When Nathan's vision gradually returned, the first thing that greeted him was an oppressive darkness, thick and murky like a fog that refused to dissipate. The air was damp, carrying the scent of earth and moss, and he could hear the distant sound of water dripping onto stone, echoing through the space.
It didn't take him long to realize he was inside a cave—one hidden away from the world, shrouded in secrecy.
His instincts sharpened, and without hesitation, he activated Vision of Artemis. His irises glowed faintly as the ability enhanced his sight, piercing through the gloom. Shapes and figures ca into focus, their auras flickering like flas against the darkness.
Three presences.
Among them, one stood out—familiar, unmistakable.
Ariah.
He recognized her aura instantly, a presence he had long since committed to mory, just like the others back at the castle. She was here. And she wasn't alone.
°°°°
Inside the small, suffocating chamber, Ariah and Auria huddled together, their bodies tense with unease. The dim light of a flickering lantern barely illuminated the rough stone walls, casting jagged shadows that only added to the ominous atmosphere. The air was stale, thick with the scent of unwashed bodies and desperation.
A man paced in front of them, his movents restless, erratic. Despite being their captor, he seed more anxious than they were—his agitation seeping from every trembling step.
His disheveled dark brown hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat. His fra was gaunt, almost skeletal, as if he hadn't eaten properly in weeks. Heavy rings of exhaustion shadowed his sunken eyes, making it clear he hadn't slept in a long ti. His clothes were ragged, torn at the edges, stained with dirt and gri.
His breathing was uneven, bordering on frantic.
"How much longer…?" he muttered under his breath before suddenly snapping.
"H-How much longer do I have to wait?!" he barked, his voice breaking into a shout.
Ariah flinched, letting out a startled yelp.
Beside her, Auria tightened her grip on Ariah's hand, her gaze locking onto the man with defiance. Though fear gripped her heart, she refused to show weakness.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice unwavering despite the tension coiling in her stomach. "Do you think you can just kidnap and the Princess of Tenebria and get away with it?"
The man stilled.
For a mont, there was silence. Then, without warning, he threw his head back and let out a sharp, unsettling laugh.
"Nahaha… HAHAHAHA!"
The crazed cackle echoed through the cave, sending chills down their spines.
As he stepped closer, both girls instinctively backed away, their hands gripping each other for support—only to find themselves trapped against the rough stone wall behind them.
His eyes glead with madness as he grinned down at them.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" he sneered, his voice filled with unhinged arrogance. "I am the legendary Hero of the Empire of Light—Benjamin Clark! Chosen by the Gods themselves!" He spread his arms wide as if declaring his divine authority. "You are NOTHING before !"
Auria's expression twisted into one of disbelief and wariness.
A hero?
This?
She had expected a formidable warrior, soone noble, strong, unwavering. But what stood before her was a man barely clinging to sanity—a wreck of a person who looked more like a vagrant than a champion.
But despite his ragged state, there was sothing far more terrifying than his appearance—
The fact that he hadn't done anything to them yet.
For all his erratic behavior, his ranting, his aggression—he hadn't made a single move to harm them.
And that was what unsettled her the most.
Because it ant he was waiting for sothing.
Or soone.
And whatever it was…
It couldn't be good.
"W-We also have a Hero!" Ariah spoke up, her voice trembling slightly but firm in conviction. "Samael will find us!"
At the ntion of the na, Benjamin's lips curled into a mocking sneer.
"Hero?" he scoffed, tilting his head as if he had misheard her.
"The Hero of Darkness," Auria interjected coldly, her violet eyes flashing with defiance. "The Hero of Tenebria. He won't show you any rcy."
For a mont, there was silence. Then—
"Ghahahaha!"
Benjamin threw his head back and burst into another fit of laughter, his voice echoing eerily through the cavern's walls. The unhinged amusent in his tone sent a chill down Ariah's spine.
"Hero of Darkness? Hero of Tenebria?" he repeated, wiping a tear from his eye as he struggled to contain his derision. "Since when did these demons have a Hero of their own?!" He spat the words with disgust.
His eyes glinted dangerously as he stepped closer, forcing Auria and Ariah to inch back against the damp stone wall.
"The only so-called Heroes those wretched creatures ever had," he continued, voice laced with venom, "were the ones from the Empire of Light! The ones who foolishly chose to fight alongside the Demon King! And look where it got them—they were stupid."
His words rang with absolute certainty, as though he were speaking a fundantal truth.
Yet, unknown to him, reality had shifted.
Benjamin remained blissfully unaware that the world had changed in his absence. He had no knowledge that Tenebria had summoned a Hero of their own. He had no idea that other kingdoms had begun conducting their own summoning rituals.
For nearly two decades, the Empire of Light had been the sole nation to summon Heroes. No other kingdom had dared to follow suit—until they realized the overwhelming power these summoned warriors possessed. It was only two years ago that the balance shifted, that other nations sought to claim their own champions.
But Benjamin had been left behind.
He was a relic of the past, a man trapped in the echoes of a world that no longer existed.
Ariah and Auria exchanged a brief, uncertain glance. His words made no sense.
"Heroes of the Light Empire… siding with the Demon King?"
That was an event from twenty years ago. A battle long since buried in the annals of history.
"Why is he speaking as if it just happened?"
Before either of them could voice their confusion, Benjamin suddenly stopped pacing. His expression shifted, his eyes widening—not in madness, but in joy.
"Finally!"
His voice was filled with an almost childlike excitent as he extended a hand toward the air beside them.
A terrible sensation coiled in the pit of Ariah's stomach.
Auria's breath hitched.
The very space next to them ripped open.
A swirling, luminous gateway erged from the void, its edges shimring like liquid silver. The force of its creation sent a powerful gust of wind throughout the cramped chamber, the very fabric of reality distorting around its entrance.
The unnatural pull of the portal tugged at their clothes, as if attempting to consu them.
Both girls recoiled instinctively.
"Jump inside. Now."
Benjamin's voice was no longer amused—it was cold, unwavering, absolute. His previously erratic deanor was gone, replaced by sheer authority.
"N-No…" Auria shook her head, her entire body rejecting the idea. A deep, primal fear slithered through her veins, warning her that stepping into that gate would be a mistake—an irreversible one.
She took a step back, pulling Ariah with her.
But the cavern was too small. There was nowhere to run.
"I said jump inside!" Benjamin's voice exploded into a furious roar.
A sharp, tallic shing cut through the air.
The glint of a blade flashed before their eyes.
Auria's breath caught in her throat. Benjamin had drawn a sword, its edge re inches from her throat.
His grip was steady, his wild eyes glaring down at them with lethal intent.
"I need you alive," he said, his voice quiet yet laced with unmistakable malice. "But I don't need you in one piece."
Both Auria and Ariah stiffened, a cold dread washing over them.
Under his piercing gaze and the deadly gleam of his blade, they had no choice.
With hesitant, trembling steps, they inched toward the swirling void.
But a sudden presence disrupted the tense atmosphere, sending an invisible tremor through the air. A figure erged from the shadows.
Benjamin's body stiffened as his instincts scread at him. His head snapped around, eyes widening in disbelief as they landed upon the one person he least expected to see.
"Samael!"
"Lord Commander!"
But while Benjamin was paralyzed by the impossible sight, two voices rang out in unison, filled with joy and relief.
Ariah and Auria cried out, their eyes lighting up with hope as they beheld Samael. He had co. Against all odds, against all logic—he had arrived. They could hardly believe it.
Benjamin, however, stood frozen, his mind racing.
How?
This place should have been impenetrable. He had covered his tracks flawlessly, ensuring that no outsider could ever follow him. The tree—an ancient and untraceable gateway—should have been the ultimate safeguard. Even if soone had managed to locate the right one, breaking through its barrier should have been impossible. And yet, Samael stood before him, a living contradiction to everything he believed.
A cold voice shattered his thoughts.
"How many are you?"
Benjamin's breath hitched as his gaze snapped to Nathan.
"W...What?"
Nathan took a slow step forward, his golden eyes glinting with an eerie light.
"I asked," he repeated, voice laced with cold steel, "how many of you bastards from the second summoning survived?"
Benjamin remained silent.
He wanted to scoff, to mock the question, but for so inexplicable reason, his voice refused to co out. His fingers tightened around his sword hilt, sweat beading along his forehead. A gnawing unease settled deep within his chest, sothing foreign... sothing akin to fear.
Why?
He was a Hero. He was supposed to be powerful. No one in the entire kingdom of Tenebria should be able to strike such fear into his heart. And yet—
His instincts scread.
Without hesitation, Benjamin swung his sword in a desperate move, unleashing a powerful wave of magic that carved through the air like a silver crescent. The force of the attack sent Ariah and Auria hurtling backward, straight toward the swirling portal behind them.
"Hyaaaaa!!"
"S...Samael!!"
Their voices cried out, fading as their bodies were swallowed by the glowing rift.
Nathan's gaze flickered, a sharp glint passing through his golden irises. Without a mont's pause, he moved.
No—he vanished.
Benjamin barely had ti to process what had happened. Before he could react, he felt a crushing grip close around his arm.
"Wha—?!"
His body lurched as he was yanked backward, his montum disrupted before he could follow the others into the portal. Panic surged through him as he looked down—Nathan's fingers dug into his arm like a vice, refusing to let go.
The portal was closing.
A thin sliver of light was all that remained, and Benjamin could feel his body being pulled toward the vanishing rift. But so was Nathan.
"I... Impossible!!" Benjamin gasped, struggling to break free.
Nathan's grip only tightened, his golden eyes now burning with a deep, ominous glow. His fingers, crushing inhumanly strong, bore down on Benjamin's arm like an executioner's shackles.
Benjamin gritted his teeth and twisted, wrenching his body violently. In a last-ditch effort, he managed to slip free, his arm tearing out of Nathan's grasp.
And then—he was gone.
But Nathan didn't stop.
His arm shot forward, plunging into the rapidly closing portal without hesitation.
The energy rippled dangerously, crackling with unstable force. The risk of losing his arm was real—any sane person would have pulled back. But Nathan wasn't thinking about safety. He wasn't thinking at all.
He released his magic.
A monstrous wave of pure darkness erupted from his body, pouring into the rift with overwhelming force.
BA-DOOOOOM!
The very air quaked. The portal, instead of sealing, twisted and contorted as shadows consud it. Then—
It detonated.
A cataclysmic explosion of void energy swallowed Nathan whole.
And then, silence.
The cave was left in eerie stillness, as if reality itself held its breath.
And Nathan was gone.
User Comments
0 comments from readers