Night thickened in the valley beneath Grimfang. A faint drizzle fell like the cold breath of a world reluctant to speak. Kenji walked in silence, tracing a narrow path flanked by steep cliffs, alongside Varis—the strange Orc who had been observing from the shadows all this time. On Kenji's back hung Sannr in the form of a glowing belt, quiet yet alert, as if aware that this journey was more than a physical one.
They arrived at the mouth of a hidden cave, cloaked in wild vegetation and creeping roots. No torches, no guards. Only slick rocks and a tunnel that swallowed sound.
"This the place?" Kenji asked, narrowing his eyes.
Varis nodded. "Where the 'awakened' gather. But… don't trust them too easily. Even among the Sh'valaar, there are secrets within secrets."
Kenji stepped inside.
The air in the cave smelled of iron and damp earth. But there was something else too—a subtle vibration that danced along his spine. As if this cave was not just stone and soil, but an ancient creature sleeping.
They emerged into a round chamber dimly lit by pale blue crystals.
Eight robed figures stood in a circle. Their faces were hidden, but their eyes glowed—not the usual green of Orcs, but a bright blue, like remnants of a lost world. As Kenji stepped forward, one by one they lowered their hoods.
The first, an old Orc with a scarred face and horns broken in two places, bowed his head.
"Welcome, Twice-Born," he said in a voice deep as falling rock."We are the Sh'valaar—the shadows of those who are trapped."
The Truth of Flesh
The Orc stepped closer, eyes meeting Kenji's with strange calm. He took Kenji's hand and placed it on his own chest.
"Feel this pulse. It's not Orc blood. It is the rhythm of a human soul… trapped for too long."
Kenji inhaled, sensing something—an odd cadence, almost like a note—within the creature's chest. A harmony out of sync with its body.
"We were once like you," the elder continued. "Humans, elves, even dwarves… erased from the old world, then reincarnated into Orc bodies."
Kenji narrowed his eyes. "Why Orcs?"
A female Sh'valaar answered, her voice like the ripple of cold water. "Because the Orc body is the perfect prison. Strong, crude, and easy to control. The gods made this race as living vessels—to seal rebellious souls that could not be destroyed."
"So… this isn't just an experiment," Kenji muttered. "It's a mass execution."
Varis lowered his head. "I am one of them."
The Twice-Born
A young Sh'valaar stepped forward. Small for an Orc, with one eye covered by a rune-marked patch.
"But you… you are different.You are Twice-Born. Not a single foreign soul in an Orc body. But two full souls living side by side."
"Kenji the Human," he continued, "and Grak'thu the Orc. Neither devoured the other. That… should be impossible."
Kenji touched his chest. Two heartbeats—two rhythms—still pulsed. But now they no longer clashed. After Sannr's ritual, he had synchronized them… at least for now.
But the expressions of the other Sh'valaar turned wary.
"Only one of two things can happen," said the eldest."Either they continue to merge… or they will destroy each other. And your body will become a battlefield of souls."
The Purification Ritual
Kenji was led deeper into the cave. There, a circular pool shimmered, surrounded by stone pillars carved with ancient script. Blue light glowed from within—not a reflection, but a true radiance.
"This place is called the Sh'valaar Mystic Pool," Varis explained. "If you enter it… we'll be able to see, clearly, how your two souls interact."
Kenji hesitated. "And if they begin to fight again?"
The female Sh'valaar replied, "Then you won't be able to leave… until one of them wins."
Kenji stared at the water. Then, without another word, he stepped in.
Souls in Reflection
As his body touched the water, his consciousness was hurled away.
He stood in a void. Before him were the two figures—Kenji the human, and Grak'thu the Orc. But now… they looked more real. More mature. Each held a weapon: one a blade of light, the other a spear of shadow.
They stared at each other, but did not strike.
"We can't go on like this," said human Kenji."You're not just instinct. You are memory. A half of me."
"And you," replied the Orc, "are a traitor to this body. But also… my strength."
Then, for the first time… they did not fight. They negotiated.
Kenji showed his childhood—death, betrayal, fear.Grak'thu revealed the pain of absorbed Orcs—hunger, abandonment, torture under a brutal tribal system.
They were not two entities in hatred. They were both victims of different systems—but shared a common enemy: the lie of reality.
Unification of Souls
Light enveloped the void. The two stepped forward—and merged. Not melted into one, but formed a new being. Taller. Calmer. More dangerous.
[Skill Upgraded: Dual Soul Synchronization → Unified Will][Effect: Soul can no longer be externally influenced. Kenji is immune to divine summoning and spiritual illusions.]
Kenji opened his eyes.
He had returned from the pool.
The Sh'valaar surrounded him, kneeling.
"He succeeded," said the elder. "He's not just Twice-Born. He is the first to tame two destinies."
A Choice
At the end of the meeting, the Sh'valaar gave him an old scroll—records of their secret order, a map to the ruins where the 'First Promise' was broken by the gods.
"If you wish to know why Orcs were created as prisons," said their leader, "then you must go to where the first Orc was shaped."
Kenji gripped the scroll.
"I will go," he said."Because if this body is a prison, then I will be the prisoner who breaks its walls from within."
And with that, Kenji—now whole in body and soul—stepped out of the cave. In the distance, the sky was changing color. A deep violet light spread to the north. A sign of something approaching from beyond this world.
Something that would soon catch the scent of a soul it could no longer control.