The Void Heart Devourer

Chapter 5: The Crystal That Rejects the Sky

Akseli’s palm touched the surface of the Awakening Crystal.

The entire Sacred Hall fell silent. Thousands of eyes were fixed on the altar, waiting for the light that had determined one’s fate for thousands of years.

One second...

Two seconds...

Nothing happened.

Then...

Bzzz...

The crystal vibrated softly.

The vibration was so slight that some thought they were hallucinating. But moments later, the entire altar began to tremble, causing the runes on the floor to emit an irregular, flickering light.

The Altar Guardian frowned.

"Strange..."

He stepped closer, observing the crystal. In the decades he had led the Awakening Ceremony, he had never seen a reaction like this.

"What is happening?" murmured one of the elders.

"I don't know. The crystal should have displayed the Aether Heart rank immediately."

Whispers began to fill the hall.

Meanwhile, Akseli stood perfectly still. He could feel a chilling cold spreading from his palm throughout his entire body. It didn't feel like touching crystal; it felt like touching a piece of ice from the bottom of a lightless abyss.

Several seconds passed.

The crystal continued to vibrate.

Yet...

It did not emit a single flicker of light.

Edrik clicked his tongue before laughing.

"Ha... it seems even the Awakening Crystal is confused."

Some participants joined in the laughter.

"Maybe the crystal is busy searching for his Aether Heart."

"What a shame..."

"...because there’s nothing there to find."

Laughter filled the hall again.

But this time, the Altar Guardian ignored it. His gaze remained locked on the crystal, which was vibrating with increasing intensity.

"Impossible..."

He raised his crystal staff and touched the altar. White light flowed into the ancient runes, attempting to stabilize the sacred artifact.

Usually, this method always worked.

But this time...

The vibrations grew even more violent.

BZZZZT!

A heavy humming sound filled the entire hall.

The Altar Guardian’s expression slowly changed.

"Something is wrong..."

An elder quickly stood up from his seat.

"Is the artifact broken?"

"Impossible." The Guardian shook his head firmly. "The Awakening Crystal has never broken in over three thousand years."

"Then why is it reacting like this?"

No one could answer.

In the honorary gallery, the Patriarchs began to exchange glances. Even Patriarch Draven, who had remained calm until now, started to frown.

Patriarch Laakso stared at Akseli with sharp, piercing eyes.

"That boy..."

"...what on earth is he doing?"

Meanwhile, Akseli looked confused. He felt no changes within his body. There was no surge of Aether, no explosion of power; the Awakening Crystal didn't even display the color denoting his talent rank.

There was only one strange sensation.

As if...

Something inside the crystal was calling to him.

The voice was so faint.

Almost impossible to hear.

But inside his mind...

an ancient whisper slowly echoed.

"Finally..."

Akseli’s body stiffened.

He instinctively gasped and looked around.

No one was speaking.

That whisper...

it had come from inside his own head.

Akseli furrowed his brow. The whisper lasted only for a fleeting moment, then vanished as if it had never existed. He looked left and right, but everyone else was just staring at him with confused faces.

"Did he hear something?" an elder muttered.

"No... look at his eyes. It seems he doesn't even understand himself."

On the altar, the vibrations of the Awakening Crystal grew stronger. Its surface, previously clear, was now filled with thin black ripples, like ink slowly spreading through water.

The Altar Guardian’s eyes widened.

"That is..."

He didn't have time to finish his sentence before all the blue light filling the altar suddenly extinguished.

WHOOSH!

The room, previously filled with the shimmer of Aether, suddenly dimmed.

The cheering stopped.

The laughter vanished.

Everyone stood up from their seats.

"What's happening?"

"Why did the crystal go dark?"

"That’s impossible!"

The participants grew restless. Some stepped back, while the elders hurriedly activated their Aether energy, bracing for something terrible.

The Altar Guardian immediately raised his staff.

"Nobody move!"

White light flowed from his staff toward the altar. The ancient runes lit up again, but only for a moment before going dark, as if all the energy being supplied was instantly swallowed by something.

The elder’s face turned pale.

"This artifact... is rejecting my energy."

That statement caused the Patriarchs to stand as well.

"Impossible," said Patriarch Draven.

"It is a sacred artifact. It cannot reject the Altar Guardian."

Patriarch Laakso frowned.

"If it’s not the artifact..."

His gaze slowly shifted to Akseli.

"...then the problem is the boy."

Dozens of eyes immediately followed Patriarch Laakso’s gaze.

Edrik smiled cynically.

"I told you."

"That cripple can even break sacred objects."

Several participants nodded in agreement.

"Get him down."

"Don't let the altar be destroyed too."

"He really is a curse."

The voices grew louder.

But Akseli remained standing in his place. He could feel the cold on his palm becoming more piercing. It felt like something was trying to pull his consciousness into the Awakening Crystal.

Then...

the whisper returned.

"Still... too weak..."

Akseli’s body stiffened.

This time, the voice sounded clearer.

It wasn't a man’s voice.

Nor a woman’s.

It was a heavy, ancient voice, as if it had been asleep for thousands of years.

"Akseli!"

The Altar Guardian’s shout shattered his trance.

"Pull your hand away now!"

Akseli snapped back to reality. He tried to pull his palm away from the crystal’s surface.

However...

he couldn't.

His eyebrows furrowed.

He tried again.

Still, it wouldn't budge.

The crystal seemed to be holding his hand.

"What is..." Akseli muttered.

The Altar Guardian immediately noticed his shifting expression.

"Why haven't you pulled away?"

Akseli shook his head slowly.

"I..."

"...cannot."

The words had barely left his lips when the entire altar vibrated more violently than ever before.

BZZZZZZT!!

Small cracks began to appear on the surface of the Awakening Crystal.

And for the first time in thousands of years...

the sacred artifact made a sound, as if it were holding back something that wanted to break out from within.

The small cracks caused the entire Sacred Hall to freeze.

No more laughter. No more whispers. All eyes were fixed on the Awakening Crystal, which for thousands of years had never shown the slightest flaw.

"Cracked..."

An elder murmured with a pale face.

"It... it really cracked."

The Altar Guardian stepped forward. His hand holding the staff began to tremble—something not seen in decades.

"Impossible..."

"This sacred artifact cannot be broken."

He immediately formed a seal with his hands. White light flowed toward the altar again, followed by energy from several other elders who helped stabilize the Awakening Crystal.

But the result was the exact opposite.

BZZZZT!

The cracks grew longer.

The entire altar vibrated even harder.

"Everyone stop channeling Aether!" the Altar Guardian barked.

The elders immediately retracted their energy. Strangely, as soon as the Aether flow stopped, the crystal's vibration weakened.

The atmosphere turned silent again.

Everyone looked at each other, trying to understand what had just happened.

Patriarch Draven narrowed his eyes.

"The crystal... is rejecting our energy?"

"That has never been recorded in history," an elder answered in a heavy voice.

Patriarch Laakso stared at Akseli without blinking. His face grew colder by the second.

"That boy."

"There is something the Vainio family is hiding."

That remark caused the attention of the entire hall to turn toward the Vainio family gallery.

All eyes were now fixed on the Patriarch of the Vainio family.

The middleaged man stood up slowly. His face appeared calm, but his fingers were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"I am hiding nothing."

"My son was born without an Aether Heart."

"That is the truth."

"Ha!" Edrik sneered. "Then explain why the Awakening Crystal only reacts when he touches it."

Patriarch Vainio did not answer.

Not because he didn't want to.

But because he didn't have the answer himself.

On the altar, Akseli was still trying to pull his hand away. The muscles in his arm strained, but his palm seemed fused to the crystal's surface.

"Why... can't I let go?"

Cold sweat began to roll down his temple.

The more he tried to break free, the stronger the cold from within the crystal became. It felt like something was slowly crawling into his body.

Then...

The whisper was heard again.

"Seal..."

Akseli closed his eyes.

The voice now sounded much clearer.

"Has... weakened..."

His heart beat faster.

"Who are you?" he whispered softly.

There was no answer.

Only a low, ancient, and arrogant laugh could be heard.

"It is not yet time..."

Outside, no one heard the conversation.

All they saw was Akseli’s face suddenly turning pale.

The Altar Guardian raised his staff.

"Everyone back away from the altar!"

The participants hurriedly moved away. Even Kael and Eveliina stepped back a few meters. Their instincts told them that something very dangerous was happening.

Eveliina stared at Akseli with furrowed brows.

"What is actually happening to you...?"

No one had time to answer.

KRAAK...

The sound of cracking returned.

This time...

it wasn't just one.

Dozens of fine lines began to spread across the entire surface of the Awakening Crystal.

And from behind those cracks...

Black light slowly seeped out from the fractures of the Awakening Crystal. It wasn't blinding like regular Aether, but dense and silent, as if it were capable of swallowing all light around it.

The air inside the Sacred Hall suddenly turned cold. Several Aether torches hanging on the walls went out one by one for no reason. Even the Illumination Crystal on the ceiling lost its shimmer.

"What... is that?" whispered a participant.

No one answered.

Everyone just stared at the altar with tense faces.

The Altar Guardian gritted his teeth. For the first time since leading the ceremony, he felt a fear he couldn't explain.

"That is not Aether..."

"It cannot come from a human."

An elder hurriedly stepped forward. "We must stop this now!"

"Wait!" the Altar Guardian barked.

The elder was too late.

He reached out his hand, intending to pull Akseli away from the Awakening Crystal.

As soon as his fingertips touched the black light...

BOOM!!

His body was sent flying dozens of meters as if hit by a mountain. He smashed through two stone pillars before falling and rolling across the floor. Blood immediately sprayed from his mouth.

"Grand Elder!"

Several elders ran over to help.

The old man tried to rise, but his entire right arm kept trembling.

"Be careful..." he said, stuttering.

"It... devoured my Aether..."

The entire hall froze.

Devoured Aether?

No one had ever heard of such a power.

In the honorary gallery, the Patriarchs finally stood up in unison.

Their auras filled the Sacred Hall until the air felt heavy. The seven strongest cultivators of Elarion exchanged looks, but not one dared to approach the altar.

Patriarch Draven spoke first.

"Altar Guardian."

"Has this ever been recorded?"

The Altar Guardian shook his head slowly.

"No."

"Not even the oldest scriptures..."

"...have ever mentioned a phenomenon like this."

Patriarch Laakso stared at Akseli with sharp eyes.

"That boy must be separated from the Crystal."

"If not..."

"...the entire hall could be destroyed."

"But how?" asked Patriarch Kallio.

"Everyone who approaches is sent flying."

The atmosphere returned to silence.

Amidst the panic, Akseli himself was struggling to endure incredible pain. His hand remained attached to the Awakening Crystal, while the cold continued to flow into his body.

His chest felt tight.

His head felt as if it would explode.

Then...

the whisper was heard again.

This time...

clearer than before.

"They... are still sealing me..."

Akseli closed his eyes, enduring the pain.

"Who are you?"

The voice chuckled softly.

A laugh so ancient it seemed to come from an era when the world had no name.

"You want to know... who I am?"

In an instant...

Akseli saw flashes that were not his own.

A sky the color of blood.

Mountains crumbling.

Oceans drying up.

And millions of cultivators kneeling before a figure in a black cloak standing upon a sea of corpses.

Before he could see the man’s face...

CRASH!!

The vision shattered.

Akseli jerked and opened his eyes.

His breath was ragged.

His heart beat uncontrollably.

At the same time...

the cracks on the Awakening Crystal widened again.

The sound of shattering echoed throughout the Sacred Hall.

Everyone could only watch...

while something inside the crystal...

continued to try to rise.

The cracks on the surface of the Awakening Crystal continued to multiply.

Crack...

Crack...

The sound echoed through the entire Sacred Hall, making everyone’s hair stand on end. The artifact that had stood for thousands of years was now cracking before their eyes.

"Everyone, back away!" shouted the Altar Guardian.

The crowd immediately scrambled to move back. The participants rushed down from the altar, while the nobles stood from their seats with tense faces. No one wanted to be too close to the Awakening Crystal.

Only one person was still standing there.

Akseli.

His hand remained attached to the crystal, as if an invisible force were holding him. He tried to break free once again, but the result remained the same.

"Father!"

An elder turned to Patriarch Vainio.

"Make your son stop!"

Patriarch Vainio clenched his fist.

"If he could pull away... he would have done it long ago."

That answer made the atmosphere even more chilling.

On the other side, Patriarch Laakso stepped forward. His face was filled with rage as he looked at Akseli.

"Enough."

"No matter what happens, that boy must not be allowed to touch the Crystal any longer."

He raised his hand.

A massive Aether aura filled the hall until the stone floor began to vibrate.

"Father!" shouted Eveliina.

Patriarch Laakso did not turn.

"If the sacred artifact is destroyed because of him, the entirety of Elarion will pay the price."

He immediately unleashed an Aether palm strike toward the altar.

BOOM!

A wave of energy shot out like a storm.

But just before it reached Akseli...

the black light emerging from the Crystal moved on its own.

The wave vanished.

It didn't explode.

It didn't bounce off.

Instead...

it was swallowed.

The entire hall fell silent.

Patriarch Laakso’s eyes widened.

"That..."

"My Aether..."

"...disappeared?"

No one had time to answer.

Because at that same moment, the black light pulsed again.

DUM!

Everyone instinctively clutched their chests.

Their hearts were beating erratically.

DUM!

The second pulse came even stronger.

Some participants immediately fell to their knees, clutching their chests.

"WWhat is this..."

"I can't breathe..."

Even the elders started to frown.

They felt the Aether Hearts within their bodies vibrating violently, as if they were... afraid.

The Altar Guardian stared at the Awakening Crystal with a pale face.

"No..."

"That is not cultivation pressure."

"That is..."

"...pressure directed at the Aether Heart."

That statement changed the expressions of all the Patriarchs.

Impossible.

There had never been a power capable of making one's Aether Heart tremble just by its mere presence.

In the midst of the panic, Akseli slowly raised his head.

His eyes were the same.

But deep within his pupils...

a flash of black appeared for a second before instantly vanishing.

No one noticed it.

No one...

except the Altar Guardian.

The old man took a step back. His gaze was filled with shock, as if he had just seen something that should never have existed in this world.

"That emblem..."

He muttered softly.

"No..."

"It’s impossible that it still exists..."

Before he could finish his sentence...

CRAAAKKK!!

The largest crack finally split the Awakening Crystal from top to bottom.

Black light erupted, filling the entire Sacred Hall.

Then...

everything turned dark.