Chapter 131 The New Target of the Rift

Chapter 131 The New Target of the Rift
(Narrated by the Author)
Steve glanced back quickly as the figure appeared.
But it was too late.
The human form made of shadows vanished instantly, leaving only darkness scattered across the stone wall.
The corridor plunged into silence.
Heavy.
Cold.
The torches no longer illuminated as before. The light seemed weak next to those living shadows that crawled slowly across the floor.
Steve was breathing differently now.
Faster.
Less controlled.
For the first time since arriving at the castle, Conrad saw the man truly frightened.
But that didn't make the shadows disappear.
On the contrary.
They remained close.
Watching Steve.
Following his every move.
As if they sensed something.
Or recognized something.
“What do they want with me?” Steve asked softly, unable to hide his nervousness.
Conrad didn't answer immediately. Golden eyes remained fixed on the shadows gliding across the ancient stones of the corridor.
Then the heiress's voice echoed in his mind.
“He’s looking in the wrong place.”
Conrad stiffened instantly.
Steve noticed.
“What?”
But Conrad ignored the question.
Because something was starting to make sense.
The shadows weren't trying to attack Steve.
Nor were they acting like they did around Maya or Lysander.
This was different.
Almost…
curious.
A shadow slowly climbed the wall behind Steve again.
Elongated.
Too human.
Steve lost the last of the composure he was still trying to maintain.
“What the hell does it want?!”
Conrad's golden magic exploded through the corridor before the shadows got any closer.
Ancient runes illuminated the walls immediately.
The shadows retreated quickly.
But they didn't disappear.
They remained hidden in the dark corners.
Waiting.
Conrad narrowed his eyes slowly.
“What do you know about the rift?”
Steve froze.
It was quick.
Small.
But enough.
Conrad realized immediately.
And that made the air between them even heavier.
“Wrong answer,” Conrad murmured coldly.
Steve took a deep breath before speaking.
“My father was part of the old king's guard.”
Conrad remained motionless.
“Before the curse.”
Silence returned.
The shadows trembled slightly on the walls.
“What did he tell you?” Conrad asked.
Steve looked away for a brief moment, as if deciding how much he should reveal.
“That the king started exactly like this.”
The cold in the hallway seemed to worsen.
“The shadows appeared near him before the curse took hold.” Steve’s voice grew lower. “Before his mind disappeared.”
Conrad felt something heavy pierce his chest.
Because that fear already existed within him.
Silent.
Constant.
The fear of repeating his father’s fate.
But Steve wasn’t finished yet.
“He said the rift chose people.”
The shadows reacted immediately.
As if they had heard.
As if they were alive enough to understand.
Conrad noticed first.
And Steve too.
“What did you choose for?” Conrad asked.
Steve slowly turned his gaze to the shadows hidden in the dark corners of the hallway.
The fear was still there.
But now there was something worse mixed in with it.
Interest.
Fascination.
Ambition.
“To maintain the balance…” he answered softly.
Then his eyes met Conrad’s again.
“Or to destroy it.”
The silence after those words seemed to suffocate the entire hallway.
The rain had stopped completely outside.
Only the cold remained.
And the shadows watching silently.
Conrad kept his eyes fixed on Steve for long seconds.
Trying to decide if the man in front of him was just scared…
or beginning to be fascinated by it.
Because Conrad knew that look.
He had seen it before.
On his father.
Men didn't approach the rift just out of fear.
Sometimes they approached because they desired the power it promised.
One of the shadows slowly slid along the wall behind Steve.
Closer this time.
Steve noticed.
But he didn't immediately back away.
And that made something icy form in Conrad's stomach.
“You should leave tomorrow,” Conrad said coldly.
Steve turned his eyes to him.
“Are you kicking me out?”
“I'm warning you.”
Silence fell again.
Then Steve took a small step forward.
Cautious.
“Do you really believe you can protect the kingdom by hiding all this?”
Conrad didn't answer.
Because part of him was already beginning to understand the cruel truth of the situation.
No matter how much he tried to protect Maya.
Lysander.
Or the kingdom.
The rift was already reaching everyone around them. Steve chuckled softly.
Humorless.
“You’re losing control.”
The phrase was spoken calmly.
But it hit exactly where it should.
Conrad’s golden eyes gleamed dangerously.
“Careful.”
Steve held his gaze for a few more seconds before finally turning away.
But as he passed through the shadows in the hallway…
they moved along with him.
Like smoke following his steps.
Conrad watched this in silence.
And in that instant…
he felt something worse than fear.
He was certain the rift had just found a new target.