Free Web NovelChapter 32: A Sauryean’s Projection
The chamber had fallen silent.
Not the silence of peace; it was the silence that came after violence had exhausted itself.
Corpses of the Winged Wights had long since dissolved into smoke but evidences of the battle were strewn across the ground.
Torn flesh steamed beneath the dim scarlet glow bathing the chamber, while blackened blood crept through cracks in the stone like living veins.
Regaleon stood amidst the carnage, silver Halberd dripping with dark blood.
Just standing there, Armour covered in streaks of blood and flesh, he looked devilish. Like a corrupted knight.
Yet despite the gore that surrounded him, the Forgotten Knight attention remained in the cavern around him.
It was only now that he truly observe the chamber the robed girl had led him into.
The chamber around him was enormous. At first glance, it resembled the hollowed heart of some primordial beast buried within the earth.
Jagged walls curved inward in arcs, their surfaces lined with veins of glowing vermilion crystals embedded deep within the stone.
The crystals pulsated with a steady rhythm, bathing the chamber in a dim scarlet light that shifted like breathing flesh.
Above him, massive stalactites hung from the ceiling. Some were thin and needle-like. Others were thick enough to resemble pillars.
Regaleon’s gaze shifted forward.
At the center of the cavern stood an altar. It was large. Far too large for ritual alone.
Regaleon wondered how he could have missed such a thing. Perhaps, it was because he was too focused on the robed girl... Or perhaps, it was just an oversight on his part.
The structure rose nearly twelve feet high from a circular platform carved directly into the rock. Unlike the rough cave walls, the altar possessed deliberate craftsmanship.
Every surface was engraved with intricate markings that twisted across the stone like living serpents...
The altar was sanguine; it was not painted or dyed. It actually looked as though it had been carved from hardened blood.
Several grooves stretched across it’s surface, intersecting one another in strange geometric patterns. And at the center of the altar rested a hollow indentation shaped like a crystal socket.
The entire thing radiated a sinister aura; as though it was a gateway to hell itself.
Regaleon approached cautiously.
The closer he came, the colder the air around him became.
His Halberd remained in his grip as his golden gaze swept across the structure carefully. At the base of the altar, scattered between cracks in the stone, were fragments of vermilion crystals.
Regaleon crouched and picked one up carefully. The crystal was warm as it pulsed once in his gauntleted hand.
Regaleon’s brows furrowed, then his eyes lifted toward the hollow slot atop the altar.
Silence stretched for some moments.
Then slowly, he stood...
The failed Knight climbed the platform with measured steps before stopping before the altar itself.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the sanguine structure. His instincts screamed caution; yet, curiosity won.
Carefully, Regaleon inserted the crystal into the hollow socket...
Nothing happened at first as the chamber remained silent.
Regaleon creased his brows...
Then... The altar trembled.
A deep humming noise ecioed throughout the cavern as the engraved markings suddenly ignited with a crimson light.
The patterns spread out outward rapidly like rivers of flowing fire...
Regaleon immediately stepped backward, Halberd raising instinctively.
The light intensified and the air within the cave began to distort.
Then... A projection emerged.
A figure slowly materialized above the altar.
It was a young man who appeared to be about twenty-five years of age. Yet the pressure he exuded made him feel far older.
He was tall and broad-shouldered with a physique that resembled a warlord.
Long purple hair flowed past his waist like streams of dark silk, shifting slightly despite the absence of wind.
His eyes were the most striking feature. They shifted constantly between deep violet and luminous purple, like storms trapped behind glass.
From his forehead rose two elegant horns that curved backward. Their tips glower faintly with purple light.
Smaller horn-like protrusions surrounded the sides of his head like a twisted crown.
He wore flowing robes of black and violet layered with silver embroidery. Strange symbols glimmered faintly across the fabric.
Even as a projection, his presence carried overwhelming authority. Like someone who is used to being in charge...
"Vash’ra khelter nox sauriveth?"
The projection spoke.
The language was sharp and similar to the one spoken by that robed girl.
Regaleon said nothing in response...
The man frowned slightly, then his eyes settled fully upon Regaleon...
The shift in his expression was gradual. At first there was confusion, then disbelief, and then... Cold fury.
"A human?"
This time, he spoke in the common tongue.
The pressure in the chamber deepened as the man stepped closer within the projection, his violet eyes narrowing dangerously...
"Human..." He said authoritatively. "Tell me where Serakha is. What have you done with her?!"
Regaleon’s expression did not change outwardly. But inwardly, the name settled in his mind immediately.
Serakha.
So that was the girl’s name.
The man’s gaze sharpened further at Regaleon’s delay.
"Are you deaf?!"
Regaleon lookee into his eyes and spoke calmly. "I don’t know who or what you are talking about."
Instantly, the atmosphere exploded...
"You dare lie to me?!" The man practically snarled.
The projection flickered violently as his fury surger outward...
"You vermin-ridden lowlifes dare invade sacred grounds, desecrate our nests, slaughter our creatures, and now you claim ignorance?"
Regaleon remained calm as he observed the man carefully. He was not merely listening...
He was studying every reaction, every expression and every word. Perhaps, he might get something important from him... frёeωebɳovel.com
The man continued, his voice dripping with undisguised contempt.
"You insects know nothing of the consequences you have unleashed. The wrath of the Sauryeans is not something your pathetic race can survive..."
Still, despite the crude words, Regaleon did not interrupt.
The man mistook his silence for intimidation and his sneer deepened...
"You humans crawl across lands that do not belong to you. You infect what should have remain sacred. Even now, your kind continue ruining what little remains untouched."
Finally, Regaleon spoke quietly...
"Sauryeans?" He titled his head slightly as he spoke. "So you are the ones behind the Wights."
The man didn’t think further as he answered immediately. "Of course we are."
Then, his expression froze oddly...
Regaleon saw it but his calm gaze remained fixed upon the Sauryean.
"You create them..." Regaleon continued evenly as though nothing was happening. "Why?"
There was silence as the man stared at Regaleon.
Then... Anger erupted again.
"You think yourself clever?!" He spat, rancor visible in his expression.
He seem to have realized what Regaleon was doing to him...
Yet, the failed Knight ignored the hostility completely. Instead, he continued speaking with maddening calm...
"The cocoons. The blood pools. The corpses. The Wights..." His golden eyes sharpened faintly as he asked. "What are you preparing for?"
The Sauryean’s expression darkened and for several seconds; neither of them spoke.
Then, the Sauryean laughed. It was not a pleasant sound; it was a jarring and incongruous sound.
"You humans truly are stupid!" He insulted. "You stand on the edge of extinction and still think yourselves invincible..."
Hearing those words, Regaleon’s gaze sharpened instantly.
Extinction?
What does he mean by that?
The Sauryean was about to continue with his words before he stopped abruptly. Something doesn’t seem right.
His expression shifted as he looked at Regaleon suspiciously...
"You are probing me..." He hissed through gritted teeth.
Regaleon didn’t answer. It seems that the Sauryean had finally realized what he was doing...
The man took Regaleon’s silence as an answer and then, his fury finally boiled over completely.
"You insignificant creature!"
The projection distorted violently as purple lightning crackled across the altar.
"You dare manipulate words against me? Against a Lord of the Sauryean Domination?"
The cavern trembled violently as he leaned in the projection...
Then, he raised his hand as if preparing to unleash something through the altar itself.
"You should consider yourself fortunate that distance protects you, human. Otherwise, I would personally tear apart your spine and feed your flesh to..."
He wasn’t able to complete his statement as the altar suddenly flash. Bright crimson light exploded outward as the projection destabilized instantly.
The man’s expression twisted in fury as he shouted.
"No... Wait..."
Then, the image shattered and silence returned once more to the cavern...
Regaleon stood motionless as his mind processed everything carefully.
Firstly, the Nether Lands was not merely a dead wasteland. There was a race out there and clearly, the Sauryeans seem to exists as an organized power.
Secondly, the girl’s name was Serakha. And obviously, Regaleon had figured that she was important to that Sauryean by the way he spoke about her.
Thirdly, the Sauryeans were indeed responsible for this nest, which meant that there was a purpose behind all of this.
Perhaps, it was in preparation for war... Or in preparation for something else. Something worse.
Regaleon’s eyes drifted toward the altar once more.
The engravings on it had already changed completely. They were dim... And dead.
The Forgotten Knight stared at it for several seconds longer, then he turned.
His armoured boots echoed softly across the chamber floor as he walked away from the altar.
Making the cavern to descend into silence once more...
