Read DARKEN KEY :: Born from the Mountain's Womb

Four years had passed—four long years that reshaped the world. As dust swirled around the village, it revealed a lone figure training near a valley. A young girl sprinted toward him, her excitement palpable.

“Bassim! Is he done?” she exclaimed.

“No, Clara,” Bassim replied. “I told you it's dangerous here.”

“I don't care. It's been months, and I miss him,” Clara insisted.

All of the sudden Bassim shielded Clara as a massive aura explosion erupted from the valley. Seconds later, a man emerged—a scarred figure with short hair and a left hand marked by black, vein-like patterns. His eyes held no warmth.

“Lucenio!” Clara screamed, rushing into his arms. “I missed you. You left, and Bassim stayed here. I was so lonely.”

Her voice went unheard, but her hug seemed to breathe life back into him. Lucenio weakly returned the embrace.

“Sorry, Clara. I just finished training,” Lucenio gasped.

“Welcome back, man. Let's return to the village” Bassim said.

As they reached the village, shouts erupted: “Lucenio is back!” The villagers gathered, relieved he was unharmed

while master Anzal and Kai approached

“So, you completed the final part?” Anzal asked.

"Yes, finally, Master” Lucenio replied.

“Rest now. We'll celebrate tonight. You and Bassim have finished”Anzal declared.

Lucenio headed to bed after a shower.

Alvas commented,“It took him too long.”

“But he did it” Kai affirmed.

“Tonight marks the end of their training. They're ready for whatever lies ahead,” the three teachers agreed.

“Thank you all. It was tough, but you trained him well,”Kai thanked the trainers.

“Kai are you leaving?” asked one of them

“Yes, I have other tasks, but I'll return someday” Kai replied.

At the village square, Bassim and Lucenio donned traditional mountain costumes. They were the stars of the night—singing, eating, and spreading joy.

Then Anzal addressed the crowd:"Today, we conclude the training of Bassim and Lucenio. Bassim arrived as a two-month-old baby, and we raised him as our own. Lucenio came near death, feared by some, but he won us over. Through relentless training, Lucenio has honed his skills, and Bassim has unlocked his powers. They are the only ones to conquer the mountain's realms. Now, they must choose—leave to find their path or stay with us and they are welcomed to do so.”

Before the boys could even answer,Alvas added“But before that, we need to test our students. Bassim and Lucenio, you both will go to the Pit of Rock and fight until one remains standing.”

They both looked shocked, staring at each other.

“The rules are simple: you can't use your abilities except to enhance your speed and strength. If you do, you'll be disqualified and will need to retake the training. If you can't control or tame your abilities, then as if you didnt even train. Now get ready !”

The two went to the pit, looking at each other as enemies. They both knew this was not a normal sparring session.

“Are you ready, Lucenio?” asked Bassim.

“Let's start the fun” Lucenio replied.

In the blink Bassim sprinted toward Lucenio, got behind him, and held him by the waist. The pain Lucenio felt was unimaginable as Bassim suplexed him to the ground, causing a shockwave that shatered the floor beneath them.

Some thought the fight ended before it even strated Bassim standing behind him Lucenio's body on the ground

“Come on, stop acting. This can't leave a scratch on you” Bassim said with a smile.

Lucenio retaliated sprinted towards Bassim, leaped into the air, caught Bassim's head with his hand and stomped it into the ground, causing a similar shockwave and damage.

You’re right neverless it was a bit painful but do you think this pit will hold us?” Lucenio asked.

“I don't think so” said Bassim while getting up wiping dust from his clothes, his eyes still locked on Lucenio. “We’re still using just our body strength, and we’ve already made quite a mess."

Lucenio smirked. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

the two got ready and this battle continued

The scene shifted to a distant place where seven figures sat around a table, deep in discussion.

“The boy has finished his training, it seems, and he will be on the move.”

“With the war going on, he will surely find a way to gain more powers.”

“This war started because of Alexander’s death.”

“Yes, no one dared to attack this empire while he was around.”

“And the council was too afraid to use his powers to gain momentum and lands.”

"then what happened to the council to make wars now when they lost their main powerhouse?"

"it changed the whole councel changed 3 years ago when Carter became the hand of the king"

"Victor's son?"

"Yes and his cousin Delion became the army leader and he is leading his army to winning a battle after the other"

“So the king is just a puppet for them and that viper.”

"what happened 4 years ago was a shame after Alexander's death his family really became a pain"

“It wasn’t like that in the past.”

“As long as they don’t threaten our true balance, we’ll keep watching. And the boy—Lucenio—we’ll observe until he reveals it all. Then, perhaps, we can end this and then focuse on his uncle”

They all agreed and kept watching the fast events that are changing the world that we know