"Tales of Desire: Forbidden Stories – Story 1: The Demon Queen's Throne". Genre: Dark Fantasy / Erotica / Power Play)
Chapter 14: The Corruption Beyond
The eastern skies turned violet as Kael and Velzaria led the army toward the corrupted zone. What once was fertile land had become a wasteland of rotting trees, twisted hills, and a stench of decay that never left the wind. Even the ground itself whispered curses in ancient tongues, and many soldiers dared not sleep, for fear of what dreams might claw at their minds.
Kael rode at the head of the army, cloaked in the colors of the Demon Queen's court, his armor gleaming with demonic sigils that glowed faintly with each step forward. He kept his hand on the hilt of his new blade—not the ceremonial sword from before, but a weapon forged with fragments of obsidian and soulmetal. It pulsed with power, resonating with something deep in him he had yet to name.
Velzaria said little. She remained close, scanning the unnatural horizon, her crimson eyes narrowed.
"We make camp when the cursed sun drops," she finally said, her voice low and stern. "No fires tonight. No prayers. Just silence."
Kael frowned. "Why no fire?"
"Because it draws them. And they do not fear flames."
The First Night
The army moved like shadows across the blackened terrain. Kael observed the different factions under Velzaria's command—the Ember Guard still obeyed him without hesitation, while the shadowbeasts and blood cultists marched in eerie unison, whispering their own tongue. There was an air of ritual in how they moved, as if the mere act of marching was a sacred rite.
They settled at the foot of a ruined tower just before moonrise. Scouts were sent ahead, but Velzaria trusted few. She kept Kael within a protective ring of veterans. As night consumed the sky, an unnatural chill swept over the field.
Kael sat beside a hollowed log, sharpening his blade. His thoughts drifted to the human world, and how far he'd come.
Velzaria approached, tossing him a dark apple-like fruit.
"Eat. It will keep the corruption from seeping in."
He took a bite, wincing at the bitter taste. "You knew this godspawn would move so fast?"
"No," she said. "But I knew it would come. The rift has been opening slowly for years. Now it tears wide."
Kael glanced at her. "Why didn't you close it?"
"Because I didn't have you yet."
Battle at the Veiled Ravine
The attack came just after midnight.
No sound warned them. No drums or horns. Just silence.
Then screaming.
Kael leapt to his feet, sword in hand. Shapes lunged from the darkness—hulking, mutated beasts, some with too many arms, others with faces split into grotesque smiles. Their skin boiled with rot, and their claws shimmered with poison.
Kael shouted, "Form ranks! Protect the casters!"
The Ember Guard moved first. In perfect unison, they formed a wall, holding the frontline while Kael charged forward. He struck one of the beasts—his sword hummed with energy, splitting the creature with a single blow. But another took its place immediately.
The battle became chaos.
Screams echoed. Black blood splattered. Kael felt his arm go numb from blocking a strike. He turned just in time to see a young demon soldier tackled by a worm-like monster. Kael didn't hesitate. He drove his sword through its eye.
Then, suddenly, silence again.
Velzaria had appeared on the ridge. Her twin blades glowed with runes, her face grim.
With one motion, she conjured a dome of red light that pulsed outward, turning every remaining creature inside to ash.
Aftermath
They counted fifteen dead, most from the cultist division. Kael's armor was cracked at the shoulder, and blood dripped down his brow, but he stood.
Velzaria didn't speak for a long time. Then, as healers began their work, she took Kael aside.
"You fought well."
"It wasn't enough."
She nodded. "It never is."
Kael turned to her. "Why do they follow you? Why you, if this is what you lead them into?"
Her eyes darkened. "Because I fight it. Every day. Alone, if I must. They follow because someone has to walk into hell first."
Kael clenched his jaw. "Then let me lead the next charge."
She stared at him, surprised. "You just tasted your first kill."
"And I'll taste more, if it means protecting what we build."
Ideologies Clash
As the days passed and they marched deeper into corruption, a rift slowly formed.
Kael began making calls—strategic decisions in the field. Saving wounded soldiers. Avoiding combat where risk was too high. Prioritizing lives over land.
Some whispered that he was soft. Others began to listen.
Velzaria, meanwhile, pressed ever forward, scorning delay.
One evening, after another tense strategy meeting, they argued beneath the withered boughs of a dying tree.
"You're trying to win this war clean," she hissed. "You can't!"
"And you want to win it without hope," he shot back. "What good is surviving if we lose everything that makes us worth saving?"
She stared at him, torn between anger and something deeper. Fear.
"You think like a human."
"And you think like a weapon."
Silence hung. Then Velzaria turned and walked away, vanishing into shadow.
Kael remained, staring at the sky.
End of Chapter 14: The Corruption Beyond