Chapter 12: Unearthing the Catalyst
The wind howled across the barren plains of the Orval Kingdom, the cold biting at Darius's exposed skin. His gaze swept over the desolate landscape, the silence between his scouts and soldiers weighed down with an unsettling tension. It had been weeks since they crossed into Orval territory, but the air felt heavier today—something was wrong.
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the land as Darius, Seraphina, and the rest of the scouting party made their way through the dead woods. It was a place forgotten by time, an old ruin where stories of gruesome rituals and dark magics lingered like a curse.
Darius felt the familiar thrum of his Sovereign Chains binding him to the world, but today, there was an odd pull, a tug at the edges of his consciousness, a beckoning from something deep beneath the earth.
"Darius," Seraphina's voice broke through his thoughts, her soft tone cutting through the eerie stillness. She rode up beside him, her icy blue eyes fixed on his face with concern. "Do you feel that?"
His lips twisted into a tight smile, though the worry in her voice didn't escape him. "I feel it," he replied, his voice a low growl. "Something's wrong."
Their path took them deeper into the heart of the woods, where the trees seemed to wither under an unseen force. The closer they drew to their destination, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. It was as if the air itself carried the stench of something dark, something ancient.
They arrived at the outpost just as the moon began to rise—an ancient, crumbling fortification hidden within the thick fog that had begun to roll in. It was barely more than a collection of stone walls now, but something about it made Darius uneasy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as they approached the gates.
The soldiers kept their distance, fearful of what lay beyond. Darius's instincts, however, had never steered him wrong, and he felt the pull growing stronger, like a call from the very earth itself. Without hesitation, he commanded his team forward.
Inside the outpost, the first thing they saw was the blood. It covered the stone floors, seeping from behind doors that had long been sealed shut. Then they heard it—the quiet sobbing.
Seraphina's breath caught in her throat as she spotted the young girl, her face bruised and beaten, bound to a stone pillar in the center of a dimly lit chamber. Her skin was pale, her hair matted with blood, and her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.
The girl's eyes locked onto Darius's, her lips trembling. "Help… me…"
"Get her down," Darius commanded, his voice devoid of emotion, yet there was a flicker of something in his chest—something akin to fury.
As the soldiers moved to release the girl, the truth of the scene became clear. Around her, arcane symbols were carved into the ground—runes that pulsed with a dark energy. This wasn't just a prison; it was a site of forbidden magic, a place where living beings were used as fuel for dark rituals.
"Seraphina," Darius's voice was low, as though he was speaking more to himself than anyone else. "This… is what they've been doing. Orval has been using prisoners to summon beasts—horrible, twisted beasts."
Seraphina's face twisted with disgust. "This is beyond barbaric."
Darius clenched his fists as he stepped forward, looking down at the girl who had been used for this sacrificial ritual. He felt a gnawing sense of injustice, a righteous anger burning in his chest. "We burn this place to the ground."
Before they could move, however, a burst of dark magic erupted from the shadows. Several Orval mages materialized from the dark corners of the chamber, their eyes gleaming with malice as they conjured swirling balls of energy in their hands.
"Not so fast, Lionhart," one of them sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You've entered the domain of the Orval Empire, and now you'll pay the price."
Darius didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped forward, his chains rattling ominously as he prepared for battle. His eyes flickered with the purest malice—there was no hesitation in him now. This was not just an enemy; this was an insult to everything he stood for.
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Chapter 12 ends with Darius charging into the fray, unleashing his Sovereign Chains, tearing through the mages with lethal precision, and igniting the full wrath of the Lionhart bloodline.