Chapter 12: Dying Wish XII

Chapter 12: 12: Dying Wish XII --- John stood in the silence, the pistol still warm in his hand. The System pulsed gently in his mind. [One charge remaining. Mana stone reload required after next use.] He slid the weapon into the cloth belt around his waist. It did not need a holster. Not yet. The others waited for him to speak. He looked at them, again. "You have seen what I can do" They nodded. "This world has power. But it is ancient and arrogant. It refuses to change. I will change it. And you can choose whether to follow or return to the lives you lost before you came here." The oldest man stepped forward. The one who had spoken to him before. "You carry something different," he said. "Not just in your hands. But in your eyes." John met his gaze. "I carry hopes of a different world. Of things you have never seen. And I am not done." The man dropped to one knee. The others followed. John felt no pride. Only silence. He turned back to the tunnel and looked toward the exit. The path out would be long. Maybe guarded. But it no longer mattered. He began to walk. His legs were stiff. His ribs ached with every step. Dried blood clung to the edge of his sleeve and the gun still rested in his belt, heavy with everything it now meant. The air down here in the mine was thick with dust and the scent of stones. Faint echoes clung to the stone walls like ghosts. Footsteps behind him multiplied as the miners followed without a word. At first, there were only two. Then five. Then more. Rough men with calloused hands and soot-stained cheeks. Their faces were gaunt from hard labor and their backs were bent from years of swinging pickaxes in darkness. And yet they followed. Silent. Watchful. With awe, but in a strange mixture of confusion and curiosity. As if they were unsure whether they were watching a legend in the making or something more dangerous. John did not look back. His mind was focused. Tired, but steady. He reached out inwardly toward the presence that always lingered like a second heartbeat in his chest. The system. "I want everything in this mine," he said quietly in his mind. "Every mana stone. Every crystal. Everything that is useful to me." There was a beat of stillness. A pause like a breath before a storm. Then the response came. Not in words, but in feeling. An acknowledgment. Obedient. Immediate. Then a low hum vibrated through his bones. It felt like something beneath the ground had awakened. Far deeper than any miner had ever dug. The walls of the mine seemed to shimmer faintly. Small veins of light flickered behind the rock, like something shifting beneath the surface. The system had accepted the command. He stopped for a moment. And placed his hands on the ground. Deep underground, mana stones began to loosen from the rock. Slowly at first. Then faster. Tiny pulses of magical energy whispered through the tunnels like falling rain. Dust stirred. Stones cracked. Shards began to unstick and tumble into unseen storage, drawn by the will that now commanded the mine itself. They whispered now. Quiet words under their breath. "Is he doing something?" "Did the stones just move?" "No one’s ever mined that deep before..." John heard them, but he said nothing. He did not need their praise. Did not want their fear. He only wanted one thing. To keep moving. And the mine, ancient and long forgotten by those above, now bent to his will. After the collection... The upper levels of the mine had fallen quiet. Most of the workers had vanished. Some fled the moment the first explosion echoed through the tunnels. Others remained in the shadows, watching with fear as John passed. No one blocked their path. But one figure waited near the top. It was Loric. His cloak was torn. Blood streaked one side of his face. His sword was gone. His voice cracked when he spoke. "You do not understand what you have done." John did not slow his steps. "You have stolen from the noble house. You will be hunted. Killed. The mages will not let this go. The Circle Lords will bury your name in ash." John reached the final step. Loric backed away. "You cannot challenge the world alone." John stopped in front of him. The pistol hung at his side. His voice was quiet. "I am not alone." Loric glanced past him. The men stood behind John. Eyes hollow. Backs straight. They had followed him through fire and darkness. They did not need titles. They did not need gold. They needrd only a purpose. John lifted the pistol. Loric stumbled back and fell to his knees. "No. Wait. I can serve. I can guide you. I know things. I can still be useful." John looked at him. "You were useful the moment you poisoned me. You gave me a reason to awaken." He turned the weapon. Then fired the gun. The blast tore through the stone above Loric’s head. The wall collapsed in a rain of rubble. Dust filled the chamber. Light poured in from the hole beyond. Loric screamed and curled into the ground. John stepped over him. The others followed. None looked back. Outside the mine the sky was overcast. The hills rolled out into gray mist. Wind stirred the tall grass. The trees at the edge of the valley leaned with the breeze. John took a breath of fresh air. His lungs burned with it. The world stretched wide around him. No longer bounded by fences or stone. No longer forced into corners. No longer chained. The System glowed faintly in his mind. [Blueprints available. Workshop mode unlocked. Memory archive accessible. First Administrator Milestone complete. Reward granted: Unlocking system module Mana Forging Table. Item blueprint added to internal list. Recommended first task: establish a portable base.] John closed his eyes for a moment. A breeze brushed past his cheek. He opened them again and looked down the hill. Far in the distance smoke curled into the sky. It was a village. A place to begin. He turned to the men behind him. "You are all free to go. I will not stop you. But if you wish to stand again. To build again. To fight. Then come with me." The oldest stepped forward first. "Where you go I will follow." Another man nodded. "Until my strength fails me." A third stepped closer. "My life ended in those tunnels. You gave it back." One by one they came to stand behind him. John nodded once. Then he began walking. Toward the village. Toward the future. Toward a world that would never again treat him like nothing. The Forsaken Void Lord, John White had awakened his power. And the world would remember his name. (End of Chapter one.)