Arthur sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, feeling the weight of his actions sinking in. "Look, kid… I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to upset you. It was just a joke," he said, scratching his head as he glanced over at Lucian, hoping for some reaction.
But Lucian wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing any weakness. He had turned his gaze to the side, away from Arthur, his expression darkened. He wasn't about to engage in this. What could I even do? Lucian thought bitterly. I'm weak. Too weak to even speak up against someone like Arthur who could turn me to cosmic dust without a second thought.
Arthur hesitated for a moment, his easygoing façade slipping as he glanced toward Endeavor and Aria, who had been quietly observing the exchange. Aria, however, had narrowed her eyes at Arthur, as if piecing together a puzzle. Arthur, noticing her gaze, quickly looked away, almost guiltily.
"Okay, okay. I'm only thinking of you, kid. Believe me, what I'm about to give you is precious. So precious, in fact…" Arthur trailed off, uncertainty flickering in his eyes as he glanced once more at his companions. "…that even I'm not sure I should be giving it to you."
This time, Aria's gaze sharpened, and Endeavor, always cautious, leaned forward, his brow furrowing. They could sense it. Something was off. Something was coming.
Arthur let out a deep breath, then, in a move that starkly contrasted his usual laid-back demeanor, raised his hands high into the air. The playful grin vanished, replaced by a solemn expression as he began chanting words that carried a weight far beyond their meaning.
"Where the blood moon rises, despair shall reign, Shadows march, lost souls in vain. Under crimson skies, all hope fades..."
The air in the room shifted immediately. The playful tone that had filled the room was replaced by a suffocating seriousness. Lucian felt it first the weight, the sheer power behind Arthur's chant. His entire body tensed as if the very air was pressing down on him, making it harder to breathe. He watched as Arthur continued, every word carrying an ominous energy.
"Chime of Summoning: Blood March of the Fallen Remains."
The final words left Arthur's lips, and in an instant, the world around them changed. The room darkened, shadows crawling up the walls as if responding to the command. The very space seemed to vibrate, and an unnatural, almost sinister energy filled the air. The surroundings blurred, as though reality itself was struggling to stay intact. The atmosphere became heavy, oppressive, and even the faint smell of blood began to permeate the air.
Lucian's breath hitched. His entire body shivered uncontrollably, his instincts screaming at him that whatever Arthur had just summoned was far beyond anything he could comprehend. His eyes were glued to Arthur's hand as the man slowly pulled something into existence a deep red amulet, glowing with an ominous, eerie light. It was beautiful… and terrifying.
For a moment, Lucian couldn't breathe. He couldn't look away. His eyes were drawn to the amulet as if it had some magnetic pull over him. He didn't understand why, but he felt a strange sense of connection to it, as though something inside him resonated with the object.....is it blood lust.. His heart pounded in his chest, and his breathing quickened.
Is it because I'm a vampire now? he wondered, his head spinning. Is that why I feel so… drawn to it? But no. It wasn't just because of his vampiric transformation. There was something deeper, something more ancient in the amulet hatred, power, and sorrow all rolled into one. It radiated danger, yet there was a part of him that yearned for it, almost as if it called out to him.
Lucian's legs trembled, his entire body feeling weak. The pressure, the aura from the amulet it was too much. He felt as though the blood in his veins was boiling, and yet he couldn't tear his gaze away.
Endeavor and Aria, who had been watching curiously up until now, were no longer calm. Endeavor shot up from his seat, his eyes wide in sheer disbelief, while Aria's usually stoic face twisted in shock. Both of them unconsciously took defensive stances, releasing their auras, as if preparing for an attack.
"Arthur!" Endeavor's voice was sharp, cutting through the thick atmosphere. "Are you out of your mind? You're not giving that to a kid! No! No way! Absolutely not!"
His voice was raw with emotion, his hands shaking. Even Aria, normally composed, nodded in agreement with Endeavor. The shock in her eyes was unmistakable.
Arthur, however, barely flinched. "Chill, guys. I know what I'm doing." But there was no denying the trembling in his hands as he held the amulet. It wasn't the weight of the object it was the meaning behind it that made it heavy. Even Arthur, for all his power, was struggling with the responsibility of holding such a thing.
Lucian's mind was spinning, the world around him fading into a blur. He didn't hear Endeavor's protests, nor Arthur's reassurances. His entire focus was on the amulet. He felt it in his blood, in his bones, something stirring deep within him. His body was reacting in ways he couldn't control his blood was screaming, boiling, as if it wanted to break free from his veins.
Endeavor was not finished. "Arthur, stop! This isn't some game! You know what that thing means!" he roared, his voice filled with panic. "When you got it, you didn't just do her a favor! You saved the entire living population from being annihilated! And she… she was the one who nearly destroyed it all in the first place!" His words came out in a rush, spilling secrets that had been buried for eons, secrets that weren't meant to see the light of day.
"Shut. Your. Mouth," Aria said coldly, her words slicing through the chaos. And with just that, ice erupted from the ground, encasing Endeavor's entire body, freezing him in place except for his head.
But Endeavor didn't seem to care about the ice. His dark blue lightning flared up, breaking through the ice with ease, his eyes wild with desperation. "Aria, you know as well as I do what a big deal this is! We can't give that to a kid! Not to anyone! Even you don't deserve to hold it, and neither do I!" His chest heaved with panic, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he fought to contain the terror growing inside him.
Arthur sighed deeply, the weight of the situation finally catching up to him. He had expected resistance, but not this much. He looked down at the amulet in his hand, knowing full well what it signified. It wasn't just a gift. It wasn't just a treasure. It was a burden, a curse, and a power far beyond anything a normal person could hope to wield.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Arthur said, his voice now serious, his eyes glowing a deep black as dark, smoky tendrils of energy began to seep from his body. His presence became suffocating, as though the very air in the room was being devoured by the darkness he emanated.
With a single word, everything stopped.
Endeavor and Aria, who had been ready to explode into action, found themselves completely immobilized. Not just frozen, but utterly incapable of moving even a fraction of an inch. It was as if the very atoms that made up their bodies had been bound in place by Arthur's will. This was the difference between an SSS-rank and the others. This was the power of an absolute Domain an sss ranker have and SS ranker even tho with there arcane domain...they cant even dream to resist
"Calm down, buddy," Arthur said, his tone almost casual again, though the dark power swirling around him suggested otherwise. He glanced over at Endeavor with an apologetic expression. "And… sorry, wifey," he added, looking at Aria with wide, puppy-dog eyes, hoping to diffuse the tension.
Aria, however, remained still, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Arthur with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. She wasn't angry about being restrained she was angry that Arthur had even dared to bring such a dangerous object out.
Arthur, realizing his mistake, quickly withdrew his power, the oppressive darkness vanishing as he let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, okay… maybe I overdid it," he muttered under his breath, gulping as he cautiously lowered his hands but not putting away the amulate
As the power ebbed away, Endeavor and Aria slowly regained their ability to move. Endeavor immediately shot a glare at Arthur, while Aria crossed her arms, staring at him with cold fury.
"Arthur," aria said, "we're going to have a long talk about this tonight."
Arthur lips twitched