David staggered back, his boots scraping against the stone floor. His breath caught in his throat. The man before him—leaning casually against the cold prison wall—was not supposed to be there. Not in this place. Not in this way.
"What… How are you here?" David asked, voice low, almost breathless.
Saponu Sebastian chuckled. It wasn't loud, but the sound crawled along the walls like something alive. "Relax, my boy," he said, his tone smooth and calm. "Don't look so surprised." You remember the deal, don't you?
David stared at him, his heart thudding in his chest. The torches on the wall flickered, casting long shadows that seemed to curl closer to Saponu like loyal pets.
"I remember," David muttered, swallowing hard.
Saponu's lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk. "Good. Then you also remember I asked you to help someone escape."
"You never told me who," David said, his voice gaining a sharp edge. "You just said there was someone in the ancestral realm who needed help."
"And now you know," Saponu said, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "The prisoner I wanted you to free… was me."
David's heart sank. He took a step back, the weight of the truth crushing down on him.
"You?" he whispered.
"Yes," Saponu said, stepping forward now. Despite the tattered robes hanging from his frame, his presence was overwhelming. "I've been locked away in this place for years. My powers are sealed. My strength stripped. But I refused to rot in this cage."
His voice hardened. "With what little I had left, I opened a rift to the world of the living." "I sent a fragment—a clone of myself—out into the world to search for someone capable of helping me."
His eyes locked onto David.
"And you, David, are the one I chose."
David clenched his fists, struggling to breathe. "So everything… everything you did on the outside… was just part of some plan to bring me here?"
Saponu didn't answer immediately. He only stared. That same smirk still sat on his lips, calm and dangerous.
"You thought you were using me to reach the ancestral realm," he said softly. "But maybe… I was the one guiding you all along."
" Remember the day you were being bullied in the alleyway and Joshua came in to save you."
"Yes I remember" his expression changed silty. What about that?
"That was the day I chose you," Saponu said, with the same smirk on his lips.
David's chest tightened. He thought he was in control. That he was the one manipulating Saponu, bending his influence to his own will. But now, it felt like he'd been led down a path he never saw coming.
His voice came out dry. "Tell me the truth… how did you end up here?"
Saponu leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter—lower—but carried the weight of history.
"You want to know how the great Saponu Sebastian—the Shadow King—ended up in chains?" His smile faded, replaced by something darker. "Then listen well. Mine is not a story of weakness. It's a story of betrayal."
He exhaled slowly, eyes lost in the past.
"There was a time when I was feared and respected. I stood at the peak of the ancestral realm. They called me the Shadow King—master of dimensions, ruler of the dark rifts. I could open gateways across worlds, control shadows, bend time in subtle ways. I was untouchable."
He paused.
"But power… power invites fear."
His golden eyes narrowed, lips curling bitterly.
"The Ancestor Council feared what I was becoming. They claimed I was disrupting the balance of the realm. They said I had gone too far. But that wasn't the truth. The truth was simple—they were afraid. Afraid of my strength. Afraid of what they couldn't control."
David stood frozen, barely blinking.
Saponu's voice dropped lower.
"They spread lies about me. Turned others against me. Painted me as a tyrant, a threat. And when the world had turned cold, they came for me."
His fists clenched.
"In the dead of night, they attacked. Sorcerers. Warriors. Elders. All of them armed with relics and weapons powered by the realm itself. I fought like the shadows were my breath. My rifts tore through their ranks. For a moment, I thought… maybe I could win."
His gaze darkened. "But then they used the one thing I never expected."
He went quiet.
"A Heart Binding Seal," he said at last. "An ancient curse. Forbidden magic. They tricked me into stepping into their trap. And when the seal hit, it bound my essence. It drained my power. Everything stopped. My abilities. My escape routes. Gone."
Saponu exhaled, a whisper of rage in his breath.
"They didn't kill me. They were too afraid of what might happen if I died. So instead… they threw me into this prison. Sealed me away. Cut off from everything."
He raised his arms, gesturing around at the thick, stone walls. The chains. The emptiness.
"And here I've remained. Waiting. Watching. Sending out pieces of myself through the cracks I could find. Searching for the right person."
He looked directly at David.
"And finally, that person came."
Silence stretched between them.
David didn't speak. He couldn't. His thoughts were spinning too fast. It felt like the walls were closing in, like the floor was no longer steady under his feet.
Saponu broke the silence with a soft clap of his hands. "Now that the introductions are over…" His tone lightened, but the threat beneath it still remained. "It's time we figured out what your abilities are."
"My what?" David blinked.
"Your powers," Saponu said, as if it was obvious. "You crossed into the ancestral realm, didn't you? The moment you stepped through those gates, the blood in your veins changed. You've been awakened."
David shook his head. "But I haven't felt anything—"
"Not yet," Saponu interrupted. "But the power is there. You just haven't tapped into it."
He stepped forward again. "Close your eyes. Empty your thoughts. Focus only on yourself. On your life force. Breathe in slowly. When you feel something stir—anything—tell me."
David hesitated, still unsure. But then he obeyed.
He shut his eyes. Breathed deep. At first, there was only silence. The faint crackle of torchlight. The faint hum of something deep beneath the earth. His own heartbeat.
Then…
A flicker.
Like a breath caught in the chest. Something raw. Something ancient. It pulsed within him—low and distant—but real.
David's eyes flew open.
"I feel something," he whispered. "It's like… something's waking up inside me."
Saponu's expression sharpened. "Good."
He raised his hand, muttering words David couldn't understand. A shimmer of energy spread out, passing through David like wind across water. Saponu's eyes glowed briefly—reading, searching, unraveling.
After a long pause, he smiled.
"Well, well… my boy, you are full of surprises."
David tensed. "What did you see?"
"You possess two gifts," Saponu said, his tone almost amused. "Amplifier abilities… and Necromancy."
The words struck like lightning.
David stumbled back. "Necromancy?"
Saponu nodded. "And Amplifier. It means you can draw out the potential of anything—or anyone. Strengthen them. Enhance their abilities. Even your own."
David's voice trembled with excitement. "So I can raise the dead… and boost my powers?"
Saponu chuckled. "Yes… and no."
David blinked. "What does that mean?"
Saponu stepped closer, folding his arms. "Every ability comes with rules, limitations. You can't just snap your fingers and raise an army. Nor can you boost yourself endlessly."
David's brow furrowed. "Then what are the rules?"
"That's something you'll discover with time. Powers like yours? They don't show you everything at once. They grow with you. Learn with you. Sometimes… they even test you."
David let the silence sit for a moment before speaking again. "And you're going to help me?"
Saponu's grin widened. "Of course. I wouldn't waste my time choosing someone who couldn't handle it."
His golden eyes gleamed. "And trust me, David… unlocking your powers will be the least dangerous part of what's coming."