CHAPTER 9
Sorayael's voice resonated like distant thunder, her golden eyes glowing brighter than ever. Rage, cold and calculating, surged through her veins.
She wanted him to suffer.
Not to die.. not yet. A swift death would be mercy. What she desired was retribution... slow, agonizing. In a secluded realm, where time bends and pain stretches. But her power wasn't ready. Not yet.
For now she chose to fight.
A shimmering blade of pure light, no hilt, no steel, only raw mana formed in her hand. It crackled with heat and pressure. Sorayael lunged.
Drelven grinned, his eyes wild with greed. "Oh... we've got a little hellion." He dodged, his movements fast, almost slippery, but Sorayael was faster. Her blade grazed his cheek.
Blood.
But she vanished in a blink and reappeared right in front of him and struck him. Sparks burst as their powers clashed again.
Behind her, Zarethian groaned. He opened his eyes slowly, vision blurry, but what he saw made his heart pound.
Sorayael's back fighting with the mysterious man and protecting him.
He reached out weakly. "Sora..."
His breath hitched.
A sharp, blue crack filled the room-then silence.
Floating before his face was a glowing, translucent window:
___________
[Constellation Awakening: Detected]
Name: Zarethian Kadvaris Aethenroth
Constellation: ??? (Unidentified Star)
Sync Rate: 48%
Skill Branch: LOCKED
Passive Skill: Dimensional Sense - Activated
System Integration: Initiating...
Accept your fate? [Y/N]
___________
Zarethian's hands trembled. The symbols on the window pulsed like a heartbeat.
'Help us... I have to protect her this time...' he thought, eyes fixed on the YES.
Zarethian's hand hovered near the glowing [Y].
He didn't hesitate.
The moment he chose, the air exploded with pressure.
Mana surged around him; violent, like a beast freed from chains. The walls of the basement trembled, dust cascading from the cracked ceiling. The very ground beneath him sizzled as heat warped the air.
From his chest, a fiery red light blazed outward, twisting into glowing bands of molten metal and dancing embers that spiraled up his arms.
Sorayael's breath hitched.
She had never seen anything like it.
The blue translucent window shattered into shards of light, and in its place-a crest formed in mid-air. Two crossing blades, forged from flame and steel, spun once before branding itself above Zarethian's heart.
The energy rolling off of him was dual in nature-wild fire that burned with wrath, and unbreakable metal that carried sheer will. It wasn't just a mana, it was a signature of a chosen star.
Even Sorayael had to brace herself, her hair and cloak whipping behind her.
Sorayael turned for a split second, her eyes widening. "Zarethian?"
He looked up at her slowly, eyes glowing like molten gold. The heat softened slightly when they landed on her, but it never disappeared. It couldn't. It was alive now.
Drelven looked too. He was confused, distracted, and caught off-guard.
That moment was all she needed.
Her blade glowed brighter until she vanished and reappeared behind Drelven in a flash of gold.
With a silent slash, the blade pierced through.
Drelven gasped, his body frozen, twitching.. then collapsed, the corrupted energy inside him dissipating like smoke.
His last breath left him with a smirk, "The master... will come for you..."
Then silence.
Sorayael dropped to one knee, breathing hard. Her hands were shaking. Her mana-unstable, wild. She turned to Zarethian, whose entire body was now glowing faintly blue.
Zarethian looked at her, dazed, the floating window fading.
They staggered toward the broken stairwell of the crumbling castle, each step a battle of will against their depleted mana.
........
A shadow knelt before the Grand Duke in his study.
Zerathiel stood. "Where?"
He didn't wait for another word. With a flick of his hand, his most trusted knights mounted a rescue. Jezha also went to see his lady while a royal physician was brought by the Grand Duke.
When they arrived at the abandoned castle, the scent of blood and decay filled the underground halls. The Grand Duke entered last with his sword already drawn, and his eyes were scanning the destruction.
All around them were shattered glass, chains, blood-stained floors, and what looked like ruined cells.
In one corner of the basement, his men uncovered notes, vials, and failed test subjects, fragments of a ritual designed to extract star-bound powers.
The Grand Duke's expression darkened.
Then the sound of footsteps slow, dragging, came.
The girl stood there, shoulders heaving, Zarethian unconscious on her back. Her eyes widened at the sight of the Grand Duke and the familiar silhouettes of the manor's knights.
The Grand Duke caught her, steadying the weight of both children.
............
The healers worked tirelessly. The young master's body rejected the last traces of the dark mana that had briefly touched him. Sorayael was placed in a separate chamber, unconscious but stable.
Meanwhile, the knights continued their investigation.
They opened a sealed room in the castle. Inside were walls filled with drawings of constellations, distorted and violent. Names were scratched out, some marked with blood.
In the center was a chair. A familiar corpse rested in it.
The mysterious man, Drelven, but his face had been crushed beyond recognition.