The castle's dungeons were dark, damp, and old, like the very essence of ancestral hatred. Kallen sat on a throne of black obsidian in the torture chamber, no longer as a student or a son, but as a shadow that had emerged from the very flesh of the Lionheart family.
The mother, Alessia, was chained to an iron pillar. Her hair was disheveled, her dress was torn, and her face was bruised and cut, but her eyes still burned with an icy fury. It was a fury that made her dangerous even when she was bound.
Kalen stepped closer. Vard stepped out of the shadows behind him, his black claws scraping the air. Tirk moved to his left, a massive spider with eyes like rubies in the depths of the night. Beste stood against the wall, silent and predatory, her arms crossed.
"Your game is over, mother," Kalen said. "You chose power. And I have exposed you."
"Exposed?" Alessia's voice trembled with contempt. "You killed your sister for the throne. Do you think you're better than me?"
"I didn't kill Norea," his voice turned to steel. "You set fire to her room. Thinking it would break me."
"I just... accelerated the inevitable. You've always been a monster, Kalen."
He leaned closer. His eyes glowed scarlet. Waves of shadow flowed from his shoulders and arms. His black claws shimmered like jade in the flames.
"No. The monster is you. I've become what you feared. I'm the end of your era, mother."
"And what will you do? Kill me?" She grinned, showing her bloodied teeth. "That's too easy for someone like you."
Kallen was silent. Then he slowly stretched out his hand.
"I'll consume you."
The shadows moved. The floor was covered with a thick darkness. The hall was filled with heavy whispers. Ward, Tirk, and Beste's gazes were frozen.
"Kalen..." Alessia whispered. "Think about what you're doing."
"I've been thinking all my life. You burned your sister. You betrayed your father. You sent Raina to spy on me like a sneaky spy."
He stepped forward.
"You wanted to take the throne. But all the riches, all the lands, all the power, are now mine."
A torrent of darkness poured from his chest. Shadows wrapped around Alessia like snakes. She screamed. Helplessly. Loudly.
At the last moment, her eyes widened. And Kallen, without looking away, began to devour her flesh... piece by piece. Without regret. Without fear.
When it was all over, there was only black dust and blood left. The room fell silent.
"She's... gone," Beste whispered, staring into the void.
Kallen shook himself off. The shadows slowly retreated into his body. He stood in the center, as if he had walked through hell and survived.
"Now it's really starting," he said. "My power is complete. My revenge is fulfilled. There is only one goal left."
At that moment, the door to the dungeon opened.
Reina was standing in the doorway.
Red hair. Scarlet eyes. And tears in them. But behind the tears... there was admiration. And fear.
"You... you really did it..." she whispered. "You killed her. You devoured her, Kalen."
He looked up at her. His eyes were wild, dark, and almost inhuman.
"Welcome to the new era, Reina."
***
The winds above Lionheart Castle were growing fiercer. After Alessia's death, the walls seemed to tremble in anticipation of a new storm. The silence in the halls was too loud.
Kalen walked down a long corridor. His footsteps echoed hollowly in the stone, and the shadows followed silently behind him. He didn't call them; they were simply a part of him now. Like breathing. Like will.
He stopped at the door. He stood there. His fingers clenched into a fist.
Celia.
He pushed the door open. He didn't knock.
The room was dark, the windows tightly closed. The air smelled of ash, tears, and something old and cracked.
Celia was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. In her hands was a thin ribbon that had been left over from Noreia's dresses. Her lips were pressed together, and her eyes were red from crying. She didn't even turn her head.
"Did you... kill her?" Her voice was hollow.
Kalen closed the door behind him.
"I put an end to what was destroying us. She killed Norea."
"I know," Celia whispered. "But it doesn't bring me any relief."
He sat down next to her. Slowly. The shadows shifted slightly, retreating into the walls.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I couldn't save Korea."
— It's just the two of us, isn't it?" — What is it? " she asked, clutching the ribbon to her chest. "Me and you. From the whole family.
Kalen nodded.
"That leaves us.
He reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulders. Celia flinched... but didn't pull away. She buried her forehead in his chest and burst into tears.
"Everything is falling apart... everything is falling apart, Kalen..."
"We'll stand," he whispered. "I won't let you disappear. Not you. Not this family name."
— Even if we have to fight the whole world?
"Especially then.
She squeezed his shirt.
"Promise?"
He held her closer.
"I promise, Sister.
The shadows around him seemed to freeze. Even they could feel that this was not power or magic, but something fragile yet strong. Something that would save Kalen from complete darkness, at least for a moment.
Later, when Celia fell asleep on his shoulder, Kalen got up and left. He was already waiting in the hallway.
Ward - silently. Tirk - impatiently. Beste - with a narrowed eye.
"We are ready for the next step, my lord," said Ward.
Kalen nodded.
"The time has come. Let the world see that the Lionhearts have not yet fallen."
— What do you want?"
Kalen looked out at the night.
"First... we'll find Dick. He's disappeared too conveniently. And then... we'll visit the capital. I need to talk to Karol."
He ran his finger over his arm, and the shadows of the tattoo began to move again.
"And don't miss out on Raina. She's too close to me. And too smart."
Beste bowed her head.
"And if she betrays you?"
Kalen chuckled.
"Then she will be the next shadow in my collection."