There was a special silence in this artificial tunnel — not oppressive, but attentive. The air seemed to vibrate with tension, as if the space around him was adjusting to Leng Wei's will. The dagger's light, which had been dissipating before, now gathered into a bright ray, illuminating the path like daylight.
"Interesting," Han muttered, looking around. — Walls... they became smoother. It's like the tunnel is adjusting to fit us.The elder ran his hand over the surface, which was turning from rough stone into a smooth, warm material dotted with silver veins."This is not the magic of the Tomb. This is the answer to your will, heir. This place has recognized you."
Leng Wei walked ahead, feeling his every step echo in the dungeon structure. He no longer felt resistance, just dialogue. His blood flowed calmly, combining both cold clarity and rage ready to flare up.
The tunnel led them into a room unlike the previous ones. It wasn't a hall or a cave, but a cross between a library and an observatory. The vaulted ceiling was studded with shimmering stones that reproduced a map of the starry sky. The walls were lined not with books, but with crystals that pulsed with light. Each of them contained not knowledge, but memory —fragments of thoughts, emotions, and moments of life.
In the center of the room, on a low pedestal, lay a single object—a simple silver bracelet made of intertwined metal threads.
"Be careful,— the Elder warned. "Artifacts in such places are rarely just decorations."
Leng Wei approached the bracelet. It was cold, but there was a soft light flickering in its depths. Leng Wei felt a strange recognition, as if this thing had always been waiting for him.
"Take me," sounded in his mind. The voice was calm and wise, devoid of threat or demand.
He held out his hand. The moment his fingers touched the metal, the room disappeared.
The vision.
He was standing in the throne room, but it was not the place he had seen before. There was light and life here. His father sat on the throne, not a stern warrior, but a wise ruler. Next to him stood his mother, a woman with kind eyes, full of health and radiance.
"Power is not control or destruction, son," his father said, and his voice was full of warmth and life. "Strength is balance. The ability to be as flexible as steel and as resilient as a rock. Remember, the real power is not to subjugate, but to inspire."
"And true love," the mother added, "is not a weakness, but the source of the greatest strength. She gives you a reason to fight and stay human."
His vision has changed. Now he saw himself, not as a dark doppelganger, but as what he could become. He stood before humans and vampires, not as a conqueror, but as a leader. There was no fury or coldness in his eyes, but determination and compassion.
"You carry a legacy, but your path is your own," his father's voice sounded. "We trust you not only with our strength, but also with our hopes."
The vision disappeared, and Leng Wei stood in the room again, holding the bracelet in his hands. Now he understood that it was not a weapon or a defense. It was a symbol. Reminder.
"What was that?" the Khan asked quietly.
"A past that could have been," Leng Wei replied. "And the future that may come."
He put the bracelet on his wrist. The metal closed up, becoming a part of him. There was no surge of strength, only a deep, unshakable confidence.
At the same moment, the whole room seemed to sigh. The crystals on the walls shone brighter, and streams of light poured out of them, merging into a single figure in the center of the room.
It wasn't a ghost or a guardian. It was the First King himself, or his image, preserved in the memory of the Tomb.
"You chose a path that was not offered," he said, and his voice was like distant thunder. "You've accepted yourself completely. Few have reached this place, and no one has come this way."
Leng Wei bowed respectfully. "I came here not for strength, but for understanding," he said.
"Understanding is true strength," the First King replied. "You carry the blood of kings in you, but the king is not the one who rules. A king is someone who serves. Someone who takes on the burden of others so that they can move forward."
His image began to fade. "The enemies you face don't know this truth. They crave power for its own sake. You have to be stronger than them—not with rage, not with cold, but with unity."
The light began to fade. "My time is up. Remember, the real test is not waiting for you here. It's waiting for you up there, where worlds collide."
When the lights went out completely, the room was transformed. A door leading back to the Academy appeared on the wall.
"Is that... all?" The Khan asked in disbelief. "No battle? No final test?"
"The test has already been passed," the Elder said. "He overcame it when he refused to choose between two extremes."
Leng Wei stood in front of the door, feeling completely different—not just stronger, but whole. The bracelet on his wrist became not just a source of energy, but a real anchor, reminding him of who he was and who he could become.
"We're going back," he said. "Now we know what we're fighting. And for what."
They left the Tomb, leaving behind ancient secrets. However, Leng Wei understood that the most difficult part was just beginning. Ahead of him were the Academy, the Council, the True Masters and the fate that he had to change.
And in the depths of his soul, where darkness and light had fought before, there was now a fragile but solid balance.