Chapter 142 The hidden mountain: the prophecy i

Chapter 142 The hidden mountain: the prophecy i
Zevrak walked toward the giant, mist-covered mountain. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the rock. He tilted his head, his gaze shifting as though he could see straight through the thick moss.

Gideon followed Zevrak. He stopped right in front of the giant rock. He slowly raised his hand, reaching out to touch the wet green moss.

“It is not your place to touch it, vampire demon.”

A voice echoed through the entire space. It was incredibly sweet, ringing like silver bells, but it carried a terrifying, ancient power that made the ground beneath their feet shake. It was coming from everywhere at once – from the trees, the wind, and deep inside the mountain itself.

Gideon dropped his hand and stepped back. He looked around the dark, empty woods. “Who are you?" he demanded, still glancing around.

“Hmm," the sweet voice hummed. The sound vibrated in the air. “You are exactly like your father, Allocer, kallox."

Gideon's brow furrowed in deep confusion. "Who is that? And why are you calling me kallox?”

A soft musical laugh floated down from the sky. The woman's laughter was gentle but filled with pity. “You do not even know who you are, Kallox. Or perhaps you know, but you are completely blind to your true origin."

Before Gideon could respond, the air pressure in the clearing dropped instantly. The wind stopped blowing. The leaves stopped rustling. Even the crickets went dead silent. The sweet voice grew louder, turning into a commanding, divine sound.

“The heavens have spoken, and the cycle of the grave is undone. The Queen is reborn within a new vessel. Her blood is the divine key, forged by the celestial alignment to restore what was lost to the fallen king.”

They all glanced around as the voice was coming from everywhere.

“Hear the truth of the universe: his return is no longer a dream, but a destiny carved into the fabric of time. Yet, look to your own shadows.

Even as the heavens declared the king's rise, a serpent hid in this assembly. One among you has already sold his soul to the usurper, waiting for the moment to shatter the pack's peace. The betrayal is here, born of mortal greed, while the stars moved the king's awakening.”

The moment the final word echoed through the trees, the heavy magical presence vanished.

Zevrak gasped for air, looking up at the sky in pure panic. “The moon is finally going down,” Zevrak said hopelessly.

The silver moonlight faded behind the dense canopy. Darkness flooded the space. Everyone turned in a panic, trying to figure out what the prophecy meant and who the betrayer was. Their hearts were troubled.

In the chaos, no one saw Mason move. His face was blank, totally empty of any fear or emotion. With brutal force, Mason stabbed the dagger he used to cut himself earlier straight into the center of Gideon's chest.

The sound of the blade tearing through cold flesh and hitting dead bone stopped the entire group in its tracks.

Gideon let out a deep, heavy grunt. His eyes shot wide open in absolute shock. He felt his body go rigid. A burst of blinding, agonizing magic exploded from the glowing blade, burning through his body like liquid fire. He felt the magical strike not just in his flesh, but tearing deep into his soul.

Gideon gritted his fangs against the terrible burning. He desperately tried to raise his heavy hand to grab Mason's throat, to fight back, to tear Mason apart. But his supernatural strength evaporated. The magic paralyzed his muscles.

His pale arm trembled violently before falling uselessly back to his side. Gideon staggered backward, completely defenseless, as his knees gave out beneath him and he crashed to the ground.

Mason gripped the hilt of the glowing dagger with both hands. His face twisted with bitter determination as he shoved the blade even deeper into Gideon's chest, aiming for his frozen heart.

“Mason!" Ryan shouted. His voice cracked, echoing loudly in the dark forest. The sudden betrayal had caught everyone completely off guard. The shock was so overwhelming it felt like a physical weight, paralyzing Zevrak and Regnar where they stood.

“Mason!" Ryan screamed again, taking a desperate, stumbling step forward. “What are you doing?!"

Mason kept both hands wrapped tightly around the dagger. He slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder at Ryan. His eyes were wide, shining with unshed tears, but his jaw was set.

“I am so sorry, Ryan," Mason whispered, his voice trembling. “But this life… this fragile, insignificant human life is pathetic. Did you really think I should just accept it? I have waited for a long time for this day.” He scoffed. "I should try to redeem myself by playing the good, changed man for them? Screw that. Who cares about them?”

“Mason?" Ryan's voice trembled helplessly.

Mason let out a shaky breath, his eyes locking onto Ryan's horrified face. “All I care about is you. That you should never stop loving me, because you are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me."

Ryan's head shook wildly. He stared at his lover as if he were looking at a complete stranger. “What are you saying, Mason? I never for once stopped loving you." Ryan declared, his heart breaking in his chest. “But why… Why is there a dagger in Prince Gideon's chest?!”

Mason curled his lips into a dark, bitter smile. “You mean in his heart?” he said quietly. He looked down at the Gideon trapped under his knees. "I am doing this so I can redeem my bloodline. You have no idea what I had to pay, the things I did, just to get Herbert to get me this dagger from Kozilek. Those people are monsters.”

Mason looked back at Ryan, his smile growing wider, looking almost crazy. “But killing our great prince Gideoniel is enough to break the curse! I will finally have my true identity back. And you, Ryan… you will get yours back, too.”

Mason smiled brightly, looking like a man who had just executed the perfect, flawless plan. He looked like this moment was the only thing he had ever wanted in his entire life.

With a sudden, violent yank, Mason pulled the glowing dagger straight out of Gideon's chest. The second the blade left Gideon's body, a blinding, supernatural light erupted from the open wound in Gideon's chest.

Gideon let out a deep, agonizing groan, his body arching backward from the sheer force of the magic escaping his heart. Zevrak, Regnar, and Ryan threw their hands over their eyes to shield themselves from the blinding light. They were completely frozen in place, utterly terrified and unsure of what to do next.

The brilliant, cracking light surged out of Gideon and shot directly toward Mason.

Mason dropped the dagger to the ground. He threw his arms wide open and tilted his head back toward the dark sky. He smiled, welcoming the surge of magic like a long-awaited embrace. The light slammed into his chest, sinking deeply into his human body.

For a second, Mason looked like a god, glowing with overwhelming power.

But then, his smile vanished.

Mason's body violently jerked. He gasped, his eyes flying open in sudden panic. The magic did not stop. The light kept surging into him, pouring faster and heavier than his fragile human body could possibly handle.

Mason started to scream.

“What is happening?!" Mason shrieked, his voice tearing in panic. He tried to lower his arms, but his body was locked in place by the aggressive magic.

The light burned brighter. Mason's scream grew louder. It echoed off the giant mossy rock, tearing through the trees. The screams turn into pure, unbearable agony. It was the sound of a mortal soul being ripped completely apart.

With one final, ear-piercing scream, the light flashed so bright it turned the entire forest white. Then, total darkness crashed back down. The light vanished, and Mason vanished with it. The space was dead silent.

Ryan's hand slammed over his mouth to muffle his own screams, tears pouring down his face as he watched his lover consumed by the magical fire. Ryan scrambled forward in the dirt, his hand desperately clawing at the empty space where Mason had just been standing.

There was no ash. No body. Mason was forever gone. The magic light had consumed him entirely, erasing him from the clearing as if he had never existed at all.

Real, suffocating panic finally settled into Ryan's chest. He stared at the empty ground, utterly broken. No one understood what had just happened.

Before anyone could speak, a low, terrifying growl vibrated through the earth.

Everyone turned to look at Gideon.

The vampire was still on one knee, his head bowed slightly toward the ground. The glowing wound in his chest had completely closed, leaving no scar and no trace of the dagger.

Gideon's growl grew deeper, louder, and more demonic. The sound shook the ground beneath them.

Suddenly, a sickening sound of tearing flesh and ripping fabric tore through the silent air. The back of Gideon's heavy shirt shredded to pieces.

Two massive, terrifying black wings burst violently from Gideon's shoulder blades.

They were huge, casting a massive, terrifying shadow over the entire clearing. They stretched out wide, flexing with dark, ancient power. They did not look newly grown, they moved with perfect control, moving with perfect control, as though they had been hiding beneath his skin for his entire life.

Gideon slowly stood up. He stood taller than before, his massive black wings resting powerfully behind his back.

When he tilted his head, his eyes were no longer the eyes of a vampire. They were totally, endlessly pitch black, swirling with the ancient, dangerous power of his true demonic bloodline.

He ignored Ryan weeping on the ground. He ignored Zevrak and Regnar, staring at him in total horror.

Gideon slowly turned his pitch-black eyes to the giant, moss-covered mountain. He stared directly at the solid rock, because now he could see straight through it.

“I can see you," Gideon said, his voice echoing with a dark, terrifying double-tone. “Moon Goddess."