Chapter 118: Chapter 113: The False Heart Awakens (Part 2)
The voice lingered.
Not in the air.
Not in the wind.
Inside John’s mind.
It was neither male nor female, old nor young. It carried a strange warmth that stood in stark contrast to the suffocating pressure filling the hidden realm.
**"...You have finally come..."**
John instinctively raised his guard.
His claws dug into the air as he hovered.
*"Who are you?"*
There was no immediate reply.
Instead—
The pillar of intertwined golden and black light pulsed once.
A ripple spread through the hidden realm.
Every living creature froze.
The corrupted champions remained kneeling.
The World Tree’s leaves stopped falling.
Even the mana flowing through the air seemed to hesitate.
Then the ground beneath the roots split apart.
---
**CRAAAAAAACK!**
The sound echoed across the entire dimension.
Ancient roots, thicker than mountain ranges, slowly separated.
An abyss opened beneath them.
It wasn’t merely a hole.
It was a cavern so vast that John couldn’t see its bottom.
Golden light rose from its depths.
Black mist followed close behind.
The two forces twisted around each other like battling serpents.
Aerion tightened his grip on his sword.
"I’ve never seen mana behave like this."
Sylvara stared in disbelief.
"It isn’t."
Everyone looked toward her.
She swallowed.
"That black energy..."
"It isn’t mana anymore."
John frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It’s consuming mana."
Silence followed.
Lythriel looked toward the growing abyss.
"So that’s why corruption spreads..."
"It feeds."
Sylvara nodded.
"Mana."
"Life."
"Memories."
"It devours everything."
The Soul Raven slowly lowered its head.
"That is the true nature of the False Heart."
---
A deep heartbeat echoed.
**THUMP.**
The entire realm trembled.
Another.
**THUMP.**
John instinctively placed a claw against his chest.
His own heartbeat had unconsciously begun matching the rhythm.
His Dragon Core glowed beneath his scales.
Golden veins spread across his body.
"No..."
he whispered.
"Why is my core reacting?"
The Soul Raven’s eyes widened.
"It recognizes you."
Before John could respond—
A translucent blue screen appeared before his vision.
---
**"SYSTEM NOTIFICATION"**
**Hidden Bloodline Resonance Detected.**
**Ancient Dragon King’s Legacy: 3% synchronized.**
**New Quest Unlocked**
**Quest: The Heart of Origins**
**Objective:** Stop the awakening of the False Heart.
**Failure: Hidden Realm destroyed.**
**Failure: World Tree dies.**
**Failure: Ancient Dragon Bloodline permanently corrupted.**
**Reward: ???**
---
John stared at the final reward.
Question marks.
The System had never hidden a reward before.
His unease deepened.
---
The heartbeat came again.
**THUMP!**
This time—
The golden half of the pillar suddenly collapsed inward.
The black half surged upward.
The balance had broken.
"No!"
The Soul Raven spread its wings.
"It has begun consuming the True Heart!"
Sylvara’s face lost all color.
"If it absorbs the original Heart..."
"The World Tree will die."
"And if the World Tree dies..."
She couldn’t finish the sentence.
No one needed her to.
---
The hidden realm would disappear.
Every ancient race still sleeping beneath its roots would vanish forever.
Every memory preserved by the World Tree would be erased.
An entire era would end.
---
Without warning—
A figure emerged from the abyss.
Not walking.
Floating.
John narrowed his eyes.
"...A person?"
"No..."
the Soul Raven whispered.
"...A vessel."
The figure slowly rose into the light.
It appeared to be a young man no older than twenty.
Long silver hair flowed behind him.
He wore ancient white robes embroidered with faded golden runes.
His face was handsome.
Peaceful.
Yet his eyes...
One shone brilliant gold.
The other was completely black.
No pupil.
No iris.
Only endless darkness.
The contradiction alone made everyone instinctively step back.
John could feel it.
This wasn’t the False Heart itself.
It was merely something wearing a body.
---
The young man smiled.
It was gentle.
Almost friendly.
"I have waited..."
His voice echoed across the realm.
"...for so very long."
The corrupted champions lowered themselves even further.
The very sky seemed to bow.
John spread his wings protectively before his companions.
"Who are you?"
The man tilted his head.
"I no longer remember my name."
"My creator gave me many."
"The world gave me others."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"But now..."
"...I am simply..."
"The Heart."
The Soul Raven shouted.
"Liar!"
Golden feathers exploded around it.
"You are only its imitation!"
The young man’s smile never disappeared.
"Am I?"
He looked toward the World Tree.
"If enough time passes..."
"Does imitation not become reality?"
Those words chilled everyone.
---
Aerion suddenly vanished.
A burst of silver mana exploded beneath him.
His sword flashed.
He appeared directly before the mysterious figure.
"No more talking!"
Silver light erupted.
His blade cut through the air with enough force to split a mountain.
**CLANG!**
Time seemed to stop.
Aerion’s sword...
Had been caught between two fingers.
The young man sighed.
"You are still impatient."
He flicked one finger.
Aerion’s eyes widened.
A shockwave erupted.
The legendary elf was launched across the sky like a meteor.
He crashed through three floating crystal cliffs before finally stopping.
"AERION!"
Lythriel shouted.
Dust filled the horizon.
Several seconds later—
Aerion emerged from the rubble.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His sword remained intact.
But both of his hands trembled uncontrollably.
"...Impossible."
He had used nearly his full strength.
The stranger hadn’t even moved.
---
John’s pupils narrowed.
This enemy...
Was unlike anything he had ever faced.
Not the corrupted guardian.
Not the crystal beasts.
Not even the colossal monsters from the ancient ruins.
This being stood on an entirely different level.
---
The mysterious man looked toward John again.
"There is no need for fear."
"I have no desire to kill you."
John didn’t lower his guard.
"What do you want?"
The smile remained.
"You."
Silence.
The wind disappeared again.
"You carry something that belongs to me."
John frowned.
"I’ve never met you."
"No."
"You inherited it."
The man’s black eye began swirling like a vortex.
"The blood..."
"...of my oldest friend."
John’s Dragon Core throbbed violently.
Images flashed through his mind.
A dragon soaring through endless stars.
Golden flames.
A throne carved from crystal mountains.
A roar that shook the heavens.
The Great Dragon King.
---
The memories vanished instantly.
John staggered.
"What... was that?"
The stranger chuckled softly.
"The remnants of a forgotten inheritance."
The Soul Raven suddenly moved.
Despite its injuries, it placed itself directly between John and the mysterious figure.
"You will not touch him."
The stranger looked genuinely saddened.
"My old friend."
"You still oppose me."
"I had hoped..."
"...you would understand."
The Soul Raven’s golden eyes burned with determination.
"I remember enough."
"You destroyed our world."
The smile finally disappeared.
For the first time—
The stranger’s expression became cold.
"I..."
"...saved it."
The Chapter continues...
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