Chapter 131 — The Message
Silvet stood in the centre of the dead city.
Nobody moved.
Brook had his hand near his weapon.
Rick stood slightly ahead of the group, his sword drawn but lowered.
Sera watched the stranger carefully.
Crowley looked at him differently.
Not recognition.
Something worse.
The feeling that recognition was supposed to be there.
Shoyo had gone completely still.
Silvet noticed.
His expression barely changed.
"You look surprised."
Shoyo's voice was cold.
"I thought you were dead."
Silvet looked around at the ruins.
"So did many people."
Henry quietly stepped toward Brook.
"Do we know this guy?"
Brook didn't look at him.
"No."
"Good."
Brook frowned.
Henry continued.
"Because I was starting to feel left out."
Silvet looked at Henry.
Henry immediately stopped talking.
Silvet smiled faintly.
"You're new."
"Very observant."
Brook gave Henry a look.
Henry raised both hands.
"Sorry."
Silvet looked back at Shoyo.
"You brought them here."
It wasn't a question.
Shoyo said nothing.
Silvet's eyes moved across Xcution.
"They found their way."
Brook finally spoke.
"We're standing right here."
Silvet looked at him.
"I can see that."
Brook took a step forward.
Rick's arm immediately moved slightly in front of him.
Brook noticed.
"Relax."
Rick didn't.
Silvet watched the movement.
Then his eyes dropped to Rick's sword.
The faint amusement disappeared.
"Arven's blade."
Rick tightened his grip.
"You knew him?"
Silvet looked toward Crowley.
"I knew them."
Crowley frowned.
"Them?"
Silvet's eyes returned to him.
For a second—
Crowley looked uncomfortable.
Silvet noticed.
Then smiled.
"Nothing?"
Crowley said nothing.
"Not even a name?"
Brook watched Crowley's jaw tighten.
Shoyo stepped forward.
"Enough."
Silvet looked at her.
"You've always been protective."
"Enough."
Her voice was sharper this time.
Silvet's expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He raised his hands slightly.
"Fine."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Brook didn't like the silence.
This man knew too much.
And Shoyo knew him.
That was becoming a problem.
Brook looked at Shoyo.
"Who is he?"
Shoyo hesitated.
Silvet answered first.
"Someone from before."
Brook's expression hardened.
"I'm getting tired of that answer."
Silvet laughed quietly.
Brook did not.
Silvet studied him.
Then looked toward Shoyo.
"He doesn't like mysteries."
Shoyo's voice remained calm.
"He's had enough of them."
Silvet nodded.
"Understandable."
He looked toward the ruins.
"So have I."
Crowley stepped forward.
Brook immediately noticed.
Crowley was staring at Silvet.
"How do you know me?"
Silvet looked at him.
"I knew who you were."
Crowley's expression hardened.
"That's not what I asked."
Silvet smiled slightly.
"No."
Crowley took another step.
"How do you know me?"
Shoyo spoke.
"Crowley."
He ignored her.
Silvet looked at Crowley for a long moment.
Then answered.
"Because once, you remembered me."
Silence.
Crowley's face changed.
Brook saw the frustration immediately.
"What does that mean?"
Crowley asked.
Silvet's smile faded.
"It means time has been kinder to some of us than others."
Crowley's hand tightened.
Brook moved closer.
He didn't know what Crowley might do.
Silvet looked at Brook.
"You're worried about him."
Brook stared.
"Don't talk about things you don't understand."
Silvet's eyes returned to Crowley.
"I understand forgetting."
Crowley froze.
Silvet continued.
"Sometimes it happens naturally."
Shoyo's expression changed.
"Silvet."
"And sometimes…"
Silvet ignored her.
"…someone helps."
The underground city went silent.
Crowley stared at him.
Brook looked at Shoyo.
"What does he mean?"
Shoyo didn't answer.
Silvet looked pleased by that.
Brook turned toward her.
"Shoyo."
"I don't know."
Silvet laughed.
Shoyo's eyes flashed toward him.
"I don't know what happened to Crowley's memories."
Crowley stepped between them.
"Then why does he?"
Silvet became quiet.
That was the first thing he didn't answer immediately.
Brook noticed.
Crowley noticed too.
Silvet finally said:
"Because I have seen the result before."
Crowley's eyes narrowed.
"Of what?"
Silvet looked toward the old buildings.
"Living too long."
The answer was too simple.
Brook didn't believe it.
Neither did Crowley.
But Shoyo did not push further.
That bothered Brook more.
A sound came from behind them.
Rick turned immediately.
A guard stood at the top of the old road.
Hades.
Brook hadn't noticed him leaving.
The King of Remus walked toward them.
His eyes remained on Silvet.
Silvet nodded slightly.
"King."
Hades stopped.
"Who are you?"
Silvet smiled.
"Someone you should not have allowed beneath your city."
Hades's expression didn't change.
Brook almost laughed.
That was probably the wrong thing to say to Hades.
Hades lifted one hand.
Guards moved forward.
Silvet looked at them.
Then sighed.
"This isn't why I'm here."
Brook frowned.
"Then why are you here?"
Silvet looked at him.
This time, his expression became serious.
"To see if the message reached you."
Nobody moved.
Brook felt something change.
Shoyo's eyes narrowed.
"What message?"
Silvet looked at her.
"The one Elias left."
Sera went still.
Brook immediately looked at her.
Silvet noticed.
"Ah."
His eyes moved toward Sera.
"So it's true."
Brook stepped forward.
"What do you know about Elias?"
Silvet looked at him.
"Less than he knows about you."
Brook's expression hardened.
Silvet continued.
"But more than you would like."
Henry folded his arms.
"I hate when villains talk like that."
Silvet looked at him.
Henry sighed.
"Sorry."
Sera walked forward.
"Elias is here?"
Silvet looked at her.
"No."
Brook watched Sera carefully.
"But he came to Remus."
Silvet nodded.
"Yes."
Crowley looked at Shoyo.
"He knew about this place."
Shoyo's expression became serious.
"Apparently."
Silvet smiled.
"He knew before you did."
Brook turned.
"How?"
Silvet shrugged.
"Elias collects information."
Crowley laughed quietly.
"That's an understatement."
Silvet nodded.
"Probably."
Brook watched him.
This didn't feel like a threat.
That was what made it uncomfortable.
Silvet wasn't here to fight them.
He wasn't trying to intimidate them.
He was simply telling them things.
Brook preferred enemies who attacked.
At least then he knew where they stood.
"What message?"
Brook asked.
Silvet looked at him.
"The one Elias intended for Sera."
Everyone became quiet.
Sera's face hardened.
"I don't want anything from him."
Silvet nodded.
"That's not what he asked."
Brook moved closer to her.
Silvet looked toward him.
"Protective."
Brook ignored him.
"What did Elias say?"
Silvet looked back at Sera.
"Not yet."
Brook frowned.
"What?"
Silvet's expression became almost amused.
"He was specific."
Shoyo stepped forward.
"You came all this way to deliver a message?"
Silvet looked at her.
"Not entirely."
Brook noticed that.
"Then what else?"
Silvet looked toward the ruins.
"The past."
Nobody spoke.
Silvet continued.
"I wanted to see what you had uncovered."
His eyes moved toward the underground city.
"And now I know."
Rick tightened his grip on the sword.
Silvet noticed.
"Relax."
Rick stared at him.
"No."
Silvet smiled.
"Good."
Brook glanced at Rick.
The response was identical to Rick's earlier answer.
Rick seemed to notice too.
He didn't smile.
Silvet walked toward one of the broken buildings.
Hades's guards immediately moved.
Hades raised his hand.
They stopped.
Silvet knelt beside the stone.
His fingers brushed dust away.
Underneath—
a symbol.
Brook recognized it.
Not because he understood it.
Because he had seen similar marks before.
Elias.
Sera stepped forward.
"That's his."
Shoyo turned toward her.
"You know it?"
Sera nodded slowly.
"I saw it in the forest."
Crowley looked at her.
"When?"
Sera's expression darkened.
"Before Azael attacked."
Brook watched Silvet.
"Why is Elias connected to this place?"
Silvet stood.
"He isn't."
Brook frowned.
Silvet looked at the symbol.
"Not directly."
Crowley stared.
"Then explain."
Silvet turned.
"Elias didn't come here for Remus."
His eyes moved toward Sera.
"He came here because Remus had something he needed."
Sera became completely still.
Brook noticed.
"What?"
Sera's voice was quiet.
Silvet smiled slightly.
"Now you remember."
Brook looked at her.
Sera shook her head.
"I don't."
Silvet's smile disappeared.
"Of course not."
Shoyo stepped forward.
"Don't."
Silvet looked at her.
"You still haven't told her?"
Shoyo's voice dropped.
"I said don't."
For the first time, the atmosphere changed.
Silvet's expression remained calm.
But Brook felt it.
Shoyo was afraid of this conversation.
Not of Silvet.
Of what he was about to say.
Sera looked between them.
"Tell me."
Shoyo looked at her.
Sera stepped forward.
"No more secrets."
The words stopped everyone.
Shoyo closed her eyes.
Brook watched her.
She had promised answers.
And now those answers were beginning to hurt.
Silvet spoke.
"Elias came looking for a source."
Brook frowned.
"A magic source?"
Silvet nodded.
Sera's face tightened.
Shoyo said nothing.
Brook looked at her.
"Is that true?"
Silvet answered.
"Yes."
Sera shook her head.
"I don't understand."
Silvet looked directly at her.
"You are not supposed to."
Crowley stepped forward.
"Explain."
Silvet's eyes moved to him.
For the first time, something cold entered his expression.
"No."
Crowley stared.
Silvet continued.
"That isn't my secret to reveal."
Brook frowned.
"Then why bring it up?"
Silvet looked at him.
"Because Elias already knows."
Silence.
Brook felt his stomach tighten.
Sera looked toward the ground.
Crowley's face hardened.
Shoyo finally spoke.
"He came for her."
Everyone turned.
Sera slowly looked up.
Shoyo's expression was full of regret.
"Elias came to Remus for Sera."
The dead city seemed quieter.
Brook looked at Sera.
She wasn't moving.
Silvet continued.
"He had other reasons."
Crowley's eyes narrowed.
"But she was the important one."
Brook's hand closed.
"What does he want?"
Silvet looked at him.
"The same thing people have always wanted."
Brook waited.
Silvet's eyes moved toward Sera.
"Power they don't understand."
Sera's breathing became shallow.
Brook stepped beside her.
She didn't acknowledge him.
Silvet reached inside his coat.
Rick immediately raised his sword.
Silvet stopped.
"Relax."
Rick stared at him.
Silvet slowly removed a small object.
A black piece of stone.
No larger than his palm.
He placed it on the ground.
Then stepped away.
"What's that?"
Henry asked.
"A message."
Brook frowned.
"From Elias?"
Silvet nodded.
Sera looked at the stone.
Nobody touched it.
Silvet watched them.
"Only she can open it."
Brook immediately looked at Sera.
"No."
Sera looked at him.
Brook shook his head.
"You don't know what it is."
Silvet smiled.
"Correct."
Brook stared.
Silvet looked toward Sera.
"But you do."
Sera frowned.
"What?"
Silvet nodded toward the stone.
"Listen."
Sera stared at it.
Then—
she heard something.
Brook knew because her expression changed.
Sera stepped closer.
Brook grabbed her wrist.
She looked at him.
"Brook."
"No."
"I can handle it."
"That's not the point."
Sera looked at him.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Sera gently pulled her hand free.
Brook let her.
She stepped toward the stone.
Shoyo whispered:
"Sera."
Sera stopped.
Everyone looked at Shoyo.
Shoyo's face had become pale again.
"Don't use Word Magic on it."
Sera looked down.
"I wasn't going to."
The black stone began moving.
Henry immediately raised his weapon.
Rick stepped forward.
Brook moved in front of Sera.
Crowley raised his hand.
Shoyo whispered something under her breath.
The stone stopped.
Then—
a voice came from it.
Elias.
Not physically.
Just his voice.
Clear.
Calm.
And far too familiar.
"Hello, Sera."
Nobody moved.
Sera's face hardened.
Elias continued.
"If you're hearing this, then Remus has already begun showing you what it hides."
Brook stared at the stone.
His hand remained near his weapon.
Elias laughed quietly.
"Brook is probably standing beside you."
Brook's expression changed.
The voice continued.
"Still trying to protect everyone."
Henry looked at Brook.
Brook ignored him.
Elias continued.
"Crowley will be confused."
Crowley's eyes narrowed.
"And Shoyo…"
The voice paused.
"Shoyo will be wondering how much longer she can keep lying."
Shoyo's face became cold.
The stone cracked.
A thin line of dark light appeared.
Brook moved toward it.
Sera lifted a hand.
"Wait."
Brook stopped.
Elias continued.
"I came to Remus looking for answers."
The voice became quieter.
"But I found something better."
Sera's fingers tightened.
"I found you."
The black stone began crumbling.
Elias's voice continued.
"You have spent your entire life believing your magic came from you."
Sera stopped breathing.
Brook looked at her.
Elias laughed quietly.
"That's almost true."
The stone cracked again.
"But your power has a beginning."
Shoyo stepped forward.
"Stop."
The voice continued.
"A source older than the magic you know."
The chamber became silent.
Sera stared at the crumbling stone.
Brook looked at Shoyo.
Shoyo closed her eyes.
Elias spoke one final sentence.
"I wonder when they'll finally tell you what you are."
The stone shattered.
Silence returned.
Sera didn't move.
Brook looked at Shoyo.
Shoyo looked back at him.
Nobody needed to ask.
The message had done what Elias intended.
It hadn't attacked them.
It hadn't hurt them.
It had planted doubt.
And now—
everyone was looking at Shoyo.
Silvet stepped backward.
Brook noticed.
"Where are you going?"
Silvet looked at him.
"My work here is finished."
Brook moved forward.
"You're not leaving."
Silvet smiled faintly.
"I wasn't asking."
Rick stepped between them.
Sword raised.
Silvet looked at him.
Then at the blade.
Something unreadable crossed his face.
"Take care of that."
Rick's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Silvet looked toward the darkness.
"Because eventually, someone will come looking for it."
Brook stepped forward again.
"Who?"
Silvet smiled.
But this time—
he didn't answer.
The lights beneath the ruined city flickered.
For one second, everything went dark.
Henry cursed.
Brook immediately moved toward Sera.
Rick raised his sword.
Crowley turned.
Shoyo whispered a spell.
The darkness lasted only a moment.
Then the lights returned.
Silvet was gone.
No sound.
No footsteps.
Nothing.
Only the black dust from Elias's message remained.
Brook stared at the empty road.
Then looked toward Sera.
She hadn't moved.
Shoyo approached her.
"Sera."
Sera looked at her.
Her eyes were filled with anger.
"Tell me."
Shoyo stopped.
Sera stepped forward.
"What am I?"
Nobody spoke.
Above them—
somewhere beyond the ancient city—
Remus continued living.
Unaware that another piece of the past had begun moving beneath it.
And somewhere far away—
Elias already knew the truth they were only beginning to uncover.
End of Chapter 131