Chapter 2: Velmora Part 8
Part 8: Whisper of the Founder
Setting: Velmora - Depths of the Obsidian Archive
---
[Scene 1 – Midnight, Below Arkalis Academy]
The torches along the ancient spiral staircase flickered violently as Arshan descended into the lower vaults of the Obsidian Archive.
His steps echoed, but the air was too still—as if time itself had paused.
> Zyana (whispering): "You're now entering the Founder's sanctum... this place was sealed for over three centuries."
Arshan:
> "Then why is the lock broken already?"
He paused, placing a hand against the stone door. Strange glyphs vibrated beneath his palm. A faint hum traveled up his wrist—not just mana, but memory.
> Zyana: "...Something or someone has already been here. Recently."
A distant metallic clink echoed from deep within.
Arshan drew his spell-sigil blade, eyes narrowing.
---
[Scene 2 – The Whispering Chamber]
The archive opened into a circular hall filled with crystalline walls, each inscribed with historical records. At the center: a massive statue of the Academy's founder—Elarion Vex.
But the statue had been damaged. A deep claw mark cut through its chest.
> Arshan (tense): "Someone defiled this place..."
As he approached, a swirling fog emerged beneath the statue's feet—not mist, but mana bound to memory.
A deep voice boomed, though no figure appeared:
> ???: "Child of flame and fracture... why do you chase echoes when the storm has already begun?"
Zyana (stunned):
> "This is a spell echo... it's the Founder himself!"
Arshan:
> "Founder Vex? Are you... still alive?"
> Founder Vex (echoing, cryptic): "Alive? Perhaps only in regrets. Listen well: If the Key of Origins is ever disturbed... the Four Pillars will awaken. And the Hollow Sovereign will return."
The fog thickened. Arshan gritted his teeth.
> Arshan: "What is the Key of Origins? Where is it?!"
The fog burst—revealing a floating stone tablet. It hovered over the statue's heart.
> Founder Vex: "This is your burden now. Survive the Trial of Echoes. Only then will the truth unfold."
---
[Scene 3 – The Trial of Echoes Begins]
The chamber shook.
From the shadows, four ancient guardians emerged—beasts wrapped in soul-fire, their eyes hollow but burning.
> Zyana (warning): "Arshan, these aren't illusions. They're infused with the Founder's will!"
Arshan activated his twin spell sigils—"Frost Fang" and "Burst Halo"—and leapt into battle.
The first beast charged—a four-armed titan of molten stone. Arshan dodged and drove a concentrated frost strike into its shoulder, shattering part of its arm.
The second lunged—a winged serpent of pure lightning.
> Arshan: "You're not real... but your pain is."
He absorbed a partial shock and retaliated with Burst Halo—a radial flame pulse that sent it crashing into the wall.
But the third beast—a mist-born panther—vanished and reappeared behind him, slashing across his back.
Arshan fell to one knee, bleeding.
Zyana (urgent):
> "You have one chance! Combine both sigils into a fusion spell!"
> Arshan: "Frost... Halo..."
He slammed both sigils into the ground. A spiraling circle formed—ice and fire entwined.
> Arshan (roaring): "Twin Collapse!"
The fusion spell detonated. Ice and fire danced violently, erasing the three beasts in one final blast.
But the fourth guardian still stood—a humanoid figure in full armor, with a cracked mask and glowing blue eyes.
> ???: "You have power... but do you have resolve?"
The guardian raised a black blade—not forged of metal, but memory.
---
[Scene 4 – Arshan's Inner Flashback]
As the blade touched his chest, a vision exploded.
A memory not his own. A burning academy. A young Veyron standing atop corpses, his eyes filled with guilt. And behind him—a man in robes with the same black blade.
> Unknown Voice: "That blade was once used to slay a god. Now... it tests your soul."
Back in real time— Arshan caught the black blade mid-air.
He didn't resist. He absorbed it.
Zyana (shocked):
> "You… linked with a Soul Weapon…?!"
The humanoid guardian disintegrated.
In Arshan's hand remained the black blade.
> Founder Vex (final whisper): "You passed. But the storm... is only beginning."
---
[Scene 5 – Elsewhere: The Cult's Movement]
In the highlands of Velmora, far from the academy, inside a stone citadel—a group of robed figures stood around a blood-filled basin.
> Cult Leader: "He has touched the Founder's weapon. The timeline is bending."
> Female Sorcerer: "Shall we accelerate Phase Three?"
> Cult Leader: "Yes. Send the shadows into Arkalis. Let them test the boy."
The blood inside the basin boiled, showing Arshan's face.
> Cult Leader: "He holds the Whisper now. We must silence it... before it speaks further."
---
To Be Continued...
Next Part: "Shadows Over Arkalis"