THE LAST HEIR OF THE VOID KINGDOM

CHAPTER 9

The Last Heir of the Void Kingdom

Chapter 9: The Eighth Guardian

The light on the dragon's map moved faster than anything Arin had ever seen.

Forests.

Mountains.

Rivers.

It crossed them all within seconds.

Straight toward Castle Noctis.

Straight toward the battlefield.

Straight toward him.

The dragon's scales had lost their glow.

Ash looked equally disturbed.

Neither of them seemed capable of looking away from the map.

"Tell me what's happening," Arin demanded.

Ash remained silent.

The dragon finally answered.

"The Eighth Guardian was never meant to exist."

Lightning tore across the sky.

Below, the World Titan and Void Titan continued their earth-shattering struggle.

Each collision flattened entire hills.

The defenders of the kingdom watched in horror.

Meanwhile, Malakar stood upon the cliff's edge.

Smiling.

Waiting.

Almost as if he had been expecting this moment.

That frightened Arin more than anything else.

The light on the map suddenly stopped moving.

Directly above them.

A pressure descended upon the battlefield.

Heavy.

Ancient.

Overwhelming.

The clouds parted.

And someone began falling from the sky.

Not plummeting.

Descending.

Slowly.

Gracefully.

Like a feather.

A young woman clothed in white robes landed between the armies.

She couldn't have been older than twenty.

Long silver hair flowed behind her.

Bright golden eyes surveyed the battlefield.

And instantly, every sound vanished.

The Titans stopped fighting.

The wind disappeared.

Even the flames consuming the distant villages froze.

The entire world seemed to hold its breath.

"Impossible..." whispered Ash.

The dragon lowered his head.

Not in fear.

In respect.

The woman looked toward Arin.

She smiled gently.

"Hello."

Arin blinked.

"Hello?"

Thousands of years of terror.

Ancient prophecies.

The legendary Eighth Guardian.

And that was how she introduced herself.

The woman stepped forward.

"My name is Seraphine."

The moment she spoke her name, ancient runes ignited across the sky.

The crown on Arin's head reacted immediately.

Silver light burst from it.

Seraphine frowned.

"Oh."

She stared at the crown.

"That's worse than I expected."

Arin sighed.

"People keep saying things like that."

Malakar's smile finally vanished.

For the first time since Arin had met him, the immortal warlord looked nervous.

"Seraphine."

Her eyes shifted toward him.

The air grew colder.

"You remember me."

Malakar gripped his sword tighter.

"I remember what you did."

A shadow crossed Seraphine's face.

"And yet you survived."

Arin looked between them.

"You know each other?"

Neither answered.

Which was answer enough.

Something ancient connected them.

Something dangerous.

Suddenly, Seraphine raised a hand.

The battlefield dissolved.

Not physically.

Only for Arin.

He found himself standing in darkness.

The others had vanished.

Only Seraphine remained.

The stars shone around them.

"You deserve answers," she said quietly.

Arin folded his arms.

"That would be nice."

For the first time, she laughed.

Then her expression became serious.

"The Seven Guardians were created to protect the prison of the Hollow King."

"I know that."

"But I was created for a different purpose."

A chill ran through him.

"What purpose?"

Seraphine looked away.

As though ashamed.

Then she answered.

"To destroy the world if the prison ever failed."

Silence.

Arin stared.

Certain he had misheard.

"You were created to do what?"

"End everything."

The words were soft.

Gentle.

Almost apologetic.

Which somehow made them worse.

Images appeared around them.

Ancient memories.

He saw Queen Astra.

The First Monarch.

The dragon beside her.

The Seven Guardians standing proudly at her side.

And behind them...

Seraphine.

Alone.

Watching.

Waiting.

Hidden.

A secret even from history.

"The Hollow King cannot truly die," Seraphine explained.

"If he escaped completely, he would eventually consume every kingdom."

Another image appeared.

Entire continents covered in darkness.

Stars vanishing from the heavens.

Oceans boiling.

Civilisations erased.

"The ancient gods created one final solution."

Arin already knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"They would destroy the world first."

Seraphine nodded.

"And I am that solution."

The vision shattered.

The battlefield returned.

The Titans.

The armies.

The smoke.

The chaos.

Everything rushed back.

Arin stumbled.

His stomach twisted.

The Eighth Guardian wasn't humanity's saviour.

She was its final weapon.

At that moment, the dragon suddenly looked toward the horizon.

"The north."

Ash froze.

"I feel it too."

Far away.

Beyond the mountains.

Beyond the Frozen Sea.

A pulse of darkness erupted into the sky.

One of the seven markers on the map disappeared.

Completely.

A Guardian had fallen.

The dragon's eyes widened in horror.

"The Second Key has been taken."

Malakar laughed.

A genuine laugh.

Victorious.

"You are already too late."

Black storms erupted across the northern horizon.

The Hollow King's prison was weakening.

Faster than anyone had feared.

Seraphine looked toward the distant darkness.

For the first time, her calm expression broke.

She looked afraid.

Very afraid.

Arin noticed.

"What is it?"

Seraphine slowly turned.

The colour drained from her face.

And then she whispered the words nobody wanted to hear.

"That wasn't Malakar's doing."

The battlefield fell silent.

"Then who took the key?" Arin asked.

Seraphine's golden eyes widened.

As if recognising a nightmare she had hoped never to see again.

"The Hollow King has awakened a Champion."

Lightning exploded across the distant sky.

A colossal figure appeared within the northern storm.

A silhouette taller than castles.

Wrapped in black fire.

Walking south.

Toward them.

Toward the kingdom.

And unlike Malakar...

This thing was smiling.

To be continued...