Chapter 27: Lady of the Lake
A cold breeze hit him from behind.
A whisper in his ear, like a wave of sound.
It sent a chill down his spine.
Instantly, he rembered that sensation.
He turned toward the direction—and there it was.
The lake.
The rock where he saw Excalibur for the first ti.
And the tree.
From the lake, a mysterious voice echoed out.
"Hello, Sylas. We finally et."
The voice ca from everywhere, surrounding him like mist.
Out of nowhere, Excalibur appeared in his hand, without him calling it.
The sword reacted imdiately to the voice.
It trembled—pulling forward like a child eager to return to its mother.
Sylas struggled to keep it steady.
It was like the sword wanted to leave him.
No—more like it needed to.
It was getting too difficult to hold.
Then, it shot out of his hand.
Excalibur floated gently to the lake, hovering just above the surface.
Then, slowly, she appeared.
A lady erged from the water—tall, beautiful, and enormous.
Her entire form was made of water, but her face... her face was human.
Calm. Gentle. Divine.
She held the sword in both hands like a mother holding her child.
And it glowed warmly in her grasp.
She approached Sylas and extended her hands.
Without thinking, Sylas stepped forward and took the sword.
He looked at her.
"Who are you... and am I dead?"
She let out a soft laugh.
"No, Sylas. Not yet. I brought you here to thank you... for saving Lancelot."
"Oh, that’s good. That ans they’re okay."
He let out a breath of relief.
"Thanks to you," she said softly. "I’m glad that you beca Excalibur’s wielder."
He raised an eyebrow, filled with suspicion. The last thing he needed was another crazy lady after him.
"What do you an?"
She gazed at the lake, then back at him.
"Sylas... Excalibur is the key.
It is the gate between the Veil and the Surface."
She turned slowly toward the rock.
"That’s why it was sealed on this rock..." she continued.
"Until Arthur pulled it out."
Then it hit him.
"Wait. That presence I felt when I was on the tree... was it you?"
She nodded.
"That day Arthur died. And you beca Arthur," she muttered.
"Why did you stop from trying to help him?" he asked.
"I needed you alive. If I had let you jump in, you would have died," she paused. "Plus, back then you had a bad temper."
Sylas crossed his arms, a bit offended.
"Then explain why I couldn’t unsheathe Excalibur at first."
She covered her mouth and laughed.
"Because it was being childish.
It wanted to test you.
To see if you were worthy."
Sylas lifted the sword.
"Damn you."
But then, her tone changed.
More serious. Firr.
"Listen to , Sylas.
No matter what happens... make sure they never get that sword."
"You an that lady we fought?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
Then she paused, her voice lowering, becoming almost a whisper.
"When you entered the door for the first ti...
I was the one who guided your path—so that you would end up in Calot."
Sylas froze.
"What?"
"I needed soone from the Surface," she said, stepping closer to him.
"Soone with a soul tied to both worlds. You are the key.
Excalibur chose you—but so did I."
She looked into his eyes.
"Everything went according to plan.
You taking Arthur’s place.
Living his life. Becoming soone you are not.
Learning. Ruling.
It was all to prepare you for what’s coming."
She glanced down.
"I even gave you the system to guide you."
She had that soft look, like she felt guilty.
"It was all ," she muttered.
"So you... set all that up?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You weren’t supposed to pull the sword, Sylas.
But I knew you would beco a legend."
He stepped back, his breath unsteady. His heart pounding.
He sat down on the ground, legs crossed.
"Things are moving way too fast for ," he said with a small laugh.
"I’m sorry for making you carry such a heavy burden," she muttered.
Her voice was gentle. Soothing.
Sylas got up and walked toward the rock where he first saw Excalibur.
"I’m not upset," he said, staring at the sword that started it all.
"I had nobody before."
He unsheathed the sword.
"I was alone... until I ca here."
He plunged the sword back into the rock.
"It’s because of you I had a life.
Family. Friends.
And a happy death."
He gripped the hilt of the sword.
"One thing that always bothered though..."
He planted his feet on the rock.
"I was never able to pull this sword."
With that, he pulled it out of the rock—
Sothing he had failed to do when he first ca here.
Now he knew for sure—he was worthy.
He looked at the mysterious woman softly.
"Don’t worry. I will do my duty... as the King of Kings."
She smiled and told him to co near her.
So he did.
She touched him on the chest, and the system popped up:
[System Notification]
Blessing Received: Lake’s Grace
Type: Divine Blessing
Source: Lady of the Lake
Condition: Excalibur Drawn Domain of the King Active
Effect:
While Domain of the King is active, Sylas becos the absolute ruler of the battlefield.
The Lady’s grace flows through every blade—his followers.
• Sylas gains 50% attack power and speed
• All allied units within the domain receive 30% to all combat stats
• Sylas can blink to any sword he has summoned, as long as it remains within the domain
Duration: Only while Domain is active
"Oh, that’s new," he muttered.
"It’s a small gift from .
Good luck, Sylas," her voice echoed as she sank into the water.
Right then, he woke up.
He was inside a house with a broken roof.
"Yeah... a house without a roof is much better. Easy access to the sky."
They jumped him—Liz, Elizabeth, and Ryan.
"Guys, stop. I’m still in a lot of pain."
"That was so cool, man," Ryan muttered.
"How did you do that?" Liz asked.
Elizabeth stayed quiet, but he could tell—she was glad he was alive.
The others had learned a lot from coming here.
Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgana—they all stood there.
"What are you going to do now?" Lancelot asked.
He still couldn’t look at him.
"Go back. We have work to finish," Sylas replied.
"Why not stay here? Like the old days..." Morgana muttered.
Sylas let out a soft, warm smile at her.
"They don’t need anymore.
Plus, they have you guys."
He turned to Lancelot and Guinevere.
"I don’t bear any hate toward you two."
His voice cracked slightly.
The words ca out broken—like part of him was still healing.
Lancelot’s jaw clenched. He opened his mouth, but then he froze. No words ca.
Sha. He didn’t know how to face the man he betrayed. It was heavy and sharp.
He couldn’t look Sylas in the eye. Not for more than a second.
His gaze flicked up, just briefly... then dropped like a sword.
His hands curled into fists at his sides—tight, trembling.
There was so much he wanted to say.
But the guilt was louder.
"I don’t deserve your forgiveness for the cri I committed," he said. His voice broke. "Not after everything I did."
Sylas shook his head.
"Not everything has a happy ending, my friend. Everything has a cost." He turned to Guinevere.
She stood next to Lancelot. Like Lancelot, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
Her lips parted—then stopped.
Whatever she wanted to say caught in her throat and stayed there.
Her hands trembled.
She turned away, eyes burning with things she couldn’t say.
"Plus, you two look good," he said with a smile.
He took a step forward.
"I leave Calot to you, Lancelot."
Lancelot’s breath caught.
His hand moved slightly—like he wanted to reach out—but fell limply to his side.
There was so much he wanted to say...
But he simply nodded.
"Thank you," he whispered, loud enough for only Sylas to hear.
Then he turned to Morgana.
"Before I leave, I’m going to seal the door.
After that, Calot will return to where it ca from—
Far away from the Veil.
So that lady can never get to you guys."
Sylas turned to her, quiet.
She paused.
Then forced a smile, even as her eyes brimd with tears.
"I just wish... you didn’t have to go alone."
Sylas leaned in, forehead resting gently against hers.
"I’m not alone. Not anymore."
She nodded, biting her lip.
Then, without a word, she stepped in and pulled him close.
Her arms wrapped around him—tight, desperate.
Like she didn’t want to let him go, because she had always hated him thinking he killed their son, and now she might never see him again.
He hugged her back, silently, for a long mont.
"One day, when you truly need , I will return," he murmured in her ear.
Then they all walked toward the door.
He waved them goodbye.
He wanted to stay.
Because after he sealed the gate... he would never see them again.
He held back his tears.
He entered the door.
It slowly began to close.
They slowly disappeared behind the gate.
He unsheathed Excalibur, stabbed the door, and twisted the blade.
Golden light consud everything.
The purple "F" turned gold.
It was so bright it lit up the entire underground.
They walked toward what was once the first gate.
When they climbed back up, it seed like the red sun had set.
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