Chapter 7:Echoes Of The Past

A piercing cold surged through Lorien's veins as the world fractured around him.

He staggered, gasping, as the Forgotten Shrine blurred and twisted into something else.

A vast darkness stretched before him—formless, endless, and suffocating. In the distance, a dim, flickering light pulsed like a dying heartbeat.

And then—

"So you have finally come, successor."

The voice was ancient. Hollow. It carried the weight of something long buried, something that should not have been disturbed.

It wasn't just a memory.

It was a presence.

Lorien swallowed, steadying himself. "Who are you?"

Silence. Then—

"You already know."

A shape emerged from the abyss. A figure cloaked in shifting shadows, its form constantly unmaking itself, only to reform again in an unending cycle. It had no true face, yet somehow, Lorien recognized it.

The previous Sovereign.

The last wielder of the Chaos Source.

[System Notification:]

[Memory Fragment Unlocked: The Sovereign's Last Stand.]

A rush of sensations flooded Lorien's mind—

Blades clashing.

A sky torn asunder.

The roar of divine wrath.

And chains—golden, searing, wrapped around the previous Sovereign's body as countless gods and devils alike sought to bind him.

Pain lanced through Lorien's skull. He felt it—the weight of those chains, the crushing force of the gods' judgment.

And through it all, the Sovereign's voice whispered—

"Power without understanding is destruction."

The darkness surged. The memory deepened.

Lorien saw the moment the Chaos Sovereign fell.

Betrayed. Sealed. Left to rot in a prison beyond time itself.

And yet—

"I endured."

The words echoed through the abyss.

The Sovereign's shifting form stepped closer, and for the first time, Lorien felt something beyond fear.

Recognition.

"I endured so that you might rise."

Lorien's breath hitched. The weight of the vision pressed against his chest, threatening to consume him.

Then, all at once—

The darkness shattered.

Back in the Physical World

Lorien's body jerked violently as he crashed back into reality. His knees hit the stone floor of the Forgotten Shrine, sweat dripping from his forehead. His pulse thundered in his ears.

He wasn't alone.

Myra knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders. "Lorien! What happened?"

His vision blurred. His head ached. But he forced himself to steady his breathing.

The Sovereign's words still rang in his mind. "I endured so that you might rise."

And the system—

[System Notification:]

[New Ability Acquired: Sovereign's Aegis (Lv. 1).]

[Effect: Grants temporary immunity to external manipulation, including divine interference. Duration: 10 seconds.]

Lorien's eyes widened.

This wasn't just an offensive power.

It was a defensive one.

Against them.

His fingers clenched against the stone altar. The gods had sealed the previous Sovereign because they feared what chaos could do. And now, for the first time—

He had a tool that could defy them.

Myra was still watching him, concern deep in her gaze. "Talk to me, Lorien."

He exhaled slowly. "I saw him."

She tensed. "Who?"

"The last Sovereign." His voice was quiet, yet heavy. "The one before me."

Her expression tightened. "He's… alive?"

"No. Not alive. But not gone, either." He hesitated. "It wasn't just a memory. It was a message."

Myra's brow furrowed, but before she could press further, something shifted in the air around them.

A ripple of unseen energy pulsed through the shrine.

And then—

[System Warning:]

[Calamity Trial Imminent.]

Lorien's pulse spiked.

The system only warned him when the conditions for a trial were perfect. Which meant—

A deep rumble echoed from the mountains beyond.

The sky darkened. The earth trembled.

And then came the first scream.

Lorien turned sharply.

The shrine overlooked a valley, where a small village rested between the peaks. At first, it looked untouched—peaceful, even. But then—

A shadow twisted through the streets below. Moving. Consuming.

It spread like ink across stone and flesh alike.

And as it did—

People vanished.

Not killed. Not wounded. Just—gone.

Erased from existence.

Lorien's breath caught. "No…"

The trial had already begun.

"We have to go," Lorien said, already moving.

Myra hesitated. "Lorien, what's happening?"

"No time—just follow me!"

They sprinted down the mountain path, the wind howling around them. The closer they got to the village, the worse the air felt—thick, unnatural, charged with something that clawed at reality itself.

Lorien knew this power.

It was his.

But it was wrong. Twisted.

A fragment of chaos, let loose without control.

The system's cryptic message echoed in his mind.

"Calamity Trial Imminent."

This wasn't a battle. It wasn't an enemy he could cut down with a blade.

It was a test.

And if he failed—

The village would cease to exist.

Confronting the Abyss

By the time they reached the village entrance, more than half of it had disappeared.

Shadows slithered across the ground like living tendrils, unraveling reality wherever they touched. Buildings faded. Streets warped. And the people—

Lorien's jaw clenched. They didn't even have time to scream.

It was erasure.

Pure, unfiltered chaos, devouring the world itself.

His power—uncontrolled.

He had to stop it.

[System Notification:]

[Objective: Contain the Chaos Rift.]

[Time Limit: 2 Minutes.]

Lorien's heart pounded.

Two minutes.

That was all he had.

No hesitation. No second chances.

He sprinted forward, reaching deep into his power.

And the chaos responded.

It knew him. Recognized him.

It whispered, beckoned, promising him everything.

"Unleash it."

"Let it consume."

"Become what you were meant to be."

Lorien gritted his teeth. "No."

He raised his hand—

And forced the chaos to bend.

[Sovereign's Grasp: Activated.]

The tendrils shuddered.

Reality fought back.

The power lashed out against him, resisting his control. It wasn't just a test of strength—this was will against will.

And Lorien refused to lose.

He pulled.

The abyss howled.

Darkness convulsed, folding inward. The tendrils snapped, recoiling like wounded beasts.

Lorien clenched his fists—

And with one final surge—

He closed the rift.

The chaos vanished.

The village was whole once more.

And the people…

They returned.

No memory of what had transpired. No knowledge that, for a brief moment, they had been nothing.

Lorien exhaled shakily.

He had won.

But the power lingered.

The abyss still whispered.

---End Of Chapter 7---