The surviving soldiers stumbled backward in terror.

One dropped his spear completely.

Another whispered shakily:

“The sword accepted him…”

“No…”

An older captain stared at the child with pale, horrified eyes.

“…the sword recognized him.”

The boy slowly looked down at the black blade in his hands.

It was enormous.

Far too large for an eight-year-old child.

Yet somehow—

it felt weightless.

Almost familiar.

Crimson energy pulsed softly through the ancient metal while whispers echoed faintly around the ruined chamber.

Not voices of rage.

Voices of grief.

The child’s glowing eyes narrowed slightly.

Because somehow—

he could hear them.

Thousands of whispers buried inside the sword itself.

Dead kings.

Dead warriors.

An entire history trapped inside the black steel.

Then suddenly—

the blade moved.

SHHHHKKKK.

The sword’s crimson cracks spread farther upward.

Ancient runes ignited across the child’s arm like burning veins.

Pain exploded through his body.

The boy dropped to one knee instantly.

Outside the ruined fire chamber—

the temple bells began ringing violently on their own.

DOOOONG.

DOOOONG.

DOOOONG.

The soldiers panicked immediately.

“The seal is breaking!”

“We need to kill him NOW!”

Several archers raised their bows toward the child.

But before the arrows fired—

the black sword pulsed once.

THOOOOOOM.

An invisible shockwave blasted through the temple.

Every arrow shattered instantly midair.

Stone pillars cracked apart.

Armored soldiers were hurled across the chamber walls like broken dolls.

Dust and ash exploded everywhere.

And standing at the center of the destruction—

the starving child slowly rose again.

The crimson symbols beneath his eyes burned brighter now.

Not evil.

Ancient.

The sword suddenly whispered inside his mind.

“Finally…”

The boy froze.

His glowing eyes widened slightly.

Because the voice did not sound monstrous.

It sounded tired.

Lonely.

The child tightened his grip on the weapon.

“Who are you?”

For several seconds—

only silence answered him.

Then—

the black blade trembled softly.

“I no longer remember my own name.”

Outside the temple—

dark storm clouds swallowed the sky above Ashkar.

Thunder rolled endlessly across the mountains.

The surviving soldiers backed farther away from the child with every second.

Because the freezing air spreading from the sword felt unnatural.

Deadly.

Ancient ash began floating upward instead of falling.

One terrified priest collapsed to his knees.

“The Black King…”

The captain grabbed him violently.

“What are you talking about?!”

The priest pointed toward the sword with trembling hands.

“That blade belonged to him.”

Silence.

Every soldier in Ashkar knew the legend.

The Black King.

The final ruler of the First Kingdom.

The warlord so feared that entire nations burned their own cities rather than face his armies.

A king who conquered half the continent before vanishing centuries ago.

And according to forbidden stories—

his soul was sealed inside the cursed blade after death.

The child slowly lifted his head.

“The sword…”

His voice remained quiet.

“…belongs to a king?”

The priest looked horrified that the child could speak calmly at all.

“That weapon destroyed kingdoms.”

“Every person who touched it became a monster.”

The black blade whispered again inside the boy’s mind.

“They feared power they could not control.”

The child looked down silently.

Then asked the voice:

“Did you kill them?”

Long silence filled the sword.

Finally—

“Yes.”

The chamber grew colder instantly.

But strangely—

the boy did not release the weapon.

Because the voice inside the blade sounded filled with regret.

Not pride.

Then suddenly—

more soldiers flooded into the ruined temple.

Heavy armored knights carrying massive tower shields surrounded the chamber entrances.

At their center—

stood General Kael.

The king’s execution commander.

Tall.

Cold-eyed.

Covered in black armor stained by countless wars.

The moment he saw the child holding the sword—

his expression darkened instantly.

“So the rumors were true.”

The boy stared quietly at him.

General Kael slowly drew his enormous axe.

“Kill the child.”

The knights hesitated.

Even now—

fear remained visible beneath their helmets.

Because the flames themselves had bowed away from the boy.

Kael’s voice thundered louder:

“THAT IS AN ORDER!”

The soldiers charged.

BOOOOM.

The child vanished.

The knights froze in confusion.

Then—

SHHHHHKKKK.

A black-red slash exploded across the chamber.

Five armored shields split apart instantly.

The soldiers behind them were hurled backward violently across the ruins.

The child stood motionless behind them—

the gigantic sword resting calmly in one hand.

The entire temple fell silent.

Even the boy himself looked shocked.

Because he barely remembered moving.

The sword whispered softly:

“I remember battle.”

General Kael’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Interesting.”

Dark chains suddenly unraveled from beneath his armor.

The child froze.

Because those chains looked exactly like the ones once wrapped around the black sword.

Ancient sealing chains.

Kael smiled coldly.

“You are not the first vessel chosen by cursed relics.”

The ground beneath him cracked open.

And slowly—

a second weapon emerged from beneath the temple floor.

A crimson spear wrapped in black chains.

The air itself screamed around it.

Several priests immediately fled the chamber in terror.

Because Ashkar feared only one thing more than cursed swords.

Twin Relics.

General Kael grabbed the spear.

BOOOOOOM.

Dark crimson lightning exploded through the ruins.

The temple ceiling shattered apart.

Outside—

thousands of ravens suddenly erupted into the sky above the mountains.

The starving child stared silently at the spear.

The voice inside the black sword whispered:

“Bloodpiercer…”

The boy blinked slightly.

“You know it?”

A long pause.

Then—

“It killed me.”

The child’s eyes widened.

Suddenly—

ancient memories flashed violently through his mind.

Not his memories.

The sword’s.

A battlefield drowned in blood.

Burning skies.

A gigantic armored king holding the black blade while a crimson spear pierced directly through his chest.

Betrayal.

The child staggered backward slightly.

General Kael smiled wider.

“The sword remembers.”

Crimson lightning spiraled around the spear.

“For centuries this kingdom guarded both relics separately.”

His eyes darkened toward the child.

“But tonight…”

The spear pointed directly at the boy.

“…the war between kings finally ends.”

BOOOOOOOOM.

Kael attacked first.

The crimson spear pierced forward like lightning itself.

The child barely raised the black sword in time.

CLAAAAAAANG.

The impact shattered half the temple.

Ancient pillars collapsed instantly.

The boy was blasted backward through stone walls into the outer ruins.

Dust exploded everywhere.

Pain shot through his arms.

But before he could recover—

Kael appeared again directly above him.

Fast.

Far too fast for a human.

The spear descended toward the child’s chest.

Then suddenly—

the black sword moved by itself.

SHHHHHKKKK.

A massive wall of black fire erupted upward between them.

Kael leapt backward instantly.

For the first time—

surprise crossed his face.

The starving boy slowly stood again.

Black flames spiraled around his body now.

Not burning him.

Protecting him.

The voice inside the sword whispered quietly:

“You are different.”

The child tightened his grip.

“How?”

The sword answered:

“You are not afraid of me.”

Thunder exploded above the ruined temple.

The child looked toward the terrified soldiers surrounding them.

Then back toward Kael.

“I know what fear looks like.”

His glowing crimson eyes narrowed.

“And you look more afraid than I do.”

Kael’s face darkened instantly.

Because the child was right.

For the first time in years—

the execution general felt genuine fear.

Not fear of the boy.

Fear of the thing awakening inside him.

The spear suddenly screamed violently in Kael’s hands.

As if reacting to the black sword.

The voice inside the blade whispered again:

“He plans to feed you to the gate.”

The child frowned slightly.

“What gate?”

Before the sword could answer—

the entire mountain suddenly shook.

Not from battle.

From beneath.

Deep underground.

CRAAAAAAAACK.

Gigantic fractures spread across the temple floor.

The soldiers screamed in panic.

And somewhere far below the ruins—

something ancient began roaring in the darkness.