Chapter 211: Threads of Gold, Threads of Blood
[Music recommendation: Secession Studios - Demise of a Nation]
They hurled their magic at him, but before the spells could land, Damien’s blade had already cut them down. Swiftly, he broke through the final line of guards and crossed into the sanctum Evelyn needed to reach.
Hearing the hum and feeling that familiar pull, Evelyn opened her eyes again, only to find herself inside the same place she had visited yesterday.
And finally, the Vault was within her reach and with it, a chance to save Ivan.
The answers she once sought about her dreams no longer mattered. Only one thing did now, saving the man she loved.
Once they reached the ancient golden gate. Damien finally set her down and said, "You’ve reached your destination. May you find all the answers you’re looking for, Evelyn."
His eyes softened as he looked at her. He raised a hand and gently brushed her head in an affectionate touch of a brother to his precious sister.
Evelyn’s eyes softened, and tears welled up in them, "Than-"
"No. Don’t thank me, Evelyn. Just save him..."
And it was then, for the first time, she saw the chaos in Damien’s eyes that were filled with utter worry and sadness for his brother, Ivan.
Evelyn nodded as tears spilled down her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the massive golden gates and opened her bloodied palm only to notice the key leaving an angry red imprint from how tightly she had been holding it.
Her trembling fingers inserted the key in the keyhole, and she turned the key three times.
A heavy click echoed through the place, followed by the grinding shift of multiple gears moving in sequence.
Damien stood beside her, watching the gates groan and shift as if awakened after centuries of silence.
Suddenly, his ears caught something rushing toward them at incredible speed. His body snapped to full alert, and he drew his second sword in one swift motion as he stepped protectively in front of Evelyn.
The gates continued to open, and a golden glow spilled out, bathing them where they stood.
Evelyn, startled by the shift in his posture, turned at the sound of steel leaving its sheath.
"Wh-what’s wrong?!" she asked in worry.
"Something is coming! Go, Evelyn, now!" Damien shouted, just before a dark figure burst forward and slammed him into the wall, stone cracking and falling in shards around him.
When the debris cleared, Eve saw that the dark figure was none other than Valen, his face twisted into a maniacal grin, jagged teeth bared. His hollow black eyes glowed a washed-out red, and his skin was ashen grey with dark veins pulsing beneath it. A sword gleamed in his hand, only to be intercepted and held back by Damien’s twin blades.
"No... a Darkrot," Evelyn whispered in disbelief.
Valen’s eyes snapped toward her, and he roared in a warped, double-layered voice, "You bitch! You’ll regret messing with me!"
He lunged at her, but Damien intercepted him mid-charge. With one powerful strike, Damien drove his boot into Valen’s stomach, sending him crashing into a distant pillar.
"Go now, Evelyn! I’ll handle him!" Damien barked, never taking his eyes off the monster.
With the door now fully open, she cried out, "You better not get hurt or lose to that pervert, or this sister won’t forgive you!"
She reached toward the golden veil before the doorway, and as her fingertips touched it, the light swirled around her. Golden threads unfurled, wrapping around her body like living strands of silk.
Damien grinned when he saw her being accepted by the Vault of Ages. His voice softened, but it held a promise, "I won’t."
Eve heard him and smiled just before her form vanished completely beyond the gate.
"Noooo!" an enraged voice thundered from where Valen had fallen, and he charged toward the Vault in a last, desperate attempt to seize even a scrap of her dress. But before he could reach her, Evelyn vanished completely beyond the gate.
The golden barrier flared with violent force the moment Valen touched it, unleashing a shockwave of ancient magic that blasted him backwards. His body was hurled several feet through the corridor, crashing hard against the floor before the sealed doors.
Damien stood still for a moment, watching Valen’s body skid across the corridor. He murmured, almost bored, "You really don’t give up, do you? But if you did....it wouldn’t be half as fun."
He spun his swords once through the air, "Now..." His crimson eyes flashed, and the smile vanished from his face, replaced by something cold and lethal. "Let’s get serious, shall we?"
His voice lowered dangerously. "I need to pay you back for what you did to my sister, after all." With that, Damien charged with his twin swords drawn, aim fixed entirely on Valen.
...
Sometime before Ivan’s outburst...
On the other side of the castle, away from the coming chaos, inside the underground chamber where the human dolls were kept, Queen Viva dipped her hands into fresh blood trickling from the slit throat of a maid she had killed not long ago. She continued chanting a spell to repair her hands that had borne the brunt of direct pure magic from both Evelyn and Solan combined.
No matter how many times she tried to heal it, her hand refused to return to its original state, as if it had already begun to rot. Viva cursed under her breath in frustration. Nothing worked, no matter how many times she cast the spell. With guests waiting upstairs, she knew she had little time left before her absence became suspicious.
She could only hope Valen had reached the ballroom by now and was handling any questions about her whereabouts.
A sudden knock rattled the chamber door, and only one person was ever permitted here. "Come in," she commanded.
Jareld stepped into view, urgency written across his face, "Your Majesty, you must leave this chamber at once. I’ve just received word that members of the High Council are here, and the crowd from the ballroom is heading this way!"
Viva felt as though someone had slapped her across the face, "What?!" she gasped.
"Why is the High Council here?! And why in hell are the guests leaving the ballroom?! Where is Valen?" she barked, firing questions one after another in a fit of anger.
Jareld swallowed hard, as he knew what he was about to say would only send her further into a frenzy. Bracing himself, he answered carefully, "His Highness still has not arrived at the ball. He is....still with Princess Evelyn, I believe."
"What?!" Viva’s voice rose, "What are you doing just standing here?! Don’t tell me he lost control and is indulging himself with her while guests are waiting at the ballroom for him?!"
Her rage made Jareld flinch, "W-we don’t know that, Your Majesty," he stuttered. "He dismissed all guards from that wing."
Viva’s eyes widened in shock and fury, "And you left him alone with that fox?! Do none of you think? Someone should always watch them! What if she uses her magic and harms my son?! Send guards there immediately!"
Jareld’s eyes widened at the implication, and he quickly replied, "Right away, Your Majesty."
He turned to leave, but her voice snapped again, "Wait! Who is leading the guests here?"
Jareld froze and inhaled sharply, silently cursing himself for forgetting such a critical detail, "Your Majesty....it was reported that the ones leading the crowd are professors from the Blood Moon Academy."
Viva stared at him as though her eyes might burst from their sockets.
The prisoners had escaped! Not only that....they were guiding the Council straight to her hidden chamber.
Did they know the truth? Did they know what was kept here? How could they?
No. This was bad. This was very bad!
Her heartbeat slammed wildly against her ribs as the consequences flashed before her. The High Council discovering this room meant ruin and disgrace beyond repair.
She glanced toward her precious dolls, the twisted trophies of her cruelty and thought she may never see them again.
Clenching her jaw, she turned toward Jareld, "Burn this room. Now. I’ll handle the rest."
Jareld thought for a moment that he must have misheard her. He opened his mouth to confirm, but she cut through the air with another roar, "Don’t just stand there! Burn it before they arrive!"
He flinched and moved at once.
Viva washed her blood-stained hands, slipped on a pair of black gloves, and strode out without a single backward glance. Her eyes blazed with fury at the thought of her precious collection gone, and she knew exactly who to blame.
Evelyn and the pests from Blood Moon Academy.
Perhaps it was time to kill the hostage prince....to make Evelyn pay for this loss with something valuable in return.
After dealing with the intruders, she would visit him herself. A thrill sparked in her veins at the thought of ending the strongest man alive. She climbed the final stair and stepped out of the hidden chamber....only to halt. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed at the last person she expected to find here.
High Priest Septimus.
