The cultist spat blood and defiance, sneering in Sai's face.
"You'll never be a true demon. You're just a soft human in borrowed skin! You fake, blasphemous pig!" He sneered with the feeling of someone to powerful to be touched—or too broken to realize how dead he was
Sai didn't flinch. He just smiled—eerily, slowly, as if savoring the moment.
"Oh? Then let me educate you." His violet eyes glowed faintly.
[Nightmare]
The world shattered.
---
The cultist's body slumped in the real world, his gaze vacant, his breathing shallow. But his lips began to move, words spilling out flat and mechanical.
Sai crouched in front of him, one hand resting lazily on his rapier's hilt, listening with sharp intent.
---
"Okay. Let's let this out shall we?" He smiled at the cultists half lucid expression. "Tell me the origin of the Obsidian Palace." Sai asked.
"The Obsidian Palace…" the cultist droned. "Ancient seat of the Demon Kings… Four thrones carved in shadow. This place is but a branch… tasked with resurrecting one of the four… You. The Demon King of Ruin…"
Sai smirked then grabbed the man's head almost crushing it as a vein popped on his head. "Fuck you guys. Who the fuck asked to be summoned, like I ever signed up for your stupid shit!"
He has to control himself not to just kill the man already."For what purpose?"
"Chaos… destruction… to plunge Litheria back into the Age of Darkness. We offer blood, souls… life force… to hasten your rebirth."
Sai leaned in, amused. "Do you guys have some sort of hierarchy? Or so you just do whatever shit comes to mind."
"The Council...of Shadows… ruled by the Obsidian Throne. Below them, the Black Priests. Then us—branch cults. We serve without question. You were to be offered servants, sacrifices, and a kingdom of corpses."
Sai's eyes narrowed faintly. "And the world? What is the state of this planet, Litheria."
The cultist's head lolled as his lips kept moving.
"Litheria…is divided into five kingdoms. Eldoria Kingdom of the north—land of knights and mana steel. Veytrix at the core—city of machines and integrated mana tech. Zenier of the west—sky-borne citadel, ruled by mages. Drakthar—the wasteland of warlords. And the Dominion of Chaiver… slave and crime-driven empire. Tensions are rising globally due to the influence of we servants of the void… uneasy balance achieved among kingdoms. The Obsidian Palace plays all sides and serve none."
Sai tilted his head, interest flickering. "So mana tech is a thing here… futuristic, huh? Good to know."
"So, next question. Where the fuck are we?"
"This fortress… a repurposed ruin… built over the bones of an ancient city. Hidden within the Ashen Ravine… far from the kingdoms' borders. Secrecy was our shield for hundreds of years. Building...growing... waiting...forever in the shadows."
"Shady bastards." He rolled his eyes at the cliche cult layout. "Okay, new topic. Treasure. Tell me about your stash here." Sai's grin widened as he finally broached the subject he had been waiting to reach.
The cultist's fingers twitched involuntarily as he answered.
"Artifacts… buried in the vault beneath the altar in the summoning hall. Blackheart crystals… amplify mana, at a cost...rare...we only have a few hundreds. The Dagger of Whispering Veins… cursed...our sacred relic, but sharpens one's magic. Grimoires of Binding… rituals and forbidden spells. And… coins, relics, supplies."
Sai's eyes gleamed at that, mentally filing away the info. "Now that sounds useful."
"Now..." His smile widened as he
The questions rolled on, but through it all, the cultist was trapped in the nightmare realm, reliving his betrayals, his failures, his sins, crushed beneath Sai's phantom aura. His body in reality merely whispered truths, unable to resist.
Finally, Sai stood, brushing nonexistent dust off his shoulder. "That'll do."
With a snap of his fingers, the [Nightmare] collapsed. The cultist's eyes cleared—and widened in sudden, horrifying realization. He looked around, trembling.
"No… what did you—?! No...I-I didn't?!"
Sai chuckled darkly. "Thanks for the info, asshole."
The rapier flashed, swift and clean. The cultist's head hit the floor with a dull thud, his body collapsing in a heap.
Sai exhaled, finally wiping the spit from his cheek. His smile lingered, eerie and satisfied as he sheathed the rapier at his side and walked casually away from the bloodied hall.
"Human, huh?"
---
The summoning hall smelled faintly of smoke, incense and dark magic, the scattered remains of the cult still littering the floor. Vyriss flitted around impatiently, her crimson slit pupils scanning the walls.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered, arms crossed as she spun in a slow circle. "I've looked everywhere for that vault. There's nothing. Nothing!"
Sai leaned against the shattered altar, listening to her annoyance with the faintest of smirks. "You're looking in the wrong way," he said casually with a shrug, as if stating the obvious. He unsheathed his rapier, the faint glow of Abysmal energy tracing the edge. One clean strike split the altar down the middle.
A section of the stone floor shuddered, sliding aside to reveal a hidden staircase leading down into darkness.
Vyriss's eyes lit up, and a sly smile curved her lips. "Ah… finally."
Sai mirrored her expression with one of his own. "Let's see what they were hiding, shall we?"
The two descended the stairs, their footsteps silent against the cold stone. Dim, eerie purple flames flickered in braziers lining the corridor, casting ghostly shadows that would have made lesser humans tremble. Sai and Vyriss, however, found the display underwhelming. Sai rolled his eyes subtly, muttering under his breath, "Really? This is supposed to be impressive?"
The corridor opened into the vault. Vyriss had blasted the door during their descent, leaving a jagged entry glowing faintly in Abysmal energy.
Sai's eyes lit up with genuine excitement as he strode into the thick, treasure-laden room. Coins, relics, and artifacts shimmered faintly in the torchlight. He moved swiftly, examining each item with a practised eye.
His fingers brushed against a sleek grey-bladed sword, faint runes pulsing along its hilt. A subtle taint of Abysmal energy ran through it—a perfect conduit for his power. He grinned and slung it across his back.
Next, he selected a pair of deep black boots, a hooded cloak of black and purple, and a white shirt paired with black pants. The outfit was simple, but Sai appreciated the practicality.
He glanced at Vyriss. "Pick something less flashy. And… less revealing," he said, eyebrow raised.
Vyriss pouted but, true to her nature, chose to make a change right there in front of him. Sai's eyes flicked toward her for a moment, deadpan and unimpressed. Without a word, he tossed a large black sheet over his shoulder, covering her as he walked toward the vault exit.
She emerged a moment later, now in a carefully redesigned black outfit. Grey crop top, short skirt—revealing more than the last, somehow accentuating her form in ways Sai didn't comment on. She struck a pose, swishing her hair over her shoulders.
"Master," she cooed, eyes glittering with mischief, "how do I look?"
Sai rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said absently, already moving ahead, backpack heavy with coins, gems, and a mysterious egg-shaped rock pulsing faintly with his heartbeat. The status screen displayed a strange series of question marks over it—enigmatic, unreadable.
He donned the gear he had picked up: a mismatched set of gauntlets—one purple with flame motifs, the other red and grey with jagged edges—and a deep black ring that glinted mysteriously as he scrolled through its set effects.
Finally, he paused at the stairwell exit, glancing at Vyriss in a way that lingered longer than necessary. She noticed immediately, narrowing her eyes.
"What is it?" she asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.
Sai's lips curled into a simple, almost casual smile. His violet eyes remained forward, scanning the horizon beyond the destroyed palace.
"A little birdie told me," he said, voice soft yet edged with a weight that made her uneasy, "that the demon race wiped out half this world, shrouding it in eternal shadow for thousands of years."
He turned his gaze slowly toward her, still smiling, as if the revelation were no more than a passing comment.
Vyriss's crimson pupils widened slightly, the grin fading from her lips. "Yes, the demons descent at that time caused half the planet to fall pretty quickly. Why do you ask?" she said casually,as if the massacre of millions was no more than a passing comment.
"Just a curious question."
Inwardly, he shook his head. He didn't feel any empathy or shock at the news nor Vyriss's casual admittance to the fact that the demons had wiped out half an entire planet. He had somewhat expected something like this if them.
'What a drag. I guess I'm stuck like this...for now.'
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Aiden: Hi guys, sorry it took so long to update. I've been caught up with a lot of stuff. Once it's all cleared up, I'll start updating two chapters at a time... probably.
Vere: See you guys soon (ツ)_/