Rise Of The Elemental Hero

In the Dungeon..

The cold dungeon walls felt heavy with silence, broken only by the distant drip of water. A small boy sat huddled on the cold floor, his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. His clothes were torn, his hair dirty, and his thin frame shook with cold. He stayed hidden from the flickering light, keeping his head buried in his arms.

Footsteps echoed down the stone corridor. Two figures came out from the shadows—It was Rexar, sharp-eyed and restless, and Zerix, whose expression was calm but watchful. They stopped just outside the cell, the heavy iron door creaked open as Rexar stepped in first, arms crossed.

The boy didn’t move.

"Get up," Rexar ordered, his voice sharp, but the boy didn’t respond. His thin shoulders remained unmoved, as if the world was too much to face.

Zerix stepped in beside Rexar, his tone more measured. "We need answers, boy. Who’s behind what happened that night? Tell us, and maybe we can help you."

A faint whisper slipped from the boy’s lips. "Him….." his voice trailing off.

Rexar’s eyes narrowed. "Him? Who’s 'him'?"

The boy’s voice dropped to a whisper again, broken but insistent. "Him… Him…Him..." then he let out a small laugh.

Rexar’s jaw tightened. "Shiro?" he asked with a sneer.

Zerix shot him a glare and let out a small sigh . "How can you say that? Shiro literally helped him."

Rexar rolled his eyes and gave a small, sarcastic smile. "Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I don't know why he's always at the right place at the wrong time."

The boy shifted slightly, just enough for his face to peek out from beneath his arms. His eyes glimmered with a strange mixture of fear and amusement. Then, his lips curled into a twisted smile.

"He’s coming, he's coming…" the boy whispered. His voice echoed eerily through the cold small cell "He’s coming for you." he sang.

Rexar crouched beside the boy, his eyes sharp. "Who’s coming? The Dark one? We know that, so tell us, is he behind this?"

The boy’s lips trembled, but then a hollow laugh escaped him. He threw his head back, laughing softly but darkly, as if a terrible joke had just been said to him. "You’ll see soon enough. Time is close… and yes the Dark One will come for all of you. He'll come for You… you… and you…" His voice dropped to a chilling whisper, his finger lifting shakily as he pointed to Rexar, then Zerix—and then toward the figure standing quietly at the entrance.

It was Cora.

Her pale, elegant face was momentarily shadowed with fear, though she masked it quickly, lifting her chin. "What’s going on here?Zerix," she asked, striding into the dungeon with her shoulders held high, her voice calm but with an edge of command.

Zerix straightened and turned to face her. "The boy… He claims the Dark One is coming. He seems—unhinged."

Rexar, standing stiffly beside Zerix, scoffed. "I think we should end him now. You can see he’s possessed. There's no saving him." His tone was impatient, but there was a flicker of fear in his eyes. "If we keep him here for a long time, the more likely danger we put Serevaal in."

Zerix shook his head firmly. "No, Rexar. We can’t. This boy has a family—his parents. We can’t just kill him."

Cora’s gaze flicked to the boy, her expression unreadable. But the air in the dungeon seemed heavier with her presence.

"The safety of Serevaal matters more than one's boy life," she said softly, her voice even but laced with subtle menace. "If he becomes a threat… you know what my judgment will be."

The boy lifted his head fully now, meeting Cora’s gaze. His eyes, though tired, gleamed with something unsettling—something knowing. For a moment, the two locked eyes, and it was unclear who held the upper hand in that silent exchange.

Cora’s lips pressed into a thin line before she turned sharply on her heel. "And you'll have to do what must be done," she said over her shoulder, her footsteps echoing down the corridor as she left the dungeon behind.

The boy’s smile lingered as the door clanged shut, his whispered words trailing after them, barely audible. "He’s coming…."

Rexar and Zerix followed Cora down the stone corridors, their boots echoing with each step. They soon entered the council hall, where Alaric and Liora were already seated around the circular table, deep in conversation about the boy’s fate.

Cora took her seat at the head of the table, her expression unreadable. "The boy is dangerous, he didn't sit well with me" she said.

"Have you thought about the boy's family?" Zerix asked quietly. "They have the right to know what’s going on."

Cora’s expression remained cold as she took her seat. "The people of Serevaal do not need to know everything. They need peace, not fear."

Liora raised an eyebrow. "And what if the Dark One’s influence spreads further? How do we explain that? If he possesses another student ??"

“We deal with problems as they arise,” Cora replied curtly. “One problem at a time, Liora”

"Like I said, we should eliminate him, Cora," Rexar said, glancing at Cora with a sly grin. "Wouldn't that buy us some time? It will stop the Dark One from whatever he's planning...for now."

Cora’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Or it could be exactly what the Dark One wants—panic and rushed decisions. We can't afford that right now, but if he gets worse, we'd have to do something."

The room fell into silence again, thick with unspoken tensions.

Alaric leaned back, folding his arms. "I guess we must tread carefully then. We also need all the information we can gather.”

“We’ll do what’s necessary, Alaric” Cora said quietly. “Just when the time comes.”