Chapter 1215 Shadow Soldier
The days melted into one another as Lucian and Arthur became relentless hunters, pursuing the spectral trail of Emma Agard. Arthur, the outsider with his golden mana blazing, sought cracks in the fabric of reality, hidden portals and forgotten pathways. Lucian, unbound from the chains of the Seer Guardian, wielded his light to pierce through layers of illusion, unearthing truths his father had desperately sought to bury.
Finally, a breakthrough. Lucian stumbled backward, his eyes wide with a strange blend of triumph and horror. "There!" he exclaimed, his voice ragged. "Emma Agard… I see her! My father, he's trapped her in another dimension. But…" Frustration edged his voice as he slammed a fist against the polished wood of their worktable, "…my power...it's not enough. I can't bridge the gap."
Arthur leaned in, studying the shimmering projections fueled by Lucian's light. A distorted reality swirled in shades of muted violet, a prison woven from shadows and despair. He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of curiosity dancing in his golden eyes. "A separate dimension… Interesting. There must be a way in, a hidden passage…a key."
A tremor ran through Lucian as he focused on the ethereal prison. "Arthur," he began haltingly, "your arrival… it seems it wasn't factored into their plans. The task entrusted to Emma… it was different. My family, the Yalens… they've long held the Agard family in their grip. Do you wish to know how it began?"
Sorrow and a burning shame washed over Lucian as he delved into the twisted tales of the Agard lineage.
"It started generations ago," he began, his voice low. "My ancestor, Cyrian Yalen, defied societal expectations and fell in love with a common woman – Emma's great-grandmother. They eloped, defied the will of my… unforgiving great-grandfather." He paused, the bitter taste of familial treachery heavy on his tongue. "He chased them down, imprisoned Cyrian for years…made him bend by threatening the woman he loved. But then, Cyrian vanished from his cell, just disappeared, and his beloved was never found…"
"And so," Lucian continued, his voice laced with a chilling realization, "the Empyrean stepped in. They seized the lone child of that union, Venkov Agard, Emma's grandfather. A bargain was struck – servitude to the Yalens in exchange for a semblance of controlled freedom."
He swallowed hard. "Emma, their last task… it was to find you, the Outsider. An unwilling weapon to be used against his own kin, perhaps. Or…" a flicker of hope crossed his face, "...perhaps she never intended to capture you. Perhaps her loyalty to those who loved her was stronger than her desperation?"
Lucian's voice broke slightly as he recalled the final act of defiance that had sealed the Agard family's fate. "She attempted to escape, using a shadow monster, a desperate gamble. It failed. His forces…the empyrean's puppets…they captured her before she could flee."
The full realization hit him like a wave. Emma's imprisonment was not the plan, but a punishment – a ruthless demonstration of power by the very forces he'd pledged to resist. His determination hardened. With Arthur by his side, they would find a way. They would free Emma, break the twisted hold the Yalens had maintained, and offer her a way home.
The truth hit Arthur with the force of a hammer blow. He'd altered the course of history, set off a chain reaction that had doomed the Agard family. A flicker of regret ignited, then burned out. To wallow in self-recrimination now would solve nothing.
Elara…the woman Cyrian adored. Could this architect of their sanctuary also be the one who birthed the Twilight Runic Workshop? It made a twisted sort of sense. And Emma, the last of the line, bore the weight of Cyrian's legacy.
"Emma," Lucian explained, unaware of the internal battle raging within Arthur, "Her gift…it's unlike anything I've seen. She asks, and the world answers. Except when it comes to you."
Arthur's mind reeled. The Yalen King, so obsessed with control, was wielding a tool inherently blind to his greatest fear. The Outsider, the anomaly, the disruptor.
Was Arthur the architect of the Agard's suffering? Had his meddling ignited the Empyrean's ire, sealed Venkov's fate? His actions might have started a fire he couldn't control—Cyrian's vanishing, the Tower of Yearning—a spiral of events he might have set in motion.
But Arthur had the power to change the course. He would not be defined by past mistakes. He would carve a new path, one that led to the Agard's salvation, not their destruction. His next steps would write a different ending to this story, and in doing so, perhaps even atone for his unintended sins.
A final question burned in Arthur's mind. He turned to Lucian, his golden eyes narrowed. "There's one more thing. You, with your newfound sight… look back, into those shadowed moments of Emma's escape attempt. Tell me… what kind of shadow monster aided her?"
Lucian focused, his white light piercing the past. Moments later, he answered, a flicker of surprise in his voice. "Marvi. That is its name."
Arthur froze, a flicker of astonishment crossing his features – a rare show of emotion Lucian had never witnessed before. Sensing his shock, Lucian pressed on. "Arthur, is something wrong? You recognize the name?"
A strange mixture of hope and unease flashed across Arthur's face. "Marvi," he murmured. "Marvi was one of my shadow soldiers. But he left my side, chose to accompany Oren, my brother, on a journey to the Yalen Union…" Arthur trailed off, his brow furrowing as the implications dawned upon him. "It appears Marvi abandoned Oren's side as well. Why would he risk everything to assist Emma Agard?"
Lucian, always quick to grasp hidden motivations, furrowed his own brow. "Why would your shadow turn against you, Arthur? What could have possibly driven it away?"
A wry smile twisted Arthur's lips. "Marvi wasn't a shadow I recruited, Lucian. He was drawn to the other Arthur, the one who lived in this world before my arrival." A flicker of sadness crossed his face. " Perhaps this… defection is a symptom of my own abrupt change in character. Maybe, deep down, Marvi seeks to undo what I've become…" He paused, his voice thoughtful. "Maybe he found Emma, knowing she was a connection to the Arthur he once followed, trying to find a way to awaken the old Arthur within me once more."
Lucian nodded, pieces falling into place. "So, Marvi and Emma… what are the chances of harnessing this connection you hypothesize? Can we leverage it?"
Arthur grinned, a flash of his old, reckless charm. Raising his hand, he revealed a pulsating rune, dark and writhing with the power of shadows. With a forceful gesture, he slammed his hand down. A shadowy figure shimmered into existence beside him, a female form cloaked in darkness. The Queen of Shadows, Ruki, knelt before him in silent submission.
"Your Majesty," she rasped, her voice a chilling whisper.
"Tell me, Ruki," Arthur's voice held an uncharacteristic edge of concern, "do you sense Marvi's presence here, in this world?"
Confusion flickered across Ruki's shadowed form. "My lord, I…I cannot," she answered slowly. "His essence is masked. He is… absent."
A tense silence fell upon them. Even Arthur, for all his cunning and power, seemed at a loss for the first time since they started their quest. His connection to his shadow army had never been his strongest suit. The shift was subtle, but to Lucian, whose new sight pierced through illusion and subterfuge, it was as clear as day.
Frustration prickled at Arthur's skin. Ruki's news was less than ideal – a jarring reminder that his control over the shadows paled in comparison to his dominion over golden mana. Still, with Lucian's new sight and his own relentless adaptability, there had to be another way.
A plan coalesced in his mind. With a flicker of determination, Arthur drew upon the dark rune etched onto his palm. Shadows writhed, swirling into a vortex that hung suspended in the air. This was no mere portal, but a direct line of communication.
Lucian watched in fascination as the room transformed, the bright walls yielding to an oppressive gloom. "The channel is open," the seer declared, a hint of awe in his voice.
Arthur stepped forward, golden eyes blazing against the darkness. He focused his will, his voice resonating with a strange power. "Marvi," he called out into the inky void. "It's Arthur Netherborne. I seek your aid."
The response was immediate, a gravelly voice emerging from the depths. "My Lord Arthur," Marvi rumbled, a hint of respect underlying the rough tone. "It is an honor. I sense change within you, yet the core of the warrior remains."
Arthur acknowledged the shadow's perception with a grim nod. "Indeed, Marvi. Much has changed since we last spoke. But time is of the essence. Emma Agard is trapped. I believe you hold the key to her rescue."
He outlined the situation concisely, highlighting Emma's connection to the Arthur that Marvi had once followed. "This woman mattered to my predecessor," he finished. "And she matters to me now. Will you aid me, Marvi? Not for my sake, but for hers."
Silence stretched between them, the shadows coiling as if in consideration. Finally, Marvi answered, his voice heavy. "For the sake of Emma, and for the echoes of the Arthur I once served… tell me what you require."
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