Chapter 10 - The Name Buried by Time

The name struck Jason harder than any weapon ever could.King Aether Ravencrest.

For a moment, nobody moved.

The forest stood silent beneath the moonlight. Even the wind seemed reluctant to disturb the tension hanging over the clearing.

Jason stared at the masked leader.

Aether Ravencrest.

The name meant nothing to him.

And yet Something deep inside his chest reacted.

A strange ache spread through him.

Not pain,Recognition.A feeling he couldn't explain.His heartbeat quickened.

Images flickered through his mind.A silver crown.

Towering walls.

A throne carved from black stone.

A woman smiling as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

The vision vanished before he could grasp it.

Jason staggered slightly.

Elena immediately reached for him.

He pulled away.Not because he was angry.

Because he needed space.Needed air.

Needed answers.

The stranger beside him watched carefully.

The ancient being wearing Adrian Ravencrest's face seemed almost concerned.

Jason's gaze shifted toward him.Who was Aether Ravencrest?The question cut through the silence.Nobody answered immediately.

The masked leader smiled.A smile filled with satisfaction.Interesting truly remember nothing.

The stranger's expression darkened.Leave him out of this.the masked leader ignored him.

His attention remained fixed on Jason.

You were once the most powerful ruler this world had ever seen.Jason felt frustration building, Stop.

The word came out sharper than intended.

Stop talking like you know me.

I don't know who Aether Ravencrest is.

I don't remember any empire.I don't remember any throne.i'm Jason.

The statement echoed through the clearing.

For a brief moment, the masked leader studied him quietly.Then he nodded.Exactly.

The answer confused everyone.including Jason.

The man's smile faded.

Because that's what terrifies us.

A cold sensation crept down Jason's spine.

Us?

The masked leader spread his arms.

Do you know why the Ravencrest Empire was feared?

Jason remained silent.

Because it wasn't built on power.

It was built on loyalty.

The man's voice lowered.

People followed Aether Ravencrest willingly.

Not because they feared him.Because they believed in him.The clearing grew quiet again.

Even the stranger beside Jason listened.

The masked leader took another step forward.

That made him far more dangerous than any warrior who ever lived.

Jason couldn't understand why.

The man continued.Power can be challenged.

Kingdoms can be conquered.Armies can be destroyed.But belief?The smile returned.

Belief survives centuries.Jason felt a strange uneasiness.The words sounded less like a warning.

More like a memory.The masked leader's eyes hardened.

That's why your empire had to die.

The lead enforcer immediately raised his sword.

Enough.The warrior stepped forward.

State your identity.

The masked leader finally looked at him.

The smile disappeared completely.

And who exactly are you?The lead enforcer's jaw tightened.Council Enforcer Kael Draven.

The man's eyes narrowed slightly.Recognition.

Then amusement.A descendant, Kael frowned What?The masked leader chuckled softly.

Nothing.

The sound made Jason uncomfortable.

Because there was something ancient behind it.

Something wrong.

The stranger suddenly stepped forward.We're wasting time.

His gaze swept across the armored figures surrounding the clearing.They didn't come here to talk.The atmosphere changed instantly.

The masked soldiers shifted their footing.

Weapons appeared.

Silver blades reflected moonlight.

Crossbows emerged from beneath dark cloaks.

The forest seemed to shrink around them.

Kael cursed under his breath.How many?

The stranger's answer was immediate.

Too many.jason counted at least thirty.

Probably more hidden among the trees.

A knot formed in his stomach.

The masked leader sighed.Such a shame.

He looked genuinely disappointed.

I hoped the king would remember before this happened.

Jason's eyes narrowed.Before what happened?

The answer came with terrifying calm.

Before I killed everyone protecting him.

Elena's face turned pale.

Kael immediately stepped in front of her and Jason.

The surviving enforcers moved into position.

The stranger's eyes flashed with dangerous light.

The temperature around him dropped sharply.

The masked leader simply smiled.

Then everything happened at once.

The first arrow shot from the darkness.

Kael reacted instantly.His sword flashed upward.

Metal met steel.Sparks erupted.

The projectile shattered.

A second volley followed immediately.

Dozens of arrows burst from the forest.

The night exploded into chaos.

Move!

Kael's roar echoed through the clearing.

Jason barely had time to react.

The stranger grabbed him and threw him sideways.

An arrow struck the ground where he had been standing.

The impact cracked stone.

Jason's eyes widened.Those weren't ordinary arrows.They carried silver energy.

Weapons designed to kill powerful wolves.

The clearing erupted into battle.

The two surviving enforcers transformed.

Bones cracked.Muscles expanded.Massive wolves burst forward.

They crashed into the enemy line like living storms.Screams followed.Steel clashed against claws.

The masked soldiers held their ground.

Far stronger than ordinary warriors.

Jason rolled behind a fallen tree.

His heart pounded.Everything was happening too fast.too violently.

A sword sliced through the air nearby.He instinctively ducked.

The blade missed his throat by inches.

A masked warrior stood above him.

The man's eyes were emotionless, Cold.

Professional Jason scrambled backward.

The warrior advanced.

Step by step,vNo hesitation, No mercy.

Jason grabbed a broken branch from the ground.

A pathetic weapon.But it was all he had.

The warrior laughed.

The sound made Jason's blood boil.

All his life people had looked at him that way.

Weak,Useless,Defenseless.The swordsman lunged.Jason twisted aside.

The blade sliced through his sleeve.Pain burned across his arm.The warrior attacked again.

Faster.More precise.Jason barely avoided the strike.the branch in his hand shattered.

Hopeless.

The realization hit hard.He wasn't a warrior.

He wasn't a king.

He wasn't some legendary ruler reborn.

He was just Jason.A boy without a wolf.

A boy about to die.

The swordsman raised his blade for the final strike.Then the heartbeat returned.

Boom.The world froze.The warrior stopped moving.The arrows stopped flying.

The battle sounds vanished.Everything became still.Jason looked around in confusion.

Nobody moved.Nobody breathed.

Time itself seemed suspended.

Only one person remained unaffected.The stranger.

The ancient being slowly turned toward Jason.

His expression had changed.

For the first time, there was urgency in his eyes.

Listen carefully.

The words echoed through the frozen world.

You don't have much time.Jason stared at him.

What is happening?The heartbeat answered.

Boom.Cracks spread across reality itself.

Silver light leaked through the air.

The stranger pointed toward Jason's chest.

The seal is breaking faster than expected.

Fear gripped Jason.What seal?

The same one that has kept your memories buried for eighteen years.

Another heartbeat shook the world.Boom.

The cracks widened.The stranger's voice became grim.

When it breaks completely, everything changes.

Jason's stomach tightened.

What happens then?

The ancient being looked directly into his eyes.

A silence followed.

A terrible silence.Then came the answer.

Either Jason Anthony Ravencrest survives...

Or King Aether Ravencrest returns.

And they are not the same person.