Chapter 21 Dies Irae
Chapter 21 Dies Irae
“Nightshade, your next quest is to retrieve the golden artifact from the monster’s lair at Kelraco,” the receptionist said, her voice slipping into a professional monotone as she slid a photograph across the polished wooden counter.
The image revealed a stunning relic—a perfect golden circle with a glowing, blood-red gem embedded at its center.
“A word of warning,” she added, her gaze sharpening.
“This artifact has the unique ability to bring back the dead. Once you are in range, you will become a beacon for every starving thing in that cave.”
Nightshade gave a sharp, curt nod. Without a word, he gripped Jasmia’s arm and steered her out of the building. As they stepped into the humid street, the silence between them grew heavy, broken only by the distant ring of a blacksmith’s hammer.
Finally, Nightshade spoke, his voice uncharacteristically low.
“About the kiss... please, don’t tell Tsukia.” The words came out suddenly, and a deep flush crept up his neck, turning his pale cheeks scarlet.
Jasmia didn’t reply, but a mischievous, knowing grin slowly spread across her face.
That same tension, though of a different kind, was currently vibrating through the air of the training grounds.
While they waited for their companions to return, Lori and Tsukia were locked in a fierce duel. The rhythmic clack-clack of wooden practice swords filled the backyard as they circled each other, boots scuffing against dry dirt.
“You’re improving!” Lori called out. He parried a low strike, a small, genuine smile forming as he met Tsukia’s determined gaze.
Tsukia nodded, her breath coming in short, steady bursts.
“I still remember when I first met you,” Lori chuckled, sweat running down his face as he ducked a lightning-fast swing.
“You were so terrified of humans you could barely look at me.”
Tsukia let out a soft, melodic chuckle in response, her focus never breaking. A few minutes later, the gate creaked open, announcing the return of Nightshade and Jasmia.
Seeing the duel, they stopped to watch. As soon as Lori and Tsukia noticed them, they lowered their wooden blades and walked over, wiping dirt and sweat from their brows.
“How did it go?” Lori asked.
Nightshade started to answer, but his gaze caught on Tsukia’s exposed cleavage from her training gear. He froze for a moment, his mind blanking before he forced himself back to reality. He gave a small, jerky nod.
“Huh?” Lori frowned at the silence.
“We’re heading to the monster’s lair,” Nightshade said firmly, his face snapping into a mask of professionalism.
“We need to retrieve an artifact. Be ready at any moment.” He deliberately avoided Tsukia’s eyes. Every time he looked at her, the memory of their kiss flashed through his mind.
The heat of it… and the strange, terrifying way his power had surged for the first time. While the group prepared for the hunt, a much darker preparation was already unfolding in the heart of the world.
\[Kingdom of Paradise\]
Dies Irae stood as the gleaming, iron-fisted seat of the World Government.
Behind its towering white walls lay a brutal machine, where those with untapped potential were fitted with collars and dragged into hidden basements to serve as experimental subjects or slaves.
Deep within a cold, obsidian-dark chamber, a figure marched forward. The entity had no features—only a void where a face should have been.
It approached a massive iron block guarding a secret passage. As the void-faced figure pressed a hand against the stone and whispered a guttural enchantment, a massive aura of power erupted, shaking the very foundations of the room.
The obsidian wall shivered before turning transparent, revealing a pair of enormous, midnight-black wings sealed within glass.
The entity pressed both palms against the cold surface, watching the wings pulse with ancient, trapped life.