Kael’s grip on the sword tightened, his body on high alert. Something in the air felt different now—charged with the weight of an ancient presence. The words of the sword echoed in his mind, but now there was another voice, far more powerful, a presence he couldn’t ignore.
Zurin’s figure remained silent for a moment as if collecting his thoughts. Slowly, he began to speak again, his voice calm but filled with sorrow and wisdom.
"I was born as a commoner in a small village nestled in the mountains," Zurin began. "It was a quiet life... until one day, a witch came to our village. She destroyed our homes and took us children, experimenting on us for dark magic. I was the only one to survive."
The spirit’s voice grew darker as he continued. Kael could hear the weight of years in his words, a lifetime of pain and regret.
"The witch, fascinated by my resilience, took me in as her apprentice," Zurin explained. "I worked harder, pushing myself to become stronger so that one day, I can escape from her grip. But her only goal was to transcend her mortal limits, to become a transcendent, a true immortal. She sought power—more power than any mortal should ever crave."
Kael stood still, listening intently. The witch’s dark ambitions seemed to parallel that of Necromancer; atleast, it appeared that way for him. If he doesn’t know that Zurin’s time was way earlier, he could have imagined that this witch in Zurin’s story was Lilith.
"But despite all her power and all her efforts," Zurin continued, his tone growing bitter, "she could not break the chains of mortality. In the end, the witch passed away, and I inherited her research, her knowledge... and her power—the power of primordial chaos."
Zurin’s eyes darkened. "When I reached the end of my mortal life, I had finally broken through the shackles of the human form. I became a transcendent." His voice faltered for a moment, like the memory was still fresh. "But the true cost of such power is more than one can imagine. The secret to my transcendence was not something I had created. It was tied to the seven treasures I crafted—seven items that were not mine to begin with."
The room seemed to pulse with energy as though the very walls themselves were listening to Zurin’s story. Kael felt a strange chill run down his spine. He didn’t expect these treasures weren’t his in the first place. More importantly, were they related to the transcendent realm? Kael became curious.
"It was when I was nearing the end of my life. Perhaps, a decade was what left of me," Zurin continued, "that’s when I encountered a divine being. A being who had come to Earth to meet me. The divine being sought my help to open the path to the Void Dimension, for my power—the primordial chaos—was the key."
Kael felt his grip tighten around the sword, but his eyes never left the glowing figure of Zurin. His curiosity piqued, he remained silent, waiting for the next part of the story.
"The divine being," Zurin went on, "needed Void Stones. These stones were the primary material to forge celestial weapons, the kind that could break through the limits of the transcendent realm itself. Together, we created the ultimate celestial treasure—the Wheel of Light. But..." Zurin’s voice grew heavy. "But I didn’t want to let it go. I betrayed the divine being, claimed the weapon for myself."
Kael’s breath caught in his chest. The story had taken a dark turn, but Zurin’s voice was steady. He spoke as if recounting a great truth, no matter how tainted.
"I used the Wheel of Light," Zurin said, "and became a transcendent. But it was too late. I realized that even with the power of a transcendent being, a mortal body cannot endure such strength without the constant supply of life force."
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The words hit Kael like a blow to the chest. So, humans cannot ever become transcendent?
"My life force couldn’t bear the weight of the Wheel," Zurin continued, the regret in his voice palpable. "Instead of becoming the immortal I had dreamed of, I began to wither. My body could not handle it."
Kael listened intently, captivated by the tragic tale. Zurin’s life had been one of ambition, betrayal, and desperate attempts to break free from the constraints of mortality. But in the end, he failed. So, the stories of Zurin leaving behind the weapons after becoming a transcendent were indeed fabricated.
"To protect my legacy," Zurin said with a finality that sent a shiver through Kael’s spine, "I broke my ultimate creation. I reforged it and crafted the wheel into seven celestial weapons, each one representing an element."
*The Spear—Primordial Fire*
*The Pendant—Primordial Water*
*The Shield—Primordial Earth*
*The Bow—Primordial Wind*
*The Staff—Primordial Lightning*
*The Crown—Primordial Light*
*The Sword—Primordial Darkness*
"Only those who possessed Primordial elemental energy are the ones fated to be with these treasures of mine; well, that’s how I designed this tower. The weapon tests their fated ones, and those who pass the trial can claim the treasure. But once they were owned by someone, no trials were needed. You defeat its owner, and the weapon will acknowledge you as its new owner. It would be as simple as that. And when you collect all of these treasures and combine them using the spell I’m about to give you, you will bring forth the Wheel of Light."
Zurin’s gaze met Kael’s, and for the first time, there was something resembling understanding in his eyes. "You see, the path you walk now is no different from mine. The moment you claim the sword, you will undoubtedly walk toward transcendence just as the other six. And right now, you stand at a crossroads, Kael," Zurin said. "I have given this same choice to six others who managed to meet me."
The ethereal figure paused, the flickering light around him growing more intense. "You must choose. The celestial treasure—the Sword of Zurin, the last of its kind... or the rest of the weapons and treasures still unclaimed in this tower."
"What?" Kael was taken aback by the choice.
Zurin smiled. "As I have said, choose the sword or the remaining treasures." Explore more stories at Freewebnovel
Kael fought for hours with his clone, forced himself to go past his limits, and almost touched death many times in order to claim the sword. Yet, this spirit was asking him to choose?
Why would he hesitate?
When that question came to his mind, another thing also came to his head. If he takes the sword, can he hold it? Will he have to give it to the Queen or be tempted to hand it over to Gabriel?
But, if he doesn’t return with the sword, Gabriel won’t say where his sister is. On the flip side, he is confident about defeating Gabriel, although not sure about forcing him to say the information he needed.
And then lies another fact that his sister is still in Elyria. With the help of the information guild, he might have a better chance to find her now, provided that he was speaking the truth.
No matter how he thinks, the choice should be obvious, but Zurin’s asking for him a choice made him falter.