"State your names and purpose of visit!" the blight guard boomed, its deep, guttural voice echoing through the desolate air.
Sosuke blinked in disbelief. "Wait, what? They're… actually intelligent?"
Reid scratched his head, his usual grin faltering for a moment. "Hate to break it to you, but they can talk too. Hey, uh, what's inside that castle?"
The first guard's towering form remained unnervingly still. Its glowing red eyes gleamed as it responded. "This castle is home to the great King Julius. He rules this world and will eradicate you should any rules be broken!"
The second guard, slightly smaller but no less intimidating, leaned forward, sniffing the air. "HUMANS!" it snarled, its voice like grinding metal.
Sosuke didn't hesitate. He sprinted forward, leaping up the first guard's massive weapon with precision. His katana gleamed with faint traces of lightning as he thrust it toward the creature's head. The blade struck—and stopped cold, bouncing off as if he'd tried to stab solid diamond.
The guard didn't flinch. With one of its four monstrous arms, it grabbed Sosuke like a ragdoll and hurled him back toward the ground. He hit the dirt hard, rolling to his feet with a groan.
"You dare attack a guard?!" the second one roared, its voice reverberating like a thunderclap.
Sosuke gritted his teeth, gripping his katana tighter. "It's no use! We can't fight them—we have to run!"
The team didn't need convincing. They bolted, their boots pounding against the uneven terrain as the guards charged after them with terrifying speed. Despite their best efforts, the hulking creatures closed the distance within seconds. One by one, the guards snatched up each of the Starborn, their monstrous strength leaving no room for struggle.
Sosuke swung his katana again in a desperate attempt, but before he could land another blow, the second guard struck him across the head. His vision blurred, and everything went dark.
When Sosuke came to, his head throbbed and his body felt heavy. He opened his eyes to the faint glow of torchlight illuminating the cold stone walls of a cramped dungeon. He sat slumped against the wall, chains wrapped tightly around his wrists and ankles. Looking around, he saw the others—Arthur, Lyra, Rin, Ren, Reid, Elowen, Milo, and Rafael—similarly restrained, their expressions ranging from groggy to frustrated.
"Ugh, what happened?" Lyra muttered, tugging at the chains binding her wrists. "These things are… tight."
Arthur groaned, trying to sit up straighter. "More than that. I can't feel my mana. Something's… blocking it." He closed his eyes, concentrating. His brow furrowed as sparks of energy fizzled and died before they could take shape.
Lyra tried as well, muttering an incantation under her breath. Nothing. She scowled and leaned her head back against the wall. "Great. So we're powerless, chained up, and stuck in… whatever this place is."
Ren glanced around, his silver eyes narrowed. "This place reeks of some kind of suppression field. They probably don't want us getting any ideas."
"At least they were thoughtful enough to keep us all together," Reid quipped, rattling his chains dramatically. "Real considerate for guards who just knocked us out cold."
"Reid, not now," Ren snapped, though his voice carried more exasperation than real anger.
The door at the far end of the dungeon groaned open suddenly, and the faint torchlight was swallowed by an eerie, pulsing glow. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed through the corridor as a tall, imposing figure stepped into view.
King Julius.
He stood tall at about 6'3, his lean figure clad in flowing black robes adorned with faint crimson patterns. His long, dark pink hair cascaded over his shoulders, the strands shimmering faintly in the dim torchlight. A single horn jutted from the side of his head, curving slightly upward like a cruel ornament. His pale complexion gave him an otherworldly look, and his piercing, cold eyes seemed to pierce through the room, radiating an aura that was calm yet suffocating. The weight of his presence pressed down on everyone, a quiet but undeniable reminder of his authority.
Julius stopped in front of the cell, his gaze sweeping over the Starborn like they were little more than insects. The silence stretched, heavy and oppressive, before he finally spoke.
"You are far from home, humans."
Sosuke opened his mouth to reply, but his throat constricted. Every breath felt like inhaling fire, and an unbearable weight pressed down on him. Pain pulsed through his body like a drumbeat, chaotic and unrelenting. It wasn't an attack—this suffocating presence came from Julius himself. The mana radiating off him was overwhelming, raw and untamed, barely veiled beneath the guise of humanity.
"Can't talk, can you?" Julius tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I didn't even mean to do that. Perhaps I've overestimated the humans." His chuckle was soft, almost polite, as he covered his mouth with slender fingers. "Why are you here? Is it because of the attacks I orchestrated against your little world? No, of course it is." He crouched down, lowering himself to their level, his gaze sharp and unblinking. "You're all so… pitiful. It's like staring at farm animals. No… insects. Yes, that fits better."
Arthur managed to rasp out a question, though his voice wavered. "What… are you?"
Julius raised an eyebrow, his smile faint but cruel. "I'm Julius. I rule over the beings you so arrogantly call blights. You could call me the Blight King, though I must say I find the term 'blight' rather offensive. It's as if my kind were named purely to sound abhorrent. Racism, isn't that what you humans call it?"
"What's with this guy?" Sosuke thought, gritting his teeth against the oppressive energy. "Why does he keep rambling?"
Julius leaned closer to the bars, inhaling sharply through his nose, his expression shifting to curiosity. "You…" His gaze lingered on Sosuke. "You smell familiar." Standing back to his full height, he tapped a finger idly on the bars, his face twisted in thought. "Yes… you smell like one of those humans. I fought him years ago. What was his name?" His sharp eyes snapped back down to Sosuke, lips curling into a malicious grin. "Ah, Estrella. That's it. I've been alive for millennia, and the Estrellas have always been the most insufferable. I'll make sure to savor your suffering, little one."
Julius's smile deepened as he tapped a finger on the bars, his gaze locked on Sosuke. "It's almost tragic, really," he mused, voice dripping with mock pity. "Your family—the mighty Estrellas—wiped from existence years ago. Such a proud, annoying lineage, reduced to nothing. Except for you, of course. The last little ember."
Sosuke froze, the words hitting him like a lightning strike to the chest. His breath caught, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "What… what are you talking about?" he demanded, though his voice cracked with disbelief.
Julius chuckled softly, clearly enjoying the reaction. "Ah, you didn't know? How delightfully human of you to be so uninformed. Yes, your family is gone—utterly obliterated. By my hands, no less." He stepped closer to the bars, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "They screamed, you know."
Julius's grin widened, and he tapped the cell bars again, sending a faint pulse of his chaotic aura into the room. The pressure intensified, making it hard to even breathe. Rin doubled over, her hands gripping the chains, while Ren gritted his teeth, his head bowed as he tried to push through the crushing weight. Only Sosuke and Arthur managed to hold on, though their struggles were evident.
Sosuke's head snapped up, his purple eyes burning with defiance. "Stop playing games. What are you talking about? My family wasn't wiped out—they just… dwindled over time. My father told me as much."
Julius tilted his head, his long dark pink hair falling over his shoulder like a curtain. "Dwindled? Is that the fairy tale you were fed to keep you from despairing? How quaint."
Sosuke's fists clenched, the chains around his wrists creaking under the force. "That's not true. My father survived—he was just a kid back then. He told me there weren't many left, but he never said anything about…" His voice wavered, doubt creeping in despite his anger.
Julius chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "Oh, yes, the boy. He slipped through the cracks, didn't he? Quite the lucky one, though I doubt he remembers much. I've erased far greater men than your father from existence."
Arthur, his face pale but resolute, finally managed to speak. "Why are you telling him all this? What's your angle?"
Julius glanced at Arthur with mild interest, as though he were an insect that had spoken out of turn. "My angle? Perhaps I enjoy the look of despair on your faces. Or perhaps I simply find your ignorance amusing. Either way, it changes nothing. You're all as insignificant to me as ants."
The weight of his aura pressed harder, making Ren and Rin groan softly in pain. Lyra, for once, was completely silent, her head bowed as she fought to stay conscious.
Sosuke gritted his teeth, his voice strained but firm. "If you think this is going to break me, you're wrong. My family… they were strong. If they fell, it wasn't because of some monster like you. It's because they fought for something greater than themselves."
Julius paused, his gaze narrowing slightly. For the briefest moment, his expression seemed to darken. Then he laughed—a chilling, hollow sound that echoed through the dungeon. "Believe whatever you like, little ember. It won't save you from what's coming."
He straightened, his aura receding slightly but still suffocating. "Rest while you can. You'll need it." He turned and walked toward the door, his footsteps echoing ominously. "Oh, and one more thing," he added, glancing back over his shoulder. "You'll find that your powers are quite useless here. It's adorable to watch you squirm without them."
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving the Starborn in silence, save for their labored breathing.
Sosuke slumped back against the wall, sweat dripping down his temple. His fists trembled as he tried to process Julius's words. His father had survived the massacre… but everyone else? Gone? Killed? The weight of the revelation threatened to crush him more than Julius's aura ever could.
Arthur spoke first, his voice tight. "We need to stay focused. He's trying to get in your head, Sosuke. Don't let him win."
Sosuke didn't respond. His gaze was fixed on the ground, his mind a storm of conflicting thoughts and emotions.
Rin's chains rattled as she shifted, her voice weak but soft. "Sosuke…"
"I'm fine," he snapped, though the edge in his voice betrayed him. "I just need to think."
Ren, still catching his breath, managed a strained chuckle. "Yeah, well, think fast. We're not exactly in a great position here."
The group fell into uneasy silence, the oppressive aura lingering like a shadow over their thoughts.