Chapter 166: The Last Ascended
The moment the Umbra said the words, something inside me snapped awake.
Not gently.
Not slowly.
Violently.
The silver energy in my chest surged outward like a shockwave.
The entire warehouse trembled.
Wooden crates rattled across the floor.
Broken glass shattered from the high windows above.
Callum nearly fell off the crate he was standing on.
“OKAY!”
He grabbed the edge of the table to steady himself.
“Something definitely just happened!”
Dominic turned toward me instantly.
“Roxanne!”
But I could barely hear him.
Because the energy wasn’t just inside my chest anymore.
It was everywhere.
My veins felt like they were filled with lightning.
My vision blurred slightly—
Then sharpened again.
And suddenly…
Everything felt different.
Stronger.
Clearer.
Louder.
I could hear Dominic’s heartbeat.
I could hear Elena breathing across the room.
I could even hear the faint hum of electricity in the walls.
But the loudest thing of all…
Was the Umbra.
Not physically.
But energetically.
The creature standing across the warehouse felt like a deep black void.
Like a hole in reality itself.
And somehow…
The energy inside me recognized it.
The Umbra tilted its head again, watching me carefully.
Its white eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Yes.”
Its voice sounded almost pleased.
“That’s it.”
Dominic stepped closer to me.
His body tense.
“What’s happening?”
I didn’t know how to answer.
“I… don’t know.”
But the Umbra did.
It took another slow step forward.
Selene immediately raised her blade higher.
“I said stop.”
The Umbra finally glanced at her.
“You cannot stop what has already begun.”
Selene’s voice hardened.
“Try me.”
The Umbra ignored her again and looked back at me.
“Do you feel it?”
The silver energy pulsed violently through my chest again.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Dominic growled low in his throat.
“You’re not helping.”
Callum pointed at the shadow creature.
“Yeah, maybe stop encouraging the mysterious supernatural awakening!”
Aidan stepped forward slightly.
His eyes studied me carefully.
“Roxanne.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
His voice stayed calm.
“Your energy levels just spiked.”
Callum blinked.
“…you can measure that?”
Aidan nodded.
“Roughly.”
Elena frowned.
“That’s not good, is it?”
Aidan shook his head slowly.
“No.”
Selene’s gaze never left the Umbra.
“What did you do to her?”
The Umbra chuckled softly.
“I didn’t do anything.”
Its white eyes gleamed.
“She’s remembering.”
The word sent a strange chill through my spine.
“Remembering what?”
The Umbra looked almost amused.
“You don’t know.”
Dominic’s patience finally snapped.
“Enough riddles.”
His eyes flashed gold.
“Start talking.”
For the first time, the Umbra looked slightly annoyed.
“You wolves are always so impatient.”
Dominic’s claws slowly extended from his fingers.
“Last warning.”
The Umbra didn’t move.
But the shadows around its body deepened slightly.
“You cannot threaten something that existed before your species learned to walk upright.”
Callum whispered,
“…he’s not wrong.”
Selene suddenly spoke.
“What does she remember?”
The Umbra looked at her again.
Then finally answered.
“The first war.”
The warehouse fell silent.
Aidan frowned.
“What war?”
The Umbra’s white eyes flickered.
“The war that ended the Ascended.”
My heart skipped.
“…ended?”
The Umbra nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Elena looked confused.
“I thought Victor said Roxanne was the first.”
The Umbra chuckled again.
“Victor lies.”
Callum muttered,
“Shocking.”
The creature continued.
“Thousands of years ago…”
It gestured vaguely toward me.
“…your kind existed.”
My pulse quickened.
“What do you mean my kind?”
The Umbra answered calmly.
“The Ascended.”
Dominic shook his head.
“That’s impossible.”
Selene looked thoughtful.
“Not entirely.”
Everyone turned to her.
“You’ve heard of this?” Aidan asked.
Selene nodded slowly.
“There are old hunter records.”
Callum groaned.
“Why do the hunters always have secret nightmare records?”
Selene ignored him.
“They described beings who possessed the strengths of multiple supernatural species.”
Her eyes shifted to me.
“But we believed those stories were myths.”
The Umbra shook its head slightly.
“Not myths.”
“History.”
Aidan crossed his arms.
“If Ascended existed before…”
He paused.
“…what happened to them?”
The Umbra’s white eyes darkened slightly.
“They became too powerful.”
Callum blinked.
“…that sounds like a problem.”
The creature nodded.
“The supernatural world feared them.”
Dominic frowned.
“So they killed them?”
The Umbra tilted its head.
“Not easily.”
Its gaze flickered back to me.
“The Ascended were nearly unstoppable.”
The energy in my chest pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
Like it was reacting to the story.
“So what happened?” Elena asked quietly.
The Umbra answered calmly.
“They fought back.”
Callum raised a hand slowly.
“…I’m sensing a pattern of bad decisions.”
The creature continued.
“The conflict lasted decades.”
“Entire supernatural bloodlines were erased.”
The warehouse felt colder with every word.
Selene’s voice lowered.
“The First War.”
The Umbra nodded.
“Yes.”
Aidan’s expression darkened.
“And the Ascended lost.”
The Umbra looked at him.
“Eventually.”
Callum frowned.
“What changed?”
The Umbra’s white eyes gleamed again.
“Betrayal.”
Dominic stiffened.
“From who?”
The Umbra pointed directly at me.
“From one of their own.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
The creature spoke slowly.
“The most powerful Ascended ever created.”
The silver energy inside my chest surged violently again.
Like something deep inside me recognized those words.
Callum noticed immediately.
“…uh.”
“Why does Roxanne look like she’s about to explode again?”
I pressed a hand against my chest.
The energy was burning now.
Hot.
Alive.
The Umbra watched me carefully.
“Yes.”
“There it is.”
Dominic stepped closer.
“What is happening to her?”
The Umbra answered quietly.
“She is remembering what the others forgot.”
My vision blurred for a moment.
Then—
Images flashed across my mind.
Not memories.
But something close.
Battlefields.
Fire.
Creatures I didn’t recognize fighting across massive landscapes.
Beings made of energy.
Others made of shadow.
And in the center of it all—
A woman.
Standing alone.
Her body glowing with the same silver light burning inside me now.
The vision vanished instantly.
I staggered slightly.
Dominic caught me again.
“Roxanne!”
I gasped for breath.
“I saw something.”
Selene stepped forward.
“What did you see?”
I struggled to explain.
“A war.”
The Umbra nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Dominic looked furious now.
“You’re doing this to her.”
“No.”
The Umbra’s voice stayed calm.
“Her blood is.”
The energy inside my chest surged again.
But this time…
Something else came with it.
A voice.
Not from the Umbra.
Not from anyone in the warehouse.
From inside me.
Ancient.
Quiet.
Awake.
Finally.
My entire body went cold.
Callum noticed my expression instantly.
“…Roxanne?”
I barely whispered.
“I’m not alone.”
Dominic’s grip tightened.
“What?”
The voice inside my mind spoke again.
You never were.
My heart pounded violently.
The Umbra watched me with intense interest.
“It has begun.”
Selene frowned.
“What has?”
The Umbra answered softly.
“The awakening.”
The silver energy exploded outward again.
But this time—
It didn’t stop.
The warehouse walls cracked.
The air filled with blinding silver light.
Callum screamed,
“OH COME ON!”
Dominic shielded his eyes.
“Roxanne!”
But I couldn’t stop it.
The power was growing.
Expanding.
And deep inside my mind—
The ancient voice spoke one last time.
They’re coming.
My pulse spiked.
“Who’s coming?”
The answer echoed inside my skull like thunder.
The ones who finished the war.
At that exact moment—
A deafening explosion shook the entire city.
The ground beneath the warehouse trembled violently.
Aidan ran toward the broken window and looked out.
His face went pale.
“…that’s not good.”
Callum yelled,
“WHAT NOW?!”
Aidan turned slowly toward us.
His voice came out quiet.
And deadly serious.
“…Victor just arrived.”
But he wasn’t alone.
Behind him…
An army was marching into the city.