The broken-down walls of the castle had no issue with getting through. More thanks to the huge hole blown through the walls or even the gate with one missing side.
Within was a large courtyard with stone floors. Unlike the cold black of the walls, this was an ashen white. Ashen white covered with bodies and substances that I was certain should be blood.
Speaking of blood. The wound to my palm had healed leaving the spot with a slight tickle. Like a reminder of the pain felt there.
Weaving my way through the piles of corpses all at different levels of degradation I made my way across the grounds and straight for the tall main spires that loomed above.
Crossing through the various structures was uncomfortable with different degrees of destruction, the silence that would have been all-consuming if not for Feather's occasional caw and the sounds of my footfall quite disturbing. It took quite a long while mostly because I didn't know the exact route.
Finally, I arrived before a smaller gate, the metal rods of the structure that once sealed the main castle away from others was now crooked and bent in, evidence of a huge explosion tearing through it.
Crawling past I noted the corpses sprawled along the wall, some skewered by bolts or arrows others decapitated, some even in pieces. Shaking my head at the horrific sight I walked past.
Getting into the inner ward of the castle my body's itch for whatever lay within increased. My steps as such also increased intently while Feathers continued following. I usually forgot his presence if not for his consistent caws. I feel he was aware of my lack of concentration and kept doing it to remind me of his presence.
I was finally here. the grand stairs that led up to the great mahogany wood doors. For some reason, the doors unlike the rest of the entire structure were in perfect shape. Excluding the stains, on its dusty form, there was no blemish to it.
'It seems someone opened the door from within. A traitor? Or someone else? ' I pondered as I came right up to the doors.
It towered over me. Truly huge. It was like a gateway made for giants. At least shorter giants.
'Hopefully, my 150 points of strength can fix get me through' I mentally mused before placing my palms on the right door and pushing. There was no door knob so nothing to turn. Not like I would have been able to use it anyway.
CREAK
The sound of the mahogany wood creaking a bit but not bulging made me despair. My body twitched a bit almost like it realized the obstacle before me.
I tried once more pushing and pushing yet nothing. Finally, I took a step back exhausted from the ineffective action. The door reminded me of the annoying moat. Yet another contender for my time.
It was so dark there was no way to see yet my dark vision gave me appropriate sight. Enough to notice something in the door I hadn't done before.
Drawings or markings. There were several of them all strange and without definite shapes. All though in a very weird and puzzling manner alligned from the base of tbe doors up to the edge.
The only part that was different though was surprisingly at my very height. It was obvious why I missed it at first. The two parts were covered by a stain that obscured them from view.
Closing in on the parts I got close enough to see the little part showing to be the head of a beast. My hand stretched out touching the beast carving only for a new set of runes to appear in my vision.
SEND MANA - 0/50
[Y/N]
I didn't hesitate to mentally say yes. Learning that I could interact with the runes mentally. That seemed a good thing.
Anyway, I felt a slight pull of something within me. I watched the beast's head light up with a bright glow as something from inside me poured into the door. The light spread from that point and ran up the various symbols and drawings on the door till it got up to the edge.
But nothing happened.
'I guess there's one for the other door.' My assumption was proven true as the second door lit up just as the first before both lights joined together at the center and created a little shimmer between both doors.
CREAK.
Both doors slowly shifted open just a little though. But it was enough for me. Sidestepping I slipped in making sure to watch my wing stumps.
BANG
The doors shut behind me getting a caw of fright from Feathers who unsurprisingly slipped in with me.
The interior was dark. Too dark. Even my dark vision was having problems with seeing through it. But it was manageable as long as I ignored the occasional bump or tripping.
The great hall as that was where I stood was large. The walls were far apart from each other and the floor was a black stone just like the walls. The walk to the end of the room wasn't long just half a football field.
What was a football field?
Shaking my head I focused on the environment. The great hall just like the mahogany doors was strangely clean. If not for the cracked floor, the broken wall that opened a hole into another passageway, and a few shattered objects here and there, then I would have believed the fighting ended outside.
I scoured the entirety of the great hall finding nothing but the ambient silence of the oppressive and dark place. Even Feathers had stopped cawing only hopping about after me.
At the end of the hall atop a flight of stairs to a large spread podium stood a throne of bones.
Even in the darkness, I could make out its majesty. Large enough to seat one huge figure, its body was forged from pristine white bones, the seat being the head of some huge creature. Several spines, I was certain they were spines lined up the back and went as far as to jut out the ground forming a ring of bones that also descended the stairs and stopped at the base.
Most of the bones were tall, as long as a spear and as thick as shafts embedded into the ground along with the ring of bones surrounding the bone throne. Hanging from these bone spears were corpses. Lots of corpses.
"I guess I found the bodies". I muttered to myself.
Dark as it was and barely pushing through I failed to notice the trail of stains that led to the throne. After scanning the throne for a while and nothing coming up I turned to the damaged section of the wall and stepped through.
It wasn't that I just went there randomly. More like my body itched pulling me that way. Telling me almost mentally with the tingles that what I wanted was in there.
The passageway beyond the wall was even darker than the great hall. I had to shuffle my way through trusting my body and listening for any sound of traps activating.
Fortunately, nothing came up. The castle was as empty as it should be. Finally, I arrived at the end of the passageway coming out to a circular room with no doors.
There in the center bound to the floor towering above me in a macabre stillness. Its wings drooped, its arms rested at its sides and its head lowered was the terrifying corpse of the Demon King.
Strewn around him in the same deathly fashion were seven other corpses each holding a chain that anchored to the demon king's corpse. An eighth one though lay even closer. Its corpse was torn in two.
Yet as my eyes lay on the demon king again. I saw what had been used to cinch the victory by the dead eighth corpse.
Wedged between its ghastly armor unnoticeable due to the darkness was the handle of a sword. One whose blade gave off a cold cutting feel to it.
A shudder rose from the environment noticeable to me. It trembled for a bit before rushing to slam into my body as I jumped back with fright. Yet I was unable to evade it. My body dragged in and pressed against the floor within the center of the ring.
-You have found the scene of a Divine Event-
-You have obtained an Episodic Fragment-
Episodic Fragment - HERALD'S FALL -
The bane of a mighty one. The Executors of what evil is defined. The sacrifice for a cause.
TIER - DOMINION II
RANK - DIVINE-
-Episodic Fragment accepted-
-Episodic Fragment is acclimating with your body-
-Evolving Nameless-
I barely read all through the runes that appeared before me when eight streams of light shot out of the eight corpses and straight into me. At that very moment, I remembered true pain.
My mind blanched as it tore out of my body registering itself away. Losing awareness of my situation and letting the pain run its course like I'd done before.
As such, I saw but failed to correctly comprehend the new runes that appeared in my vision.
-Fragmented energy detected-
-You are the first within the scene of a Divine Event-
-You have obtained an Episodic Fragment-
Episodic Fragment - DEVIL'S END -
Once mighty. Once great. The failures of a tyrant. The last stroll of the feared
TIER - SHATTERED IV
RANK - SOUL DIVINE-
-Episodic Fragment accepted-
-Episodic Fragment is acclimating with your body-
-Evolving Nameless-
The new pain that came was beyond the threshold. My mind was pulled back
into the embrace of the horrific agony almost like my body was re-using to go through the pain on it's lonesome My screams shattered the ambience of the silent night and my body let loose sounds that would have made many a soul faint from revulsion.
Yet I was unable to bear it.
My mind was pressed so far by the pain that I lost reason and understanding. Halfway into going catatonic a new rune appeared highlighting itself boldly across my vision.
-MENTAL DAMAGE DETECTED-
-HIBERNATION IMMINENT-
-DURATION OF HIBERNATION CALCULATED -
Everything went dark before the last strings of the rune could appear. There was nothing after that. Purely nothing.