CHAPTER 184: Kael is designated as the Eclipse Sanctum's Protector
CHAPTER 184: Kael is designated as the Eclipse Sanctum's Protector
Leaking red light like the veins of a dying deity, the crown of black iron hung fixed in the sky, whirling slowly.
The weight of the impending event pressed on the new Pack's bones as they silently gazed aloft.
The fragment of the Moonstone Blade weighed heavily in Selene's hand as she remained still. Kael looked up into the sky with more than just horror in his eyes, and Rowan's hand was already on his blade.
Recognition.
This darkness was familiar to him.
It had once given birth to him.
It was beckoning him once again now.
The leaders of the Pack gathered later that evening under the vast Eclipse Sanctum, the oldest and most powerful location where Eclipse wolves had previously been crowned, judged, and anointed.
With a never-ending lake of blackwater at its core that reflected the stars, the Sanctum was a hollowed-out mountain covered in living stone.
According to legend, it was sacrosanct and only accessible to those descended from Eclipse rulers.
But tradition wasn't enough for them tonight.
They need a new guard.
Selene walked as the faint gleam of the blackwater caught her silver hair. "The King of the Hollow will ascend. And he'll try to destroy all we've worked so hard to achieve."
Rowan gave a nod. "We need a shield. Someone who can act as a barrier between our new world's center and the Hollowborn.
Kael folded his arms and leaned back against the stone wall. "You’re looking at me like I’m the answer to a question you don’t want to ask."
Simply put, "You are the answer," Selene stated.
The council ceased to speak.
Rowan spoke steadily. "You've persevered through the gloom. You have battled gloom without becoming less of who you are.
Selene took a step forward. "We need you to be the first Protector of the Eclipse Sanctum."
Kael paused for the first time in a long time.
With a half-smile and half-serious expression, he said, "You want to chain me to this place?" "You want me to be some...guardian relic?"
"No," said Selene. "You should be its weapon, we want. The shield. its vital heart.
"And," Rowan said, grinning grimly, "we want you to be the Hollow King's demise if he dares enter these lands."
Kael gazed at the flowing blackwater beyond them.
He recalled the fear, the anger, and the assurance that he would always be a weapon after his first blooding.
Perhaps it was time to show them correct.
Perhaps it was time to take on the role of weapon, but for the right reason.
He took a step forward.
"I accept."
There has never been a coronation like this one.
No ancient manuscripts read aloud, no gleaming cloaks, no golden crowns.
Only the blood of choice, the Sanctum, the Pack, and Kael.
Selene pulled a dagger out of the eclipse-darkness and moonlight, and gave it to Kael.
She called out, "Name yourself," her voice echoing across the cavern.
Without flinching, Kael grasped the dagger and put it to his hand. Dark, violent blood poured up.
He said, "I am Kael," in a quiet but confident voice. Dark by birth, but softened by light. Protector of the Eclipse Sanctum is my name. Until the stars fall and the earth breaks, I swear to protect it with tooth and claw, sword and blood."
He dropped one drop of his blood into the blackwater pool while kneeling in front of it.
Something responded from the depths as the surface trembled.
Kael was surrounded by a flood of ancient, profound power.
Black runes, symbols of ancient power that bound Kael to the Sanctum itself, flared over his skin, causing the pack to gasp.
He transformed and ascended gently.
Now more than wolves.
greater than a guy.
an active guardian.
With pride in her eyes, Selene stroked his shoulder. "Rise, Protector."
Kael did, too.
More powerful than before.
However, in a freshly formed planet, peace seldom lasts long.
The Sanctum rocked as the echoes of Kael's promise subsided.
A person emerged from the depths of the boiling pool of blackwater, enveloped in darkness and mist.
A wolf, but incorrect. twisted. Empty.
Its ruby eyes shone brightly.
The first real breach in Hollowborn history.
Kael's reaction was impulsive.
He threw the dagger, which was now blazing with power forged from Sanctum, directly into the beast's heart in a blur.
The Hollowborn let out a cry of rage rather than pain, and then burst into a conflagration of charred bone and ash.
Again, there was silence.
However, Kael sensed it.
It was only the start.
The breach was under way.
With a sense of urgency, the Pack gathered outside the Sanctum.
The gloomy statement, "The Sanctum is no longer untouchable," came from Selene.
Rowan gave a nod. "The Hollow King is moving faster than we thought."
With the new strength ringing through him, Kael rolled his shoulders. "All right. Allow him to arrive.
Selene paused. "We may have to split up our troops. Keep the Sanctum safe and find the source.
Rowan scowled. "Splitting our strength is dangerous."
Kael said, "But waiting is more dangerous," "If we wait, the Hollowborn will overrun us."
Selene faced him. "Are you ready?"
Kael smiled like a wolf. "Born ready."
Kael went alone to the top of the Sanctum that night as the wolves finished their last preparations.
Now the stars above were fainter. Lower in the sky, the dark star oozed its disease.
Kael put his hand on the ground while kneeling.
His forefathers had used this ancient, forbidden prayer to cross the small spaces between realms and bind ghosts. He muttered it.
Softly, "Guide me," he murmured. Or make use of me. I don't give a damn. Let me be what they need, please.
The earth throbbed underneath him.
Then a voice spoke in his ear, clear and chilly.
"Kael, you'll be more than they need. The sword that splits destiny itself will be you.
Kael stood up, trembling.
It was not his voice.
The Sanctum did not own it.
Something else was involved.
older.
observing.
Awaiting.
A harsh, metallic smell assaulted his nostrils as he turned to go.
Blood.
new.
He ran back toward the camp and came to a complete halt.
A lone person stood in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by frightened wolves.
The youngster stood there, wobbling, the odd Eclipse child who had carried the fragment of Moonstone.
A cut on her side gushed blood.
She also held out another fragment in her shaking hands, this one dark and jagged and screaming in mute pain.
Her voice pierced the darkness like a sword despite its faintness:
"He's on his way. Kael, your face is worn by the Hollow King.
Then she passed out.
The shadows swirled behind her, and another Kael emerged.
The same.
But incorrect.
With eyes too sunken and teeth too sharp, he smiled.
The Pack became cold.
Two Kaels.
One heart.
One that will ruin them all.