Leng Wei's touch to the crystal was not a collision, but a fusion. He wasn't attacking or defending himself— he was ** listening**.
And in this hearing, he heard not anger or thirst for power, but endless, all-consuming loneliness.
* "I was created to stop the pain,"* the Heart of Silence whispered, and its voice was like the soft tinkle of broken glass. * "Every war, every betrayal, every tear... I absorbed them all. Until only Silence remains."*
Visions came flooding back to Leng Wei. He saw ancient vampires creating an artifact during the great civil war. Not for enslavement, but as an act of desperation— to stop the endless cycle of violence.
* "But you got lost," Leng Wei replied mentally. * "You've become what you've been fighting against. You didn't stop the pain—you destroyed everything that makes life a life."*
The guard rushed forward with a shout, but Han and Jin blocked his path.
"Don't bother him," Khan growled, his blades locked with the Guard's arms. "This is his battle."
"And ours," Jin added, and his silver eyes shone with determination.
Leng Wei continued his dialogue with the Heart of Silence. He showed him what he had forgotten: the first laugh of a child, the warmth of a loving person's touch, pride in overcoming difficulties, and the joy of creativity...
* "This... chaos," there was doubt in the Artifact's voice.*
* "This is life," Leng Wei gently corrected him. "And it's worth living it, with all its pain and joy."*
The bracelet on his wrist began to pulse in time with the crystal. The crimson light mixed with the transparency of the Heart, creating new, unprecedented colors.
"What is he doing?" whispered Lin Mei in fright.
"It heals," the Elder replied, and there were tears in his eyes. "He doesn't destroy the artifact. It gives him a new purpose."
The heart of Silence began to change. Its absolute transparency was filled with flickering sparks, as if tiny stars were igniting in it.
* "I... remember," the artifact whispered. "I remember why I was created. Not for suppression. For... harmony".*
The guard stepped back, his face contorted with horror. "No way! You're ruining an work of centuries! You're bringing us back to chaos!"
But it was already too late.
The heart of Silence... ** sighed **.
A wave of energy swept through the hall, but it was not apathy, but something completely different. A feeling of clarity, deep understanding, and unity.
The Council members froze, and then slowly began to fall to their knees. Their glazed gazes cleared, filled with confusion and pain... and awareness.
"What... What have we done?" one of them whispered, looking at his hands.
The Heart of Silence no longer floated; it pulsed softly on the altar, radiating a warm, vibrant light. It was no longer a tool of suppression, but a symbol of balance.
Leng Wei lowered his hand, his face pale from the effort, but his eyes were shining.
"It's free," he said. "And it remembers its true nature."
The guard was on his knees, broken. "You don't understand... Without control, we will destroy ourselves."
"Perhaps," Leng Wei agreed. "But it will be **our** choice. Our mistake. Our opportunity to learn."
He turned to his companions, the former guards, the awakened Council members.
"The war is over, but the work is just beginning. We have to create something new. Not the vampire empire. Not the dictatorship of the people. Something... third."
Suddenly, the walls of the hall trembled. Somewhere in the depths of the Academy, something ancient had awakened, awakened by a change in his Heart.
The Elder frowned, "The other True Masters… They feel what happened."
Leng Wei glanced at the transformed artifact, then at the people around him.
"Let them come," he said simply. "We're ready."
And for the first time in a long time, he felt not the heaviness of waiting for a battle, but the lightness of anticipating a new day.
The Heart of Silence—now the Heart of Harmony—pulsed in time with his own heart, reminding him that the greatest power comes not from control, but from understanding.