Elyra's muscles tensed at the woman's threatening demeanor and tone, ready to strike at a moment's notice. She could sense the danger radiating from the Rank 3 Shadow Wolfkin in the shadows, but Elyra refused to be intimidated, even as her instincts screamed for her to submit.
"You are quite brave," the woman said, her demeanor shifting from threatening to intrigued, "or foolish. I wonder which one allowed you to defeat your father?"
Her gaze shifted to Bastion, who stood stalwart and unafraid despite being deep in the shadows and barely able to see. His eyes searched the darkness before settling on her face, having traced the source of her voice, though his gaze lacked focus, unable to pierce the shadows even with his dark magic.
"A fine young man," she said, examining him carefully. "Young, handsome, and composed despite the circumstances."
She turned her attention back to Elyra and added, "You have chosen your mate well, young one."
Neither Bastion nor Elyra responded to her words, content to reserve their introductions until they were afforded the respect they were owed. She might have been stronger than either of them, but this was an official visit representing not only themselves, but the Kingdom as a whole. As such, proper decorum was required, despite the implicit threat to their lives.
The woman sighed before withdrawing her shadow from the room. It receded like a tide, finally settling beneath her and illuminating both her and the inside of her cabin.
Bastion, finally able to take in his surroundings, scanned the room. It was a herbalist's hut, modest yet alive with the scent of rare Rank 3 ingredients. Simple wooden furniture filled the space, giving it a warm, lived-in feel. To the left, a small kitchen opened up with a dining table where the little girl sat, happily nibbling cookies and sipping milk. On the right, a table was cluttered with tools for grinding and mixing, the implements glinting in the faint light.
Directly in front of him sat the mysterious woman, seemingly in her early thirties, her eyes completely black. No wonder he hadn't been able to discern her gaze in the shadows.
"My name is Nysera, and I am an Elder of the Shadow Wolfkin," the woman finally said as she rose from her rocking chair, at last taking the meeting seriously.
"Bastion Diamondhart, Duke of the Diamondhart Dukedom of the Kingdom of Brilliance," Bastion replied coldly.
He clearly didn't appreciate the woman's idea of a warm welcome.
"And this is Elyra, my Shadow," he continued. "We have come to ascertain your village's loyalties to the Kingdom after the crimes your Chief has committed."
"Varyn committed those crimes of his own volition, and they do not reflect the desires of the village. Furthermore, we are willing to relinquish an additional half of our profits for the next century as recompense and to appoint a new Chief to replace him. We also hold no animosity toward the punishment you have imposed for his crimes. Do we have an accord?"
That was the best-case scenario as far as Bastion was concerned. Since it allowed him to avoid further hostilities with the village and prevent bloodshed, he chose to accept the terms and put the troublesome matter behind him.
He had more important matters to attend to than picking fights with this village. Besides, it was clear that the fault lay entirely with Varyn, who hadn't even involved the village's fighters in hunting him down.
"Very well," Bastion said. "Our business is complete. We shall take our leave."
"Hold, young Duke," she said hastily as Bastion began to turn. "Allow me to talk with your Shadow alone. There are matters of the oath that must be spoken of in private."
Bastion turned to Elyra and met her gaze, sensing curiosity rather than animosity. It was a rare emotion for her to display, so he decided to allow it.
"I'll be outside if you need me," Bastion said, leaving the cabin to wait.
Once the door closed behind him, Nysera unleashed her shadows, swallowing the room once more. Elyra immediately drew her blades, ready for a fight, and tried to send her thoughts to Bastion to request for help, but the shadows interfered with their communication.
"Calm, young one," Nysera said as she settled into the rocking chair. "We are Shadow Wolfkin. The shadows are our natural environment. I mean no offense."
Elyra narrowed her eyes but relented, sheathing her weapons and assuming a neutral stance. She didn't like how the conversation was going. It felt as though she was being toyed with.
"What do you want?" Elyra asked.
"Merely to reward you who had fulfilled our oath," Nysera replied. "I had tried getting in contact with you for over a decade, but Varyn has seen to it that every attempt was blocked, keeping me from reaching you, until now."
Elyra remained silent, prompting Nysera to sigh. She realized her welcome might have been a bit too forceful. It couldn't be helped, however, as she needed to gauge Elyra's reaction to a threat of her rank. Though she was impressed by Elyra's composure, it had nonetheless created a rocky start. Hoping to mend the tension and bridge the gap between their generations, Nysera decided to share her story.
"I was a child when Demon Lord Baslock was finally sealed after centuries of fighting in the Northern Empire," Nysera said. "We worshiped the hero endlessly for finally ridding the continent of his filth. Unfortunately, we were left with a barren landscape that refused to grow, even after the source of the corruption was removed."
"The hero saw our plight and invited us to join him on his return home so that we might have a place to call our own. Many came with him, including our dwindling tribe, but over the course of the journey, they began settling in the lands between here and the Northern Empire. By the time we arrived, only four loyal tribes remained, and we swore an oath to declare our unending gratitude to him."
"We lived in peace and tranquility from that day on, until the hero decided to leave the kingdom in pursuit of adventures. Many of our strongest tribesmen accompanied him, leaving us to continue their legacy. The peace continued until the Goddess decreed that the kingdom lower its rank to 2, forcing many of those who remained to leave as well, leaving just enough of the tribe to uphold the oath."
"Hence, every Rank 3 who has graced us has left the village, save for me, entrusted with seeing the oath through. Now that you have fulfilled it, I will likely depart as well. Before I go, however, I must offer our tribe's thanks for honoring the oath," Nysera said, drawing a worn black leather-bound book from the shadows.
"This is the legacy of our Shadow Wolfkin tribe, passed down from ancient times. It contains everything you need to make full use of our bloodline, though I'll admit it is mostly simple tips and tricks our ancestors used for hunting."
Elyra took the book and stored it carefully. Sibelle had given her a similar booklet after spending centuries uncovering the secrets of their shadow magic, and this would serve as a valuable supplement to that knowledge.
"Is there anything else?" Elyra asked, her interest fading.
"I have given you the tribe's gratitude for fulfilling the oath, but not my own for relieving me of my burden. I am of the Shadow Seer class, which grants me the ability to glimpse fate through the shadows. Allow me to offer my personal thanks by reading your fate with your Master," Nysera said with a gentle smile.
Elyra hesitated, unsure if she wanted to share her fate with this mysterious woman. As a Shadow Guardian, whatever Nysera glimpsed would inevitably involve Bastion as well, and she wasn't certain it was wise to reveal their secrets.
Then she thought of Bastion, whose mind was always consumed with fate and its mysteries. Perhaps a firsthand glimpse of a Seer's insight could guide him. With that in mind, she made her decision.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Simply surrender to the shadows and let your mind wander," Nysera said, taking Elyra's hands in hers.
Nysera activated her skill, Shadow Reading, only to be met with an error. Despite being two ranks above Elyra, she lacked the authority to use the skill on her. Furrowing her brows, she invoked her other ability, Shadow Offering, which sacrificed her own lifespan in exchange for the authority to activate Shadow Reading.
She had never used this skill before, considering it reckless to meddle with powers beyond her reach. Yet her curiosity and her promise forced her hand. What could make this young duke so extraordinary that it required Rank 4 to peer into his fate?
She sacrificed a decade of her life but still couldn't activate the skill. Then a hundred years, two hundred, three hundred, and each attempt failed. But the more she lost, the more determined she became. She had already invested centuries of her life; how much more could this skill possibly need?
When the total reached a thousand years of her lifespan, the skill finally activated. Nysera's heart ached with regret at the exorbitant cost, but what was done was done. Now it was time to see the results of her sacrifice.
Her vision blurred as she glimpsed Elyra's fate entwined with Bastion's through Elyra's Shadow Guardian class and their slave contract. It was a red string that tied a noose around her neck, the rope ending in Bastion's hand. This meant that Elyra's fate was no longer her own, but Bastion's.
Her vision tore upward into the heavens before looking down upon the Gods' Continent. From above the Central Empire, a creeping darkness began to bloom, spreading outward like an infection. Kingdoms vanished first, then the empires, then the entire continent, swallowed without resistance.
The perspective pulled back again, farther and farther, until Gaia itself filled her sight. A brilliant blue world, its many continents laid bare beneath the void. The darkness didn't stop. It flowed across oceans, consumed landmasses, and erased the world with finality until nothing remained. At that moment, the vision shattered.
Nysera gasped, her breath ragged, eyes wide with horror. What she had witnessed was far beyond the reach of a mere Rank 3 Seer. It was not a single calamity, nor even a war, but an ending. A future steeped in extinction and ruin.
And at the heart of that world-ending fate stood Bastion Diamondhart.
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