Shadow energy wrapped around Belasco's corpse, flowing into the dead flesh like ink spreading through water.
Within moments, Belasco rose as a shadow. His form was darker now, more ethereal, but still recognizable. He knelt immediately before Lucien, his head bowed in absolute submission.
A system notification appeared in Lucien's vision.
[Elite-Grade Shadow Extracted X1]
Elite-grade, not knight-grade. Belasco's power had been significantly diminished by losing his connection to the Elder Gods. What remained was formidable, but not enough to reach the higher tier of shadow classification.
Still useful, though. Another magic user for his growing collection.
Lucien looked around at the destruction surrounding him. The castle was nothing but rubble, the stone path was cracked and broken in multiple places, and the general landscape showed signs of the brief but devastating battle that had taken place.
But what caught his attention was what lay beyond the boundaries of where the castle had stood.
About a kilometer away in every direction, the stone ground simply ended. Beyond that point was only an endless void - not darkness exactly, but an absence of everything. No ground, no sky, nothing at all.
It seemed Belasco had created this specific area within Limbo. The void marked the limits of his former domain, the extent of what the Elder Gods had granted him dominion over.
Without a word, Lucien brought every shadow back into his own shadow. Tusk, the orc warriors, Belasco - all of them dissolved into dark energy and flowed back into his shadow.
The battlefield was left empty except for him and the remnants of destruction.
He turned and walked back toward where the portal remained open, his footsteps echoing on the stone surface.
When he reached the portal's location, he found Illyana still standing there, staring at the swirling gateway with an expression of mixed anxiety and hope. The shadow guards he'd left with her were still in her shadow.
She turned the moment she heard his footsteps, her eyes immediately scanning him for injuries. When she found none, some of the tension left her shoulders, but the worry remained.
"You're back," she said, the relief evident in her voice. "I was starting to think—" She cut herself off, not wanting to voice the fears that had been building during his absence.
Lucien stopped a few feet from her and looked directly into her eyes.
"You're free now."
The words were simple, matter-of-fact, but their impact was immediate. Illyana's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening as the full meaning registered.
Free.
No more Belasco.
No more threat hanging over her.
No more nightmares about being dragged back to Limbo.
Tears began flowing down her face before she could stop them. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Years of trauma, of fear, of feeling trapped and helpless - all of it came pouring out in silent sobs as she covered her face with her hands.
Lucien waited patiently, not uncomfortable with her emotional display but not particularly moved by it either. He understood that she needed this moment, this release of everything she'd been holding in.
After a minute or so, Illyana managed to get herself under control. She wiped at her eyes, laughing a little at her own reaction. "Sorry, I just... I didn't think it would actually happen. I thought I'd be dealing with him forever."
Lucien nodded before saying, "Come with me," and gestured toward the portal. "There's something you need to know."
Illyana looked at the gateway with visible hesitation. Going back into Limbo, even knowing Belasco was dead, went against every survival instinct she'd developed. But she trusted Lucien, so she nodded and followed him through.
The transition was easier this time, knowing what to expect. They emerged on the other side into the toxic atmosphere and purple-clouded sky of Limbo. Illyana immediately activated her magical defenses, old habits reasserting themselves as she protected herself from the hostile environment.
And, with Belasco gone, she did not need to worry about using the magic he taught her.
Lucien walked a short distance from the portal before stopping and turning to face her.
"Belasco wanted something from you," he said directly. "Opening the portal wasn't just about escaping or invading Earth. That was never his real plan."
Illyana frowned, confused. "What do you mean? He was always trying to get me to open a portal for him."
"That was secondary. What he really wanted was something in your soul."
Illyana's hand unconsciously moved to her chest, as if she could physically feel whatever Lucien was referring to.
"He told me before I killed him," Lucien continued. "There's a weapon connected to Limbo, something that would let whoever wields it become the true ruler of this dimension. Not just a small portion like Belasco controlled, but all of it."
Illyana's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "The Soulsword," she whispered. "I have read about it in the books Belasco gave me... I thought it was just a legend."
"It's real. And it's inside you, waiting to be awakened." Lucien studied her reaction carefully. "The question is, do you want it?"
Illyana looked around at the hellish landscape surrounding them. This place had been her prison, her personal nightmare for years. But it had also been where she'd learned to survive, where she'd discovered her own strength.
The idea of having power over it, of turning her greatest source of fear into something she controlled, was intensely appealing.
"Yes," she said firmly. "I want it."
Lucien nodded and raised his hand. Shadow energy flowed out, coalescing into two distinct forms. Belasco appeared first, his shadow form kneeling immediately. Then Tusk materialized, the massive orc mage standing at attention.
Illyana's reaction was visceral. Her entire body tensed as she recognized Belasco's form, even in its shadowy state. Her breathing became rapid and shallow, fight-or-flight instincts screaming at her to run or attack.
"That's—" she started, her voice tight with shock and barely controlled panic.
"Part of my powers," Lucien said calmly. "I can raise the dead as shadows that serve me."
Illyana stared at him, processing this revelation. "You never mentioned you could do that. I thought you were just physically strong."
"I thought about hiding it," Lucien admitted. "But now I've decided not to."
The casualness with which he dismissed the need for secrecy spoke volumes about his confidence. He wasn't worried about people knowing his abilities because he didn't consider anyone a serious enough threat to warrant caution.
Yes there were beings stronger than him, but he would soon surpass them.
Illyana looked back at Belasco's shadow, her hands clenching into fists. Seeing him kneel before Lucien, completely subservient, provided a satisfaction that helped overcome some of her initial fear.
"Help her awaken the Soulsword," Lucien commanded his shadows.
Belasco and Tusk moved forward. They began chanting in different languages - Tusk in his ancient orcish tongue, Belasco in the dark speech he'd used for centuries. The two magical styles intertwined, creating a resonance that made the air itself vibrate.
Illyana felt something stir deep inside her soul. It was like discovering a muscle she'd never known existed, or becoming aware of a sense that had been dormant her entire life.
The sensation was both alien and intimately familiar, as if this power had always been a part of her, just waiting for the right moment to emerge.
The chanting intensified. Belasco and Tusk's voices rose in harmony, the magical frequencies building toward a crescendo. Illyana's body began to glow with an inner light that had nothing to do with the ambient illumination of Limbo.
Her eyes filled with pure white radiance, and she gasped as the awakening reached its peak.
A sword materialized in the space before her.
The blade was pure mystical energy given form, glowing with silver-white light that seemed to push back the darkness of Limbo itself. The weapon was elegant in its simplicity - a straight blade, a simple crossguard, a handle perfectly sized for her grip.
The Soulsword.
Illyana reached out with trembling hands and grasped the handle. The moment her fingers closed around it, knowledge flooded into her mind. Not just how to wield the weapon, but what it represented, what it could do, what it meant for her connection to this dimension.
She could feel Limbo now, truly feel it.
Not as an oppressive force trying to corrupt her, but as something she was connected to on a fundamental level. A small area - maybe a few square meters - responded to her will as if it were an extension of her own body.
"I have dominion," she said, her voice filled with wonder and growing confidence. "Over a small area for now, but I can feel it. My authority will continue to expand. Eventually, I'll take over the entire dimension."
Lucien nodded, unsurprised by this development. The Soulsword was legendary for a reason, after all.
Illyana's wonder quickly gave way to something more vindictive. She looked at Belasco's shadow, and a cruel smile spread across her face.
"You wanted this," she said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "You tortured me for years, trying to get me to manifest this power. And now I have it, and you're nothing but a slave."
She waited for a response, some sign of anguish or fury from the demon's shadow. But Belasco remained perfectly still and silent, his head still bowed in submission to Lucien.
"It won't respond," Lucien said, gesturing for the shadow to return. Belasco dissolved back into dark energy and flowed back into his master's shadow. "The shadows don't really speak or express emotions."
But even he was unsure of that. The only thing he knew was that they would soon gain the ability to speak once they reached a higher rank.
Illyana grumbled in disappointment. "I would have loved to see the bastard's expression."
At that moment, movement caught their attention. From the ruins of the castle, dozens of figures emerged. Demons of various types and sizes, all wearing the same expressions of confusion and wariness.
These were the soldiers who hadn't participated in the earlier battle, likely held in reserve or stationed in parts of the castle that had survived the initial destruction.
Lucien's hand moved toward his shadow, ready to summon his army and eliminate them. But before he could complete the gesture, all of the demons suddenly dropped to their knees.
They weren't kneeling toward him. They were kneeling toward Illyana.
The realization hit them both simultaneously. Illyana now held dominion over this portion of Limbo, which meant these demons no longer served a dead master. They served whoever ruled this territory.
"Since you're now the ruler of this part of Limbo," Lucien said, lowering his hand, "it seems they see you as their master."
Illyana looked at the kneeling demons with an expression that mixed disbelief with revulsion. These were the same creatures who had blocked her every escape attempt, who had dragged her back to Belasco's dungeons, who had participated in her torture and imprisonment.
And now they were bowing to her.
She let out a long sigh and pointed at the ruined castle. "Build it. Or whatever. Before I come back here again."
The demons looked at each other, clearly confused by the vague order. But after a moment, they began moving toward the ruins, picking up pieces of stone and starting the long process of reconstruction. They worked on her command without question or complaint.
Lucien and Illyana turned and walked back toward the portal. The silence between them was comfortable now, the tension that had existed before completely gone.
"So," Illyana said after a few minutes, glancing at him sideways. "You're a necromancer?"
"More or less," Lucien replied.
They walked back towards the portal while talking, as Illyana felt more and more connected to Lucien.
A spark arose in her heart as she looked at him, yet she suppressed it and just smiled as she talked to him.
.....
Want to read ahead of the public release? Support me on Patreon at "https://www.patreon.com/FreakyHaru" and get access to:
5 and 10 chapters of all my fanfictions.
Ongoing Projects:
Marvel: Shadow Monarch
ATG: Not a Cannon Fodder
DC/MARVEL: The Kryptonian Emperor
Your support helps me keep writing and brings you more content faster!
Thank You