Chapter 278: The King Doesn’t Command the Light

Arthur was halfway across the library when he stopped. No warning. No sound. He simply stopped walking.

Mithra nearly walked into him. "What?"

He didn’t answer, his eyes fixed on the wall. A mural occupied a narrow section between two enormous shelves, unlike the others, undamaged, not even covered in dust. It looked almost untouched.

Five Mirrors stood across the upper portion. Fire. Water. Earth. And the two unknown Mirrors. Beneath them stood a single figure, golden, impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman, the ancient artist having intentionally left the face blank, just as they’d seen before. But there was something different about this one.

The figure wasn’t standing beneath the Mirrors. It was standing between them. Five streams of light flowed from the Mirrors toward it, not chains, not weapons, not commands, but something closer to rivers, and the figure stood at their center.

Arthur slowly walked closer. An inscription sat beneath the mural, only two lines.

Athena approached behind him. "What does it say?"

He read it aloud. "The King does not command the light." His eyes moved to the second line. "The King becomes its center."

Nobody spoke. Arthur stared at the golden figure, something about it bothering him, not because he didn’t understand it, but because he understood it too well. The King Mark. The Mirrors. The strange golden authority that had appeared since entering the Everglades. The Columns of Light. The Piercing Light. The ancient records. Halburn.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingers touching the mural, and the reaction was immediate.

BOOM!

Golden light exploded from his palm. His eyes widened as the King Mark beneath his skin ignited, light racing across his arm, then his entire body. The mural erupted, every golden line carved into the stone suddenly illuminated, the five Mirrors shining at once, the entire library turning gold. Thousands of tablets reflected the light. Ancient statues illuminated. Maps carved into the floor began glowing. Even the ceiling seemed to disappear beneath a vast field of golden radiance.

Everyone froze. "What the—" Sun shielded his eyes. Mithra stared at Arthur. Eden’s mouth fell open. Star flattened itself against his leg. Athena didn’t move. She simply watched.

Arthur felt something pass through him. For a fraction of a second he saw the mural differently. The golden figure was no longer standing before the Mirrors. It was standing inside them. The five streams of light weren’t flowing toward the figure. They were flowing through it.

And for one brief instant, he understood something. The King Mark wasn’t a weapon. It was a position. A connection. A center point.

Then the vision disappeared, the library returning to normal, the golden light vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Silence returned.

Arthur lowered his hand. Athena stared at him, and he looked back. Neither said anything. She didn’t ask what had happened. She knew he wouldn’t answer. And he knew she knew.

After several seconds she simply looked back toward the mural. "That was interesting."

He smiled faintly. "Very."

Mithra looked between them. "That’s it?"

Athena shrugged. "He’s Arthur."

"That doesn’t explain anything."

"It usually doesn’t."

Arthur chuckled, but his attention had already returned to the inscription.

The King does not command the light.

The King becomes its center.

He thought about Halburn. For years Halburn had carried the King Mark, fought with it, used it, followed its guidance. But maybe that wasn’t what he’d been trying to accomplish. Maybe he’d been asking the wrong question.

Arthur looked at the golden symbol on his hand. What if he wasn’t trying to learn how to use it? What if he was trying to understand what it was supposed to become?

The thought sent a strange feeling through him. Halburn hadn’t simply been a powerful King. He had searched for the Mirrors. He had reached the Earth Mirror. He had studied the ancient records. And according to his final message, he had failed to understand something.

Arthur looked at the mural again. Maybe Halburn’s journey hadn’t ended because he wasn’t strong enough. Maybe he’d reached the point where the King Mark stopped being a weapon, and became something else.

He muttered quietly, "Maybe you were looking for the wrong answer."

Luna heard him. "Halburn?"

He nodded. "Maybe."

Before she could ask anything else—

KRRRRRRR...

A deep grinding sound echoed through the library. Athena’s head snapped toward the ceiling. "That’s not good."

Sun sighed. "I was starting to think we were going to get one peaceful Chapter."

Mithra laughed. "You should know better by now."

The stone floor suddenly shook. Rows of shelves moved. Ancient mechanisms hidden beneath the library awakened. Golden symbols appeared across the floor, then red light.

Arthur stepped backward. "Everyone, get ready."

A massive section of the wall split apart, and something emerged. A Beast, enormous, four powerful legs supporting a body covered in gray stone-like armor, two massive wings extending from its back, not made of feathers, but stone, each movement sending fragments of rock crashing onto the floor. Its head resembled a giant eagle, but its body was closer to a heavily armored predator, golden markings covering its chest.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed and he stepped forward, touching its stone armor.

[Species: Stonewing Guardian]

[Evolution Path]

[Stonewing Guardian]

[Ironwing Colossus]

[Earthsky Sovereign]

Another Chief. It opened its massive wings.

ROOOOAR!

The roar shook the library, but before anyone could attack, a second roar answered.

BOOM!

Another section of the library collapsed, and a gigantic turtle-like Beast emerged through the broken stone, its shell covered in glowing mineral plates, golden crystals growing from its back, its four legs slamming onto the floor.

He smiled. "Two more."

Mithra drew her blades. "They look friendly."

Sun stared at the two massive creatures. "Your definition of friendly is becoming concerning."

The two Chiefs moved toward each other, and Arthur expected them to attack. Instead the Stonewing Guardian spread its wings, the Radiant Shellback lowered its body, and golden energy flowed between them.

Athena immediately understood. "They’re connected."

Arthur nodded. "They’re fighting together."

The Stonewing Guardian launched itself into the air, its stone wings slamming downward, a massive shockwave tearing through the library. Arthur raised his hand. "Move!" Everyone scattered as the shockwave smashed through several stone shelves, thousands of years of dust exploding into the air.

The Radiant Shellback charged behind it, its crystalline shell glowing.

Mithra’s eyes narrowed. "Arthur!"

"I see it."

He raised his King Mark, golden light erupting across the floor.

[King’s Mark Authority — Columns of Light]

Massive pillars of golden light erupted from the ground, one appearing between the two Chiefs, another rising behind the Stonewing Guardian, another blocking the Radiant Shellback’s path. The battlefield changed instantly, the two Chiefs separated.

Mithra smiled. "That’s useful."

Arthur grinned. "I just figured that out."

The Stonewing Guardian tried to fly around the pillar, and he moved his hand, the golden column shifting to slam into the Beast’s path, forcing it lower. Mithra disappeared, her body flashing forward, and she struck the Beast’s wing once, twice, three times, her blades finding the same damaged section.

CRACK!

Stone armor shattered. The Guardian roared, a massive claw swinging toward her, and she ducked beneath it, accelerating into another slash, then another, the wing beginning to break apart. Vedas charged from the opposite direction, his golden spear piercing the exposed armor.

BOOM!

The Stonewing Guardian crashed into the floor. Vedas landed beside it.

Arthur’s voice remained calm. "Keep it grounded."

Vedas roared. "Understood!"

The Chief struggled back to its feet, its stone wing beginning to regenerate.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. "Again."

Mithra and Vedas attacked simultaneously, her cutting through the damaged joints, his spear driving into the center of the wing.

[Armor Piercing]

Golden energy erupted through the Beast’s body, the stone wing shattering completely, and the Guardian collapsed. Vedas raised his spear.

[Blazing Spear]

Fire condensed around the golden weapon as he drove it downward.

BOOM!

The Stonewing Guardian stopped moving.

[Level Up!]

[Goblin King]

[Level 31 → Level 32]

Arthur glanced toward Vedas, who smiled. "One more."

The Radiant Shellback immediately charged, its crystalline shell releasing a wave of golden energy. Arthur threw up a hand.

[Guardian Shield]

A golden dome appeared, and the Beast collided with it.

BOOOOM!

The shield cracked, his feet sliding backward. "That’s strong."

Sun stepped forward. "Then let me help." He spun his staff.

[Point Shockwave]

The attack struck the Shellback’s front, and it staggered. Kong leaped from Sun’s shoulder, the little Stone Monkey transformed into a blur of movement, landing directly on the Shellback’s back, then punching.

BOOM!

The shell cracked. He punched again.

BOOM!

Another crack.

Sun stared. "...You really like doing that."

Kong grunted and punched again.

BOOM!

The Shellback roared and tried to shake him off. He grabbed the shell and refused to move.

Mithra appeared beside Arthur. "Want me to open another weakness?"

He nodded. "Take the left side."

She disappeared, and a moment later her blades struck the Shellback’s legs, the Beast stumbling. Arthur raised his hand, golden pillars erupting around it.

[King’s Mark Authority — Columns of Light]

The pillars formed a narrow corridor, and the Shellback had nowhere to turn. Vedas charged. The Beast raised its shell, and he thrust forward.

[Armor Piercing]

The golden spear broke through the crystalline armor, and the Shellback screamed. Arthur followed.

[Guardian Strike]

Golden light exploded behind him, the Guardian spirit appearing for an instant, and his spear struck the exposed center.

BOOM!

The Radiant Shellback was thrown backward. Kong jumped away, and Sun caught him. "Got you."

Kong immediately pointed toward the Beast. Sun sighed. "Yes, I know."

The Shellback tried to rise. Vedas didn’t give it the chance, crossing the distance, his spear burning with condensed fire.

[Blazing Spear]

The weapon pierced through the remaining armor, and the Chief collapsed. Silence returned to the library, dust slowly settling.

Then the familiar progression appeared.

[Level Up!]

[Goblin King]

[Level 32 → Level 33]

Arthur blinked. "...That was fast."

Vedas looked at the defeated Beast, then at him. "Two enemies."

Arthur smiled. "Two levels."

Vedas nodded. "That makes sense."

Across the battlefield, the others had also grown stronger through their own battles. Melo stretched after the fight, her five tails swaying behind her, a faint glow surrounding her.

Level 31.

Athy landed beside Luna, her golden eyes shining brightly.

Level 31.

Kong bounced excitedly on Sun’s shoulder.

Level 31.

Mithra sheathed her blades.

Level 31.

Sun looked at the Beast corpses, then at the others. "Everyone’s getting stronger."

Arthur looked around. He couldn’t see their private level interfaces. He didn’t need to. The difference was obvious. Mithra’s movements had become faster. Sun’s strikes carried more force. Athy’s golden aura was brighter. Melo’s presence felt deeper. Kong’s already terrifying strength had increased again. And Vedas had crossed another threshold.

Arthur looked at the two fallen Chiefs, then at the enormous library surrounding them. They had entered this place searching for knowledge. Instead the library had given them another fight, and another piece of the ancient puzzle.

He walked toward the mural again. The golden figure remained exactly where it had been. Five Mirrors. One center. The King.

Arthur looked down at his hand. The King Mark was quiet now, but he could still feel the warmth beneath his skin. He no longer thought of it simply as an authority. Maybe it wasn’t something he was supposed to control. Maybe it was something he was supposed to become the center of.

He looked toward the deeper sections of the library. "There are still thousands of records."

Athena’s eyes immediately lit up. "Then we have a lot of reading to do."

Sun groaned. Mithra laughed. Arthur smiled.

And somewhere deep within the ancient archive, another golden mechanism quietly began to turn.