“BOOOM!!”
“Run!” Raven shouted, her voice cutting through the noise as she turned and sprinted away.
Thalia and Victor hesitated for only a fraction of a second before they followed,.
“KYRRAAAAAAA!!!” The Wyvern screamed in fury, molten lava spewing from its gaping maw as it charged after them, its skeletal wings flapping uselessly in the confined space. The ground trembled beneath its massive weight.
Victor glanced over his shoulder, he saw the monster gaining on them, relentless in its pursuit, “Is running really our only option?” he shouted, frustration lacing his voice.
Raven didn’t respond, her focus solely on escaping, but Victor noticed something—she was rolling out more of those white balls as they ran, scattering them along their path.
Victor turned his head again, just in time to see the monster stumbling as another explosion rocked the tunnel. The creature roared in frustration, its molten lava spraying wildly as it continued to pursue them, undeterred by the blasts.
‘This isn’t going to work…’ Victor thought with a deepening frown, just about to take a stand against the beast.
But then suddenly,
The Wyvern suddenly halted its advance, its body trembling as if struck by an invisible force. Sensing the change, Raven skidded to a stop as well, turning back to face the monster with a knowing smirk.
The creature’s molten lava seemed to dry up, the flow slowing to a trickle until it ceased entirely. It writhed in pain, its movements becoming sluggish and disjointed.
“What did you do?” Thalia asked, her voice filled with a mix of awe and curiosity as she watched the Wyvern wither before their eyes.
Raven’s smile was one of satisfaction as she explained, “Those are Purifying Magic Stones.” Her eyes gleamed with triumph as she watched the creature’s decay, its once fearsome presence now reduced to that of a ghost being purged by holy water.
“KYYRRRRRRRRRR!!”
The Wyvern’s final scream was one of pure agony as it glared at Raven with its hollow eye sockets… Its mouth opened wide, red flames swirling within it and shot like a laser beam towards them but, they dodged it and Raven with calm precision, she pulled out a blue-coloured ball and hurled it directly into the monster’s gaping maw.
‘Gulp’
The monstrous creature gulped down the blue ball Raven had thrown.
For a brief moment, it seemed to frown, confusion flickering in its fiery eyes. It glared at Raven with pure malice, but before it could act, a sudden
PUFfff!
Blue flames ignited across its flesh, consuming the beast in an instant. The creature’s screams of agony echoed through the cavern, a horrifying symphony of pain and… relief that reverberated off the walls. Within moments, the monster was reduced to nothing but charred remains, its bones cracking and popping as they settled into a lifeless heap.
Crack..
Pop….
Victor and Thalia stood frozen, their expressions a mix of shock and awe. Raven, however, merely nodded, her demeanour calm and collected as she turned to continue down the path.
Thalia and Victor exchanged a look as they followed Raven.
As they walked, Victor couldn’t shake the unease gnawing at him. He finally broke the silence, his voice low but filled with suspicion. “You seem to know an awful lot about this place… Have you been here before?”
Raven didn’t answer, her pace steady as she moved forward, her eyes focused ahead. Her silence only served to deepen Victor’s frustration.
It was maddening, trying to glean information from someone so guarded, and it made his task to conquer her all the more difficult. His mind drifted to the mission tab, still not blinking, and he glanced at Raven one more time before abruptly turning on his heel and heading in the opposite direction.
“Hmm? Where are you going?” Thalia called out, Raven stopped in her tracks, her gaze shifting back to Victor as he walked away without a word.
Raven’s eyes narrowed slightly, watching Victor’s retreating form. She remained silent, leaving Thalia to mutter in frustration, “W-Wait! We need to stick together…” But neither Raven nor Victor responded, and with a resigned sigh, Thalia hurried after Raven.
As Victor jogged back to the monster’s remains, he crouched down, inspecting the scorched bones with a critical eye.
Tentatively, he reached out to touch them,
“Ouch!”
Only to yank his hand back with a hiss. “Hot… of course,” he muttered, shaking his fingers. His thoughts churned as he tried to make sense of it all. ‘Cursed, huh?’ He focused, calling upon his ability.. well, Helena’s ability, and cast a purification spell.
He wasn’t sure how the ability worked because to him it felt natural as if moving his hands and legs.
The bones were suddenly enveloped in a swirling black mist that seemed to devour the remaining curse. As the mist dissipated, the bones appeared cleaner, but nothing extraordinary remained.
‘Well, I suppose Helena wouldn’t have a bad time dealing with this kind of monster’ Victor sighed, slightly disappointed, before rising to his feet and continuing his jog.
Meanwhile, Thalia kept pace with Raven, her curiosity bubbling over despite the tension. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to leave him alone?” she asked, glancing sideways at Raven.
Raven’s response was flat, almost dismissive. “It was his choice.”
Thalia blinked, her thoughts racing. ‘But you’re the one who pissed him off…’ she thought but chose not to voice it. Instead, she pressed on with a question that had been nagging at her. “Tell me more about that boy… what’s his name again…?”
“Aether?” Raven prompted.
“Yes, Aether. Why is he so important to our plan? More important than any of us?” Thalia’s curiosity was genuine, though she had yet to see anything particularly impressive about Aether other than techie!
Raven adjusted her sunglasses, a thoughtful look crossing her face, “The ring he’s holding… it’s something even you would kill to get your hands on.”
“Huh? Why would—” Thalia began, only to be cut off by Raven’s next words,
“It’s not just you… The entire Pyra Empire would kill him for it.”
Discover more stories at empire
Thalia frowned, thinking Raven was exaggerating for a few minutes she couldn’t think of anything worth him, but then her eyes widened in shock as something clicked, “D-Don’t tell me, h-he has…”
“Yes,” Raven nodded.
Thalia gulped audibly, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and…. excitement?
Even her throat went dry as she stammered, “T-Then that means… I-Is h-he the direct descendant of the Origin Emperor?”
Raven didn’t answer immediately….. after a few seconds finally saying, “Maybe…?” Her tone was laced with doubt, leaving room for uncertainty.
“Maybe? What do you mean?” Thalia’s expression turned deadly serious as she grabbed Raven’s arm, her eyes boring into Raven’s for answers, “Don’t you understand what that could mean?”
Raven’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance, but she maintained her composure. “I know, that’s why I said ‘maybe.’ If my suspicions are correct, then he’s the rightful person to steal the horns. And if that’s true, he wouldn’t suffer any backlash from pulling them out of the Dragon Emperor.”
Thalia’s frown deepened as she tried to wrap her head around the implications, “I don’t get it. Are you saying he is or isn’t?”
“I’m—” Raven began, but she immediately clamped her mouth shut when she heard steps and turned vigilant…. as she saw Victor approaching.
“Hmm?” Thalia blinked in surprise, seeing Victor reappear in front of them.
Even Victor looked taken aback as he muttered, “Looks like we’re circling around, I suppose.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice at the irony of the situation.
“Looks like it…” Raven agreed with a nod, though a frown creased her brow, “Have you seen… anything unusual?”
“Hmm…”Victor paused, thinking for a moment, “Yes, I didn’t see Leon’s dea–” But before he could finish his sentence,
SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
A blinding green flame suddenly erupted, filling the narrow passage with an intense heat that threatened to incinerate everything in its path.
The trio reacted instantly. Thalia thrust her hands forward, her bare hands trembling under the hotness.
Raven tossed four small spheres into the air, which formed a protective barrier that shimmered with energy.
Victor, his expression tired…. conjured an ice wall that sizzled as the flames licked against it.
He could already guess what had transpired.
“I suppose in the end, he’ll die by my hands,” Victor whispered, a dark amusement tinging his voice as they waited for the flames to settle down.
Finally, the flames receded, leaving the passage scorched and smouldering.
Step… Step….. Steeppppp
“V-Vicccorrrrrr”
A voice rasped, distorted and unnatural that echoed in the narrow path!
Victor’s eyes widened in horror as something emerged from the darkness, its twisted form barely recognizable, “That’s fucked up, man…” he muttered, his voice laced with disgust.