AK : RISING MYTHIC

The room pulsed with silence.

The floating image of the Vault of Sundusk, formed by magical projection, shimmered above the table like a fading memory. The scholar's final words still hung in the air:

> "If the six stones are placed on the Vault's twin gates, Kar'Thæl's powers will be drained. In that moment, he will be no stronger than a mortal."

The weight of the revelation stunned even the most powerful among them. Zeniths with power to reshape terrain, Apex Knights who had seen realms collapse and survive, Mythics just beginning to understand their awakening—all were now united by uncertainty.

Until a voice cut through.

Quiet. Direct. But unshaking.

"Then why not seal him where he is?"

All eyes turned.

It was Arslan.

He stood near the lower circle of the hall, arms crossed, his hood pulled low over his dark hair, face unreadable beneath his pale expression. The silver glow of the chamber lit his sharp jawline and the swirling dark energy that faintly clung to him like smoke.

His voice was calm but clear. "The devils say Kar'Thæl is moving through worlds... but we know something else now: he is here, somewhere within the Bound Threshold. That's where the three stones are. That's where his whispers were first heard."

He took a step forward.

"So why do we need to place the Sundusk Stones on the Vault of Sundusk—something far away from the Bound Threshold? Why not use them to lock the Threshold itself?"

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then a burst of low laughter echoed from a group of Apex-ranked knights on the side.

One of them, a large man with fire-scarred armor and a glowing spear, sneered. "That's your brilliant theory? Are you a strategist or a shadow-chaser?"

Another Apex scoffed, "Boy, this is why the lower-ranked awakeneds should listen, not question thousand-year tactics."

Even a Zenith, calm and poised, waved dismissively. "You question the very relic left by the Messengers? You question Daemior's word and the oldest book in recorded time?"

The room began to murmur with nods of disapproval. Arslan, however, didn't flinch.

He wasn't trying to be right.

He was trying to understand.

"I'm not saying the book is false," Arslan clarified. "I'm saying it's incomplete. Torn pages. Missing volumes. Knowledge left vague—conveniently vague. All I ask is why the vault matters more than the place where the monster is hiding."

Parche, voice flat, said, "And I ask why a young Knight speaks out of turn in a council of legends."

ARSLAN said nothing... He wanted to say "As I invited by King so I have right to ask "

Rivers, head of the Council of Veins, scoffed. "You think a clever line of logic can unweave a plan crafted through bloodline prophecy? Be silent."

But across the room, Julious said nothing. His hands were folded. His gaze lingered—not on Arslan's face, but on the ancient book, still glowing faintly.

King Farhan, seated high above, leaned slightly forward, his expression unreadable.

Even when the room erupted in murmured laughter and condescension, he did not interrupt.

He simply watched.

The same way he had watched when Arslan walked through the testing chambers. The same way he had listened to whispers of a boy who had awakened under strange circumstances. The same way he had read a torn page that began with words like:

> "He who carries silence, grief, and unnatural control..."

Perhaps, Farhan wondered, the torn page hadn't needed to be whole after all.

The tension broke when Julious raised a hand, voice cold and decisive.

"This meeting is concluded."

Heads turned in surprise. Many were ready to argue further.

But Julious wasn't finished.

"Though the book is ancient, and the warning dire, we acknowledge its gaps. We do not ignore suspicion. And we do not act blindly—not even in the presence of devils."

He turned toward the King.

Farhan rose slowly from his seat. The entire chamber fell into absolute silence.

His words were few, but weighty.

"We will honor the strategy of the Stones and the Vault—but we will not overlook the Bound Threshold."

He looked out over the Knights.

"Several of you will be selected to go beyond the Bound Threshold. Not only to retrieve the three remaining stones… but to observe what lies within."

He paused, then continued with a tone even heavier.

"If Kar'Thæl is hiding there… we must see with our own eyes. Not just what is coming—but what has already begun."

The crystal pillars dimmed, signaling the meeting's conclusion. Magic scrolls began rolling themselves closed, and warriors began to move in quiet waves.

Arslan didn't speak again.

But he noticed something.

As the crowd began to disperse, Julious passed near him—not pausing, not turning his head—but offering one phrase under his breath:

> "You're not wrong. But timing matters more than truth."

And he kept walking.

There's the meeting end .... All the ranked Knights left the meeting hall and are on the way back to the Bases...