Time within the Archive felt distorted.
While Rey and the others stood before the altar, carefully choosing the eight items that would shape his future, another tension unfolded silently beside them.
Xelth'Ruun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm, eyes fixed on the monolith.
Beside him, Veylen hovered in silence for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Sir," Veylen said carefully, breaking the stillness. "May I ask you something?"
"I do mind," Ruun replied flatly. "But since you insist on wasting my time, speak. Be quick. Whatever you wish to ask must end before the selection finishes."
Veylen nodded.
"Why are you doing this?"
Ruun's brow twitched."…Doing what, exactly?"
"You know what I mean," Veylen said. "Please answer honestly."
Ruun exhaled slowly, as if restraining irritation.
"Listen carefully, Veylen. This Archive was created to gather lost knowledge. To preserve it. To pass it on to a worthy heir capable of drawing out its true value."
His gaze hardened.
"Your family broke that rule."
Veylen did not interrupt.
"You all entered this place freely," Ruun continued. "You took manuals, scriptures, and arts. I allowed it because you were geniuses. Monsters. Beings capable of contending with central divine entities."
He turned slightly, eyes flicking toward Rey on the altar.
"But now you bring a mortal child here. A being barely crawling at the starting line. And you declare him a successor."
Ruun's voice sharpened.
"Why should this knowledge be wasted on someone so unworthy?"
Veylen clenched his fists.
"Even the books he attracted were drawn only because of relics and borrowed legacies," Ruun went on. "Without them, he would have gained nothing. So tell me, why are you so desperate to prove that he stands above you all?"
Veylen met his gaze.
"Because denying his growth is the same as cutting the roots of our freedom," he said calmly. "And that is not something I can accept."
Ruun scoffed.
"You see something in him?"
"Yes."
"And I see nothing," Ruun snapped. "He is a mortal. Our worlds are different. Dragging him into this one will only shorten his life."
Veylen's eyes narrowed.
"Then that explains it."
Ruun paused.
"You stopped them," Veylen said quietly. "Didn't you?"
Ruun did not deny it.
"There were more than fifty books trembling just beyond the altar. Ready to descend. You suppressed them. You limited him to eight selections while we were allowed thousands."
"The world does not run on fairness," Ruun replied coldly. "The strong rule. The weak endure."
He looked at Veylen.
"You of all beings should understand that. You attracted over sixteen thousand books. Your highest grade reached Primordial. That is what potential looks like."
His gaze returned to Rey.
"This child is not worth even one."
Veylen's jaw tightened.
"But sir—"
"No more," Ruun cut him off. "I will not spill unnecessary blood here. To silence you, your next heir will be allowed five additional selections. Chosen by me."
Silence fell again.
Veylen said nothing. He could do nothing.
...
Present Time
The eight chosen books hovered around Rey.
Energy surged, preparing to bind.
The ritual was about to begin.
Then—
The air collapsed.
An invisible force slammed down, crushing every being present to the ground without discrimination.
Stone cracked.
The altar groaned.
Even Ruun staggered, his knees nearly buckling.
This was not an attack.
This was presence.
Ruun slowly raised his head.
His breath caught.
Above the altar, where no ceiling could be seen, an eye had opened.
Pitch-black.
Bottomless.
An abyss given form.
It stared directly at them.
Ruun and Veylen recognised it instantly.
Their expressions drained of colour.
"The Will…" Ruun whispered.
The Will of Origin.The consciousness that birthed the Archive itself.
Darkness.
Light around the altar dimmed, then ceased to exist altogether.
Before anyone could react, a surge of power descended from the eye, striking the monolith directly.
The runic inscriptions shattered.
Every line erased.
The monolith became a blank slate.
Then the eye vanished.
Silence returned.
Slowly, everyone pushed themselves upright.
Everyone… except Rey.
No.
Rey was standing.
Uncrushed.Unbowed.
Confused.
When the pressure descended, Rey had felt it
But unlike the others, he hadn't been forced down.
He had looked up.
Straight into the eye.
And for a brief moment, he felt something impossible.
Not hostility.Not judgment.
Observation.
The eye's gaze had been fixed on him alone.
When it turned toward the monolith, Rey felt something rewrite reality itself.
Then it was gone.
Silence followed.
Slowly, pressure lifted.
One by one, they stood.
Ruun looked around in disbelief.
Everyone was shaken.
Except Rey.
The boy stood there, confused, staring at the monolith.
Ruun's heart sank.
'Why is he untouched…?'
He stepped forward, forcing his voice to remain steady.
"Come," he said stiffly. "We'll finish this. I must… speak with my master later."
As Ruun stared at the monolith to complete the binding.
His face went pale.
There was no script left anymore.
Only a faint imprint of an eye.
His legs trembled.
Ruun dropped to his knees.
"I, Xelth'Ruun, a being of darkness," he said, bowing until his forehead struck stone, "offer my utmost reverence to THE ABSOLUTE DARKNESS. If you had summoned me, I would have come instantly, my lord."
Veylen followed without hesitation.
Aiden, Victor, and Zero knelt as well, their souls trembling under lingering pressure.
Rey hesitated.
Then slowly lowered himself too.
A voice echoed.
Not loud.
Not soft.
Absolute.
"
Ruun froze.
"My lord… we are unworthy of your direct sight—"
"
Ruun's back drenched in cold sweat.
"
"M-my lord, I only thought—"
"
The words struck like a sentence of death.
"
Ruun's eyes widened.
"No—please—"
"
Dark chains erupted from the void, binding him in place.
The eye turned.
"
Rey flinched.
"Yes—yes, my lord."
He moved forward and placed his palm on the stone.
This time—
There was no concealment.
The appraisal tore through him.
Body.
Soul.
Mind.
Things even Rey himself did not know were laid bare.
It felt like existence itself was reading him.
This time, the appraisal was absolute.
Not searching.
Not measuring.
Understanding.
Runes erupted across the monolith, filling every surface.
Energy roared upward.
Thicker.
Denser.
Eight beams pierced forbidden depths.
Ruun stared in horror.
"No… those places…!"
Chains of cold darkness wrapped around him.
He screamed.
Treasures descended.
Eight of them.
Ruun watched, trembling.
Regret crushed him.
'I stopped him… I judged him…'
Veylen stepped beside him.
"Do you understand now?" he asked quietly.
Ruun laughed weakly, looking at the Eye floating beside the monolith. It was constantly observing Rey after its appearance.
"I was a fool," he whispered. "A blind fool to not even understand such a simple thing."
His gaze drifted back to Rey.
"I will remember you, boy," he said softly. "And pray I was wrong."
The chains pulled him under.
Rey stood surrounded by eight books.
The archive was silent.