.
But Steve remained motionless.
His heart still racing.
His eyes fixed on the darkness before him.
“Balance needs a new king.”
The phrase kept echoing inside his head.
Wrong.
Tempting.
Dangerous.
Steve closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to regain control of his breathing.
This wasn't real.
It needed not to be.
But deep down…
he knew he had seen those shadows.
He knew he had heard the voices.
And worse:
part of him wanted to hear them again.
The idea sent an immediate discomfort through his chest.
Steve ran a hand slowly over his face before looking back at the road leading to the castle.
Conrad was right about one thing.
The rift changed people.
Corrupted them.
Finded weaknesses.
But then another question arose in his mind.
What if it wasn't just corruption?
What if the rift was trying to choose someone capable of controlling the chaos?
Steve stood still for long seconds, staring into the darkness of the forest.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then he finally resumed walking.
More slowly this time.
His expression slowly hardening as a silent decision began to form within him.
A decision he still didn't dare put fully into words.
—
In the castle's old library, the atmosphere remained heavy.
Several scrolls covered the enormous stone table as Kael analyzed ancient symbols by candlelight.
Maya remained seated near him, her tired eyes scanning the intricate designs scattered across the aged pages.
Conrad stood before the high window of the library.
Silent.
Observing the darkness beyond the walls.
But Maya noticed.
He was still thinking about the shadow's words.
The balance is breaking.
Kael finally broke the silence.
“The second key was found where the king lost everything.” His fingers carefully traced an ancient rune. “So the third is probably also linked to an important moment in the past.”
Conrad slowly turned his gaze to him.
“The problem is figuring out which past.”
Kael hesitated before answering.
“Perhaps it’s not the kingdom’s past.”
Maya frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Kael held up another ancient scroll.
The runes drawn on it looked different.
Ancient. More unstable.
“The keys seem to react to the Eleryons.” He looked directly at Maya. “Perhaps the next one is linked to the origin of your lineage.”
Silence fell immediately.
Maya felt a shiver run down her spine.
Because she knew very little about her own ancestors.
Very little about the first bearers of light and darkness.
Conrad slowly approached the table.
“Is there any record?”
Kael took a deep breath.
“There is a forbidden region in the northern mountains.” His eyes darkened slightly. “An ancient Eleryon temple was destroyed there centuries ago.”
Maya felt her heart race.
“Destroyed by whom?”
Kael took a few seconds to answer.
“By the Eleryons themselves.”
The silence became heavy again.
And for the first time that night…
Maya had the feeling that perhaps there were secrets about her lineage far worse than she had imagined.