The air in the cavern didn't just feel old; it felt heavy, like the weight of the entire floating world above was pressing down on their shoulders. Keltatar stood perfectly still, his white hair glowing faintly in the blue moss-light. He didn't look like a threat, but the way the stone ruins seemed to breathe with his every word told a different story.
"The Stone Kings were the first judges," Keltatar whispered, his silver quill tracing patterns in the air. "Before the Myth took the sky, before the robots took the stars, there was the Law of Velestia. To pass, you must not only defeat them—you must show them your heart. If your soul is hollow, the stone will crush you."
"Great, more 'soul-searching' while being punched in the face," Roselia sighed, checking the straps on her daggers. "Joshua, if I get turned into a pancake, please make sure my tombstone says something cool, like 'She died being a total icon.'"
"Bet," Joshua replied with a ghost of a smile, though his hand was tight on the hilt of his black sword. "But let's try to stay as a human, not a pancake. Kairyn, Sharla—stay back. This isn't a normal fight."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Sharla said, clutching the Reality Stabilizer. "Those statues look like they have a serious 'don't touch me' vibe."
With a sound like a mountain cracking in half, the three massive statues at the edge of the dais began to move. They were easily fifteen feet tall, carved from dark, seamless basalt. One held a massive stone shield (Wisdom), the second held a heavy, blunt mace (Strength), and the third had empty hands, held open as if to catch something (Mercy).
The "Strength" King moved first. It didn't run; it simply stepped forward, and the ground beneath it shattered. It swung the stone mace in a horizontal arc that whistled through the air.
"Duck!" Joshua yelled.
The team dove in different directions. The mace smashed into a nearby copper pillar, snapping it like a toothpick. Sparks flew, and the scream of twisting metal echoed through the cavern.
"Joshua, the stone is too thick!" Kage shrieked, circling above. "Your normal slashes won't do a thing. It's like trying to cut a mountain with a butter knife!"
"I know!" Joshua called back. He rolled to his feet, 'seeing' the world through Kage's eyes. The Stone King was radiating a dull, brown energy—the energy of the earth itself. "Roselia! Bind the one with the mace! I need to see if there's a core!"
"On it! Shadow Weave!" Roselia shouted. She slammed her hands onto the cold floor. Dozens of dark, ribbon-like shadows erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Strength King's legs and arms. The statue roared—a deep, grinding sound of rock on rock—as it tried to pull free.
Joshua lunged forward. He didn't swing for the chest. He used his speed to slide between the statue's legs, his black blade flickering like a serpent's tongue. Clang! The sword struck the back of the statue's heel, but it didn't even leave a scratch.
"Bruh, it's legit made of bedrock," Roselia muttered, dodging a stray stone shard. "My shadows are snapping! He's too strong!"
Suddenly, the "Wisdom" King raised its shield. A wave of golden light pulsed from the stone surface, hitting Joshua and Roselia.
Joshua felt his mind suddenly flood with images. He saw his parents—his father's stern but kind face, his mother's laugh. But the images were twisted. He saw them walking away, leaving him in the dark. A voice whispered in the back of his head: "Why do you fight? They left you. They chose the world over their son. Why carry the sword for a world that took everything?"
Joshua stumbled, his grip on the sword loosening. The weight of the guilt and the loneliness felt heavier than the stone mace.
"Joshua! Don't listen to it!" Roselia screamed. She was struggling too; her shadows were flickering as she fought her own mental demons. "It's a cap! It's all fake!"
Keltatar watched from the side, his expression unreadable. "Wisdom is knowing why you stand. If you have no purpose, you have no power."
Joshua gritted his teeth. He felt the Old Book in his pocket heat up, the pulse matching his heartbeat. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. "I don't fight because I was left behind," Joshua thought, his voice echoing in his own mind. "I fight because I'm the only one who can bring them back. I fight so no one else has to wear a blindfold in a world of lies."
The brown energy around the Strength King suddenly turned a pale violet.
"I see it!" Joshua yelled. "Kage, the chest! There's a hairline crack right under the collarbone!"
Joshua stood tall. He didn't remove the blindfold, but he reached up and touched the fabric. "Roselia! Give me everything you've got! One big distraction!"
Roselia grinned, though sweat was beaded on her forehead. "You got it, King. Let's make some noise! Crimson Eclipse!"
She didn't just use shadows this time. She channeled her "Crimson Fate" power. Her daggers turned into long, whip-like blades of red energy. She danced around the three Kings, moving so fast she looked like a red blur. She struck the "Wisdom" King's shield, distracting it with a series of high-pitched explosions.
The Strength King raised its mace for a final, crushing blow on the "weakened" Joshua.
"Now!" Joshua roared.
He didn't swing his sword. He threw the sheath first. The heavy black scabbard flew like a spear, wedging itself into the crack in the statue's chest. The Strength King paused for a microsecond, its balance off.
That was all Joshua needed. He leaped into the air, his black blade glowing with a terrifying, silent void.
"Void Strike: Zero Point!"
He drove the sword into the scabbard, using it like a nail. The energy of the Void poured into the stone. For a heartbeat, there was total silence. Then, a web of violet light exploded across the statue's body.
CRUMBLE.
The Strength King didn't shatter; it simply dissolved into sand. The mace hit the ground and turned to dust before it could even bounce.
The "Wisdom" and "Mercy" Kings stopped moving. The golden light faded. The cavern returned to its quiet, blue glow. Keltatar nodded slowly, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Courage found. Purpose proven," Keltatar announced. "You did not strike out of hate, but out of a need to protect the truth. That is the Righteousness of the Old World."
The third statue—the "Mercy" King—stepped forward. It didn't attack. Instead, it knelt. It opened its large, stone hands, and a small, glowing crystal orb floated in the center of its palms.
"The Message," Sharla whispered, stepping forward with wide eyes. "Is that it?"
"It is a Mind-Memory," Keltatar said. "Left here fifteen years ago. It was keyed to the signature of the Book... and the blood of the children."
Joshua walked to the statue. His hands were shaking slightly as he reached out and touched the orb.
The world around them vanished.
Suddenly, they weren't in a dark cavern anymore. They were standing in a sun-drenched garden, filled with flowers that didn't look like the fake ones in Narakka. They looked real—imperfect, wild, and beautiful.
A tall man with a messy head of black hair—just like Joshua's—was sitting on a bench, a black sword resting against his knee. Beside him was a woman with long, flowing hair and eyes that sparkled like Roselia's. She was holding a small, leather-bound book.
"If you're seeing this," the man said, his voice deep and warm, "then you've grown up. And you've found the roots."
Joshua felt a lump in his throat. "Dad..."
"We didn't leave because we wanted to," the woman said, her voice trembling slightly. "We left because the Great Separation was starting. The 'Cruel Rulers' were rising, and they wanted the power of the Primordial Palace. They wanted the children. We had to hide you in the lower planes, and we had to hide the Palace."
The man stood up, looking directly into the 'camera' of the memory. "Joshua, Roselia... if you want to find us, do not look for a place. Look for the 'Key of Three.' One in the Sky, one in the Stars, and one in the Ink. Only when the three are united will the path to Velestia open. But beware—your brother, Quzdel... he has chosen a different path. He believes the only way to save the Palace is to rule the world above."
The image began to flicker.
"We love you," the mother whispered. "Don't let the sword change who you are. Use it to protect the light, not to create more shadows."
The memory shattered.
Joshua found himself back in the cold cavern, his hand still resting on the stone statue. Roselia was standing beside him, tears streaming down her face. Kairyn and Sharla remained silent, realizing the weight of the secret they had just witnessed.
"The Key of Three," Joshua muttered, his voice raspy. "One in the Sky... that's Narakka."
"The Myth has the first key," Keltatar confirmed. "He calls it the 'Heart of the World-Tree.' To him, it's a battery. To you, it's the way home."
"Then we have to go back up," Roselia said, wiping her eyes and regaining her sharp, confident look. "We have a Herald to finish, a Myth to bust, and a key to steal. No cap, this just became a heist movie."
"Wait," Sharla said, looking at her Reality Stabilizer. "The Anchor is glowing. It's... it's fully charged. The energy from that Memory Orb just maxed it out!"
"Then we have the advantage," Kairyn said, grinning for the first time. "With that device, the Myth's hypnosis won't mean anything. We can walk right through the front door."
"Keltatar," Joshua said, turning to the librarian. "Thank you."
"Do not thank me yet, Joshua Kirishima," Keltatar said, fading back into the shadows of the crystal tree. "The path to the Stars is even colder than the Sky. But for now... the Sky is waiting for its King."