Return of the Forsaken.
The sky was painted in pale orange and soft gold as the sun finally broke across the horizon. The battlefield glowed beneath the early dawn light, pools of blood and broken ground reflecting the new day as if the earth itself remembered the chaos moments earlier.
Ray stood at the entrance of the village, his breathing steady, his sword resting silently at his side. The monsters sat behind him in a disciplined formation, their massive bodies still and controlled, no longer growling or raging. Dawn light shimmered across their scales and fur, making them appear almost majestic rather than terrifying.
Vezir stood slightly behind Ray, head bowed, his torn black cloak fluttering weakly in the cool morning breeze.
Villagers gradually emerged from their homes, confusion etched onto their faces. Some still held weapons, others held their children close. Arthur and Eldric stepped forward, eyes locked on Ray and the silent army behind him.
Ray's voice carried strongly across the clearing.
"Everyone, listen."
The murmurs stopped.
"These monsters are no longer enemies. We have taken control of them. They will not attack us."
Gasps, shock, disbelief.
"This man—" Ray gestured to Vezir, who lifted his head slightly, "—is Vezir. From today onward, treat him as one of us. He will live here under my protection."
Vezir stepped forward and bowed deeply. "I am Vezir. A Monster Tamer. I will serve you with loyalty."
Whispers spread rapidly.
"Monster Tamer…?"
"I thought they were extinct…"
"To control beasts like these… that's—"
Monster Tamers were once a rare type of mage capable of controlling and training monsters. Their numbers became so few that people eventually believed they had gone extinct.
The tension finally began to loosen. Awe slowly replaced fear. Children peeked from behind adults, staring at the once-terrifying creatures now sitting obediently like trained guardians.
Ray nodded once. "That's enough for now. Everyone, rest. We begin rebuilding and training soon."
People began dispersing, still stunned, but with hope instead of panic.
Ray turned toward Vezir after the crowd began to disperse.
"Come. I'll take you to my place. We need to talk privately."
Vezir nodded, falling into step behind him as they walked through the quiet morning village. The sunlight filtered through the branches overhead, casting shifting patterns across the ground. The monsters lay resting near the gate, watching them silently like faithful guardians.
They reached the far edge of the village, where the forest thickened. Vezir stopped, eyes widening in surprise.
There, rising above the trees, stood Ray's home — a structure built high among the branches of an enormous ancient tree. A spiral staircase of intertwined roots and wooden planks wrapped around the trunk, leading up to a platform concealed by leaves and branches. The house itself was crafted from smooth timber and reinforced vines, elegant yet sturdy, blending seamlessly with nature.
"You live… up there?" Vezir asked, almost speechless.
Ray nodded casually. "Yes. It's quiet. And safe."
Vezir stared upward as a faint breeze rustled the leaves, revealing more details — bridges connecting to other branches, hanging lanterns made from beast cores, and wind chimes carved from bone gently ringing in the morning wind.
"I've seen towering fortresses and floating citadels," Vezir said slowly, disbelief in his voice, "but I never imagined a home like this. It feels… alive."
Ray placed a hand on the trunk.
"It is. The tree responded to my energy. It strengthened itself when I built into it — like it approved."
Vezir looked at Ray with stunned respect.
"That shouldn't be possible right now. Only those deeply connected to nature or creation energy could ever influence a living being like this."
Ray said nothing, only motioned upward.
Both men bent their knees slightly — and with a single bound, they launched upward, landing halfway up. Another effortless leap carried them onto the wooden platform with perfect balance.
Vezir looked at Ray and laughed softly in disbelief.
"It seems neither of us forgot how to move."
Ray allowed a small smile.
"Balance was the first thing I trained."
The wind brushed against them, cool and fresh. From that height, the entire village was visible — small houses beneath them, villagers beginning their morning routines, the monsters resting quietly like oversized wolves.
The platform swayed slightly with the wind, but Ray stood still, body relaxed. Vezir, however, shifted his footing instinctively.
Ray watched him with a raised brow. "You're unstable."
Vezir lifted an eyebrow. "It has been a long time since I stood where the wind decides my balance."
Ray stepped forward on the narrow support beam, barely wider than a hand. He walked easily, as if strolling on flat ground.
Vezir followed, and for a moment, his foot slipped. The beam shook.
Ray reached out instinctively, gripping Vezir's wrist, steadying him.
Vezir exhaled sharply and chuckled under his breath.
"Even after everything, I still cannot surpass you in the simplest things."
Ray released him and stepped back.
"Balance isn't strength. It's awareness. Awareness is survival."
Vezir nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful and respectful.
Then Ray pushed open the wooden door to his home.
"Come inside. We have much to discuss."
---
The wooden door closed softly behind them. Ray walked towards the table and opened a drawer, removing two books.
"These are what I wanted to show you."
Vezir's eyes narrowed slightly as he read the titles stamped faintly on the covers.
Fangs of Chaos
Arts of Nightmare
Ray spoke quietly, voice low and steady:
"I copied the Fangs of Chaos from the original text I found. And the other one — this book — is the original. The Arts of Nightmare."
Vezir's breath caught in his throat. His hand hovered above the ancient tome, afraid to touch it.
Vezir's hands trembled as he touched the covers, his breathing unsteady. "These… this should not exist anymore," he whispered. "How did you obtain it?"
Ray's gaze hardened. "Inside the Ark of Void."
Vezir looked up sharply, shock written across his face, but Ray only turned toward the door. "There is something more I want to show you. Come."
Ray and Vezir walked deeper into the forest, the morning light filtering through the canopy in thin golden beams. The air grew colder as they approached—the silence thick, as though the world itself held its breath. Even the wind stilled. The sunlight dimmed, swallowed by the dense towering trees that guarded the ancient path.
The ground beneath their feet changed from soft soil to smooth stone, carved with runes too old to read.
As they stepped closer, the ruins came into full view.
A massive stone structure stood infront—dark gray walls covered in creeping black vines, its surface cracked yet imposing, exuding a dormant but heavy power. At its center stood the colossal metal doors carved into the mountain face—towering several meters high, thick and seamless, forged of an unrecognizable dark alloy that devoured the light around it.
Ray stopped just a few steps away, staring at the ancient entrance.
His pulse quickened. Something in his chest resonated—like a faint echo responding to a call .
The ground vibrated beneath his feet.
The symbols carved into the massive door—previously invisible—began to glow faintly, forming runes in the shape of swirling spirals. The glow intensified rapidly, shifting from dull red to bright crimson.
Vezir's eyes widened, voice trembling. "Lord… it recognizes you."
A deep sound rumbled from within the mountain, like thunder trapped underground. Dust fell from the ceiling as the air crackled with energy.
The runes blazed with crimson light, flickering like living fire.
Ray stepped forward instinctively.
The moment his fingertips brushed the surface, the doors responded violently—a surge of power erupted outward, sweeping the air back like a shockwave. The runes pulsed in sync with Ray's heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
The ground shook.
Then—
The doors split open slowly with a deafening groan, metal grinding against stone like the roar of a massive beast awakening. A beam of crimson light burst outward from the widening gap, illuminating Ray and Vezir in stark red.
Warm energy washed over Ray's skin, as if welcoming something long lost.
The doors opened fully, revealing the vast chamber inside—dark stone walls etched with more glowing runes and the towering ancient throne at the center.
The light dimmed, fading into silence, leaving only an echoing hum of power resonating around them.
Vezir stared at throne, trembling in awe. "The Ark...
It still exists."
Ray said nothing.
He stepped inside, the echo of his footsteps swallowed by the ancient chamber, the weight of forgotten lives pressing down on his heart.
The chamber felt alive—responding to Ray's presence with pulsing energy.
Vezir looked around with recognition and disbelief. "So it was truly here…"
Then his gaze shifted to Ray, studying him deeply.
"Lord Ray," he said quietly, "Now I understand...what flows inside you now… it is no longer mana."
Ray frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Vezir stepped closer, voice solemn.
"It is the Essence of Existence. The purest energy of creation. The origin of nature itself. A power beyond mortal limits."
Ray's heart tightened.
He had suspected something was different… but not like this.
Ray walked deeper into the chamber. The air grew colder, the ancient stone walls humming with faint vibrations. Six massive doors stood embedded into the rock, each carved with different symbols — faintly glowing, waiting.
Without hesitation, Ray approached the second door.
As he drew near, the runes across its surface flared to life with a dark violet radiance, reacting instantly to his presence. A pulse of power rippled across the chamber — the sealed mechanisms shifting like awakening stone giants. The door split apart silently, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.
Vezir followed slowly, his steps heavy with awe.
Inside, different metals was held — glowing faintly under the soft light. The air smelled metallic and sharp.
At the center lay a dark metal streaked with azure lightning veins, its surface alive with flickering arcs of energy. Surrounding it were other metals — different steels and iron — each resting in compressed blocks that radiated overwhelming power.
Vezir froze, breath stolen from his lungs.
"Impossible…" he whispered. "These metals…Azurite..? How did they find these? I thought they were all stolen."
Ray looked over them silently. "I will need them soon."
Vezir swallowed hard, then reached inside his cloak. His hand emerged holding a small purple orb, swirling with inner smoke that looked like condensed void energy. The sphere bent the light around it, warping the edges of reality itself.
He pressed it gently into Ray's hand.
"Take this."
Ray studied the orb, its cold surface vibrating faintly against his palm.
Vezir spoke with reverence: "A space artifact — forged with void essence. It can store anything inside it, even entire vaults. Use it to hold these metals."
Ray's expression shifted slightly — surprise mixed with silent respect.
"It reacts only to those with the right resonance," Vezir added. "Anyone else who tries to use it will be devoured by the void inside."
The orb pulsed once with a deep violet glow, as though acknowledging its new master.
Ray nodded once, gripping it firmly.
"Then it's time," he said quietly.
The void orb suddenly began to melt, the solid surface liquefying as though heated by invisible flames. The purple metal softened into a flowing substance and dripped through Ray's fingers like living liquid.
Vezir's eyes widened.
The liquid void crawled across Ray's palm, swirling around his skin like a ribbon of smoke and light. It climbed up his wrist, spreading across his forearm — then seeped directly into his body, disappearing beneath the skin without leaving a mark.
A faint pulse echoed through the chamber — thump… thump… — like a heartbeat made of energy.
Vezir stared at Ray, speechless, trembling in awe.
Ray said nothing at first. He looked toward the metals resting in the chamber— Azurite blazing with electric blue veins, Steel that glimmered with an unusual silver glow and iron that had a crimson tint.
He raised his hand toward them.
The air vibrated — a deep hum resonating throughout the chamber. A faint violet mist coiled around Ray's arm and gathered around his palm. The pedestals trembled as the metals lifted from their mounts, floating gently into the air as if called by an unseen force.
One by one, the metal blocks drifted toward Ray.
The newly merged void-space energy flickered — forming a swirling purple vortex in front of his palm. It expanded silently, bending the light around it like a miniature black hole.
The metals slid into it effortlessly, vanishing without a sound, drawn into endless space contained within Ray's body.
Whoooom…
A pulse of pressure rippled across the chamber. The vortex sealed shut, collapsing into a single spark of purple light before disappearing into Ray's skin again.
Ray lowered his hand, feeling the faint hum beneath his skin.
"It worked," Ray murmured. A quiet certainty settled in his voice.
"As I thought… everything made of void merges into nothingness."
Vezir stared at him, stunned, unable to form words.
"As I thought, Our king is really back."
Ray did not respond. His eyes were fixed on the ancient black throne at the center of the chamber — carved from stone darker than night, radiating oppressive authority.
Vezir stepped toward it slowly, his expression solemn.
He knelt deeply, bowing his head to the ground.
"Please, my lord ."
Ray hesitated for a moment — something within him tightening, resisting. A heavy stillness filled the chamber, amplified by the weight of countless forgotten years.
Then he stepped forward and sat on the majestic throne that looked as if it stood above all.
Instantly, black mist erupted from beneath the throne, swirling violently around Ray. It coiled up his arms and wrapped around his body like living shadow.
The air thundered, echoing through the stone walls.
The ground trembled, cracks spreading outward from the throne like spiderwebs.
Time itself warped, the world bending and twisting at the edges of Ray's vision.
His sight fractured — then focused sharply, painfully.
Light collapsed into darkness.
And the memory seized him.
Ray stood in a vast hall of dark stone. Torches with violet flames flickered. Power radiated from every surface.
Ten figures stood before him.
Five knelt, heads bowed in absolute loyalty—Vezir among them, younger, stronger.
Five stood, upright and proud.
Two were women.
One stepped forward — Her silver hair flowed like liquid moonlight, and her white, crystalline eyes shone with a glow colder than winter stars. Cold mist swirled around her feet, freezing the ground beneath her in delicate patterns of frost — ice so pure it looked alive, spreading outward like blooming snowflakes.
She stopped just before Ray, her presence commanding yet gentle.
Her eyes met his — and though they were cold as ice, they held a fierce warmth meant only for him.
"I stand by your side," she said softly, her voice steady and unwavering.
Then, a faint smile touched her lips — tender, intimate, unbreakable.
"Always… my king."
The memory shattered.
Ray gasped as he returned to the ruin, gripping the throne to steady himself.
Vezir stepped forward urgently. "What did you see?"
Ray's eyes remained unfocused for a moment, his breathing uneven.
He swallowed hard.
"A woman," Ray said quietly. "She called me king. She used ice—"
Ray suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his words dying as something clicked inside his mind — a memory fragment snapping into place. His expression shifted, the confusion sharpening into urgency.
He turned toward Vezir.
"Vezir," Ray asked slowly, "who is the woman with silver hair?"
Silence hung heavy.
Ray's voice dropped lower, almost a whisper:
"She addressed herself as the queen."
A thick silence filled the chamber.
Vezir's brows furrowed, confusion tightening his face.
"Where did you see her?" he asked carefully, his voice tense.
Ray looked down for a moment, recalling the scene.
"I didn't," he said quietly. "The villagers saw her. She appeared when I was inside the Ark. They told me she was overwhelmingly powerful — like a goddess."
The chamber fell completely still.
Vezir's eyes widened — then his entire body went rigid, as if struck by lightning. His expression shifted from shock to disbelief, and then — overwhelmingly — to a trembling joy he could not contain.
His voice cracked.
"She survived."
His shoulders shook, breath trembling as years of grief loosened inside him.
"She was your wife and our Queen, My lord."
His eyes glistened, overflowing with relief.
"I am… relieved beyond words."
Ray's breath faltered.
The word Queen struck something inside him — not recognition, but a quiet unease, a pressure in his chest as if a forgotten door was straining to open.
He looked at Vezir, his voice low and unsteady.
"What… was her name?"
Vezir lowered his head, reverence in every syllable.
"Aurora."
The moment the name reached Ray, something shifted inside him — a sharp ache blooming in his chest, cold and warm at the same time. His heart tightened as if it remembered what his mind could not.
His lips parted on instinct, voice barely a whisper — fragile, trembling, filled with something he couldn't explain.
"Aurora…"
The name lingered in the air like a fading melody, echoing through the silent chamber.
"The name lingered in the air like a fading melody, echoing through the silent chamber — as if the stone walls themselves remembered it, though Ray could not. The ache in his chest deepened, twisting like a wound he never knew existed.
Ray's gaze sharpened, the weight of unanswered questions pressing down on him.
He turned slowly toward Vezir, eyes steady but shadowed.
"Vezir… the one who emerged from the ring—who was he?"
The shift in Vezir was immediate.
Joy vanished from his face, replaced by dread. Even the air grew colder.
"I cannot speak about him."
His voice dropped to a shaken whisper.
"His name, his existence—too dangerous now. Speaking it invites death."
Ray took a step closer, the floor vibrating faintly beneath his feet.
"Then tell me this," he said quietly, "how strong were you?"
Vezir's shoulders sank, his head lowering under the weight of old scars.
"I was powerful," he admitted. "One of the strongest. But my power was stolen."
Ray's expression tightened.
"And the others? The rest of them?"
Vezir closed his eyes, pain tightening across his face.
"I don't know," he whispered. "We were scattered across worlds."
Silence pressed between them — heavy, suffocating, as if the ruin itself mourned what was lost. The echoes of the past clung to the air, refusing to fade.
Silence pressed between them — heavy, suffocating, as if the ruin itself mourned what was lost. The echoes of the past clung to the air, refusing to fade.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The only sound was the faint hum of the ancient walls, resonating like a heartbeat that belonged to a world long dead.
Slowly, Ray exhaled — a quiet, controlled breath that carried the weight of everything he had just learned, and everything he still did not know.
Without another word, he turned away from the throne.
Vezir followed silently, their footsteps echoing against stone as they walked toward the exit. The chamber's dim violet light faded behind them, swallowed by darkness, until at last the massive doors parted and spilled golden rays of dawn across their faces.
---
They stepped outside, the sunlight warming their skin as the ruin sealed shut behind them with a low, final rumble — as if closing the past away once more.
Ray lifted his eyes to the sky, the early light reflecting in his still-shadowed gaze, his expression unreadable.
Memories he couldn't fully grasp.
A queen he couldn't reach.
A past buried in shadows.
A future demanding strength he didn't yet have.
Everyone leans on me. Everyone expects me to be unbreakable.
But I am still weak.
Still alone.
For the first time in years, Ray felt a hollow ache in his chest — a feeling unfamiliar and unsettling.
He barely knew her…
He remembered almost nothing about her…
Yet his heart unknowingly longed for her.
For a queen he has never met.
End of the Chapter