Manipulation

The cohort remained silent at Raphael's words. It was too much information to process.

Unlike the others, Jet and Effie neither understood nor cared.

Both stood on the opposite side of the Chain Breaker, staring into the darkness.

Effie suddenly cursed. In the next moment, Jet yelled:

"Stop this damned ship right now!"

"Sunny, the sails!"

Before Jet's shout even faded, Cassie and Sunny were already moving. Sunny called upon the shadows to raise the Chain Breaker's sails, while Cassie rushed to the runic circle. Nephis turned her gaze toward the darkness, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

Raphael, meanwhile, stood motionless, watching the countless butterflies clinging to the inner wall of the Tomb of Ariel.

Grasping the steering oars, Cassie skillfully turned the ship to borrow the force of the wind. At the same time, the runic circle ignited, absorbing strands of her essence — now that the enchantment circuits were repaired, it was not to power the sorcery of the ancient vessel, but simply to control it. Finally, the Chain Breaker came to a halt, hovering in the boundless darkness of the Tomb of Ariel. 

Sunny, staring into the void, took an involuntary step back.

"This… this is the place Song and Valor wanted to conquer?"

Raphael laughed at his words.

"I warned them, didn't I? They were fools rushing to their own deaths…"

Sunny turned to Cassie with hollow eyes and asked quietly:

"Cassie… can you extinguish the radiance of the sacred tree?"

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. In the next instant, the beautiful light of the rustling tree dimmed and eventually disappeared entirely. Sunny let out a shaky sigh.

The lanterns illuminating the Chain Breaker were extinguished as well. Soon, the cohort found themselves in absolute darkness. Only Raphael, Sunny, and Cassie could move freely without the aid of light.

Unable to tear his gaze from the harrowing sight of countless black butterflies swarming the endless stone wall, Sunny steadied his pounding heart and whispered hoarsely:

"Cassie, take us away from here. Back to the River… fast. As fast as you can!"

The Chain Breaker began to move, slowly turning its bow. The creaking of the masts, the rustle of leaves, and the ripple of billowing sails sounded like thunder in the silence.

Moments passed. Then a minute.

The Chain Breaker glided steadily toward the distant Great River, gaining speed with every second.

Eventually, the dreadful wall of Ariel's Tomb faded from view, replaced by the radiant ribbon of the Great River growing closer.

———————————————————

When the Chain Breaker began descending, the cohort unanimously decided not to return to Fallen Grace and instead set out immediately to find Kai and Mordret.

Two weeks had passed since they made the decision to head for Twilight. Now, before them stood a massive barrier, its towering presence designed to halt the Great River and the abominations it carried.

From the deck, Raphael could make out humanoid shapes atop the barrier—dozens of them.

As the Chain Breaker approached, the figures became clearer, and Raphael realized they were human.

He turned to the others and said firmly:

"Stop the ship."

Cassie followed his command without hesitation.

From Raphael's back, black wings erupted, spreading wide before he launched himself toward the barrier.

Upon landing, he found himself surrounded by warriors, their spears trained on him in unison.

From beyond the line of warriors, a man stepped forward. His towering physique and commanding presence were hard to ignore. Dark blue hair framed his face, and his eyes mirrored the same deep hue. A scar marred his right cheek, giving him an even more formidable appearance.

The blue-haired man fixed his gaze on Raphael and asked sharply:

"Who are you?"

Raphael met his stare and replied evenly:

"We're outsiders. We've come to challenge the Nightmare."

The man fell silent for a moment, studying Raphael intently. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

"Another poor soul come to this hell… Lower your spears!"

At his command, the warriors stepped back, lowering their weapons and opening a path.

The man strode forward, extending his hand. Raphael clasped it firmly.

"I am Transcendent Caspian. Welcome to Twilight—the city built by His Majesty, King Daeron."

———————————————————

The cohort followed Caspian into Twilight, with the Transcendent leading the way.

As they walked, Caspian glanced back and asked, "By the way, do you know a man with brown hair and green eyes? His face is… like a mermaid?"

Sunny frowned slightly. He didn't know what a mermaid was, but he certainly knew someone with brown hair and green eyes!

"Yes! He's one of our friends. Is he here?"

"He is," Caspian replied with a grin. "Actually, he talks about you a lot… Sunny, right?"

Sunny nodded.

Walking directly behind Caspian, Raphael looked up at the sky. There, he noticed the silhouette of a human figure descending toward them.

It was none other than Kai.

The moment Kai landed, he quickly rushed over to Sunny and embraced him tightly.

"My friend! It's so good to see you again. Do you know how worried I was?"

Sunny, slightly uncomfortable, replied, "Yes, it's good to see you too. But… can you put me down?"

Kai chuckled and released him. "I'm sorry. I was just really worried about all of you."

He then moved on to hug everyone in the cohort, skipping only Raphael and Jet.

Behind Raphael, a man with raven-black hair and eyes that shimmered like pools of liquid silver approached.

"Do you want a hug?" the man asked with a playful smirk.

Raphael turned to face Mordret and replied bluntly, "No."

Mordret chuckled. "You took longer than expected," he remarked casually.

"We ran into some problems along the way," Raphael replied.

Mordret nodded and walked past Raphael to greet the others. "It's great to see you all again. You don't know how happy I am."

Sunny, however, frowned at him. "I can't say the feeling's mutual."

"You're breaking my little heart, Sunless."

"Do you even have a heart?"

Mordret chuckled again. "Of course, I do. What do you think I am? An abomination?"

Raphael sighed. "We don't have time for this. Let's move."

Caspian led them toward the castle. Inside, they walked through the grand hallways until they reached the throne room.

Raphael gazed silently at the throne before turning to Caspian. "Do you know why we're here?"

Caspian's expression turned serious, emotionless. "I do. You plan to siege Verge."

Raphael nodded. "Yes, and to do that, we need your help—and the help of Twilight's people."

Caspian's face hardened further. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. His Majesty commanded me to protect our people. Attacking Verge is suicide. I won't lead His Majesty's people to their deaths."

Raphael chuckled. "Suicide? Why would you say that? We've already planned the attack, and we're 100% confident we can kill the First Seeker."

Caspian laughed bitterly. "Even His Majesty wasn't that confident. What you're proposing isn't bravery—it's foolishness."

Raphael remained silent for a moment before saying, "Was King Daeron immune to corruption? No, he wasn't… because his defiled body now drifts in the Great River."

Caspian's face twisted with anger. "What did you just say?!"

Instead of answering, Raphael turned to Sunny.

Understanding the cue, Sunny summoned the Crown of Twilight.

Caspian's eyes locked onto the crown, and he gritted his teeth. After a long pause, he said, "I see… at least His Majesty died a warrior's death."

He stood in silence for a few moments before asking, "What do you mean by immune to corruption?"

Raphael gestured toward Nephis. "Nephis is immune to corruption thanks to her Ascended ability. When we attack Verge, all we need to do is reach the Citadel of Truth. She'll handle the First Seeker and kill him."

Caspian studied him for a moment. "Why should I trust your words?"

Raphael chuckled. "You know Kai can tell whether I'm lying or not."

Caspian turned to Kai, who nodded affirmatively.

"Even if I accept your proposal," Caspian said after a long pause, "I cannot command His Majesty's people."

Grinning, Raphael replied, "You won't have to. I'll take care of that."

———————————————————

Zane was one of the soldiers who had followed King Daeron to the Tomb of Ariel. He still remembered the siege of Verge—a failure that haunted him to this day.

He walked toward the castle, summoned by one of the five remaining Transcendents.

'Why did Lord Caspian call us?'

Zane didn't know, but he would find out soon enough.

When he reached the castle, he saw a crowd gathered in front of it. He made his way to the front, where a man with long black hair stood, wearing a black kimono adorned with golden dragons on his shoulders.

After half an hour, the man stepped forward to the edge of the stairs, looking around before nodding.

Then he spoke, his voice brimming with authority:

"People of Twilight, my name is Raphael, the Black Emperor, ruler of the Underworld."

The crowd began to whisper. They had all heard of the Underworld, but now, this man before them dared to declare himself its emperor!

"I bring you a proposal," Raphael continued. "In the past, King Daeron attacked Verge, bringing hope to the people of the Great River. Yet even he couldn't slay the Defiled One."

Zane gritted his teeth, the memory of that cursed day rushing back.

"The hopes of the Great River were crushed," Raphael said. "And you… I know you lost friends and family that day. That's why I stand before you! Fate has brought us together, to bring salvation to the people of the Great River!"

From behind Raphael, a woman emerged. She had silver hair and eyes that burned like fire. It was the first time Zane had seen such a strikingly beautiful woman.

"This woman," Raphael said, gesturing to her, "is immune to corruption! She is a direct counter to the Defiled One! People of Twilight, this is our last chance to attack and destroy him."

To Zane's right, a man shouted at Raphael:

"So what? We've already tried, and we failed! Why would this time be any different?"

Zane glanced at Raphael, waiting for his response. Finally, Raphael spoke:

"Is this really the same people I've heard about while traveling the Great River?"

The man who had shouted drew his sword and pointed it at Raphael.

"How dare you!"

Suddenly, Raphael struck the earth, making it tremble.

"I'm the one who should ask, 'How dare you?' How dare you disrespect the legend of King Daeron, who led his people to the Tomb of Ariel to protect them from the dangers of the Dream Realm?

"When he entered the Tomb of Ariel, he brought hope to its people. He protected the weak and destroyed vile creatures. He built the greatest city known to the riverborn and, in the end, attacked Verge to bring peace to the Great River.

"In the Great River, people remember him as a hero and a great warrior. Yet here you are, disrespecting him. What will the people say when they see one of his own cowering in this city?"

The man lowered his head in shame and, after a moment, muttered:

"But His Majesty ordered us never to attack Verge and to stay here…"

"That may be true," Raphael said, his voice steady, "but have you ever considered how he truly felt? His people were slaughtered. He and his daughter were corrupted."

Zane turned as another man emerged. This one was shorter, with black hair and eyes like twin voids. On his head rested a black metal band engraved with the shape of a river serpent.

The crowd gasped. How could anyone wear their king's crown other than King Daeron himself?

"My friend here," Raphael said, gesturing to the man, "faced King Daeron's corrupted form and emerged victorious. The king may be gone, but I'm certain his soul still lingers, searching for peace. How could he rest when the thing that killed his people and corrupted his daughter still lives?"

Raphael opened his arms and raised them to the sky.

"That is why I ask you, people of Twilight: Will you come with me to avenge your king?! Or will you stay here and betray him?!"

Zane clenched his fists, the memory of King Daeron crying over his daughter's fate searing into his mind. He wasn't the only one stirred; the crowd around him did too.

The anger and hatred that had been buried deep within them were unleashed by Raphael's speech.

Zane raised his fist to the sky and yelled:

"No! We will avenge him and kill that thing!"

The crowd followed suit, their cries shaking Twilight itself.

"For the King!"

"For His Majesty!"

Raphael watched them and began to laugh like a madman, his laughter drowned by the roaring crowd.

Sunny, wearing the Crown of Twilight, shivered as he glanced at Raphael. He turned to Nephis and spoke into her mind:

["Nephis, right now Raphael is reminding me of how you manipulated the Dark City residents to attack the Crimson Spire."]

Nephis was silent for a moment before replying:

["I see…"]

Raphael continued to laugh, his eyes gleaming with a manic light.

'Finally, everything is ready! Now only the Defiled One stands in the way of my freedom from the Underworld!'

——————————————————

Next chapter is where everything change, and anything after it is going to be peak, be prepared because it will blow your mind!

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