Nicholas's fury reverberated like a storm through the fabric of the Underworld itself. The shadows in his chambers writhed and cracked, the air growing heavy and cold.
Far away, both Jo and K felt it — the unmistakable pulse of his wrath — and neither dared hesitate. Without being summoned, they appeared at his side in an instant, their figures melting out of the darkness like wraiths.
K glanced around at the scorched floor and the faint crackle of shadow flame curling at Nicholas's feet. His expression hardened.
"What happened?" K asked carefully, though his voice carried a note of urgency.
Nicholas didn't turn to them right away. He stood rigid, staring into the dark with ash-gray eyes burning. His jaw clenched so tight it looked as though speaking at all cost him something.
When at last he spoke, his voice was low but thunderous with conviction.
"Find Arthur," he said, each word cutting like a blade. "No matter what it takes. He is here. Somewhere in this city. And he will not leave alive."
Jo exchanged a tense glance with K, then both bowed slightly and vanished back into the shadows, no questions, no hesitation, leaving Nicholas alone again with the simmering fury that still clawed at him from within.
"Harua," Nicholas called, his voice sharp, echoing through the room like a command etched into stone.
In an instant, a tall figure cloaked in black materialized from the swirling shadows. Harua, leader of the Dark Magic Order, one of Nicholas's most trusted generals. His presence carried an eerie weight, the faint scent of earth and old spells clinging to him. Known for his mastery of witchcraft, wolves, and creatures of the dark, Harua usually worked behind the scenes, which meant that being summoned like this could only mean one thing: Nicholas was dead serious.
Without a word, Nicholas held out a single feather, its surface shimmering faintly with cursed energy. Harua stepped forward and took it with gloved hands, his wolf-like eyes narrowing as he examined it.
"Find this scent," Nicholas ordered, each syllable heavy with fury barely held in check. "Find it before the sun sets."
Harua, who was infamous for his questions, for his habit of prying into even the smallest detail of his assignments, only gave a single, curt nod this time. He didn't dare provoke Nicholas further. Not tonight.
Because even Harua, as fearless and cunning as he was, could feel it, the air around Nicholas burned like a forge. He could burn the entire city if it came to that.
But beneath that blazing wrath.
Fear.
Nicholas wasn't just angry.
He was afraid.
Afraid of what Arthur, that cunning, high-ranking old man might do to EJ. Because Arthur was cruel, ruthless, and utterly willing to destroy anything, or anyone, to get what he wanted.
EJ slowly opened his eyes, a dull ache throbbing in his head as sensation crept back into his numb body. His arms and legs felt heavy, bound tightly by coarse ropes. Blinking through the haze, he realized he was lying on a narrow, hard bed, the smell of old dust and candle wax thick in the air.
The room was steeped in darkness, save for a single, flickering candle on a warped table nearby. Its faint glow barely illuminated the space, casting long, sinister shadows that danced along the cracked walls.
He scanned the room. The air was icy, carrying a metallic tang. Around him hung an assortment of cruel-looking weapons; blades, hooks, chains — but what unsettled him most was the faint ring of shadow flame encircling the bed, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
Then a voice broke the silence.
"Glad you're awake."
EJ stiffened, an alarm shooting through him.
An old man emerged from the darkness, his steps deliberate and quiet. His eyes were a ghostly white, his skin drawn tight and wrinkled, his very presence more corpse than man. His smile was a jagged slash across his face, unnerving in the candlelight.
'This must be the old man Nicholas spoke of,' EJ thought grimly, his breath shallow.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice hoarse but defiant.
The old man chuckled, the sound dry and cruel. "Did the king not tell you anything?"
EJ's brow furrowed. "King?"
"Oh…" The old man's grin widened as he tutted mockingly. "He hasn't told you yet. I see."
He stepped closer, revealing a heavy, ancient book cradled in his gnarled hands. As he flipped through its pages, a low hum of dark energy thrummed through the air.
"I am Arthur," he announced grandly, his tone mocking yet heavy with menace. "The Reaper of the Undead."
EJ struggled against his bindings, the ropes cutting into his wrists. "What are you doing?" he spat, glaring at the old man.
Arthur didn't even glance at him, his bony finger tracing something in the book. "I never expected to catch a Celestial," he mused, almost gleeful. "And a Legacy at that. You'll complete my experiment perfectly, all that radiant life energy in you? Enough to keep my creations fed and the mortal world balanced on the edge of ruin."
EJ's teeth clenched as he pulled harder against the ropes, his scowl deepening. "You're insane—"
Arthur laughed at that, a cold, hollow laugh that filled the room.
"Insane?" he echoed, his white eyes glinting. "No, boy. Visionary. With your life force, I can save countless mortals from the shackles of their fragile existence. Isn't that… noble?"
His laughter echoed again, bouncing off the stone walls like the sound of a grave sealing shut.
EJ's jaw tightened as Arthur's laughter grated against his ears. His heart pounded, not just from fear, but fury.
So this is the monster Nicholas warned me about. The Reaper of the Undead. A madman with just enough power to be dangerous.
EJ forced his breathing to slow, steadying himself. Panicking now would only feed Arthur's twisted game.
'Calm down. You're a Legacy. You've trained for situations worse than this. Think.'
His eyes darted around the dim room, noting every detail he could use. The candle. The weapons on the wall. The shadows curling around him, faint but constant, Arthur's own barrier, no doubt.
He tested his ropes again, subtly this time. Tight. But they were mortal ropes, not enchanted ones. That meant… if he timed it right, and channeled his energy carefully…
Arthur was still pacing and muttering to himself, absorbed in his book.
Good. He's distracted.
EJ closed his eyes, pretending to sag in defeat. Internally, he began gathering what little celestial energy he could without disturbing the shadow flames that encircled him.
'Tiny, controlled pulses… don't set off the barrier yet. Focus it into the ropes. Not too much, or the flame will react.' He was keeping himself calm and composed.
One by one, the fibers of the rope began to weaken under his touch, smoldering quietly where his energy concentrated. He continued to play limp, letting his head loll to the side.
Arthur's voice droned on, growing louder. "Oh yes, with your life energy I can finally awaken the Onyx… oh, how long I've waited for this—"
Keep talking, old man. Don't look at me. Just a little more…
A faint snap as the first strand of rope broke. EJ stilled, not daring to breathe too hard. Then another. He flexed his wrist slightly, careful not to draw the shadow flame's attention.
Almost there. Almost…
Arthur finally closed the book and turned toward him.
"You should feel honored," the old man sneered. "You'll become the foundation of a new era. The mortals will thank me for what I've done, someday."
EJ forced a weak laugh, his voice cracked but mocking. "You talk too much for someone about to be stopped."
Arthur froze, his white eyes narrowing in suspicion.
But by then it was too late.
With a sudden, violent twist, EJ tore his now-weakened ropes apart, his hand flashing in a sharp upward motion. The candle on the table flared as his celestial energy shot into it, igniting a sudden burst of blinding light that filled the room.
Arthur hissed, staggering back, his shadows recoiling instinctively from the brilliance.
EJ didn't waste a second. He rolled off the bed, snatched a blade from the wall, and launched himself toward the edge of the shadow barrier, slicing through the weakened point where his light had struck earlier. The barrier cracked with a shriek, shadows dissolving into smoke.
The moment the opening appeared, EJ darted through it, his legs already carrying him down the dark corridor beyond.
Behind him, Arthur's enraged roar followed:
"You insolent wretch! You can't run from me forever!"
EJ ran as fast as his legs would allow, his energy still far from fully recovered. Gritting his teeth, he reached for the ring on his finger and whispered, "Strange." In a faint shimmer of light, his sword materialized in his hand, its familiar weight steadied his nerves, even if his body still felt sluggish.
'I don't know where I am, but I just have to keep moving. Find a way out. Find light.'
He chased a faint glimmer at the end of a long, dark hallway, eventually stumbling upon a door cracked slightly open.
Inside, the air changed.
The chamber beyond was vast, lit by an eerie black glow. At its center stood a massive crystal, jet-black yet shining faintly as though swallowing every ray of light around it. Whispering voices, soft, mournful cries, seemed to echo from within it, faint but enough to raise the hairs on EJ's arms.
He stepped closer, unable to tear his gaze away.
"What… is this energy?" he muttered under his breath.
On the floor beside the crystal, he noticed a slip of parchment, faded but still legible:
The Onyx.
EJ squinted, uneasy yet intrigued. Onyx? Before he could think too much about it, his hand almost reflexively reached toward the crystal, but the ground suddenly shook violently.
A deafening explosion roared through the corridors, so close it sent dust raining from the ceiling. EJ's heart lurched, and instinct told him to run. He turned on his heel and bolted back through the door, sword in hand.
And then
He collided with someone.
The impact nearly knocked him off balance, but before he could react, a familiar voice cut through the chaos.
"EJ?"
EJ froze.
It was Nicholas.
For the briefest moment, neither of them moved, simply staring at each other. There was shock in their eyes, but more than that — relief.
Nicholas's ash-gray gaze swept over him, as though making sure he wasn't hurt. "You're alright?"
EJ gave a small, breathless nod. "I managed to get out. That explosion… was it you?"
Nicholas smirked faintly and inclined his head. "His base comes down today. K and Jo are pursuing Arthur. But you, we need to get you out of here before anything else happens."
He reached out, ready to pull EJ along, but EJ planted his feet and stopped him.
"Wait," EJ said firmly, pointing back to the room. "There's something in there. A huge black crystal — it's… strange. Whispering. This could mean something. We need to look at it before we leave."
Nicholas's expression hardened at that, but after a beat, he relented and followed EJ back into the chamber.
When they stepped inside, the oppressive energy struck Nicholas immediately. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the room as his shadow flared faintly at his feet.
"This energy," Nicholas muttered darkly, stepping closer to the crystal. "It's heavy. Cold. It doesn't belong in the Mortal World."
The Onyx loomed before them, its faint cries weaving through the silence. Nicholas raised his hand, his fingers hovering just short of touching it, his expression unreadable.
"It feels… alive," EJ murmured.