Chapter 108: The Foundation of the Fallen God

The footsteps continued down the stairs.

One step. Then another. The sound echoed through the underground chamber, growing louder with every second.

Nobody moved. Rin stood beside Kaelith, watching the darkness above them.

Kaelith’s magic remained gathered around his hand, ready to strike at the slightest movement.

Kaan stayed close to Lucien. The twelve former Divine Knights had gathered together, their expressions tense.

Even Sol had stopped making jokes. The crystal floating above the pedestal continued to glow faintly.

Then a figure appeared at the bottom of the stairs. An old man.

He wore a long, damaged robe covered in ancient Divine symbols. His hair was almost completely white, and several old scars crossed his face.

But what caught Rin’s attention wasn’t his appearance. It was the symbol around his neck.

The same symbol that had appeared on the crystal. Kaan immediately stepped backward.

"I know that symbol."

The old man stopped.

"You should."

Kaan’s eyes narrowed.

"You were there."

The old man didn’t answer. Kaan’s voice became louder.

"You were in the city."

"I was."

"You worked for him."

The man’s expression changed.

"For a time."

Kaan’s hands tightened.

"You experimented on us."

"No."

The answer was immediate.

"I did not."

Kaan looked furious.

"Then why were you there?"

The old man looked toward the twelve former Divine Knights.

"Because someone had to remain alive."

Rin frowned.

"What does that mean?"

The old man looked at him. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his eyes moved toward the crystal.

"You activated the foundation."

Rin glanced at it.

"This?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"The reason you are all still alive."

Everyone became silent. Kaan stared at the crystal.

"You’re saying that thing kept us alive?"

The old man nodded.

"It preserved your souls."

Lucien stepped forward.

"Why?"

The old man looked at him. For the first time, there was fear in his expression.

"Because the Fallen God needed them."

Rin’s stomach tightened.

"Needed them for what?"

The old man hesitated. Then he answered.

"To become a vessel."

Silence. Rin frowned.

"A vessel for what?"

The old man looked toward the ceiling.

"The Fallen God."

Kaan shook his head.

"That doesn’t make sense. He already had a body."

"No."

The old man’s voice became quiet.

"He had a body."

Rin understood the difference.

"What happened to it?"

The old man looked at him.

"It was never truly his."

Lucien’s expression changed.

Rin noticed.

"You know something."

Lucien didn’t answer. The old man looked at him.

"You remember."

Lucien’s jaw tightened.

"Fragments."

"You always did."

Lucien stepped closer.

"Tell me."

The old man stared at him.

"Tell you what?"

"What happened to him?"

The old man’s expression became bitter.

"He tried to become something he wasn’t."

Rin frowned.

"That’s not an answer."

"It is the only answer I can give you without explaining the entire history."

"Then explain it."

The old man looked at Rin for a long moment.

"You really don’t know anything, do you?"

Rin stiffened.

"About what?"

"About the world you entered."

Kaelith’s expression darkened.

"Choose your words carefully."

The old man looked at Kaelith. For the first time, his face showed recognition.

"You."

Kaelith’s eyes narrowed.

"Do I know you?"

"No."

The old man looked away.

"But I know what you became."

Rin noticed Kaelith’s hand tighten. The old man continued.

"The Fallen God wasn’t always fallen."

"We know," Rin said.

"No."

The old man shook his head.

"You don’t."

He pointed toward the crystal.

"That was created before he became what you know."

Rin stepped closer.

"What was he trying to do?"

The old man answered quietly.

"He wanted to escape death."

Kaan looked confused.

"But gods don’t die."

The old man smiled sadly.

"They do when they lose their divinity."

Lucien’s expression became serious.

"The curse?"

The old man nodded.

"The first stage."

Rin’s eyes narrowed.

"So the Fallen God was losing his power?"

"Not exactly."

The old man looked toward Lucien.

"He was losing himself."

Nobody spoke.

"He became obsessed with preserving his existence. He began searching for ways to separate the divine soul from the body."

Rin looked at the twelve Knights.

"And he used them?"

"Yes."

"Why them?"

The old man looked at Kaan.

"Because their souls were strong."

Kaan’s expression hardened.

"That doesn’t explain why you made us children."

"I didn’t."

The answer made Kaan pause.

"What?"

"The transformation wasn’t intentional."

Rin immediately looked at him.

"What happened?"

The old man pointed toward the crystal.

"The experiment failed."

Lucien’s face became pale.

"Failed?"

"Yes."

"The souls rejected him."

Rin’s eyes widened.

"The Fallen God was trying to put his soul inside them?"

"Not his entire soul."

The old man looked at the crystal.

"His authority."

Rin understood.

"He wanted to transfer his divine power."

"Yes."

"And the Divine Knights were supposed to become vessels."

"Yes."

Kaan stared at his own hands.

"Then why are we still children?"

The old man sighed.

"Because your souls resisted."

The chamber became quiet.

"The bodies changed because the divine energy had nowhere to settle. Your souls were forced into a state where they could survive."

Rin looked at the twelve Knights.

"So the child bodies..."

"Were the result of the failure."

Kaan’s expression became complicated.

"So we’re not cursed?"

"You are."

Kaan frowned.

"But you just said—"

"The curse came afterward."

Rin immediately focused on him.

"After what?"

The old man looked toward the stairs.

"The Fallen God realized he couldn’t use your souls individually."

"So what did he do?"

"He bound them together."

Kaan’s face went pale. Rin felt a chill.

"That is why they couldn’t leave the city."

"Yes."

Lucien closed his eyes.

"I remember."

Everyone turned toward him. Lucien’s breathing became uneven.

"The chains..."

The old man looked at him.

"Yes."

"They weren’t physical."

"No."

"They were connected to the souls."

"Yes."

Lucien opened his eyes.

"And every time one of us tried to leave..."

"The others suffered."

Kaan lowered his head. Rin’s hands curled into fists.

"That monster."

The old man didn’t defend him.

"No one said he was innocent."

Rin looked at the crystal.

"Then why hasn’t the curse disappeared?"

The old man became silent. Rin immediately noticed.

"You know something."

"I know part of it."

"Tell me."

"The Fallen God is still using the foundation."

Rin’s eyes widened.

"But the castle disappeared."

"The castle was never the source."

Kaelith’s gaze sharpened.

"Then what is?"

The old man looked at the crystal.

"This."

The crystal pulsed.

A wave of magic passed through the chamber. Kaan suddenly fell to his knees.

His body flickered again. For a moment, his small form disappeared.

A taller silhouette appeared. Then it vanished. Kaan gasped. Rin rushed toward him.

"Kaan!"

"I saw it."

"What?"

"My body."

Kaan stared at his hands.

"For a second..."

His voice trembled.

"I was normal."

Rin looked toward the crystal.

"The foundation is still connected to them."

"Yes."

"And the Fallen God is still controlling it."

The old man nodded.

"From somewhere."

Rin’s eyes narrowed.

"Where?"

The old man looked toward the ceiling.

"Beneath the old city."

Lucien immediately understood.

"The laboratory."

"No."

The old man shook his head.

"Deeper."

Rin’s expression changed.

"How deep?"

The old man didn’t answer. Instead, he walked toward the crystal. Kaelith immediately stepped between him and Rin.

"Don’t."

The old man stopped.

"I wasn’t going to touch him."

"Then stay where you are."

The old man looked at Kaelith.

"You’re protective."

"Yes."

"Too protective."

Kaelith’s eyes became colder. Rin sighed.

"Kaelith."

Kaelith didn’t move. Rin stepped beside him.

"Let him talk."

Kaelith looked at Rin. For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Kaelith stepped aside. But he remained close. The old man looked at Rin.

"The Fallen God knows you’re here. And who you are."

Rin’s expression became serious.

"How?"

"The foundation felt you."

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

Rin stared at him.

"Everyone keeps saying that."

The old man almost smiled.

"Then perhaps you should become accustomed to it."

"I don’t think I can."

The crystal suddenly changed. Its light became stronger. A projection appeared above the pedestal.

The old city. But this time, the image was clearer. Rin watched as the city appeared before the corruption.

Divine Knights walked through the streets. People smiled. Children played. The city was alive.

Then a man appeared. The Fallen God. His face was hidden by light. He stood before the Divine Knights.

Around him were several divine symbols. One of them was the same symbol on the crystal. Then the scene changed.

The city became darker. The laboratories appeared. Kaan and the others were taken inside.

Rin watched silently. The Fallen God placed his hand against the crystal.

The Divine Knights screamed. The projection suddenly stopped.

Kaan looked away. Lucien remained frozen. Rin turned toward the old man.

"What happened after that?"

"The experiment failed."

"And then?"

"He became angry."

"Then what?"

"He tried again."

Rin’s expression hardened.

"And again."

The old man nodded.

"And again."

Kaan whispered,

"For two hundred years..."

"Yes."

The room became silent. Rin looked at the crystal.

"So the Fallen God wasn’t trying to kill them."

"No."

"He was trying to make them into vessels."

"Yes."

"And when that failed, he kept experimenting."

"Yes."

Rin’s voice became colder.

"Until the city fell."

The old man nodded.

"And when the city was no longer useful..."

He looked toward the twelve Knights.

"He abandoned them."

Kaan looked up.

"But the curse remained."

"Yes."

"Why?"

The old man looked toward the crystal.

"Because he never completed the ritual."

Rin’s eyes widened.

"What ritual?"

"The final one."

"What does it do?"

The old man hesitated.

Then—

the entire chamber shook.

The crystal shattered. Kaelith immediately raised his magic. Everyone stepped back.

Dark energy flooded through the cracks in the floor. The old man’s face changed.

"No."

Rin looked at him.

"What?"

"He knows."

"Who?"

The old man looked toward the darkness beneath the pedestal.

"The Fallen God."

A voice echoed through the chamber. Low. Cold. Filled with hatred.

"You should have remained silent."

Everyone froze. Rin’s heart began pounding. The old man looked terrified. The voice came again.

"You were supposed to die with the city."

Kaelith’s magic flared.

"Show yourself."

A quiet laugh echoed through the chamber.

"You still think this is a battle you can win, King of demons?"

Rin looked around.

"Where is he?"

The old man pointed toward the floor.

"Below us."

A crack opened beneath the pedestal. Dark magic poured upward. Kaan grabbed Rin’s sleeve.

"He’s here."

Rin stared into the darkness. The Fallen God spoke again.

"Two hundred years."

His voice seemed to come from everywhere.

"And still..."

A pause.

"...you refuse to become what I created you for."

The twelve Divine Knights trembled. Rin stepped forward.

"You failed."

The voice became silent. Rin continued.

"You spent two hundred years experimenting on them, and you still failed."

The darkness moved.

"You know nothing."

"Then tell me."

The chamber shook. Rin didn’t move.

"Why did you need their souls?"

Silence. Then the Fallen God answered.

"Because one vessel was never enough."

Rin’s eyes widened. The voice continued.

"I needed twelve."

Kaan stared into the darkness.

"Twelve for what?"

The answer came slowly.

"For the return of a god."

The floor beneath them suddenly broke. Rin’s heart jumped. Kaelith reached for him.

But before he could pull Rin back, a massive wave of dark magic exploded from below. The chamber filled with darkness.

And the Fallen God’s voice whispered one final sentence—

"Now that you have awakened the foundation..."

A pair of eyes opened beneath them.

"...I no longer need the castle."

The darkness surged upward. And the entire sanctuary began to collapse.