Читать книгу Universe Aeternov. Book two. The Shadow that Remembers the Light - Группа авторов - Страница 3

“He did not betray the light. He let me in… to figure out how to heal her.”

1. THE HERO’S LAST SIGH

At the end of the first book, when the Chrono-Heart flashed with the light of hope, Knox took a step forward.

“I’ll go with her,” he said, looking at the shadow of the Chrono Shadow receding into the depths of the Black Abyss. “She’s a part of me. And if anyone has to stay with her… it’s me.

– Knox, no!” Elira shouted. “You don’t have to!”

– But I want to, – he replied. – It means that only those who know her from the inside… can find light in her.

He hugged Andrey. He nodded to Alexei. He looked at Alina and smiled:

– Take care of tomorrow.

And stepped into the portal of Darkness.

The team thought he had sacrificed himself. That his choice had allowed Absolute Evil to be put to sleep. A monument of sand and song was erected to him on the Aeternum.

But they were wrong.

Knox is not dead.

He woke up.

2. MECHANOS-9 – FORGE OF THE GOD OF DARKNESS.

He woke up on Mechanos 9, a planet where technology hates all living things.

The sky is made of rust and screams.

Cities are made of pulsating metal that feeds on pain.

Rivers are made of molten oaths.

And at the center of everything is an Iron Throne forged from a million broken Core Hearts.

And there’s a Shadow on it, older than time itself.

– Welcome home, vessel, – Absolute Evil whispered. “Did you think you were sacrificing yourself for the good?” No. You’ve matured. And now… I’m going to enter you.

Knox tries to resist. But there was always a crack in his soul, the one from which tears flowed when Elira sang him a lullaby for the first time. And through that crack… darkness entered.

3. CHILDHOOD, WHICH WAS PREPARED FOR DARKNESS.

Absolute Evil did not choose Knox by accident.

Even before he was born, in one of the first timelines, the Devouring One sowed the seed of pain in his family.

His mother died because the world didn’t have time to save her.

His father went crazy because no one heard him scream.

His village was wiped off the face of reality because it was not considered worthy of protection.

Every tear of the boy fed the Darkness.

Every night without sleep strengthened the bond.

His childish “why”? it became a prayer that was heard not by the light… but by the void.

When Knox became a Chrono-Shadow, it was the first stage of the vessel’s awakening.

When he became Knox again, the second one.

And now the third one has arrived.

4. THE BIRTH OF THE LORD OF DARKNESS.

The process lasted seven laps of time.

Knox’s body was being melted into a vessel of ancient pain and cruel will.

His eyes have become black stars in which hopes are extinguished.

His voice is the echo of all the screams that went unanswered.

His heart is an empty throne on which sits Absolute Evil.

But… not completely.

Somewhere deep, under the layers of darkness, there was a spark – the one that cried after hearing the unique lullaby. And Absolute Evil cannot destroy it.

Because she is not a part of the Darkness.

She’s Knox’s choice.

And that’s why the Devouring One didn’t kill his mind. He left him alive, as a torment for the sake of light.

Let Aeternov know that their hero sees everything that the Darkness does… but he can’t stop himself.

5. THE NEW ORDER

Now Knox is the Lord of Darkness, the second most powerful after the most Absolute Evil.

He rules Mechanos 9, Necros, Daemonium, Nocturna, Morgrad, and Chaos Prima, all six worlds of the Black Abyss.

His army is the Shadows of Fate, distorted reflections of fallen heroes.

His weapon is the Spear of Oblivion, capable of erasing not the body, but the memory of goodness.

He doesn’t scream.

He whispers.

And in this whisper, there is a conviction:

“Goodness is an illusion. Love is a weakness. Hope is a lie.”

But one night, when all the worlds are asleep, he goes to the mirror of the destroyed time… and cries black tears.

He remembers:

– how I held a flower made of light in my hands,

– as I said for the first time: “I’ve been through this,

“As I laughed with a couple on a rooftop in Chicago.

And in these moments… The darkness is trembling.

THE END OF THE CHAPTER.

Knox did not become evil.

He became a prison for evil.

And as long as he is alive, Absolute Evil cannot enter the worlds completely. Because the vessel has not yet allowed itself to be sealed.

And somewhere in the depths of his fallen soul… a little sprout is still waiting to be heard.