Chapter 24: GOLIATH

  When the name was spoken, everything he had just felt vanished. Even the emptiness and the darkness were gone.

  Darek found himself standing in the middle of Plaza Solara.

  The day, the sky, the scent in the air — everything was exactly as it always was.

  What… how did I get here?

  Darek looked around in shock, searching for an explanation.

  In the next moment, a passerby walked straight through him. Darek’s body was passed through as if he didn’t exist at all.

  “Fuck, what is going on? Am I a ghost? Did I die? This is exactly the kind of dangerous crap I wanted to avoid… What is happening?! Iris?!”

  Darek shouted, agitated and unable to comprehend the situation, staring down at his hands.

  Iris isn’t even here… wait a second… could this be it? Is this a prophecy?

  Darek thought rapidly.

  Yeah… that makes more sense than it being a dream or me suddenly dying and turning into a ghost. In the dream, I also found myself inside one after touching the inscription… But this time it’s clearer. The prophecy inside the dream felt like watching short, sharp scenes from a film. This… this feels like I’m inside the film itself. Not just watching — living it.

  Is it because of the object? That would make sense. It’s real. It has more presence than a faded memory inside a dream…

  Well… in the end, I have no idea what’s really causing it.

  Suddenly, Darek felt something in his soul — hatred. A murderous urge filled with wild, selfless savagery.

  Seraphis… is that you? What’s wrong with you?

  In the very next instant, the sky darkened so abruptly that it felt as though someone had dimmed the world itself — no, as though something had stepped in front of the sun.

  What is that? A solar eclipse?

  Darek looked up.

  No. Not even the moon could block out the sun like this.

  His eyes widened, bloodshot, the moment he saw him.

  A freezing shock pierced through him like a thousand needles. Suddenly, the air was ripped from his lungs. Every breath became a struggle against invisible hands crushing his chest. Panic flooded his body. He grabbed at his throat desperately, helplessly, as if he were about to suffocate.

  Then the blood came.

  First a thin red stream from his eyes — then instantly a torrent, running down his face. He felt life being siphoned out of him, every heartbeat crushed by unseen force. His body trembled violently. Without warning, blood burst from his mouth, hot and unstoppable, as if it wanted to tear his very soul out with it.

  Then came the metallic sound.

  A horrific, screeching resonance — a grinding, slicing noise that tore through bone and marrow, as if distant chains were playing the sound of suffering itself, filling the air with relentless pressure.

  The metallic echoes still rang in his ears when blood began to pour from them as well — a grotesque symphony of torment.

  Every drop burned like fire. Every breath dissolved the world around him into liquid blackness.

  Darek collapsed to his knees — a living shadow of himself, broken and helpless — yet unable to look away from the Tyrant, whose mere presence was tearing his very being apart.

  And yet…

  Despite the agony, the Tyrant’s appearance was breathtaking.

  It was almost impossible to look away.

  His existence demanded attention. Forced it. Imposed itself.

  Darek saw the illusion of the people around him slowly turning as well. Each of them met the same helpless fate he did.

  Darek tried to brace himself on one leg, to stand — but slipped in the blood pooling beneath him.

  He lay there.

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  Among hundreds of others.

  All suffering the same fate.

  They struggled as if fighting for their final breath. Desperate. Helpless. Miserable. No other words could describe them.

  Not even my pillow reacts here… I don’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

  Please… just let it end. I should be grateful my pillow doesn’t respond to prophecies.

  Darek felt himself slowly losing the strength to even think.

  So this is him… the Tyrant… Goliath?

  And there he stood.

  Immeasurable.

  A living natural disaster that seemed capable of overwhelming the land itself. The Solara mountain range looked tiny beneath him — like a toy crushed beneath the mere presence of this being.

  Ancient, broken chains hung from his monstrous shoulders and arms, half embedded in stone. They rattled with every step — a lamenting, tortured staccato, as if a thousand voices were screaming in endless agony. No one knew whether he had once been bound, or whether the chains themselves were an eternal monument. After all… who would possess the power to bind such a being?

  In the center of his fractured chest gaped a massive vertical eye — a slit of violet light, like a black hole piercing into the soul.

  Anyone who looked into it instantly felt life, will, and every spark of hope being torn from them, as if the eye devoured the essence of their existence.

  Where Goliath stepped, he left no footprints.

  Only black smoke.

  Thick. Almost liquid. Like the shadows of death itself spreading across the ground.

  Everything he touched.

  Everything he crossed.

  Turned to despair.

  To horror.

  To decay.

  Darek took one last look around.

  But within the Tyrant’s shadow, everything appeared only grey and black.

  His strength and will were nearly extinguished.

  Across the entire plaza lay hundreds of corpses. Even for the dead, they looked lifeless — as though every trace of color had been drained from them.

  Only the outlines of blood-soaked larches beneath the bodies were still visible.

  Darek gathered his final thought.

  So this is him… fuck.

  His heart beat one final time.

  Darek found himself back in the museum.

  He slowly opened his eyes, composed and controlled.

  To any outsider, the time Darek had spent inside the prophecy had lasted barely a second.

  To be precise — only a blink.

  “And Darek, do you notice anything?” Iris asked, curiosity in her voice.

  But Darek didn’t even register her voice.

  He was far too deep in his thoughts.

  “What’s wrong? I’ve never seen you like this before.”

  Darek’s gaze was serious. Controlled. And if one looked closely, there was even a hint of contempt within it.

  He removed his hand from the monolith, turned around, and walked toward the exit.

  “Helloooo, Darek? Care to tell me what’s going on? And where exactly are we going now?”

  “We’re leaving,” Darek said in a low, threatening tone. “We’re done researching.”

  Iris was startled. “What do you mean? Did you find something, Darek?”

  As Darek stepped out of the museum, he asked seriously,“How much do you actually know about prophecies, Iris?”

  ???

  Back home, Darek sat cross-legged on his bed, leaning against the wall.

  He went over everything again, trying to sort and organize his thoughts.

  But anger, despair, and hatred still flared up whenever he thought of the Tyrant — and what he would do to all of Solara.

  Yes, even Seraphis had reacted with fury and rage when he saw him, just like the snakes and fragments in the dream. It seemed as though they were natural enemies — enemies until death itself.

  “So it’s a harbinger of the future, then,” Darek said quietly.

  “Yes. And in ninety-nine percent of cases, unavoidable,” Iris replied. “How or whether one can evade it, I can’t say. But knowing it already is a significant step.”

  “Mhh…”

  Darek fell back into thought, slowly regaining his composure.

  Well. I’m the one who said I didn’t want to ignore the first prophecy. And as it turns out, we’re screwed.

  If that thing actually sets itself in motion, that’s the end of Solara. No — what am I saying? Maybe all of Aquilara? Who even in Symbion could stand against something like that…

  I couldn’t find anything useful online about Siegmund or Mariel. Nothing substantial about Sorus either. Aside from the prophecy, the only things I found were the error with the mountain range… and the emblem of the double-headed serpent.

  Darek sighed.

  His mind cleared again. His calm demeanor returned.

  “You forgot the useless, chaotic poetry booklet,” Iris said encouragingly.

  “Thanks, Iris…” Darek replied dryly, his tone indifferent and ironic.“How could I ever forget that treasure?”

  He picked up the notebook again and flipped through it aimlessly. A faint disappointment lingered in his expression.

  “Why did the compass even lead me to you? Even the connection line was unusually intense… I don’t understand.”

  He sighed.

  “How could you possibly be connected to Sorus? Let alone help me with this prophecy dilemma… Still, I have to do something. Maybe I should just go to Lieutenant Carris and tell him everything. At least Solara could be evacuated… He should believe me — he has that ring… Or they’ll think I’ve lost my mind and made it all up… Damn you, Goliath…”

  The moment Darek spoke the Tyrant’s name, something strange happened.

  Several of the chaotic words inside the book began moving across the pages.

  But not randomly.

  Not chaotically.

  It looked deliberate.

  Purposeful.

  As if they were following a specific pattern.

  Darek frowned. He didn’t understand what was happening.

  And just as suddenly as it had begun — it stopped.

  Weird… what was that? Was it triggered by the Tyrant’s name?

  Darek flipped back to the beginning and carefully went through the notebook page by page.

  Until suddenly—

  He stopped in the middle.

  His eyes could hardly believe what they were seeing.

  His heart leapt.

  Hope and fear flooded him at the same time.

  Could it actually be possible… to seal the Tyrant?

  ?? Absolute Sealing Elixir (Highest Tier)

  Effect:Seals powers, abilities, or artifacts permanentlyProtects the target from external and internal manipulationIncreases the stability of the soul and prevents unintended energy leakageStrengthens the bond between the sealer and the target → the seal can only be undone through conscious action

  Ingredients (for 1 dose / 100 ml):1.5 g Heart-Salt of an ancient golemEssence of a Dream2 leaves of Nightshade Lily0.5 g Phase Dust of the Time Worm4 ml Tears of the First Morning0.2 g Fragment of a Forbidden Oath100 ml pure spring water

  Special Note:The first ingredient — Heart-Salt of an ancient golem — is the primary ingredient and determines what type of target the elixir is designed to seal.The remaining ingredients are non-substitutable and ensure the elixir’s effect.The effect lasts eternally, provided the elixir is applied correctly.Incorrect intent or carelessness may cause the elixir to fail or create unintended bindings.

  In messy handwriting, signed by the author of the alchemy book:

  “For years I have tried to complete this elixir and have managed to gather every ingredient. All except the Essence of a Dream — what the hell is that supposed to be, fuck! Damn you, Goliath! Damn you!”

  Darek stood frozen, mouth open.

  He couldn’t process what he was seeing.

  It was Iris who pulled him out of his shock.

  “Seems like that notebook really does belong to Sorus.”

  So it really is Sorus’ alchemy notebook… and he encrypted it somehow… Darek thought, still visibly shaken.

  “Well, I guess that won’t be a problem for us,” Iris said with a light laugh.

  Darek stammered in excitement,“Th-that… that’s our salvation!”

  So this is Sorus’ alchemy notebook, and he encoded it in some way… Looks like the name Goliath was the trigger to decipher at least one of the pages. And that’s all I need.

  With this elixir… I might actually be able to change the prophecy.

  But what are these ingredients?

  Despite the ominous names, Darek didn’t look particularly worried.

  Well… Sorus managed to gather them. So they must exist. Now I just have to find them.

  Seems like all of them are accessible somewhere in Symbion… except the Dream Essence.

  Fine. Then I’ll just get that one first.

  Darek had never really been motivated in his life. He had never set goals — unless they were related to sleep.

  And today, even in a situation that seemed utterly hopeless, that hadn’t changed.

  If everything here goes to hell, that’s it for my peaceful sleep. I have to seal this Tyrant.

  Seraphis stirred within his soul, overflowing with energy.

  Their goals were the same.

  Their motivations aligned.

  Yes — both of them loved sleep.

  And both carried fury and hatred directed at one target alone:

  The Tyrant.

  I need to train too. No more postponing. If I want to interfere with this prophecy, I’ll need more than just the elixir.

  First, I need to get close enough to him without dying. The rest… the elixir will handle.

  Seraphis nodded internally, thrilled and eager.

  Darek was bursting with motivation, ready to start immediately.

  And then he realized something.

  What luck… the elixir was exactly what I needed. Exactly this one…

  “…Shit. Don’t tell me this is one of those main-character plot conveniences.”