Echoes Of The Forgotten

The chamber remained silent, but Viole's mind churned.

Someone had carried this power before him. Someone who had lost.

His fists tightened. "Who was he?"

The Sealed One's expression didn't change. "A warrior. A hunter. Much like you."

"That's not an answer," Ha-eun said sharply.

"It is all you need." The Sealed One turned, moving toward the towering stone in the center of the chamber. Their silver chains clinked softly with each step. "Names are irrelevant. His fate is what matters."

Viole followed. "Then tell me his fate."

The Sealed One placed a hand against the stone. A pulse of light shimmered outward, illuminating ancient carvings that spiraled across its surface—figures locked in battle, shadows consuming the sky, a lone warrior standing against the dark.

"He did not master the Hunger." Their voice was quiet but heavy. "It mastered him."

Viole's breath slowed.

"The Hunger took over?"

"No." Their fingers traced a deep groove in the stone. "He became the Hunger."

A chill crawled up Viole's spine. "What does that mean?"

The Sealed One turned back to him. "You saw it, did you not? The power inside you is not just an extension of yourself. It is something greater. Something older. A force that does not belong to you alone."

The memory of the shadowed figure flickered in Viole's mind. The voice that had spoken to him.

We have waited for you.

"Then what is it?" he demanded.

The Sealed One studied him. "It is the remnant of a forgotten will. A force that was meant to be sealed away. But instead, it found a host."

Kairos muttered, "Let me guess. That host was our mystery guy before Viole?"

"Correct."

"And it destroyed him?"

"Not destroyed." The Sealed One's silver eyes gleamed. "Erased."

Silence.

The weight of the words settled over them.

Viole clenched his jaw. "Then why am I still here?"

The Sealed One's smile was small, unreadable. "Because you have not yet become it."

Viole's pulse pounded. "So that's the choice, then? Either I control it, or I disappear?"

"Not disappear. Merge."

The words sent a shiver through him.

Ha-eun stepped closer, her expression tight. "If this thing has a will of its own, then what happens if it takes over?"

The Sealed One regarded her with mild interest. "Then he will no longer be Viole."

Kairos swore under his breath. "Yeah, great, that's exactly what we wanted to hear."

Azael finally spoke, their voice calm but firm. "Then tell us how to stop that from happening."

The Sealed One tilted their head. "To stop it? You must make a choice. A final one."

Viole exhaled. "What choice?"

The Sealed One stepped closer. "Do you wish to remain who you are? Or will you embrace what is inside you completely?"

A flicker of heat burned in Viole's chest.

"I already told you," he said. "I own this power now."

The Sealed One gave him a long, measured look. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, they extended a hand.

The air crackled. The light in the chamber dimmed.

And before Viole's eyes, something shifted.

The stone in the center of the room split open with a deep, grinding sound. From within, a swirling, pulsating mass of shadow began to rise. It wasn't solid—it flickered like living smoke, moving in unnatural patterns.

But within the darkness—

Eyes.

Dozens of them. Glowing silver, watching him.

The Hunger inside him surged, pressing against his ribs like it was calling to the thing before him.

The Sealed One lowered their hand. "Then prove it."

The shadows lunged.

---

The Fight for His Name

Viole barely had time to react.

The mass of shadow expanded, rushing toward him like a tidal wave. He dodged left, drawing his broken katana on instinct. The jagged blade gleamed for only a second before the darkness swallowed it.

Something struck him—hard.

He hit the ground, rolling just as the shadows slammed down where he had been standing. The stone floor cracked under the force.

Ha-eun shouted, but the others couldn't reach him.

The shadows twisted, shifting around him, cutting him off.

And then, from within them—

A figure stepped forward.

It looked like him.

But not him.

Its body was made of the Hunger—formed from the same swirling mass of shadow. Its face was sharp, almost perfect—but wrong. Too smooth. Too inhuman. Its silver eyes were empty, unblinking.

And when it spoke, its voice was his own.

"Viole."

His stomach twisted.

It knew his name.

It was him.

But it wasn't.

The Hunger had taken a shape. A form. And it was looking at him as if it were claiming something.

Viole forced himself to stand. His whole body burned, his veins pulsing with energy.

He met its gaze. "You're not me."

The shadow-figure smiled. "Aren't I?"

It moved.

Too fast.

Viole barely blocked as a blackened blade formed in the figure's hand, slashing toward him. The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber. His arm screamed in pain from the force, but he held his ground.

The figure grinned.

"You cannot reject me. I am you."

Viole exhaled sharply.

No.

It wasn't him.

It was trying to be.

Trying to replace him.

His grip tightened. The Hunger inside him flared—but this time, he didn't let it control him.

He controlled it.

He surged forward, faster than before, accepting the power instead of fearing it. His fist connected with the figure's chest, and the shadow cracked.

The figure's expression faltered.

Viole didn't stop. He slammed his foot into its side, sending it stumbling back. The silver eyes flickered.

It wasn't whole yet.

It needed him to give in completely.

But he wasn't going to.

He raised his broken katana, the jagged edge glowing faintly.

"You want to take my name?" His voice was steady now. "Then you'll have to kill me for it."

The figure stared at him.

Then, slowly—

It laughed.

A hollow, distorted sound.

"Then let us see who is stronger, Viole."

The shadows surged again, engulfing the chamber in darkness.

And the fight truly began.