Chapter 9 – Echoes of the Forgotten Empire (Part A)
Sam, Meera, and Ruhi had arrived at an enchanted mountain resort.
This place felt completely detached from the rest of the world.
Below, in the valley, glowing waterfalls flowed endlessly—no longer resembling water, but streams of pure light cascading onto the earth. Above them stretched vast spirit forests, where blue-green lights drifted slowly between ancient trees like living souls. In the distance, steam rose from natural hot springs, wrapping the entire mountain range in a soft, dreamlike haze.
Ruhi could barely contain her excitement.
"Papa!"
she almost shouted, tugging at Sam's hand.
"I want to go horse riding! And magic archery! And that floating bridge too! I want to try everything!"
Sam simply gave a small smile.
"One thing at a time," he said calmly.
"First decide—thrill… or a hospital visit."
Ruhi pouted.
Meera burst out laughing.
The daytime passed in pure fun and comedy.
Ruhi went horse riding, where glowing runes activated beneath the horse's hooves with every step. During magic archery practice, she missed the target completely—her arrow striking a tree and turning part of it into a crystalline structure of light.
Meera clapped proudly.
But when a few women nearby began whispering while looking at Sam, her expression subtly changed.
"They're staring too much," Meera muttered softly.
Without even turning his head, Sam replied,
"You're with me. Everyone else is just background noise."
Meera blushed—but said nothing.
As evening approached, the sky melted into shades of orange and purple. A cold breeze swept through the mountains. One by one, lights across the resort flickered to life.
And then—
🌌 Night fell.
When the world went to sleep, Sam's alertness awakened.
Even in bed, he wasn't fully relaxed.
Suddenly—
his eyes opened.
Meera and Ruhi were in deep sleep.
The room was completely silent.
Yet Sam felt it.
Something was wrong.
He quietly got out of bed. Before leaving, he glanced back once—Meera and Ruhi were safe. Then he stepped out onto the balcony.
Moonlight bathed the mountains in silver.
Sam stood by the railing and spoke calmly:
"There's no point hiding anymore…
come out, Varkhad."
For a single second, the air froze.
The forest went utterly silent—as if nature itself had stopped breathing.
Then—
the shadows condensed.
A figure emerged.
His entire body was covered in molten obsidian-like rock—deep black, with glowing red-orange cracks running through it from within. His eyes burned faintly, like the core of a volcano.
He stepped forward.
Then dropped to one knee before Sam.
"I have come to stand before you,
O God Slayer."
His voice was deep and heavy, as though it echoed from within the mountains themselves.
Sam's eyes flashed red for a brief instant.
His voice turned cold—dangerously so.
"What are you doing here, Varkhad the Obsidian Emperor?"
Varkhad lowered his head even further.
"It took me centuries to find you," he said.
"I knew you were still in this world. Tonight, your mana signature was unmistakable—heavy… and familiar."
Sam stepped forward.
"You made a mistake," he said calmly, though a clear warning laced his tone.
"You came too close to my family."
His eyes glowed a deeper shade of red.
"If you had touched them—even slightly—
you wouldn't be standing here right now."
Varkhad immediately bowed again.
"No! I am not your enemy!"
his voice nearly desperate.
"A thousand years ago… I saw only a single glimpse of you. From that moment onward, I recognized you as my true Emperor. I wish to return to your army."
Sam fell silent.
Conflict stirred within him.
He had buried his past.
He no longer wanted an empire.
He wanted only to be a husband and a father.
Finally, Sam spoke.
"I no longer have an empire."
"No army."
"I am only a family man now."
He looked directly at Varkhad.
"If you seek peace—
then forget me, my wife, and my daughter."
Varkhad remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke softly:
"You may forget your past…
but the world will never forget you."
His eyes glowed faintly.
"Very soon… you will be forced to rise again."
And in the next instant—
Varkhad dissolved into the shadows.
As if he had never been there at all.
Midnight Meeting – Sam and the Obsidian Emperor
The air on the balcony felt unusually heavy.
Above the mountains, the moon was perfectly clear—yet even its light carried a strange, oppressive tension.
Sam stood near the railing—upright, calm, but completely alert.
The shadows in front of him began to condense.
Slowly, a massive figure emerged.
A body covered in molten obsidian.
Dark rock split by glowing red-orange cracks, like the exposed core of a volcano.
A faint flame burned within his eyes.
Varkhad.
The Obsidian Emperor.
Sam spoke calmly, but a warning lay beneath his voice.
"What are you doing here?"
"I told you—there is no connection between me and all of you anymore."
Varkhad did not waste a single second.
He dropped to his knees immediately.
"My Lord…"
His voice was deep and sincere.
"I was one of your ten generals. After the great war a thousand years ago, everything fell apart."
He kept his head lowered as he continued.
"Your army was destroyed. The Empire collapsed. We were scattered across worlds.
But we survived… and we swore an oath—to find you again one day."
Sam's eyes flashed faintly red.
His voice remained calm, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.
"I am no longer the God Slayer."
"I am not your commander."
"I have no connection to your world."
He stepped forward.
"And remember this clearly—"
"Do not stand in my path."
His gaze sharpened.
"And make sure my remaining nine generals understand this as well."
"This is my final warning."
The Treasures & Legacy
Varkhad spoke slowly, weighing every word.
"But Lord…"
"What about your legacy?"
Sam halted.
"The weapons… the ancient scrolls… the planets you entrusted to us…"
"Should we preserve them… or abandon everything?"
Sam's aura flared instantly.
Trees in the forest shook.
The air vibrated violently.
"Do not touch them."
There was no softness left in his voice.
"If anyone dares to touch my legacy, my treasures, or those planets—"
"I will erase your planet, your race… and you."
Varkhad lowered his head even further.
Pain and absolute devotion crossed his face.
"Understood, my Lord."
"Those planets were the greatest blessing we were ever given."
"I will inform my remaining brothers."
The Truth of Loyalty
Before leaving, Varkhad paused.
His voice was no longer heavy—
it was honest.
"You believe we are a burden to you."
"But we were loyal to you… we are loyal… and we always will be."
He spoke quietly.
"If you do not wish it, we will never appear before you again."
"But to us, you will always be—"
"The God Slayer."
In the next instant—
Varkhad dissolved into the shadows.
Sam's Conflict
Sam stood alone on the balcony.
His eyes were swallowed by shadow.
"I gave them planets…"
"I gave them kingdoms…"
"And they still remember me."
He slowly clenched his fist.
"But I…"
"I only want to be a husband and a father now."
Rejecting loyal generals was not easy.
But Sam knew—
if he accepted them, he would return to the blood-soaked path he had once escaped.
The Command — Wake Up
Sam's voice dropped low—
yet it carried authority, as if the world itself was listening.
"Wake up."
The shadows beneath the ground trembled.
One by one—
ten shadow generals emerged.
One wielding a giant sword.
One hidden entirely beneath a cloak.
One monstrous in form.
One a sharp-eyed assassin.
All of them dropped to their knees at once.
"Master."
Orders
Sam looked at them.
His face was calm—his resolve, unbreakable steel.
"Unrest is increasing throughout the city."
"I do not want a single enemy near my home."
"Every guild."
"Every corrupt wizard."
"Every shadow behind the scenes—I want to know their story."
An assassin-type shadow general spoke:
"Every street in this city will be under our watch, Master."
An armored knight caused the ground to tremble slightly as he said:
"Anyone who dares to look toward your family—
will forget what it means to stay alive."
And then—
they vanished into the shadows.
Dark Guild Assassination Plot
The next day.
Sam was reviewing files in his office when his sensing seal activated.
His eyes glowed faintly red.
A shadow general emerged.
"Master,"
"The Dark Guild has planned an assassination."
"Target—your family."
"Attack scheduled for tomorrow night."
Sam calmly closed the file.
"I knew it."
"Sooner or later."
Summoning the Obsidian Emperor
In his study room, Sam drew an ancient sigil.
The air filled with furnace-like heat.
From the ground, Varkhad emerged.
"Master,"
he bowed.
"Eliminate the Dark Guild,"
Sam said calmly.
Varkhad let out a sardonic laugh.
"Shall I drown the entire city in lava?"
Sam's eyes sharpened instantly.
"No."
"Only the Dark Guild."
"Not a single innocent is to be touched."
Varkhad paused—then dropped to his knees.
"As you command, Lord."
And disappeared into the shadows.
Sam's Reflection
On the balcony, Sam gazed at the moon.
"My mercy is my weakness…"
"But if one day Ruhi inherits this legacy—"
"I want her hands to never be stained with blood."
Behind him, Meera approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're overthinking again, Sam."
Sam gave a faint smile.
He said nothing.
But his shadow network was already active—
for one reason only.
His family.