🌀 Chapter 53
The Murkweaver Spider, with limbs like obsidian blades and eyes like molten sapphires, towered over the shattered chamber. Venom hissed from its fangs as it scuttled forward, each step leaving behind webs that shimmered with forbidden symbols.
"Fall back!" Anshi shouted, dragging a half-stunned Lynx behind her.
But Aeren didn't move.
His body was frozen—not in fear, but in something else.Memory. Instinct. Power.
The silver glow in his eyes pulsed.
"The throne," the Murkweaver hissed. "You touched the Seal of Dominion. You are not ready."
Aeren whispered under his breath.
"I don't even know who I am anymore…"
And then—it began.
🧬 The Awakening Pulse
The veins on Aeren's arms lit up faintly, like threads of stardust woven into skin. The ancient sigil of the Crownless flickered to life on his back—a symbol long lost to Crosnic Verse history, one recorded only in erased scrolls and forbidden prophecy.
The spider lunged.
"DIE, PRETENDER!"
Before anyone could react, Aeren raised his hand—unconsciously.
And space bent.
🕳️ Space Distortion
The Murkweaver's lunge... froze midair.
Its limbs trembled in stillness, caught in an invisible web of gravity and folded space. The dungeon itself groaned, reacting to a power that even it did not permit.
"What… is this?" Anshi gasped.
Aeren stepped forward, unaware his feet weren't touching the ground.The very floor warped to his will.
His hand trembled, but his voice was calm.
"Let's… end this."
With a twitch of his finger—reality cracked.
The spider was torn into a ripple of shadow and particles, dissolved into another dimension. The ancient runes on the throne dimmed, almost like… respect.
🧠 The Aftermath
The light faded.
Aeren collapsed again, eyes wide but blank.
"Aeren!" Anshi ran to him, grabbing his face. He was sweating cold, his body trembling like he'd been struck by lightning.
"It's… too much," he whispered. "The voices. The memories. I don't want to hear them anymore…"
But the power wouldn't let go.
In the distance, the high-tier Seekers had finally entered the dungeon.They found nothing but silence and ruined walls.
And the sigil scorched into the stone behind Aeren.
🕯️ Whispers in the Council
Far away in the floating Sky Chamber of Zenithora, the central governing council of the Seekers, a bell chimed.
"A forbidden signature has awakened," said a robed figure with no face.
"Where?" asked another.
"Sinjai Academy. South Fragment Dungeon. The seal is broken."
"Then it's true…" the oldest one rasped. "The Crownless King... lives."
They all fell into silence.
Except one—who whispered, "We must find him. Before they do."
🩸 Darkness Stirs
In a hidden base beneath the ruins of Hollowspire City, the shadow organization Nyx Covenant stirred.
Their Seer opened her eyes.
"The Mark has returned."
"The boy?" asked their leader.
"Yes. But untrained. Unaware. He's a spark… waiting to burn."
"Good. Let him burn everything. And when the ashes fall…"
He stood, eyes glowing crimson.
"We'll take the throne he never claimed."
📘 End of Chapter 53