The group was uneasy as they watched Hugo, his eyes shifting erratically in his cell. The weight of what they had uncovered hung heavily between them, and Exeo's mind raced with unanswered questions about the cult's true origin. Back in General Luis's office, Exeo sat across from the stoic general, who was watching him with a piercing, measured gaze.
"So, what else did you manage to get out of Hugo?" General Luis asked.
Exeo recounted Hugo's evasive responses, his attempts at escape, and most critically, the cryptic mention of the "Blovik Empire" — a name Exeo only vaguely recalled from their initial briefings. Luis's brow furrowed as he listened, his fingers steepling thoughtfully.
"I remember Val mentioned 'Blovik Empire' before," Exeo said, hoping for a spark of insight from the general's wealth of classified knowledge.
The general's mouth twisted into a grimace. Without saying a word, he pulled a thick, worn folder from the depths of his desk drawer and handed it to Exeo.
"Take a look," he said.
Exeo opened the file. The dossier was labeled Hades' Wrath, and as he scanned its contents, he recognized names: cult leaders, notorious criminals, missing persons, and victims. There were intricate, detailed descriptions of ritual practices, obscure symbols, and even diagrams of what looked like sacrificial altars. And yet, despite all this information, the Blovik Empire was nowhere to be found.
Frustrated, he looked up. "None of this explains who they are."
The general smiled wryly and said, "I can only tell you that this is the best information we have on this cult. I don't want to lose anyone else because of our negligence. We will never know what happened if someone who knows nothing about this cult tries to investigate or infiltrate it. Just be glad that you caught this guy alive and hope for the best."
"In the meantime, I'll have the intelligence team gather more information about this.
Exeo bowed his head in acknowledgment. He stood up and walked over to the door, but was stopped midway when the general said, "Call for Valens for me here."
Exeo turned around and nodded. After a few moments, Valens came in and sat down in front of the general's desk.
The general placed the folder containing the information on Hades' Wrath in front of Val.
He picked up the folder and stared at the cover sheet for a while, as though he could see the whole story written there.
Then he looked up and said, "It seems like a great deal of effort went into gathering all this information. So, why did you call me here, sir?"
With a weary sigh, the general lit a cigar, the small red ember illuminating the lines of fatigue etched into his face. "You'll understand soon enough." He opened his desk drawer once more and removed a small disk, placing it on the table.
He pointed at the folder, then at the small disk, and continued, "We found something that we think should be shared with you, so please keep it between us."
Valens looked at the general again, puzzled.
"Look at this," the general said and flipped open one of the files.
An old recording disk, the kind capable of capturing high-intensity encounters. General Luis pressed a button, and a hologram flickered into view.
The scene showed a cavernous underground chamber, shrouded in shadows, lit only by flickering torchlight. Two men stood at the center, wearing ceremonial robes and strange, horned masks, locked in fierce combat. The combatants seemed evenly matched, their movements swift and brutal, as if choreographed but deadly. Their blades clashed, creating arcs of sparks in the dim air.
At last, one man drove his blade through the other's chest. The defeated man staggered and collapsed, his body slumping to the ground, blood pooling beneath him. The victor knelt, removing his mask. The recording zoomed in to reveal a man with sharp, chiseled features, his piercing eyes cold and unyielding.
Val's breath caught in his throat. He turned to General Luis, his voice barely a whisper. "Is that… Reinhart Bellator?"
General Luis nodded. "Yes. This recording is over 100 years old, from the final days of the Great War. Reinhart Bellator, your ancestor, engaged in a deadly confrontation with one of the Blovik Empire's highest-ranking members."
"Why would Reinhart Bellator be fighting someone from the Blovik Empire? I thought they were allies during the war."
General Luis shook his head. "That's the official story. The truth is murkier. Reinhart was sent to investigate whispers of treachery within the Blovik ranks. He uncovered evidence that members of the Blovik Empire were performing forbidden rituals, seeking power from an ancient darkness even older than the war itself. They called themselves 'Hades' Wrath,' and their leader was rumored to possess knowledge of something... monstrous."
A chill ran through Val as he absorbed the words. Then, almost as if an unseen force compelled him, Valens's gaze clouded, and he fell silent, listening to the whisper of his shadow companion.
"Do you know anything about this 'Hades' Wrath'?" he asked the shadow.
"Yes," came the eerie reply. "Your ancestor killed many of them, including the man you saw Reinhart slay in the recording. That man was Hugo's father, a high priest of Hades' Wrath."
Valens's hand tightened on the edge of his chair, the shadow's revelation reverberating through him.
The shadow continued, "Yes, the one you had killed along with that white ice kid."
General Luis, unaware of Valens's internal dialogue, continued. "We tried to follow the trail, to understand the cult's influence within Blovik, but they vanished. No documents, no witnesses — nothing. It was as if the Blovik Empire was wiped from existence."
Then, suddenly, the shadow yelled inside Val's mind almost flinching, "Ah! Now I remember!"
Valens asked the shadow in his mind while trying to cover up his action earlier. "What? What?! What did you remember?!"
"Blovik Empire. This was the city that the other Bellator had wiped out! Ahaha!"
The shadow laughed but when Valens heard it, he asked, "You mean, Reinhart Bellator?"
"Yup," answered the shadow.
"Then, we can no longer really retrieve any records or leads about the cult?"
"Who says you can't", the shadow simply asked.
Valens frowned and said, "What? We can't really get some leads to..."
He paused and widened his eyes in realization after hearing the shadow's reply. He met the general's eyes, his face pale. "I think I might know where we can find more information."
General Luis leaned forward. "Explain."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
100 years ago
Blovik had been a thriving, powerful empire. In those days, the Blovik people were known for their wisdom, their mystical knowledge, and their formidable military.
They ruled from a sprawling city adorned with statues of ancient gods, its streets brimming with life. Yet, despite their strength, the Blovik Empire fell into ruin in what would later be called the War of Shadows.
As the kingdom of Westland invaded, Blovik's citizens found themselves abandoned by their leaders. Starving and desperate, they were easy prey for a new force — the cult that would later become Hades' Wrath. Disguised as priests and healers, cult members infiltrated the city, offering aid and sanctuary to those in need. But they were not there to save Blovik. They were there to consume it.
Hidden beneath their robes were iron scythes and ritual blades. Their eyes burned with an unnatural gleam, a look of soulless hunger. They killed with surgical precision, sacrificing hundreds in dark, secretive rituals.
By the time Blovik's remaining forces caught on to the deception, it was too late. The city had become a shadow of its former self, haunted by the whispers of the dead.
In the final days of Blovik's siege, a handful of survivors, mostly women and children, escaped the city's blood-soaked streets and hid in the forests beyond the gates. Among them were two young girls — one, the orphaned daughter of a slain knight, and her friend, a maid who had taken her in. They wandered through the woods for days before a scouting party from Westland found them.
The scout who discovered them wore the uniform of the Westland military but spoke with a strange, lilting accent. He brought them to his camp and introduced them to his commander. To the girl's surprise, the commander welcomed them warmly and assured them of their safety. He explained that he had been sent to aid Blovik, though the kingdom had fallen by the time they arrived.
Days later, the commander arrived with reinforcements. The two girls, now wary and exhausted, followed him to Blovik's ravaged outskirts. But as they approached, the soldiers of Westland noticed a man in flowing golden robes waiting for them at the edge of the city.
The man, his face hidden beneath his hood, introduced himself as the Grand Master of Hades' Temple. He claimed the temple had taken Blovik under its wing and promised to preserve its legacy. But there was something unholy in his gaze, a gleam of cruelty that made the soldiers wary.
The temple became Blovik's new ruler, and under its influence, the city was renamed Hades. Peace seemed to return, though it was a brittle peace, held together by fear and superstition.
As the years passed, the people came to revere the Grand Master, calling him the Great Exorcist, the savior who had warded off the darkness. But all was not as it seemed.
It was rumored that the Grand Master held forbidden knowledge, dark secrets that allowed him to control the minds of others. His reputation grew, reaching far beyond Blovik's borders. But to those who looked too closely, the truth was apparent: Hades' Wrath was no savior. They were an insidious force, spreading their influence under the guise of peace.
When Westland's soldiers returned to their kingdoms, they carried with them tales of blood magic and demons lurking in the city's shadows.
One by one, neighboring nations joined forces to purge the growing darkness. They launched attack after attack, but the Grand Master repelled them with ease.
And at the center of it all, Reinhart Bellator himself emerged, driven by a vision of a world free from Hades' corruption. Reinhart Bellator, from the country of Nuista, which will later be known as Clareo.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Valens's voice broke the silence. "The Blovik Empire didn't fall. It was consumed by Hades' Wrath."
General Luis nodded solemnly. "And Reinhart Bellator fought them. It's why the Bellator legacy became intertwined with stopping dark forces. But Hades' Wrath survived, and so did its influence. That's what Hugo and his cult represent — the remnants of the Blovik Empire's darkness, seeking to rise again."
Val looked at the recording disk, the image of Reinhart's deadly battle with the Blovik priest still fresh in his mind.
He knew now what he had to do. But with every step forward, the stakes only seemed to grow, and the shadow of the Blovik Empire loomed larger over his path, and with the rest of the team.