Lilith's mind was just as frozen as her body, not just because of the sinister influence creeping in, but because she was genuinely shell-shocked. The hell?! Is he from the Mind Pathway?! How did he read my thoughts?! Wait, is he hearing me now?! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Get out!
"How adorable..."
By that time, he had already stood from his seat and came beside her. Her chair had been left alone in the corner of the room, blasted away by her earlier explosive movement.
The sergeant was reaching towards them with one hand and clutching the hilt of his longsword, which was on his back, with the other. However, he relaxed and let out a breath after seeing that her assassination attempt had failed.
"You think I would let someone as powerful as you regain their powers?"
Valeric gently straightened her posture—she had been still leaning over the desk with an outstretched hand that aimed towards a non-existent foe—and spoke with a low chuckle:
"And yes, not only am I a Heavenly Ascender of the Mind Pathway, I'm on the Dual Pathways of Mind and Fire. Hah! Isn't it unbelievable that both of us have Dual Pathways? It's like we were fated to meet!"
He stood facing her and looked down at Lilith who was still paralyzed—eyes narrowed, gritted teeth, and furrowing brows.
He traced his finger on her jawline, then lifted up her chin to meet his eyes. He pressed on her red lower lip with his thumb and grinned maliciously. Though there was no lust to his golden gaze, there was something that was perhaps even more dangerous: obsession, hunger, and madness.
Feeling a bit of the unknown power lessen its pressure over her, Lilith was finally able to speak again:
"Fuck you!"
Valeric merely continued smiling, he released her from his grip, and started circling her slowly.
"Oh, that's quite the unbefitting language, Lady Etherea. A young lady mustn't utter profanities."
She scoffed:
"Like hell you teach me about ethics! You started controlling my mind from the moment that I had entered, hadn't you?! Fight me like a real man and stop using tricks on a little girl!"
She knew that what she said was just bullshit. Who cares about what method he used? Even though she knew that he wouldn't fall for it, she still tried. She was that desperate.
As she expected, he just ignored her words and stood behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. The voices outside were still getting louder.
"Now, let's not get sidetracked. You just relax, I'm assuring you that escape is just a fantasy."
Lilith stiffened even more, panic overriding her thoughts. I can get rid of his control, but it'd take a very long time! Do something! I have to buy more time!
"Why do you even need to sacrifice me?! Isn't there an alternative? You must be mistaken!"
Valeric turned her around and looked at her blue eyes. He shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I may have to let down your expectations, Lady Etherea. I can't let you go, I'm sure that you'll understand. I'll explain it to you so that it'll be easier to digest..."
Shit! Shit! Shit!
She knew what type of person he was. If he still entertained her and acted on his whims, it meant that everything was within his control. He was also still able to read her thoughts, so all her plans were laid bare before him. Only a miracle could save her now...
"Several months ago, I ventured into an unexplored Category 1 Danger Zone. It was quite a terrible experience; all my teammates met their doom. But, as they say, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand..."
He paused, left her, and went to the window; he leaned on its frame. Lilith was able to move her body somewhat now, but that wasn't because she had been able to escape his mind control—he just lessened the pressure and allowed her to.
"To become a Calamity, one must gain the acknowledgment of Existence. There are countless ways to do that—some defeat an unfathomable adversary, others gain insight into the Aspects of Existence, and there are those who are simply blessed by the heavens and born that way."
He looked back at her with his fiery golden eyes. The noises outside were now loud enough to be heard by Lilith even if she hadn't gained her powers back.
"Out there, in the Danger Zone, I found an ancient ruin. After some deadly encounters, I claimed many items that would make many people salivate. But there was one thing that I had acquired, that would get me—a baron—killed even by the Draconic Empire... An incomplete Heavenly Ritual to become a Calamity."
Lilith's heart shook. Was there such a thing?
"Although incomplete, it was still extremely valuable. It was even a rare Calamity that hadn't been seen in Aetheria for countless generations... And, one of the requirements of the Heavenly Ritual was a sacrifice of a Nightmare Elf."
Lilith fell into despair and felt her skin go numb. A powerful shiver ran down her spine. He was going to kill her.
"So, I can't let you go. My sincere apologies to you, Lady Etherea."
Lilith felt her heart go cold, and even panic started vanishing. Right now, absolute calm cleared the fog of terror that engulfed her mind.
She asked, her final attempt to reason with him:
"Why do you have to kill me? Why do you need to become a Calamity?"
Hearing her question, his grin dimmed a little, a shadow hid his face, and highlighted his golden eyes. However, the voices outside reached a new peak, and shouts and screams could be heard.
"Get back in the line!"
"Please! Let us go!"
"Don't hurt my husband!"
Reacting to the sounds, Valeric clapped his hands.
Clap!
"Alright, why don't we head down? The show is getting started."
Without waiting for anyone's reply, he began walking to the door. The sergeant made way for him silently, then followed behind him. Lilith also came down against her will with an indifferent expression.
Soon, they exited the building and were met with the scene unfolding outside. And chaotic? It was.
The soldiers were encircling and pushing the human slaves in a wide area that had been cleared recently. The slaves were battered, shivering, nervous, and muddying in the snow. The contrast between them and the tall trees in the background was almost poetic—ants fighting in a meaningless struggle.
The three of them weren't even noticed by the crowd. They were too busy to notice the silent onlookers.
Valeric was grinning faintly.
Flameclaw was stern.
Lilith was indifferent.
However, Valeric was the first to speak:
"Lady Etherea, have you ever heard about the tale of the Cursed Prince?"
Lilith frowned, confusion was written on her face as she looked sideways at him.
Taking her expression as a silent admission of her ignorance, he explained:
"On a night that was obscured by clouds of an approaching catastrophe, an infamous diviner made a prophecy that shook the world: one day, the King of Khavar would receive a Blessing, an Anomaly, and a Curse. The King was quite troubled by the words of the diviner, what could that possibly mean? But he was soon cleared of his confusion when his beloved wife went through a fatal labor and gave birth to triplets..."
The sergeant looked at the commander like Lilith, curiosity in both their eyes. Valeric continued:
"The King of Khavar was both overjoyed and terrified, two of his sons were fated to raise the Kingdom of Khavar to the heavens, while one of them was threatening to bring it down. Determined to find the truth, he hid the prophecy from his sons and observed them while they grew up..."
His eyes were fixated on the minor skirmish in front of him.
"However, his plan wasn't going as he intended. All of his sons were exceptional, terrifyingly so. The First Prince was capable of seeing random visions of the future since he was four years old, the King's enemies were sometimes finding their ploys go to waste out of the blue."
"The Second Prince had a terrifying ability to learn swordsmanship; his father feared that he couldn't be his match when he eventually reached sixteen years of age."
"As for the Third Prince, reality was laid bare before his eyes. His pupils could see through everything, understanding the powers of Heaven was just a matter of time..."
Valeric paused, seeing one of the soldiers pointing his sword at a slave. He continued nevertheless:
"The King's only hope to find out about who the Curse is was to wait until they awakened their actual powers. That would happen when they reach fifteen years. And so, the day came... and two princes awakened their powers successfully, the First and Second... The Third Prince, however, failed."
"The Third Prince expected words of comfort from his father, that he would support him like he always did. But he got none, the King conspired with the guards to assassinate him. He managed to run away, thanks to his exceptional eyes. But he was still betrayed and heartbroken..."
"The King then issued a statement that shook the Kingdom of Khavar: the Third Prince has plotted with a hostile kingdom to kill his brothers, he must be executed for treason! And so, everyone became his enemy."
"The manhunt continued, and several years passed... People moved on. The fiancée of the Third Prince broke off her engagement with him and married the Second Prince; she had children with him and was happy. His friends forgot about him, his brothers were far better. The First Prince didn't care about becoming the next ruler, and so, he protected the Kingdom of Khavar from the shadows as the Second Prince became the new King of Khavar."
Valeric's smile turned a shade creepier.
"The former King of Khavar was happy, and everyone was... That was until the Curse came back."
One of the soldiers finally snapped and beheaded one of the most annoying slaves, the others screamed in fright. Blood, snow, wailing... The three spectators on the side didn't make any move to stop the madness.
"No one was left alive to retell what exactly happened... But the horror of what was left of the Kingdom of Khavar made some of the people who witnessed it kill themselves for beholding the forbidden terror of such scale."
Finally, Valeric decided to approach the suffering slaves, though there was no virtue in his steps. Only malice.
"Kneel."
All of them did.
They couldn't resist his powers, he must've controlled them secretly as well when he came here as a new commander. The soldiers parted ways and stood at the side. Lilith was finally able to see that a huge crimson runic circle was carved into the large clearing. The slaves crawled to specific locations on the border of the runic circle, their eyes hollow and devoid of individuality.
Valeric entered the ominous circle himself and stood near the malevolent symbol that was carved at the center. Lilith followed him against her will and knelt on the vile symbol.
She looked up at him with eyes that were containing Infinite fury, she bit her lip hard enough that blood started dripping like a stream.
Valeric's smile was now nowhere to be seen. Only a cold, emotionless gaze was reflected in her blue eyes.
"It turned out, the Third Prince wasn't technically a literal curse by himself. He just couldn't awaken his true powers conventionally. But, poetically, weakness itself is a curse. And his father couldn't accept weakness into the family, even without the knowledge of the prophecy. What's the use of his eyes if he can't gain real power? He thought."
His voice turned grave:
"Lady Etherea, I must become a Calamity. A considerable number of the upper echelons of the Draconic Empire are Calamities themselves. True, I'm powerful, talented, and superior by birth, but that's not enough in this world. A single mishap may bring the brightest star down..."
"However, as a Calamity, I'll be among the elites of Aetheria, even if I took hundreds of years to reach my full potential as one, the title itself holds power. Being acknowledged by Existence is the biggest proof of my value to the Empire. You should understand that the most."
Lilith growled loudly like a beast through gritted teeth. Yes, she understood him. Yes, everything he had said made sense and is completely logical. It's just...
I don't want to die!
Boom!
A surge of power exploded from her. A terrifying pressure of a blue aura radiated from her being. Her two hearts were beating at impossible speeds, and an ocean of rage was flooding her chest. She channeled that wrath to strengthen the power of her Emotion Pathway and break through the chains of his influence.
Valeric arched an eyebrow in surprise, but he wasn't concerned.
"What formidable power... You would've been able to break through my spell if you had a few more minutes, but sadly for you..."
His next words were those of doom.
"Kill yourself."
The slaves started first, not a hint of resistance showing. Some crunched their skulls on the ground, some stabbed their brains through their eyeballs, and some simply went limp. Many other methods were taken.
The runic circle started glowing with an unfathomable aura.
Lilith resisted furiously; her fingernails were struggling to reach her throat. They had grown longer and were coated by the same deadly ice that failed to kill Valeric earlier. Her hand trembled violently. She looked at him with eyes that were filled with unwillingness and pure wrath.
I can't... I can't give up! Never!
Her fingernails slit her throat, a fountain of blood gushing out. She tried pitifully to keep her essence in, gripping the deep wound with both hands as a warm liquid coated them. But it seemed to make it worse as more spilled, like she was destined to fail no matter what.
She shuddered and gurgled with a disturbing sound. Eventually, her body went still, her vision dark, and her eyes distant. And like that....
Lilith died.