Kaelen's breath was heavy, his limbs trembling as the lingering energy from the sigil faded.
Lirien's eyes darted between him and the Keeper, her grip tight on her daggers. "What do you mean the Black Sun remembers him?"
The Keeper remained motionless, its shadowy form flickering like an image on the edge of existence.
"He was once part of it."
Lirien stiffened. "That's impossible."
Kaelen's blood ran cold. "You're saying… I was connected to the Black Sun before?"
The Keeper's hood tilted slightly.
"Not as you are now. But the past does not forget."
Kaelen clenched his fists. "Then tell me. What am I supposed to remember?"
The Keeper's response was not words.
It was a sensation.
A pull.
A force Kaelen couldn't see, but felt deep in his bones.
The chamber shifted—no, it folded around him.
The air grew thick, pressing against his skin.
And then—
---
The Fractured Memory
Kaelen stood in a place he did not recognize.
Or rather—he should have recognized it.
It was the same temple, but not in ruins. The walls gleamed with ancient carvings, their golden inscriptions pulsing with life.
And before him—
A throne.
Not the one from his previous vision. Not the obsidian seat beneath a darkened sky.
This one was carved from white stone, its surface gleaming in the glow of a radiant sun above.
Kaelen felt something then.
A weight.
A presence.
And then—
A figure stepped forward.
Not the Keeper.
Not a shadow.
But… himself.
Dressed in dark robes, his face older—hardened by time. His eyes, once blue, now gleamed with a faint, golden hue.
And Kaelen heard his own voice.
"You should not be here."
---
Echoes of a Past Life
Kaelen gasped as he snapped back into reality.
The chamber lurched around him, the sigil in the Keeper's hand now dimmed completely.
Lirien was at his side, shaking him. "Kaelen! What just happened?"
Kaelen's fingers dug into the stone floor as he struggled to steady himself. "I… I saw something. A memory. But not mine."
He turned his gaze toward the Keeper.
"Was that real?"
The Keeper's silence was answer enough.
Lirien's expression darkened. "This is bad. If the Black Sun has some kind of past claim on you, then—"
"It is not a claim," the Keeper interrupted.
Kaelen's stomach twisted. "Then what is it?"
The Keeper's shadow expanded, stretching across the floor like an abyss.
"It is a debt."
---
The Mark Awakens
Pain.
Kaelen doubled over, his chest burning.
Lirien grabbed him, her voice panicked. "Kaelen! What's happening?"
He couldn't answer.
The mark—the one that had flared on the sigil—was now appearing on his skin.
A symbol etched into his flesh, pulsing with an unseen force.
And then, without warning—
A voice spoke inside his mind.
"He is waking up."
Kaelen's vision darkened.
And the world faded away.
---
The Awakening Mark
Darkness.
Weightless and cold.
Kaelen drifted through the void, his body numb. The voice that had spoken to him lingered in his mind, its echo pulsing in time with the mark burning on his skin.
"He is waking up."
Who was waking up?
Kaelen tried to move—tried to breathe—but the void pressed down on him, holding him in place.
Then—
A flash of light.
And suddenly—
He was falling.
---
Return to the World
Kaelen's body jerked upright.
His lungs dragged in a desperate breath, his vision swimming back into focus.
The temple's ceiling loomed above him, the glow of the glyphs now dim. The weight on his chest remained, but the crushing presence of the void was gone.
Lirien's face appeared above him. "Finally!" Her voice was tight with frustration, but there was an undercurrent of relief.
Kaelen blinked. His limbs felt heavy. "What… happened?"
"You tell me," Lirien shot back. "You collapsed, then some creepy mark burned itself onto your arm. That's not normal, Kaelen!"
Kaelen winced as he looked down.
The mark was still there.
A black sigil, etched into his skin like ink burned into flesh.
It was the same symbol that had appeared on the sigil the Keeper held.
The same symbol tied to the Black Sun.
Kaelen clenched his fist. "Damn it…"
---
The Keeper's Revelation
"You have taken the first step," the Keeper intoned.
Kaelen forced himself up, ignoring the dizziness. "First step to what?"
The Keeper's shadowy form flickered.
"To remembering what was lost."
Lirien folded her arms. "You keep saying things without actually saying anything. What the hell does this mean?"
The Keeper tilted its head.
"You are standing at the threshold. The past is bleeding into the present. And now… the Black Sun has marked him."
Lirien scowled. "Great. And what does that mean?"
Kaelen swallowed. "It means this isn't over."
The Keeper remained silent.
Because they all knew—
This was only the beginning.
---
The Path Ahead
Kaelen exhaled sharply and turned to Lirien. "We need to get out of here."
Lirien hesitated. "You sure you can walk?"
He forced a smirk. "Not much choice, is there?"
They stepped away from the thrones, leaving the chamber behind.
But Kaelen could feel it now—
The weight of the mark.
The whisper of something watching.
And somewhere, in the depths of his mind—
The voice whispered again.
"He is waking up."
Kaelen shuddered.
Because this time—
He could almost remember who it was talking about.
---
End of chapter 9.
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