Chapter 19
The Hunt Begins
The oppressive heat from the red sun seemed to press down even harder on the group as they trudged through the vast, barren landscape of the West. The ground beneath them was cracked and dry, each step kicking up small clouds of dust. The air buzzed with tension. They were nearing their targets—the Demon Lords of the West, the 8th and 9th—but there was no time to waste. The longer they waited, the more volatile the red sun became, spreading its influence and pushing the world toward chaos.
Caelan was at the front, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Man, this heat is insane! It's like walking through a giant oven with no off switch."
Zaimond, ever sarcastic, shot him a side glance. "You just described the West perfectly. Congratulations, you've won today's award for the most obvious observation."
Caelan grinned. "Hey, someone's gotta keep the mood light. Can't have you all brooding around like we're walking into our own funerals."
Kassian, tossing his coin as always, chuckled from behind them. "You do have a knack for pointing out the obvious, kid. But keep it up. I like the banter. Makes things less boring while we're, you know… marching into almost certain doom."
Caelan shrugged. "Doom's kind of relative, right? I mean, we've come this far. No sense in slowing down now." He spun around, walking backward so he could face the group. "Besides, we've got Rul in necklace form, and Kassian's luck powers to cheat death. What could go wrong?"
Richard, walking quietly behind the group, shook his head. "You know, that's exactly what you say right before everything goes wrong."
As if on cue, the ground beneath them rumbled slightly. Elden, who had been silently scouting the terrain, tensed up. "We're not alone."
The group came to a halt, eyes scanning the desolate landscape. The tremors grew stronger, and before they could react, massive fissures split open the ground. Emerging from the cracks were monstrous figures, their bodies covered in jagged, obsidian-like armor, and their eyes glowing with the fiery light of the red sun.
"Ah, crap," Zaimond muttered, drawing his weapon. "That's what could go wrong."
Kassian flicked his coin again, catching it with a mischievous smirk. "Well, well. Looks like the fun's about to start."
Caelan, unsheathing his sword, tried to sound casual but couldn't hide his growing excitement. "Alright, who's first?"
Before anyone could charge, the monsters moved in unison, their bodies twitching unnaturally as they began to glow with the same red light as the sun. Suddenly, a booming voice echoed across the landscape, chilling the group to the core.
"So... the heroes of light finally arrive. It's almost disappointing how predictable you all are."
The voice was unmistakable—cold, calculating, dripping with malice. The Demon Lords.
Zaimond stiffened. "That's them… isn't it?"
A massive silhouette appeared on the horizon, two figures slowly walking toward them. One was tall and gaunt, with an aura of suffocating coldness. The other, shorter but broader, seemed to radiate a strange, fiery heat that warped the air around him.
Caelan grinned, trying to mask his unease. "Guess we don't have to track them down after all."
Elden tightened his grip on his sword, his expression hard. "This isn't going to be easy."
Kassian stepped forward, twirling his coin between his fingers. "Easy? Where's the fun in that?"
The two Demon Lords came into full view, their eyes locking onto the group. The taller one, draped in black robes, spoke again, his voice echoing unnaturally. "I am Arathor, the 8th Demon Lord. And this..." he gestured to his shorter companion, "is Dagon, the 9th. You're too late. The sun has already begun its final transformation."
Dagon, the 9th Demon Lord, laughed—a low, rumbling sound that sent chills down their spines. "And by the time we're done with you, there won't be enough left of your pathetic resistance to even remember what light is."
Caelan's heart pounded in his chest, but he flashed a cocky grin. "Oh, yeah? You guys seriously think you can handle us?"
Zaimond rolled his eyes. "You really can't help yourself, can you?"
Kassian gave a playful shrug. "The kid's got a point. We've faced worse, right? Plus, I've got a couple of aces up my sleeve."
Elden frowned, eyes flicking between the two Demon Lords. "Don't underestimate them. We need to be smart about this."
Arathor raised a hand, and instantly, the air around them grew cold. Frost began to form on the ground, creeping toward them. "Smart or not, it won't matter. You'll die all the same."
Dagon, meanwhile, cracked his knuckles, his fists igniting with crimson flames. "Let's make this quick. I'm getting bored."
Caelan exchanged a glance with Zaimond, then Kassian. "Alright, guys. Time to show these clowns what we're made of."
Without another word, they charged forward, the battle beginning in a chaotic blur of fire, ice, and steel. As the sounds of clashing weapons and elemental fury filled the air, Caelan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
"Here we go!" he shouted, his blade meeting Arathor's icy aura with a flash of light. "Let's make this one for the history books!"
And so, the fight for the fate of the West had begun.
Curse
The oppressive heat of the red sun blazed down, the atmosphere already heavy with the weight of their journey and impending confrontation with the Demon Lords. But amidst all that tension, none of them expected the sudden, cold presence that began to creep into the air.
It's just an illusion... There was no demon Lords.
Caelan stopped mid-stride, his instincts tingling. "Anyone else feel that?"
Zaimond, always on edge, nodded. "Yeah, something's wrong. This... this feeling—"
Before he could finish, a voice broke through the silence, a voice they all thought they'd left behind in the past.
"Surprised to see me again?" It was Vinseno's voice, smooth and cold, dripping with malice. "I'm not so easy to kill."
Caelan's eyes widened as he whirled around. "No way... how are you still alive?"
Vinseno, cloaked in shadows, stepped out from the hazy horizon, his figure distorted but unmistakably menacing. His presence felt like death itself, an unnatural chill that seemed to sink into the bones of anyone nearby. He wasn't just alive; he was more powerful, more dangerous, and somehow... more cursed.
"I told you before, didn't I?" Vinseno's grin stretched across his face, sickeningly confident. "I'm a curse that can't be undone."
Richard, who had been quietly observing from the back, suddenly felt a strange pull—a sharp, eerie sensation—as if something invisible had just brushed against his skin. His eyes darted around in panic, searching for the source.
But it was too late.
Without warning, Vinseno's hand reached out, touching Richard ever so lightly on his shoulder, barely a whisper of contact. But in that moment, everything changed. Richard's body began to shake uncontrollably, his eyes widening in terror.
"Richard!" Caelan shouted, rushing forward, but he was too far away.
Richard gasped, his body convulsing violently. His eyes locked with Caelan's for a split second—fear, confusion, and sorrow all mixing in that one fleeting glance. Then, in a flash of blinding light—
Tsk, BOOM!
Richard's body exploded with a deafening blast, a shockwave of dark energy rippling through the area, knocking everyone back. Caelan and the others were thrown to the ground, stunned by the force. Debris and dust filled the air, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence.
The world seemed to freeze.
Caelan, coughing and struggling to his feet, couldn't process what had just happened. He blinked through the dust, his heart pounding in his chest, his mind racing.
"No..." he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Richard..."
Where Richard had stood moments before, there was now only a crater. Nothing was left—no body, no remnants. Just the lingering darkness of Vinseno's curse.
Zaimond stood frozen, his usual sarcasm replaced by a hollow silence. He stared at the spot where Richard had been, his fists clenched tightly. "This... this can't be happening."
Elden, who had been knocked down by the blast, slowly got to his feet, his face pale. His eyes were filled with disbelief, his voice shaky. "Richard... he's really... gone?"
Kassian, for once, had nothing to say. His coin fell from his hand, clinking against the ground as it rolled aimlessly in the dust.
Vinseno, standing amidst the destruction, looked down at the crater with a twisted smile. "Such a waste... but oh, so satisfying. Did you really think you could escape me?"
Caelan's hands trembled as he gripped his sword tighter, his mind racing with anger, grief, and guilt. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Richard was supposed to survive—he was supposed to be the smart one, the one who always figured things out. But now... he was gone, taken in the cruelest way possible.
"You... bastard!" Caelan's voice cracked, his rage boiling over as he charged at Vinseno with everything he had.
But Vinseno was quicker, his figure dissolving into shadows, slipping away from Caelan's strike effortlessly. "Tsk, tsk," Vinseno mocked. "You'll have to do better than that."
Caelan skidded to a stop, panting heavily, his eyes burning with tears he refused to let fall. "I'll make you pay for this," he growled through gritted teeth. "I swear, I'll—"
"I think you've lost enough today, boy," Vinseno interrupted, his voice cold and detached. "But don't worry... there's plenty more where that came from. You're not even close to understanding what's coming."
Before Caelan could strike again, Vinseno disappeared into the shadows, his presence vanishing as quickly as it had arrived, leaving only devastation and heartache in his wake.
The group was left in stunned silence. The loss of Richard weighed heavily on them, a wound too fresh to comprehend. Caelan dropped to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground beside him. He had failed. He couldn't protect Richard. And now... now he was gone.
Elden knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, though his own grief was evident in his eyes. "We have to keep going," he whispered, though his voice lacked conviction. "Richard... he wouldn't want us to stop here."
Kassian, picking up his fallen coin, glanced down at Caelan. His usual cocky demeanor was gone, replaced by a somber, quiet resolve. "We'll make him proud, kid. We have to."
Zaimond, his face unreadable, finally spoke, his voice low. "This isn't over. Vinseno's still out there. And we're going to take him down."
Caelan nodded, though his heart felt heavy. "Yeah... for Richard."
And as they stood together in the aftermath of the devastation, a new resolve burned within them. Vinseno had taken someone precious from them—but he wouldn't take anyone else. Not if they had anything to say about it.
The journey was far from over, and the battle against the Demon Lords would soon begin. But for now, they mourned. For Richard, for their friend.
And for the world that still hung in the balance.
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End of Chapter 19