Chapter 111: Secrets

The city had survived. Barely. Smoke still drifted between the damaged buildings, and several streets had been covered by black ash. The people who had managed to escape the flames were slowly returning, looking at the destruction in confusion.

Rin stood at the edge of the ruined area, watching them. The city was alive. That was what mattered but he couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened.

Kaelith had lost control. His magic had spread across the city.

And somehow, a single action from Rin had brought him back. Rin lowered his gaze.

Why did that work?

The System had told him to do it. Another voice had told him the same thing.

But neither had explained why. And there was another problem. The voice had sounded exactly like him.

Only older. Rin touched his forehead. He could still remember the words.

You cannot remember your origins right now.

Origins.

That word bothered him more than anything else but he pushed the thought away.

There were more important things to solve. Behind him, Kaan was talking with Lucien.

The twelve former Divine Knights were gathered around them. Their bodies were still those of children. Nothing had changed.

Rin turned toward them.

"So..."

Everyone looked at him.

"The curse is still there."

Kaan sighed.

"I noticed."

Rin walked closer.

"The Fallen God knew this would happen."

Lucien nodded.

"He knew the curse wouldn’t disappear."

"Which means he understands it better than we do."

"Yes."

Rin looked toward the ruins.

"Then we need to find out what he knows."

Sol appeared beside him.

"And how exactly do you suggest we do that?"

Rin looked at him.

"Follow the crystal."

Sol’s expression changed.

"The one beneath the castle?"

"Yes."

"But the castle disappeared."

"The castle did."

Rin pointed toward the ground.

"The crystal didn’t."

Kaan immediately understood.

"You think it left something behind."

"I know it did."

Rin had felt it.

That faint pulse beneath the ash. Something was still there. They returned to the place where the castle had once stood.

The area was almost unrecognizable. There were no walls. No towers. No entrance. Nothing remained except blackened earth.

Kaan looked around.

"How are we supposed to find anything here?"

Rin crouched.

"I don’t know."

Sol sighed.

"Excellent plan."

"Do you have a better one?"

"No."

"Then stop complaining."

Sol laughed. Rin placed his hand against the ground.

At first, nothing happened.

Then—

a pulse.

Rin immediately pulled his hand back.

"There."

Kaelith stepped closer.

"Move."

Rin looked at him.

"You found it?"

"I felt it."

Kaelith raised his hand. His magic spread through the ground.

The earth cracked. A small piece of black crystal rose from beneath the ash.

Kaan stared at it.

"That’s the same one."

Lucien nodded.

"Yes."

Rin looked at the crystal. Unlike the one beneath the sanctuary, this one was damaged.

Cracks ran across its surface. But it still contained magic.

"Can we destroy it?"

Kaelith looked at him.

"Yes."

Rin frowned.

"Then don’t."

Kaelith lowered his hand.

"You think it can lead us to him."

"Yes."

Lucien looked toward the crystal.

"Then we need to understand how it works."

Sol leaned closer.

"There’s writing inside it."

Rin blinked.

"Writing?"

Sol nodded.

"Very small."

Kaan looked annoyed.

"I can’t see anything."

"You’re short."

"I hate you."

"I know."

Rin ignored them.

"Can you read it?"

Sol’s expression became serious.

"Some of it."

"What does it say?"

Sol studied the crystal. Then he frowned.

"It mentions the Divine Knights."

Kaan immediately stepped forward.

"What?"

Sol continued reading.

"Their souls..."

He paused.

"...were divided."

Lucien’s expression changed.

"What?"

Sol looked at him.

"Divided."

Lucien stepped closer.

"That’s impossible."

"Apparently not."

Rin took the crystal carefully.

"What does that mean?"

Sol shook his head.

"I don’t know."

Rin sighed.

"Of course."

But this time, Lucien interrupted.

"I might."

Everyone looked at him.

Lucien stared at the crystal.

"When we were imprisoned..."

He hesitated.

"I remember something."

Kaan’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Lucien looked at the twelve Knights.

"We weren’t always together."

Rin frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"During the experiments, each of us was placed in a different chamber."

Kaan nodded.

"I remember that."

Lucien continued.

"But sometimes..."

He closed his eyes.

"We could hear each other."

Rin’s expression changed.

"Through the walls?"

"No."

Lucien touched his chest.

"Inside our minds."

Kaan became quiet.

"We thought it was because we were afraid."

Lucien shook his head.

"It wasn’t fear."

"Then what?"

"We were connected."

Rin looked at the crystal. The word suddenly made sense.

"Divided souls."

Lucien nodded.

"I think so."

Rin’s expression became serious.

"So the Fallen God connected your souls."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Lucien looked toward the ruins.

"To create something."

"What?"

"I don’t know."

Rin frowned.

"We need to stop saying that."

Lucien smiled faintly.

"I agree."

A sudden vibration came from the crystal.

Everyone stepped back. The cracks began glowing.

Then an image appeared above it. A laboratory.

Kaan froze.

"I remember this."

The image showed a long corridor.

Doors on both sides. Behind each door was one of the Divine Knights. They were younger. Healthy.

Still wearing their original armor. Rin watched carefully.

Then the image changed. A man entered the corridor.

The Fallen God. His face remained hidden. He stopped before one of the chambers.

A voice came from the crystal.

"The vessel is unstable."

Another voice answered.

"Then use another."

Rin’s eyes narrowed. Another image appeared.

Two chambers. Then three. Then twelve.

The Fallen God stood in the center. His hands were raised. Dark energy connected all twelve chambers.

Kaan grabbed his arm.

"Stop."

Rin looked at him.

"Do you want me to turn it off?"

Kaan stared at the image.

"No."

His voice trembled.

"I want to remember."

Rin nodded. The vision continued.

The Fallen God spoke.

"Twelve souls."

His voice echoed through the crystal.

"One authority."

Rin’s eyes widened. The image showed the twelve Divine Knights collapsing.

Their bodies began changing. The transformation was incomplete. Their souls resisted.

The Fallen God’s magic became unstable. The laboratory shook. Then the crystal’s vision suddenly changed.

A single symbol appeared. The same symbol they had seen in the sanctuary.

Rin stared.

"What is that?"

Lucien’s expression became frightened.

"I remember."

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

"That symbol was everywhere."

"Where?"

"In the deepest part of the laboratory."

Rin stepped closer.

"What was there?"

Lucien looked at him.

"A door."

"A door to what?"

"I don’t know."

Rin stared at him.

Lucien continued before Rin could complain.

"But I remember what the Fallen God said."

"What?"

Lucien’s voice became quiet.

"He said no one could open it."

Kaelith suddenly looked toward the crystal.

"Then why were the Divine Knights connected to it?"

Lucien didn’t answer. Rin looked at the twelve former Knights. Maybe that was the real purpose. Maybe the Fallen God hadn’t been trying to use their bodies.

Maybe their souls had been keys. Twelve souls. One authority. One door. And whatever was behind it was important enough for the Fallen God to spend centuries trying to open.

Rin’s thoughts raced.

"We need to go back."

Kaan looked at him.

"To the city?"

"Yes."

"The old city?"

"Yes."

Lucien nodded.

"The laboratory is still there."

Kaelith immediately looked at Rin.

"No."

Rin sighed.

"You haven’t even heard the plan."

"I know the plan."

"You don’t."

"You want to go somewhere dangerous."

Rin crossed his arms.

"And?"

"And I’m going with you."

Rin stared at him.

"You really don’t know how to let me do anything alone."

"No."

Rin sighed.

"Fine."

Sol laughed.

"This is the most predictable conversation I’ve ever witnessed."

Kaelith ignored him.

Rin looked toward the twelve Divine Knights.

"But before we go..."

He stopped.

Kaan looked at him.

"What?"

Rin pointed toward the city.

"We need to help the people here."

Kaelith’s expression immediately darkened.

Rin noticed.

"Don’t."

"I didn’t say anything."

"You were going to."

"I was."

Rin sighed.

"We can’t leave them after what happened."

Kaelith stared at him. Then he looked toward the damaged city.

His expression softened slightly.

"Fine."

Rin smiled.

"Thank you."

Kaelith looked at him for several seconds. Then he said quietly,

"Just don’t disappear."

Rin’s smile faded.

"I won’t."

Kaelith looked away. He didn’t say anything else. Hours later, the city had begun to recover.

The fires had been extinguished. The injured had been moved to safety. The people were frightened, but alive.

Rin stood on a damaged street, watching them. For the first time since the battle, he allowed himself to breathe.

They had survived but the mystery remained.

The Fallen God was still alive. The curse remained.

The Divine Knights were still trapped in children’s bodies and the laboratory beneath the old city was still waiting.

Rin looked toward the mountains.

"We’re going tomorrow."

Lucien nodded.

"Kaan and the others will come."

Rin looked at them.

Kaan smiled.

"We’ve spent two hundred years running from that place."

His expression became determined.

"It’s time we went back."

Rin nodded.

Kaelith stood behind him.

Silent. Watching. Always watching but this time, Rin didn’t notice. His attention was fixed on the horizon.

Somewhere beyond those mountains was the answer.

Not to everything but to one mystery.

The Fallen God and Rin was determined to uncover it.

Before the Fallen God could destroy anything else. Before another curse could appear. Before another person disappeared.

And, most importantly—

before the Fallen God discovered what Rin was slowly beginning to suspect.

The Divine Knights had never been the final goal. They had only been the key.