Chapter 19: The Temple Beneath the Stars

The forest was cloaked in silver moonlight as Eren wiped the blood from his blade and stood over the three lifeless bodies. The eerie quiet of the mist had returned, the kind that made even the wind feel like it held its breath.

"Hah… that was too much for me," Eren whispered, panting, his heart still thundering from the rush of battle. "But if I want to grow stronger… I can't run from this."

After looting their gear—spare spirit stones, rations, a few odd trinkets, and two incomplete cultivation scrolls—he continued his journey deeper into the ancient forest, the stars slowly crawling across the sky above.

Hours passed. The night deepened. The chirping of crickets became louder, the cries of distant beasts more distant and sparse. Eventually, Eren found a massive, twisted tree that towered into the sky like a dark sentinel. Its roots were coiled like serpents, and its trunk was wide enough to hide a house behind.

"That'll do," he muttered.

Climbing several meters up, he settled himself on a thick, broad branch, lying on his back as he looked up at the stars.

"They're beautiful," he murmured. "Can't see stars like this back in the city…"

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it—a faint light, flickering deep between the trees like a whisper.

"Huh?" He squinted. "A fire? No… too steady."

Curiosity piqued, he descended quietly and moved through the brush. As he neared, the light shifted—not from torches or lanterns, but from beneath the earth.

A gentle glow leaked from between broken slabs of stone, half-buried under moss and soil.

"What the hell is this…?" Eren muttered. He crouched and brushed the dirt away. A staircase.

He hesitated. His instincts screamed danger, but something deeper—an old adventurer's thrill—pulled him in.

With one hand on his sword hilt, he descended the cracked stone stairs, the air growing colder with every step. A musty, ancient scent filled his lungs. The light grew stronger.

Then he saw them.

Hundreds of stone idols lined the underground walls, depicting ferocious demonic beasts locked in frozen snarls and roars—some with multiple heads, others with blade-like tails or wings of bone.

"A temple… to demonic beasts?" he whispered, chills crawling up his spine.

He advanced carefully, reaching a final chamber, circular and hollow. In its center was a single idol—a human, kneeling, palms open, as if offering something.

The moment he stepped near, blinding golden lightning erupted from the idol and surged into Eren's chest.

"AGHH—!" he screamed as he collapsed, body spasming, vision turning white.

---

Within Eren's Consciousness

He awoke on a vast, empty plain of clouds.

"Where…?" he muttered, standing, summoning his soul sword instantly.

A figure emerged, tall and cloaked in flickering lightning, an old man with sharp eyes and a long beard.

"Who are you? What is this place?!"

The man smiled warmly. "Peace, child. I'm not your enemy. My name is Warren, and this is only your mind. I summoned you here… to give you a gift."

"Gift…?" Eren narrowed his eyes. "Why me?"

"I was once a Sword Saint," Warren said, his voice deep and heavy with grief. "But I died before passing on my legacy. I created that idol so that my power would not die with me."

Eren hesitated. "Wait… what kind of sword did you use?"

"Lightning, of course."

Eren frowned. "Then I'm sorry, old man. My path is Ice and Water—I can't use your skill."

Warren only chuckled. "Let me see your sword."

Confused, Eren held it out.

Warren took his own sword and gently chipped a small fragment of his lightning blade. It shimmered like pure skyfire. He pressed it against Eren's soul sword—and in a flash, the fragment was absorbed.

A surge of energy rippled through Eren.

Ding!

Sword Disciple 7 → 8

Sword Disciple 8 → 9

"What did you DO!?" Eren gasped, wide-eyed.

"I gave your sword a sliver of my soul," Warren said, his figure already starting to fade. "Now you can use any sword skill, regardless of its type."

Eren's jaw dropped. "But… that's insane…"

"I was a Saint once," Warren said with a small smirk. "Rank means nothing when you die betrayed by a friend—for a woman, no less."

"…I'm sorry."

"No time for sorrow," Warren said, placing a finger to Eren's forehead. "When you become a Soul Sword Ancestor, this mark will awaken the legacy I left behind. Until then… I offer you three basic skills."

A golden flash.

> [Lightning Walk] – Surpass the speed of sound; blink through enemies like thunder.

[Light Eagle Wings] – Temporary flight with high-speed agility.

[Lightning Claws] – Strike with talons of thunder, piercing armor like paper.

Eren trembled, overwhelmed by the sudden knowledge flooding his soul.

"And one last gift," Warren said softly. "When you awaken, press the odd tile on the wall behind the statue. You'll find my remaining legacy—Chilling Bone Fire. One of the rarest spirit fires in the world, ranked 9 out of 30. It's snow-based, perfect for your Ice affinity… but beware. You need to reach at least Sword Master level to absorb it."

Eren's breath caught.

"I… I don't know how to thank you."

Warren smiled. "Just master the skills. That's all the thanks I need."

"I swear, I'll make you proud."

Warren's body began to dissolve into golden mist.

"Then goodbye, Eren. We'll meet again… if you ever reach Saint level."

---

Back in the Temple

Eren jolted awake, drenched in sweat. His hands trembled. "What the hell… was that real?"

He rushed to the wall and found the off-colored tile. With a push, the wall clicked, then slid open with a low rumble.

Inside was a sealed box. Within it, he found glowing scrolls—techniques of lightning and light. But at the center… floated a glass orb, pale blue, icy winds swirling inside.

Chilling Bone Fire.

Even holding the box made his palm numb.

"…I'm not strong enough to absorb this yet," he muttered, smirking. "Guess that's future me's problem."

He packed everything into his storage ring.

Looking up at the exit tunnel, he grinned.

"Kael's gonna go pale when he sees my new lightning skill…"

---

Meanwhile…

Kael, deep in sword meditation far away, sneezed.

"What the—why am I getting chills in the middle of summer…?"

---

Back with Eren

Eren emerged from the underground temple at dawn. Mist clung to the ground like a veil. The wind whispered through the trees as light bathed the forest in gold.

With renewed spirit, Eren stepped forward.

His legend was only just beginning.

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