Chapter 308: 308:Handbringer.
Far from the warmth of the Court, beyond the villages that had begun celebrating the end of winter, an abandoned estate stood in complete silence.
Once, it had belonged to a respected noble family, now its gates hung crooked from broken hinges, its gardens had been swallowed by weeds, and every banner bearing the family’s crest had long since been torn down.
The kingdom had judged the master of the house guilty of treason. His execution had been swift and the estate had been confiscated.
To the outside world, that Chapter had ended. Yet beneath the ruined manor, hidden behind a concealed passage known only to its former owner, another story had only just begun.
Cassian sat alone inside a dimly lit chamber. The room was small, built entirely from rough stone. A single oil lamp flickered weakly upon a wooden table, its light barely pushing back the surrounding darkness.
Silence had become his companion and days had blurred together. He had obeyed his father’s final command without question. Do not leave and do not let anyone know you’re here, just wait.
So he had waited. He rationed the food his father had stored months earlier, practiced breathing exercises to calm his restless mind, and stared for hours at the smooth grey crystal resting inside a carved wooden box.
The core.
His father had pressed it into his hands shortly before his arrest.
"Don’t use it until the Protector personally comes. When he does... you’ll understand."
At the time, those words had sounded like the desperate ramblings of a doomed man. Now, he wasn’t so certain. He reached toward the box before stopping himself once again.
"What are you..." His voice echoed softly through the chamber. "...supposed to be?"
The core answered with silence.
At that moment, a sudden chill swept through the room. The lamp flickered. The shadows stretching across the walls seemed to deepen unnaturally.
Cassian’s entire body tensed. Someone, was there. He hadn’t heard footsteps or sensed Aether. There had been no opening of the hidden door.
One moment the chamber had been empty, the next, a figure stood beside the far wall. Long black robes concealed every feature. A smooth mask hid the face beneath.
Even the person’s presence felt strangely empty, as though the world itself struggled to acknowledge that someone occupied the room.
Cassian immediately stood.
"...You’re..."
The figure inclined its head.
"The Protector."
His breathing caught. His father had spoken that title with absolute reverence, almost worship. Even in his childhood, his father never failed to mention him and he himself had gotten a few rewards from him through his father.
For several long moments, neither spoke, then the Protector calmly walked forward. His footsteps made no sound.
"You obeyed."
"I followed my father’s instructions."
"As expected, he thought a good child."
Cassian swallowed.
"My father..." His hands tightened at his sides. "...he’s dead, right?"
"Yes."
"You knew."
"I did."
A flicker of anger crossed Cassian’s face.
"Then why didn’t you save him?"
Silence answered him. The Protector stopped beside the wooden table, his gaze falling upon the grey core resting inside the box, only then did he answer.
"Because he fulfilled his purpose."
The words struck harder than any weapon. Cassian’s expression darkened.
"You abandoned him."
"No."
The calm voice never changed.
"He understood and had accepted the price long before it was demanded."
"My father wanted to live."
"No, he wished to complete his duty." The Protector finally looked at him. "Those are not the same thing."
The chamber fell quiet once more. Cassian wanted to argue, wanted to deny those words. Yet, deep inside, he remembered the final look in his father’s eyes.
There had been fear but there had also been resolve. As though the old councillor had expected the road to end exactly where it had.
The Protector reached toward the wooden box, his gloved fingers hovering just above the grey crystal.
"The inheritance remains."
Cassian looked down.
"...This?"
"Yes."
"My father said it would help me understand the dead."
"It will."
He frowned.
"What is it?"
The Protector did not answer immediately; instead, he asked a question of his own.
"What do you believe death is?"
Cassian hesitated.
"The end."
"A common answer."
"...Isn’t it?"
"No."
The Protector gently closed the wooden box.
"Death is a beginning that the living refuse to acknowledge."
The young man stared in confusion.
"I don’t understand."
"You are not expected to."
The Protector turned toward him once more.
"You will, when the core awakens."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Finally, the Protector spoke.
"Swallow it."
Cassian’s eyes widened.
"Now?"
"Now."
He hesitated.
"My father said..."
"The time has come."
Those simple words carried absolute certainty. The Protector neither threatened nor persuaded him, he merely waited for him to come to a conclusion. After several long breaths, Cassian slowly picked up the grey core.
It felt strangely warm despite its appearance, almost... alive. He closed his eyes, then swallowed it.
Immediately afterwards, indescribable pain bit into him. It was as if icy water flowed through every vein while countless whispers echoed inside his mind.
He dropped to one knee. Grey Aether burst outward from his body in violent waves. The stone floor trembled and the lamp shattered.
Darkness swallowed the chamber. Within that darkness... shapes moved; countless indistinct silhouettes surrounded him.
There were men, women, children, and warriors. None possessed clear faces, yet every one of them seemed to be watching.
His breathing became ragged as the whispers grew louder. There wasn’t a single word in them, just endless voice, then, as suddenly as it had begun, everything became still.
The grey Aether slowly withdrew back into his body and the silhouettes vanished. Silence returned. Cassian remained kneeling, breathing heavily.
"...What..." his voice trembled. "...was that?"
The Protector observed him quietly.
"The beginning."
Cassian slowly looked up. His eyes, had changed. The color remained largely the same, yet deep within each iris floated faint rings of silver-grey that hadn’t existed before.
The Protector gave a single nod.
"The next Handbringer has been born."
The words hung heavily in the darkness.
"...Handbringer?"
Cassian struggled to stand.
"What does that mean?"
For the first time... A faint hint of amusement entered the Protector’s otherwise emotionless voice.
"Death has no hands. It requires those willing to carry its will."
He took one slow step forward.
"Those chosen... are called Handbringers."
Cassian’s breathing gradually steadied.
"My father served this..."
"No, he only stored it and served the coming age."
"And me?"
"You shall inherit his duty, if the core accepts you as a suitable host... then more."
The Protector’s gaze remained unreadable behind the mask.
"You are still weak, very weak. The core has merely accepted you, it has not become part of you."
Cassians lowered his gaze to his own trembling hands.
"...How long?"
"Years."
"You will practice, endure, and learn to hear what others cannot."
The Protector looked toward the ceiling, as though seeing something impossibly distant.
"When your synchronization becomes complete, the dead will answer your call."
Cassian’s heart skipped.
"The dead?"
"You will not merely speak with them but will command them."
A cold silence followed.
"And the Corrupted?" he asked quietly just out of curiosity.
The Protector answered without hesitation.
"They are unfinished. When the time comes... They too shall obey."
Cassian could scarcely process what he was hearing, such power sounded impossible. Yet, the core resting inside his body felt undeniably real.
"There is more," the Protector continued. "A reward awaits those who complete their inheritance."
Cassian looked up.
"...A reward?"
The Protector was silent for several moments then he said,
"Even I have never witnessed it."
Those words carried unexpected weight.
"You... haven’t?"
"No."
"My duty differs from yours."
The chamber seemed colder than before.
"What is it?"
The Protector slowly turned toward the hidden passage.
"When they awaken from this illusion... You will learn."
That was all, nothing more, only another mystery added to his list. Cassian watched him in silence, finally, one last question escaped his lips.
"What should I do now?"
The Protector stopped without turning around.
"The world continues believing peace has returned but they are mistaken. We are already at war, have been for millions of years, this is just a small part of everything."
A long pause followed, then came five quiet words.
"The wedding will be first."
Cassian’s eyes narrowed.
"...An attack?"
"A lesson." The Protector’s voice remained calm. "Chaos reveals truth."
"Watch, learn, and grow. Only after you understand your enemies... Will you deserve to inherit Death?"
Before another question could be asked, the shadows within the chamber stirred. The robed figure dissolved into darkness as though he had never existed at all.
The room became silent once again.
Cassian stood alone. His hand slowly rose to his chest, where the grey core now rested somewhere deep within him.
He could still feel it, pulsing and waiting. Outside, the first breeze of the coming spring rustled through the abandoned estate.
Far away, in the royal capital, preparations for a joyful celebration continued without interruption. No one knew that another player had quietly stepped onto the board.
