SWNOVELXO Chapter 17: Echoes of a Forgotten Throne
A vast emptiness stretched in every direction—an infinite void, dark and boundless, with no horizon, no up or down, only an eternal abyss. Lucien floated, weightless, his consciousness drifting between the remnants of pain and the fading warmth of his family's desperate cries.
His mind swirled in confusion. Was he dead? No, he had felt death before. This was different. It was as if his very essence had been torn from the battlefield and thrust into an unfamiliar realm.
Then, a flicker. A tiny speck of golden light shimmered before him, fragile yet resolute against the oppressive darkness. It pulsed, sending ripples through the void, beckoning him forward.
Lucien reached for it instinctively, but as his fingers brushed the light, the world shattered around him.
---
The suffocating darkness peeled away, replaced by a grand hall—a place both foreign and familiar. Towering marble pillars adorned with ancient engravings lined the space, their golden inscriptions shifting like living flames. The air smelled of incense, of something regal, powerful—yet beneath it all, there was an aching loneliness.
At the far end of the hall, an exquisite throne sat upon a raised dais. Forged from celestial gold and black obsidian, its very presence exuded authority. This was no ordinary seat of power—it was the throne of a sovereign, a ruler beyond mortal comprehension.
Lucien took a step forward, but before he could take in more, a soft, broken sound reached his ears.
A quiet sobbing.
He turned his gaze downward.
There, curled on the cold floor, was a girl.
She clutched her arms around herself, trembling, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders, hiding her face. Between heart-wrenching sobs, her voice cracked through the silence.
"D-Don't leave me… Please… Please don't use it… Y-You're all I have…"
Lucien froze.
Something inside him twisted violently, an inexplicable pain gripping his chest at the sight of her distress. His instincts screamed at him to reach out, to comfort her, to tell her everything would be okay. But no words came. His throat refused to move.
Then, as if preordained, his lips parted, and a voice—not entirely his—spoke.
"I have to do it," the words came firm, unwavering. "I have to advance further to protect my little Eva… and this place we call home."
Lucien's eyes widened.
That wasn't his voice. It was deeper, older—laden with the weight of countless decisions, of burdens carried alone.
The girl—Eva—lifted her head.
Her golden eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, locked onto his.
A storm of emotions raged within them. Desperation. Fear. Devotion.
"There must be another way!" she pleaded, crawling toward him. "We can find another method! You don't have to—"
"No," the voice interrupted. His own mouth betrayed him, continuing as if reading from a script long written. "This is the only way now. If I can completely forge my soul core with it, then even those who deem themselves untouchable… will be nothing before me."
Eva's hands clenched into fists.
"This is my fault… all because of me…" she whispered, her voice breaking.
Lucien—no, the past him—stepped forward and knelt before her. His fingers brushed away her tears, his golden draconic pupils softening.
"This has nothing to do with you," he murmured, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. "I will do everything to keep you safe, to keep this safe."
Lucien, the observer, felt something deep within himself stir.
A warmth.
A yearning.
A memory.
Who was this girl? This "Eva"? Why did his heart ache so fiercely at her sorrow?
Before he could reach for her, before he could force his body to act of his own will—
The world shattered.
---
Lucien gasped, his lungs burning as he was yanked back into the void.
His mind reeled.
That throne. That hall. That girl.
It wasn't just a vision. It wasn't a dream.
It was his past.
No… it was his past life.
The realization sent a shiver down his spine.
Eva… She had called him "all she had." She had begged him not to use the Eternal Oblivion Arts.
Lucien clenched his fists.
The technique that had led to his downfall. The technique that had cost him everything.
And yet, even now, he had used it again.
His chest tightened. If he continued using it recklessly, if he didn't control it—would history repeat itself?
Would he lose his family again?
No.
He gritted his teeth.
This time, he would not allow fate to dictate his end.
This time, he would control his own destiny.
Suddenly, the void around him trembled.
A pull—gentle but insistent—drew his gaze forward.
A single, radiant light shone in the endless abyss.
It flickered, growing stronger, calling to him.
Lucien's heart pounded.
Selene. Valeria. Eris.
His family.
His body moved before his mind could even process. He lunged toward the light, desperate, reaching—
And as his fingers touched its warmth—
The void collapsed.