Free Web NovelChapter 57: Being Sold
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Fortunately—or perhaps by fate—those dreams did not return during those months.
It was as if his new life was rewriting his memories, erasing his past. The harder he trained, the more alive he felt, and the further away that past seemed.
That night, the Clan Leader finally summoned the top four participants from the ceremony: Priam, Flaris, Shione, and Lumiere.
After dinner, the group was escorted to the main building.
The Grand Elder was waiting for them with a very serious expression.
Contrary to what Shione and Lumiere expected, the path did not lead upward. They were taken underground, crossing hidden corridors and descending deeper and deeper into the clan’s depths.
The shock on the siblings’ faces was obvious. They knew that this level of depth was reserved for maximum-security secrets, something no young clan member should ever have access to.
An enormous black gate appeared before them.
The Grand Elder waved his hand, using the power of the clan’s central inscription and activating a secret mechanism.
Immediately, red runes emerged across the black surface, pulsing as though they were alive. A heavy, suffocating atmosphere filled the air as the gate slowly opened, revealing a colossal hall.
At first, the hall appeared completely empty.
But with the Grand Elder’s activation, everything began to change, as though objects were emerging directly from the void.
It was a perfect concealment method. Only by manipulating the central inscription in a specific manner could these things be revealed. Even a very powerful existence from the divine plane would not necessarily notice what was hidden there; and even if they sensed it, activating it would not be easy.
The floor became almost entirely covered in interconnected runes and lines, forming a circular diagram far too complex to comprehend.
The power emanating from those markings felt almost sinister, carrying an energy that made the hairs on their bodies stand on end.
The Grand Elder led them to a specific corner where the floor remained clear, then looked at them sternly.
"What you are about to see today is a secret normally restricted to only two people in each generation of the clan: the Clan Leader and the Grand Elder."
His voice echoed coldly and directly.
Then he opened his hand, and four black runes appeared floating before him.
"The situation has changed over the last ten years, so we need the four of you. Because of that, you must sign a soul contract and receive a memory seal. If you attempt to tell anyone what you see here, your souls will be destroyed instantly. If you are captured, these memories will never be accessible."
The group swallowed nervously. The gravity of the situation was palpable.
Without hesitation, they accepted the risk. In the world of Mages they lived in, knowledge was worth as much as power, even if the price was one’s own soul.
The black runes flew toward the youths’ foreheads.
"Do not resist," ordered the Grand Elder.
He solemnly recited the terms of the oath. Seconds later, the runes glowed and sank deep into their souls.
Priam took a deep breath as he felt the mark stabilize. He pinpointed exactly where the seal had anchored itself...
[Dominate?] [Yes / No]
He merely wondered whether it was possible, and the green screen appeared.
The answer came immediately. If he activated the Nexus Seed, he could dominate all of the energy and destroy that rune without suffering any damage. Soul contracts meant nothing to him!
After that, the Grand Elder simply waited in silence.
About ten minutes later, the Grand Elder turned toward the center of the hall.
The space there began to distort.
It was the Clan Leader, manifesting smoothly within the chamber.
She looked at the four youths and, without saying a single word, took a deep breath.
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The runes on the floor began pulsing at a frantic rhythm.
The ground trembled.
A new crack in space appeared and rapidly expanded, becoming a dark, gaping maw.
A suffocating scent of blood flooded the hall, and everyone felt their hearts accelerate.
It was an instinctive fear, the terror of standing before something extremely dangerous.
Seconds later, even Priam froze.
"That... that’s impossible..." Flaris stammered beside him, overcome with horror.
The air within the hall became almost solid.
Before the four youths, a humanoid figure over two meters tall emerged.
He possessed emerald-green eyes like polished gemstones and long hair with a reddish-brown hue. At the top of his head stood a pair of light-brown horns. They were not very long, looking more like the antlers of an animal such as a deer than anything demonic.
He had an imposing and even handsome appearance, but his presence radiated a primal fear.
It was the feeling of being stared at by an absolute predator; like a tiger locking onto its prey from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Among the youths, only Flaris seemed to recognize that Bloodline. Her lips trembled.
"That... a... a Beast of Primordial Chaos."
Her words echoed through the hall, leaving Priam, Shione, and Lumiere wide-eyed, their hearts pounding like frantic drums.
Those creatures were the mortal enemies of every humanoid race in the universe.
What was one of them doing inside the clan?
"Hehe..." A dry, quiet laugh escaped the figure. "My race has a name. We are the Aether-Wood Deer."
The silence that followed was absolute.
No one could move.
"This is the deepest secret of the Ylisse Clan," Orlaith interrupted, her voice carrying deadly seriousness. "You were taught that all Beasts of Primordial Chaos are enemies. But for those who carry the Vanculari Bloodline, reality is different."
At that moment, understanding struck Priam.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The Ylisse Clan was far too powerful for such a small organization on a mortal-plane planet. The source of that power was standing right in front of them.
These enemies were the sponsors of the Ylisse Clan.
The clan was secretly allied with the greatest enemies of the humanoid races...
They were traitors to all humanoids!
Priam focused on the figure.
[Name: Ladomi Aether-Wood]
[Race: Aether-Wood Deer]
[Magic Title: Fighter Mage Master, First Level]
[Karmic Title: Blood Lord]
[Bloodline: 70]
[Anima: 45]
[Wheel of Destiny: 65]
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Priam took a deep breath.
’He really is a Mage Master!’
That was the final rank of Mages, a realm that people living on the mortal plane could never reach.
This figure alone could destroy the entire Ylisse Clan if he wished.
Orlaith noticed the look of understanding in Priam’s eyes and released a heavy sigh.
She knew that the young man had already connected all the dots.
"Our guest is Lord Ladomi, an important Elder among the Aether-Wood Deer," the Clan Leader continued quickly. "Our clan, along with several others, is allied with this race. We work for them and are rewarded fairly. It is thanks to this alliance that our race has prospered and remains alive to this day."
She spoke slowly, watching the youths begin to process the information, although the shock still lingered.
"Obviously, this information must never leak. The contract rune you received was forged through the power of the Aether-Wood Deer themselves, ensuring that no one will ever discover this secret. So you can rest easy."
Ladomi snorted, his emerald eyes sweeping across the four youths with restrained disdain.
When his gaze landed on Priam, his eyebrows rose slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Very good. I can feel that this one is far above average. Your clan has finally managed to produce someone decent."
Orlaith gave a slight nod, though her posture remained stiff.
"Priam was the grand champion of this generation and became the Supreme Genius of the clan. I believe that, with him, the agreement will finally be fulfilled, correct? He should be enough for your people..."
Priam’s eyes widened in disbelief at what he was hearing and sensing.
’Am I being sold into slavery?!’
