Chapter 45 The Hunter Called Serac
The ambush came with surgical precision.
The trail had been quiet for hours. Then suddenly, a single figure stood motionless in the center of the path ahead, blocking their way completely. He wore dark, unadorned armor that blended with the shadows and carried no obvious weapons, yet the air around him felt razor-sharp, like standing at the edge of an invisible blade.
Serac.
"You’ve made it farther than any of us predicted," the man said calmly. His voice was quiet, almost polite, completely at odds with the lethal presence he radiated. "Three bonds. Impressive resilience."
Darius stopped walking. Mara moved instantly to his left, positioning herself protectively. Veth’s hand tightened on her axe, her usual grin fading into something serious and focused. Solis stayed slightly behind them, her sorrowful eyes filled with visible fear, not for herself, but for Darius.
Serac studied the group with patient, intelligent eyes. "Plague. War. Famine. You carry them well, Valeborn. Better than the Pantheon anticipated. I know the order you plan to follow. I know the exact strain tearing through your body right now. I even know fragments of the curse they placed on your bloodline decades ago."
Veth took a heavy step forward, axe raised. "Then you know you’re about to die screaming."
Serac smiled faintly, unfazed. "War Incarnate. Always so direct. How refreshing." He looked back at Darius. "You still think this is about survival."
He paused, tilting his head slightly.
“That’s adorable.”
Mara’s voice cut through the air like ice. "Step aside. Now."
"I cannot do that," Serac replied evenly. "My orders are very clear. Stop the fourth bond. Preferably by killing you before you reach Kael. The Pantheon was quite specific."
Darius studied the man carefully, noting every detail, the way he stood, the calm confidence, the complete lack of underestimation. "You know too much. How?"
Serac’s expression remained composed. "I specialize in divine targets. I study them. Their weaknesses. Their patterns. Their limitations. You are… unique. A flaw in their design. The curse on your bloodline was never meant to simply make you weak. It was meant to prepare you. Someone wanted you to survive us."
Solis’s voice trembled slightly for the first time. "Leave him alone."
Serac’s gaze flicked to her. "Famine Incarnate. Even you look worried. How interesting. The Calamities themselves fear for their husband. That is new."
Veth growled and charged without warning, axe swinging in a deadly arc. Serac moved with terrifying efficiency, sidestepping the blow and touching her arm with a gloved hand. Veth staggered as her own power suddenly fluctuated wildly inside her.
Mara unleashed a controlled wave of plague. Serac deflected it with a glowing gauntlet that appeared on his arm, the energy dissipating harmlessly into the air.
"You are strong," Serac said, still calm. "Stronger than the reports suggested. But I was sent because ordinary methods fail against you."
Darius felt the strain inside him intensify dramatically. The three powers were reacting violently to Serac’s presence, pushing and tearing against each other harder than they had in days.
Serac reached into his cloak and drew out a small, crystalline artifact. It pulsed with cold, malevolent divine light. "This weapon was designed specifically for bonded Calamity powers. To destabilize them. To force the host’s body to reject what it carries."
Mara stepped directly in front of Darius. "Don’t you dare."
Veth recovered with a roar and charged again. Solis raised her hands, trying to amplify emptiness around the Hunter to slow him down.
Serac activated the artifact.
A silent, devastating pulse exploded outward.
All three bonds inside Darius erupted simultaneously.
Plague surged uncontrollably. War demanded violence and release. Famine hollowed everything in its path. Darius gasped sharply and dropped to one knee as black veins spread rapidly across his neck, arms, and chest. His vision blurred. The powers tore at each other and at him with vicious, unrelenting intensity. Blood trickled from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
Serac watched with clinical interest. "There it is. The flaw in the design. Let’s see how long you last before your body tears itself apart."
Mara was instantly at Darius’s side, supporting him. "Fight it. Focus on me. Do not let go."
Veth roared in fury and charged Serac again, but the Hunter moved with unnatural precision, avoiding her strikes while keeping the artifact active.
Solis whispered, real fear in her voice. "Darius… hold on. Please."
The three powers raged inside him with no restraint. The strain was catastrophic. Darius’s hands shook violently. His breathing became ragged. Black veins pulsed visibly beneath his skin as the bonds destabilized completely.
Serac stood a short distance away, calm and composed. "The Pantheon was right to fear you. But they were also right to send me. This ends here, Valeborn."
Darius forced himself back to his feet, breathing hard through clenched teeth. The artifact’s effect continued to tear through the three bonds, pushing them toward total collapse. The pain was immense, but he refused to fall.
Serac smiled thinly. "Impressive. Most hosts would already be dead. You continue to surprise me."
The Hunter raised the artifact higher, preparing another pulse.