"Hehehe!"
"Hehehehehehe!"
A mad cackle echoed through the desolate clearing, twisted and filled with unrestrained cruelty.
Warlock Kurtas stood at the center of it all, his dark robes fluttering in the eerie wind. His eyes gleamed with manic delight, his gaunt face stretched into an unnatural grin.
Years of work, decades of patience, and uncountable sacrifices—everything had led to this moment.
Tonight, he would ascend.
And no one could stop him.
A shiver of pleasure ran through him as he gazed at the writhing mass of crimson before him.
A massive, pulsating blob of blood hovered in the air, its surface rippling like liquid fire. It devoured everything—life, flesh, and even the very essence of the souls trapped within. The surrounding corpses, some missing limbs, others barely recognizable as human, withered into a pale, sickly sludge before being absorbed into the orb.
Wring!
A deep, ghostly howl resonated from the sphere. Faces emerged from its surface—distorted, half-formed, their mouths contorted in silent screams.
Their eyes, filled with anguish and rage, turned toward Warlock Kurtas.
The faces wailed.
"You demon, what have you done!"
"Kurtas, you son of a bitch—release me!"
"The Radiant Knight Order will not let this go!"
Kurtas sneered, his gaze turning cold. His lips curled in contempt.
"Too noisy…"
His words carried the weight of command, like thunder cracking through the void. The tormented spirits shrieked before their forms twisted and dissipated into the blood mass, leaving behind only a faint echo of their suffering.
The air grew still.
With a final, satisfied breath, Kurtas raised both arms. His fingers curled into strange, intricate signs as he began to chant.
"Whispers in the shadows, ghosts take flight,
In the moonlit silence, come to light.
Echoes of the past, in dreams they weave,
Summoned by this lullaby, in darkness, we believe…"
The ground trembled.
Fine cracks splintered the earth, spreading like a web of veins across the sacrificial altar. The very air around Kurtas twisted, distorting as if reality itself resisted the dark summoning.
But he remained untouched, standing like an unmovable pillar in the eye of a storm.
"...Ghostly presence, hear our call,
In the night's embrace... let your spirit fall."
The void above ripped open.
A pair of colossal eyes appeared, staring down from the abyss with a gaze that carried no emotion—only the cold, detached observation of a god watching insects.
Kurtas' body shuddered violently, his limbs trembling like a broken marionette.
But he wasn't the only one who felt it.
---
Somewhere in the Distance…
Ricky had been watching from afar, cautiously keeping his distance from the blood-soaked ritual. Yet, the moment those eyes appeared, an unfathomable dread gripped him.
"What… what are those?"
His heart pounded against his Exoskeleton like a trapped beast. Cold sweat drenched his back.
Then, as if hearing his thoughts, the eyes turned toward him.
For the briefest instant, Ricky felt the weight of the entire world pressing down on him.
His bones threatened to snap, his very soul seemed to disappear and fade into nothingness.
And just as suddenly as it came, the pressure vanished.
Ricky wings stooped fluttering for a moment, gasping for breath.
---
Elsewhere…
The presence of those eyes wasn't limited to just one place.
In the stone courtyard, hidden beneath layers of branches, the mysterious spider known as Dark Shadow was in the middle of tending to an exotic plant. The strange fertilizer her friend had given her shimmered faintly under her fingers.
Then, suddenly—
A suffocating force crashed down upon her.
Every instinct screamed danger!
Before she could even process the situation, her body reacted on its own.
In the blink of an eye, a cyan-blue light flared around her. A fine web of thread-like energy wrapped around her figure, weaving a protective cocoon.
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
She had narrowly avoided whatever that thing was.
---
Capital of Eldros Kingdom
In the heart of the Eldros Kingdom, a colossal castle stood, its towering spires piercing the heavens. The King's Keep, the very seat of power, seemed almost insignificant beneath the vast night sky.
Inside one of its chambers, a young man sat in meditation.
His shoulder-length black hair was neatly combed, and upon his head rested a simple yet dignified crown. His eyes remained shut, his face calm, save for the slight furrow of his sharp brows.
Then—
Sizzle!
Smoke rose from his chest, his loose robe burning away as golden symbols etched themselves into his skin.
His eyes snapped open.
"My greatest opportunity…" he murmured. His voice held a mix of excitement and anticipation.
This man was Darius Eldros, Crown Prince of Eldros Kingdom.
Without hesitation, he uttered a single command.
"Give me a report of all major events in the past 24 hours—immediately."
At his words, the shadows in the room twisted and slithered away, racing to obey.
---
Hundreds of kilometers away…
A blazing streak tore through the night sky, moving like a meteor.
Suddenly, the fiery blur came to a halt, revealing a breathtaking woman standing in midair.
She had an hourglass figure, flowing raven-black hair, and lips as red as blood. Silver armor clung to her curves, gleaming in the moonlight.
She was Seraphina Velcrast.
Her chest rose and fell as she steadied her breath.
Then, in a low voice, she whispered—
"Brother… just hold on… I'm coming."
---
Despite the disturbance rippling across the world, Kurtas remained undeterred.
He felt the shift. He knew powerful figures had taken notice.
But none of it mattered.
Not anymore.
The Ancient Magi had accepted his sacrifice.
And now—
It was time.
His crazed laughter filled the clearing once more.
His mouth gaped open, stretching far wider than humanly possible.
Like a black hole, he sucked in the massive blood orb.
The red liquid rushed into his body like a raging tide.
His flesh stretched, his bones creaked, and his veins pulsed, glowing an eerie crimson.
Then—
His body began to swell.
Red, worm-like veins crawled across his skin, pulsating with unholy energy.
Warlock Kurtas' ascension had begun.