The moon cast a pale shadow over the cemetery.
Its cold light barely pierced the thick fog that blanketed the ground. The mist hung heavy in the air—so dense that even the moon's rays struggled to reach below.
A strange chill lingered.
Not just on the skin…
but deep within the mind.
With every breath, it felt as if something unseen was seeping into them.
A figure emerged through the fog.
Something rested over his left shoulder.
Raijin stepped forward slowly, stopping before Sofiya and Ishan. He carefully lowered Kade onto the ground.
The bleeding from Kade's wounds had stopped, and his breathing had stabilized.
For a moment, Raijin's hands remained on Kade's shoulder—
as if he needed that contact just to stay upright.
His fingers trembled faintly…
the aftershock of a battle that had pushed him to his limits.
Sofiya's eyes widened as she took in his condition.
His clothes were drenched in blood. His body was exhausted.
And yet—
there was a strange calm in his eyes.
"What… what happened?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"Did that monster die? And you… how are you in this state?"
Raijin answered without haste.
"We're fine," he said quietly.
"And yes… it's dead."
He paused.
Then, in a lower voice—
"His name was Alaric."
He didn't meet their eyes.
As if the weight of that name still lingered on him.
For a moment…
even the cold of the cemetery felt lighter than it.
Sofiya and Ishan exchanged a glance.
Ishan frowned, trying to make sense of it—
but logic slipped through his grasp again and again.
Sofiya parted her lips—
but no words came out.
This wasn't just confusion.
It was something she didn't want to accept.
"What are you trying to say?" Ishan asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
"Who is Alaric?"
A faint, pained smile touched Raijin's lips.
"The monster you're talking about…" he said softly,
"…was once human."
He paused.
"No… his name is Alaric."
Silence followed.
The unspoken question hung in the air—
What exactly happened here?
Sofiya gathered her courage.
"Raijin… tell us clearly. What happened?"
Raijin lowered his head.
Some things didn't need words to be understood.
"I made a promise to him," he said quietly.
"When I meet his mother… I'll tell her everything."
Kade, now barely sitting up, said nothing.
None of them did.
Then—
A voice cut through the silence.
"So… this time, he chose you."
There was no anger in it.
But there was something else—
certainty.
As if it already knew what would happen next.
All three froze.
The fog began to move again.
A figure stood within it.
The air grew heavier.
The voice hadn't come from nearby—
yet it felt as if someone had leaned close to Raijin's ear and whispered.
"Ah… so this time, he chose you."
Raijin's eyes narrowed.
A cold shiver ran through his body.
This wasn't just exhaustion.
This voice stirred something deeper—
something buried.
Something old.
His heartbeat turned uneven.
This wasn't fear.
This was the same feeling—
the one he had felt when he first stood on the edge of death.
Sofiya quickly looked around.
"Did any of you hear that?"
Ishan shook his head slowly, his fingers tightening against the ground.
"That wasn't us," he said.
"No one here talks like that."
The fog between the graves was no longer still.
It pulsed—
as if breathing alongside something unseen.
Kade pushed himself up.
The dried blood on his clothes had turned dark, but his gaze remained fixed ahead.
"That voice…" he muttered, throat dry.
"It wasn't talking to us."
A pause.
"It was talking to Raijin."
Raijin remained silent.
His grip tightened.
Somewhere within the fog—
behind the broken graves—
something stepped forward.
And this time—
it was close.
The fog didn't retreat.
It parted.
As if welcoming them.
Two figures emerged.
One was draped entirely in a brown coat. Its face hidden beneath shadow. Barefoot—touching the earth as if it belonged to him.
The second stood calmly.
An old face—
but eyes that held a cold, unsettling gleam.
Raijin and the others instinctively shifted into a fighting stance.
But their hands trembled.
As if something was draining their will to fight.
Raijin's gaze locked onto the second figure.
His eyes widened.
"Father… Eldred?"
For a moment—
his mind went blank.
Everything stopped.
The cloaked figure turned its gaze toward Sofiya, Ishan, and Kade.
Just one look—
—and they collapsed.
No sound.
No resistance.
They simply fell.
Unconscious.
Lifeless.
As if severed from themselves.
"No!" Raijin shouted, panic breaking through.
"What did you do?! Who are you?! What is this?!"
Father Eldred raised the lantern slightly.
Its dim light flickered across the graves.
His voice was calm. Heavy. Controlled.
"This…"
A pause.
"…is a servant of the Earth God."
Raijin's breath caught.
"The Servant of the Earth God…"
The words slipped from his lips.
His sword trembled.
Then—
his eyes met the figure before him.
The servant spoke.
"So… this time, they have chosen you."
Raijin's voice faltered.
"Chosen…? For what?"
The servant stepped forward.
"Do you truly know nothing?"
Raijin shook his head slowly.
Sweat ran down his face.
The servant's gaze sharpened.
"That means you are still ignorant," he said.
"There is still time left."
A faint pause.
"And that is exactly why it is easier for you."
Raijin's hands shook.
His heart pounded wildly.
"I don't know why…" he muttered,
"…but I feel like running."
"Like leaving everything behind…"
He steadied himself.
"Easier… for what?"
Father Eldred remained silent.
The lantern light did not reach the servant's face.
"When you are not meant to know," the servant said,
"you are told nothing."
"And when nothing is told…"
"…you are not meant to ask."
Silence followed.
The servant observed Raijin carefully.
His gaze drifted to Raijin's chest—
lingering.
As if seeing something no one else could.
A faint green aura flickered there.
The servant's eyes widened slightly.
"Interesting…"
His voice dropped.
"It is merging with you… slowly."
"That is why you were able to touch the Mortal Realm so soon… and evolve your Nexus Seed."
A pause.
"You have already reached the boundary…"
"…beyond which lies nothing but destruction."
Raijin tried to raise his sword—
—but his hand stopped.
Mid-air.
As if something had stripped away his will to fight.
Then—
blood spilled from his mouth.
His gaze dropped.
A hole.
In his chest.
Perfect.
Empty.
His body trembled.
He looked up.
The servant stood before him.
And in his hand—
Raijin's heart beat.
Steady.
Alive.
Thud.
Raijin collapsed.
His eyes remained open—
but empty.
As if still trying to understand.
The fog stilled once more.
As if nothing had happened.
But this time—
the cemetery was not empty.
Not anymore.
.
.
.
Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi