The sanctuary fell into complete silence.
The man’s footsteps echoed softly across the ancient stone floor as he emerged from the shadows.
His black cloak swayed gently despite the still air.
His golden eyes never left mine.
“My name is Cassian.”
“And from this moment onward…”
“I am the hunter assigned to kill you.”
Every instinct screamed at me to move.
To attack.
To run.
Yet my body remained frozen.
Not because I was afraid…
But because his spiritual pressure was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
It was calm.
Controlled.
Like a vast ocean hiding unimaginable depths.
Lyra stepped in front of me without hesitation.
Her silver sword flashed from its sheath.
“You’ll have to get through me first.”
Cassian glanced at her.
For a brief moment…
He smiled.
“A disciple of the Moonlight Sword Lineage.”
“Interesting.”
Lyra’s expression changed.
“You know my sect?”
“I know every sect.”
“I’ve spent centuries watching them rise…”
“…and fall.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Centuries?
Was he lying?
Or…
The Origin Core suddenly activated.
Origin Sight
Target Analysis
Name: Cassian
Affiliation: Unknown
Status: Mark of the Eclipse
Cultivation: ???
Threat Level: EXTREME
Warning
Power exceeds current evaluation limits.
Probability of victory:
0.3%
I had never seen the Origin Core fail to measure someone’s cultivation.
Not even Guardian Aegis-17 had produced so many question marks.
Cassian noticed my expression.
“So…”
“It recognizes me.”
“Good.”
He raised his right hand.
A black symbol appeared on the back of it.
It resembled a crescent moon devouring a brilliant sun.
The moment it appeared—
The Origin Fragment inside my body trembled violently.
The memory echoed in my mind.
“Trust no one who bears the Mark of the Eclipse.”
My grip on the spear tightened.
“So you’re one of them.”
Cassian nodded calmly.
“The Eclipse.”
“The civilization that ended yours.”
The sanctuary grew cold.
He wasn’t boasting.
He was stating a fact.
“I have one question,” I said.
“Why hunt me now?”
Cassian looked toward the ceiling where sunlight filtered through broken stone.
“Because the Second Heir has finally awakened.”
“The first heir nearly destroyed our plans.”
“We won’t allow history to repeat itself.”
“So before you become a threat…”
“We erase you.”
Without warning—
He disappeared.
Not moved.
Disappeared.
The next instant—
He stood directly in front of me.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
His finger touched the tip of my spear.
Crack…
The weapon shattered into dozens of fragments.
My eyes widened.
That spear had survived battles against Spirit Beasts.
Yet he broke it with a single finger.
Before I could react—
Lyra attacked.
Her sword transformed into countless silver streaks.
Moonlit Thousand Blossoms!
The sanctuary filled with dazzling sword light.
Cassian didn’t draw a weapon.
He simply extended one hand.
The darkness around him condensed into a black barrier.
Every sword strike vanished upon contact.
Not blocked.
Erased.
“Beautiful technique,” Cassian admitted.
“But incomplete.”
A wave of black energy burst outward.
Lyra was thrown across the sanctuary, crashing into a stone pillar.
“Lyra!”
I rushed toward her.
She forced herself to stand, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
“I’m…
fine.”
But I could see the truth.
She was injured.
Cassian sighed.
“I have no interest in unnecessary deaths.”
“Hand over the Origin Fragment.”
“And I’ll let your companion live.”
I looked at Lyra.
Then at the fragment glowing faintly within my hand.
Giving it away…
Wasn’t an option.
The Origin Core answered before I could.
Emergency Protocol Activated
Synchronization: 48%
Guardian Beacon Released
Searching…
Searching…
Signal Established.
Recipient: Guardian Aegis-17
Estimated Arrival:
Unknown
For the first time…
A faint crease appeared on Cassian’s forehead.
“…Interesting.”
“You can still contact a Guardian.”
He slowly smiled.
“Then perhaps…”
“This hunt will be more entertaining than I expected.”
Far beyond the sanctuary…
Hidden beneath an ancient mountain…
A pair of sapphire-blue mechanical eyes suddenly opened.
Guardian Aegis-17
Status: Reactivated
Mission Priority Updated:
Protect the Second Heir.
The colossal guardian took its first step in thousands of years.
The mountain above it began to crack.
The entire sanctuary trembled.
Dust rained from the ancient ceiling.
Far beneath the earth…
Something had awakened.
Cassian looked toward the distant mountains and chuckled softly.
“So…”
“Aegis-17 still exists.”
His expression wasn’t fearful.
It was…
nostalgic.
“It’s been over ten thousand years.”
“I wonder if it still remembers me.”
My heart skipped a beat.
He knew Aegis-17.
Not as a legend…
But personally.
A deep rumble echoed through the sanctuary.
BOOM!
The ground split apart as a pillar of blue light shot into the heavens.
The Origin Fragment in my body responded immediately.
Synchronization: 49%
Guardian Link Established
A calm mechanical voice echoed in my mind.
“Second Heir…
survive.”
“Reinforcements en route.”
Cassian sighed.
“I really hoped to finish this quietly.”
He raised his hand.
Darkness gathered around him like a living storm.
The light inside the sanctuary began to disappear.
Even the glowing runes faded beneath the black mist.
I activated Origin Sight.
Immediately, hidden streams of spiritual energy appeared throughout the sanctuary.
Ancient defensive formations…
Power conduits…
A massive sealing array beneath the floor.
An idea formed in my mind.
“Lyra!”
She understood instantly.
“You found something?”
I nodded.
“Buy me thirty seconds.”
She smiled despite the blood on her lips.
“That’s asking a lot.”
She lifted her sword once more.
Moonlight spiritual energy exploded around her.
Silver light pushed back the darkness surrounding Cassian.
“For thirty seconds…”
“I can do that.”
She charged.
This time she abandoned elegant swordsmanship.
Every strike was direct.
Relentless.
Cassian effortlessly blocked each attack with one hand.
“You’ve improved.”
He smiled faintly.
“But your heart is unsettled.”
Lyra slid backward, but instead of collapsing…
She used the force to reposition exactly where I needed.
Perfect.
I slammed my hand onto the glowing runes.
The Seal Rune blazed brilliantly.
Blue energy surged through the sanctuary.
The dormant formation awakened completely.
Ancient symbols rotated beneath Cassian’s feet.
He finally looked down.
“…A sealing formation?”
His smile disappeared.
Origin Sanctuary Defense Array
Emergency Mode Activated
Target Locked
Mark of the Eclipse Detected
Hundreds of chains made from pure blue light erupted from the ground.
They wrapped around Cassian’s arms, legs, and torso.
The sanctuary shook violently as the ancient formation poured all of its remaining power into restraining him.
For the first time…
Cassian frowned.
“Impressive.”
“The architects truly prepared for everything.”
He pulled once.
The chains groaned.
Pulled again.
Cracks spread across the glowing links.
“No!” I whispered.
Even this wasn’t enough?
Cassian looked directly at me.
“Listen carefully, Kael.”
“This sanctuary can delay me.”
“It cannot imprison me.”
One by one…
The chains shattered.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
The formation’s light dimmed.
It had bought us time…
But not victory.
Suddenly—
A deafening roar echoed across the forest.
The entire mountain shook.
Even Cassian stopped moving.
A familiar mechanical voice thundered through the valley.
“Guardian Unit Aegis-17…”
“…arriving.”
The sanctuary wall exploded inward.
Massive fragments of stone flew through the air.
Standing amidst the dust was a colossal figure of silver-blue metal, nearly twenty meters tall.
Its sapphire eyes burned like twin stars.
Ancient spear in hand.
Guardian Aegis-17 had returned.
The guardian stepped between us.
Its spear pointed directly at Cassian.
For several seconds…
Neither moved.
Then Aegis-17 spoke.
“Eclipse Commander Cassian.”
“You are trespassing upon Origin territory.”
Cassian laughed.
“So you do remember me.”
“I was beginning to think all your memories had decayed.”
The guardian’s voice remained emotionless.
“Threat Assessment…”
“Maximum.”
An invisible pressure swept across the sanctuary.
The clash of their auras alone caused the remaining pillars to crumble.
I realized something terrifying.
Neither of them had been fighting seriously until now.
Not even close.
Cassian looked at me one last time.
“This isn’t our final meeting, Second Heir.”
“The game has only begun.”
He snapped his fingers.
The surrounding darkness folded inward, swallowing his body.
Within a heartbeat…
He vanished.
Only silence remained.
The guardian lowered its spear.
Its glowing eyes turned toward me.
For a long moment, it said nothing.
Then it knelt on one knee.
“Greetings…”
“Second Heir.”
“The time has come…”
“…to learn the truth about the Fall of the Origin Civilization.”
The Origin Core pulsed violently.
A new mission appeared before my eyes.
Main Quest Updated
The Lost Truth – Part I
Travel to Riverstone City
Enroll in the Azure Sword Pavilion
Find the Second Sanctuary
Investigate the Mark of the Eclipse
Rewards: Unknown
Difficulty: SSS
As Lyra stared in disbelief at the kneeling guardian, I realized that my journey had changed forever.
The road to becoming stronger was no longer just about cultivation.
It was about uncovering a war that had been buried for ten thousand years.