Chapter 11: Shadows of the Past

The aftermath of the Equinox Gala left Crimson Imperial Academy buzzing with whispers. Nobles dissected every moment of Liana's demonstration—some marveled at her raw power, while others muttered about the "commoner threat." Seraphine, ever the strategist, seized the chaos to tighten House Valois's grip on the court, but Cedric's silence was more unnerving than his schemes. The Crown Prince hadn't made a move since the gala, and in Erathia, stillness often preceded a storm.

I found myself in the academy's underground archives again, this time with Liana in tow. Dust motes floated in the pale glow of her makeshift light orb as we sifted through crumbling scrolls.

"What exactly are we looking for?" she asked, squinting at a faded map of the northern territories.

"Anything on Lucien Blackthorn," I said, flipping through a ledger of noble lineages. "He's not just some opportunistic lord. That crystal he gave you was keyed to his family's crest. He wanted you to fail—or worse, become his puppet."

Liana shuddered, her light flickering. "Why? What does he gain?"

"Power. Chaos. Take your pick." I paused, my finger landing on a name: House Blackthorn – Disbanded 127 A.E. (Arcane Era). Charges: Treason, blood magic, consorting with void entities.

"Void entities?" Liana leaned over, her breath catching. "Like… the Shadow Wraith?"

"Worse." I unrolled a brittle parchment detailing the Blackthorn family's fall. "They were erased from history after summoning something called the 'Voidspawn.' The crown executed every last member—or so they thought."

Liana's orb dimmed as shadows deepened around us. "You think Lucien's the last heir?"

"I think he's here to finish what his ancestors started."

A cold laugh echoed through the archives. "Oh, Lockhart. Always one step ahead… and three steps behind."

Lucien emerged from the shadows, his emerald eyes glinting like a cat's. Liana's light flared defensively, but he merely smirked.

"Put that away, darling. If I wanted you dead, you'd be ashes by now."

I stepped between them, my hand on my sword. "What do you want?"

"To help," he said, tossing a blackened key onto the table. It clinked against the parchment, its surface etched with runes that made my skin crawl. "The answers you seek lie in the Blackthorn Vault beneath the old chapel. But be warned—the past bites."

Liana frowned. "Why give us this?"

"Because Cedric's about to purge every noble house that opposes him. Starting with Valois." Lucien's smirk faded, replaced by a flicker of genuine malice. "And I'd rather I destroy this empire than let that golden-haired fool claim it."

He vanished, leaving the key and a lingering chill.

The old chapel stood on the academy's eastern edge, its once-grand spires now skeletal against the moonlit sky. We'd waited until midnight to avoid prying eyes, but the air still hummed with tension. Seraphine had flatly refused to join ("Chasing ghosts is your specialty, Lockhart"), leaving me, Liana, and an irritable Duke Roland—who'd insisted on escorting us—to brave the vault.

"This is madness," Roland muttered, kicking aside a rotting pew. "Whatever's down there should stay buried."

"Spoken like a man who's never been erased from history," I said, inserting Lucien's key into a rusted floor grate. It clicked, and the ground shuddered, revealing a staircase choked with cobwebs.

Liana's light orb floated ahead, casting long shadows on the walls. The deeper we went, the colder it grew—a cold that seeped into bones, not air.

The vault door was a monolith of obsidian, its surface carved with scenes of torment: figures swallowed by voids, cities crumbling into abysses. Liana traced a hand over the engraving, her voice small. "This… this is what Lucien wants to unleash?"

"He wants revenge," I said, pushing the door open. "And revenge makes people stupid."

The vault's interior was a tomb of relics and bones. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with jars of preserved eyes, twisted metal instruments, and grimoires bound in human flesh. At the center stood a pedestal, atop which rested a pulsating black crystal—the twin to Liana's focus relic.

Quest Updated: [The Villainess' Heart]

Objective: Investigate the Blackthorn Vault.

New Objective: Destroy the Voidspawn Anchor (Risk: High).

Roland drew his sword, eyeing the crystal warily. "That thing reeks of dark magic."

"It's a conduit," I said, circling the pedestal. "Lucien's family used these to summon Voidspawn. If he's planting them around the academy…"

Liana's breath hitched. "He's trying to open a gateway."

A low, guttural growl reverberated through the vault. The walls breathed, shadows coalescing into a hulking figure with glowing red eyes—a Voidspawn, its form shifting between solid and smoke.

New Threat Unlocked:

Voidspawn: A primordial entity that feeds on magic and sanity. Weakness: Unknown.

"Get behind me!" Roland barked, raising his sword.

The creature lunged, its claws tearing through stone like parchment. Roland parried, but the force sent him skidding back. Liana hurled a bolt of light, which the Voidspawn absorbed with a sickening gulp.

"It's eating her magic!" I shouted. "Roland, distract it! Liana, shut down the crystal!"

She dove for the pedestal, her hands glowing as she grappled with the anchor. The Voidspawn roared, swiping at Roland, who barely dodged.

"Hurry!" he yelled, his blade clashing against the creature's talons.

Liana's resonance flared, her light clashing with the crystal's darkness. "It's not working! The more I push, the stronger it gets!"

Liana's Control: 60% → 40%

The Voidspawn grew, its form swelling with stolen magic. Roland was thrown against the wall, his sword clattering to the floor.

"Lockhart!" Liana screamed.

I lunged, mimicry magic flaring as I channeled Seraphine's dark energy. Violet lightning crackled around my hands, and I slammed them onto the crystal.

"Break!"

The vault shook, a deafening screech tearing through the air as light and dark collided. The Voidspawn writhed, its form unraveling, and the crystal shattered into dust.

Silence.

Then, laughter.

Lucien stood in the doorway, applauding. "Bravo! You've delayed the inevitable. How heroic."

I grabbed his collar, slamming him against the wall. "You set us up!"

He grinned, blood trickling from his lip. "Of course. But you'll need me alive. Cedric's already branded House Valois traitors. His troops march tonight."

Liana paled. "What? Why?"

"Because," Lucien said, his eyes gleaming, "someone told him Seraphine's been hoarding void relics. And who better to blame than the last Blackthorn?"

Roland staggered to his feet. "You framed her."

"I saved her. Cedric's purge would've killed her regardless. Now, she has a fighting chance." Lucien's smile turned feral. "The question is, Lockhart—will you fight with her? Or die a servant?"

We returned to a fortress under siege. Flames engulfed the Valois estate, and the air rang with clashing steel. Seraphine stood atop the crumbling gatehouse, her robes singed and her hands blazing with violet fire as she hurled spells at Cedric's soldiers.

"Lockhart!" she snarled, spotting us. "Took you long enough!"

Lucien sauntered forward, his own magic swirling—a sickly green that made the ground wither. "Shall we, darling?"

Seraphine's eyes narrowed. "You."

"Me," he agreed. "And unless you want to die tonight, you'll accept my help."

For a heartbeat, I thought she'd incinerate him. Then she laughed, sharp and wild. "Fine. But betray me, and I'll feed you to the Voidspawn myself."

The battle raged, a symphony of fire and shadow. Liana's light cut through Cedric's forces, while Roland led the Valois guards in a desperate counterattack. But the true shock came at dawn, when the Crown Prince himself rode through the smoke, his sword gleaming.

"Seraphine de Valois!" he bellowed. "Surrender, and I'll make your death quick!"

She stepped forward, bloodied but unbowed. "You first, Your Highness."

As they clashed, I found Lucien at my side, watching the chaos with detached amusement. "You're wondering why I did it. Why save her?"

"Save her?" I growled. "You threw her into a war!"

"I gave her a chance to be more than a villainess," he said softly. "Just as you did for the girl."

Before I could respond, he melted into the shadows, leaving me with a war to win and a truth I couldn't escape:

The game had changed. And the rules were ours to break.

End of Chapter 11