Chapter 6 - The Blood Pact of the Sovereign
The air pressure in the underground vault plummeted instantly, dropping to a bone-chilling cold that frosted the stone walls within seconds.
Through the widening cracks in the iron door, thick plumes of black smoke poured out, smelling of ash, old blood, and sulfur. The shadow-guards fell to their knees, clutching their heads as mental feedback from the unleashed entity tore through their consciousness.
Maelor laughed hysterically, his eyes glowing with purple fire as he channeled the dark energy directly into his staff. "Yes! Come forth! Acknowledge your true master!"
The iron door blew completely off its hinges, crashing into the far wall of the cavernous vault.
From the absolute darkness within stepped a creature of nightmares—a colossal beast standing nearly ten feet tall, its fur woven from pure shadow and jagged crystal shards, its eyes burning like twin supernovas of dark malice. Massive iron chains still trailed from its limbs, but they were snapping rapidly under the sheer force of its resurgence.
The beast lowered its massive head, fixing its terrifying gaze not on Maelor, but on the chancellor’s staff.
Maelor smiled smugly, extending a hand. "Bow to me—"
The beast didn't bow. It inhaled deeply, a low, ground-shaking growl vibrating through the cavern.
"Wait," Maelor stammered, the triumphant smirk finally slipping from his face as the beast took a slow, heavy step forward. "No... I am your master! I broke the seals!"
You are nothing, a voice boomed across the cavern, shaking the very foundations of Blackstone Fortress. You are a parasite feeding on stolen bones.
With a single swipe of its massive shadow-claw, the beast batted Maelor’s staff aside like a twig, sending the chancellor crashing hard against the jagged stone wall where he slid down, motionless and broken.
The colossal beast turned its terrifying gaze toward Ilira—and then, shockingly, toward the unconscious body of King Aldrick lying beside her.
Ilira stepped protectively in front of Aldrick, her hands blazing with pure silver light as she raised the dagger. "You will not touch him."
The beast stopped just a few feet away. It lowered its immense snout, sniffing the air. Then, slowly, respectfully, the colossal shadow-wolf folded its massive front legs and pressed its forehead against the cold stone floor directly at Ilira’s feet.
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We are two halves of the same soul, the voice whispered gently in her mind. The crown was never lost, Ilira. It was only waiting for the bloodline to return.
Without hesitation, Ilira pressed her glowing hand against the beast’s snout. A shockwave of brilliant, warm silver light exploded outward, rushing through the cavern, up the spiral staircase, and bursting across the entire Blackstone Fortress like a second, brighter dawn.
