Chapter 2771: Story 2772: The King Beneath the Names

Every dead king knelt.

Their shadowy bodies bowed toward the forgotten child, and the chamber filled with the sound of thousands of skulls striking stone. The crowned impostor staggered, clutching his fractured crown as golden fire leaked between its bones.

“No,” he whispered. “They belong to me.”

The child tilted his head.

“Kings belong to the dead. The dead belong to the dark. And the dark remembers its master.”

The impostor screamed and raised his white sword.

Before he could strike, the dead kings lifted their faces. Black chains erupted from their chests, wrapping around his arms and dragging him toward the floor.

Ronan seized the opportunity.

He rushed to Cael and dropped beside him. His brother’s body was growing transparent, golden light escaping through cracks in his skin.

“Stay with me,” Ronan ordered.

Cael managed a weak smile. “You always did mistake stubbornness for courage.”

“Save your strength.”

“I have spent centuries saving strength for this moment.” Cael grabbed Ronan’s wrist. “Listen carefully. The creature wearing my face is not my first self. It is the memory of the being I served before time began.”

Ronan glanced toward the child.

“Who did you serve?”

Cael’s eyes filled with terror.

“The King Beneath the Names.”

The chamber trembled.

The forgotten child suddenly clutched his chest. His red heart pulsed once, and every dead king rose simultaneously.

The impostor tore free of the chains.

“You should have remained forgotten!” he roared.

He thrust his sword toward the child.

Darian moved first. Violet fire exploded from his hands, striking the blade and shattering it into fragments. Elias followed, binding the impostor with black chains, while Aren formed a silver barrier around the child.

For a heartbeat, the brothers stood united.

Then the impostor laughed.

“You still believe these powers belong to you?”

The chains turned golden. Elias cried out as his own magic dragged him forward. Aren’s barrier shattered, and Darian’s flames were swallowed by the crown.

The impostor pointed at Ronan.

“First Son, you carry the name. Give it to me, and I will restore your brother.”

Cael’s fingers tightened around Ronan’s wrist.

“Do not listen. If he speaks the complete name, the King will return.”

“Which king?” Ronan demanded.

Cael looked toward the ceiling, where the last stars were disappearing.

“The one who named the first darkness—and then named himself its master.”

A deep voice rolled through the chamber.

“Cael.”

The real Cael went rigid.

The impostor fell to his knees.

Even the forgotten child bowed his head.

A black throne emerged from beneath the floor, carrying a figure wrapped in a cloak of living shadows. No face rested beneath its hood. Instead, countless stolen names glimmered like stars.

The figure turned toward Ronan.

“Come closer, my son.”

Lyra raised her dagger, placing herself between them.

The nameless king lifted one finger.

Lyra’s shadow detached from her feet and seized her throat.

Ronan’s blood turned to ice.

“Release her!”

The king’s empty hood tilted.

“Speak your true name, First Son.”

The forgotten child began to cry.

Because Ronan suddenly remembered who had given him that name—and why the giver had been terrified of him.