The tenth whisper;The beast that eat the memories.

The First Sin

"The whole world is a lie," Ethan gasped, collapsing against the cold stone in the subterranean ruin.

Dust and faint glowing crystals lit the ancient chamber. He had barely made it inside before his legs gave out.

*Look deeper,* Umbra commanded, the voice booming louder than before. *See what they stole from us.*

Ethan clutched his head as pain spiked behind his eyes. "No. Not now. I need rest. The cold from the mountains... I'm done."

*You will see,* Umbra insisted, pushing harder. *The Nine Supreme Races. Their rise. Our fall.*

The vision slammed into him like a fist. Colors swirled. Voices screamed in his skull. He dropped to his knees on the rough floor.

"What is this?" Ethan cried out, voice echoing off the walls. "Make it stop. It hurts."

*Watch,* Umbra said. *The progenitor. The Tenth Beast. They called him god once.*

Figures appeared in his mind, towering and cruel. A massive being of shadow and power stood at the center of a grand hall. Nine others circled him, weapons raised.

One of the Nine, a tall woman with silver eyes, spoke first. "Your time ends here, old one. We will not bow to a single beast any longer."

The progenitor roared, voice like thunder in Ethan's head. "You were my children. I gave you life from the void. This betrayal... it poisons everything."

Ethan twisted on the ground, gasping. "They killed him? Their own creator? Tell me that's not real."

*It is the truth,* Umbra whispered fiercely. *Listen to their greed.*

Another figure in the vision, a broad-shouldered man with golden armor, laughed coldly. "Godhood for all. Why should one hold it? Your power splits nicely nine ways. We take it now."

The progenitor fought, shadows whipping out. Blood, thick and dark, sprayed across marble floors. "You steal what you cannot wield. The balance breaks. Beasts like me... we are the foundation."

Ethan screamed as the violence hit him full force. He felt every slash, every betrayal. "Stop. Please. I can't watch this."

*You must,* Umbra pressed. *This is why they hunt us. The Tenth remains.*

The silver-eyed woman drove a crystal blade into the progenitor's chest. "No more whispers in the dark. No more demands. We rule now. The empires rise on your corpse."

The progenitor gasped, eyes locking somehow with Ethan's across time. "They lie to their children. The Nine built kingdoms on murder. Your kind... the hidden tenth... remember."

Ethan curled into a ball, tears streaming. "It's too much. The screams. The blood. Why show me this now?"

*Because you carry me,* Umbra answered, voice mixing with the dying god's. *Anger feels better than fear, does it not?*

The vision shifted, showing grand cities rising from the ruins. Statues of the Nine everywhere. Children taught lies in schools. "The Supreme Races ascended through wisdom," a teacher figure droned in the haze. "They brought order from chaos."

"Lies," Ethan muttered, punching the stone floor. His knuckles split. "All of it. The world order. The empires. The hunters. Built on killing their own god."

*Yes,* Umbra said, satisfaction thick. *Now you see. The fear turns.*

Ethan pushed up to his elbows, breathing hard. The vision held him still. "They murdered him for power. Split his essence. And you're... what's left? The part they couldn't kill?"

*We are the remnant,* Umbra confirmed. *The rage they buried. The truth they fear.*

In the vision, the Nine stood over the broken body, dividing glowing shards. One shouted triumphantly, "No more tenth. We are complete. The world forgets."

"Forgets," Ethan echoed, voice raw with fury. "They made everyone believe the lie. My life. My family. Evelyn hunting me. All because of this crime."

*Feel it,* Umbra urged. *The anger. It burns away the confusion.*

Ethan sat up fully now, eyes wide in the dim ruin. "I do feel it. The fear's gone. They don't get to lie anymore. Not to me. If this is real, then I have purpose. Tear it down. Make them pay for the first sin."

*Good,* Umbra said, the bond pulsing stronger. *We coordinate. We rise.*

The violence peaked again. The progenitor's final cry shook everything. "The tenth will awaken. Balance returns in blood."

Ethan clutched his chest, drained. Sweat poured down his face despite the underground chill. "It's... fading. But I saw it. Felt it. Was that real? Or am I losing my mind down here?"

*Real as your heartbeat,* Umbra replied. *Rest now. The truth fuels us.*

"I don't know what to believe anymore," Ethan whispered, voice trembling. "The empires teach kids we're monsters. But they started it. Killed their god for thrones."

He laughed then, bitter and broken. "Purpose. Yeah. No more running scared. They want a beast? I'll give them one who knows the truth."

Silence settled as the vision released him. Ethan slumped against the wall, exhausted. His body shook. Mind spun with images of betrayal and stolen power.

*They come,* Umbra warned suddenly. *Residue of the vision. It called them.*

Ethan's eyes snapped open. "What? Who?"

Heavy footsteps echoed from the tunnels leading in. Torchlight flickered at the edges of the chamber entrance. Voices barked orders.

"Spread out. The magical spike came from here. Beast residue is thick."

Ethan scrambled back, heart racing. "Inquisitors. How? I was hidden."

*They track the power we used,* Umbra said. *The vision left a mark.*

A stern voice cut through, commanding. "Fan out. No mercy. The tenth must be contained before it spreads the old lies."

Ethan pressed against the far wall, breath shallow. "They heard it somehow. The truth. My purpose. It's starting already."

*Fight with me now,* Umbra urged. *Anger, not fear.*

The footsteps closed in. Armor clinked. Ethan gripped a loose stone, ready. The lie was exposed, but the hunters had found him anyway.

No escape this time. Only the beginning of something far darker.