Chapter 19 – The Emperor's Game

Deep beneath the scorched obsidian spires of Tarnexus, the throne room of the Demon Emperor stirred with a silence far more terrifying than any battle cry.

At its center, on a throne carved from petrified dragonbone and wrapped in cursed iron, sat Val'karth, the Demon Emperor—a creature of ancient bloodlines and forbidden sorcery.

His eyes, glowing like twin eclipses, were fixed on a suspended projection of magic—flickering images of Kazuki and Aria crossing the Windscale.

"Interesting," he murmured, voice as smooth and deep as thunder in a canyon. "The boy continues to evolve… and he still doesn't know."

At his side, a lithe figure cloaked in purple mist appeared, bowing low. "Your Excellency, the experiment in Outpost Windscale failed. The Wisps did not eliminate them."

Val'karth did not look away from the image.

"They weren't meant to. I needed to see how he would react. How far his instincts have come."

"But... why not simply crush him now?" the figure asked, trembling. "His stats are still—"

"Raw." Val'karth cut in. "Yes. But not weak. That boy was reborn by divine hand. And unlike the others, he was chosen, not thrown in."

He stood, cloak dragging across the volcanic glass. The air around him shimmered with raw magic—so thick that even the walls of the throne room warped in his presence.

"I need him to grow," Val'karth continued, more to himself. "Let him believe he's a 'Demon Lord.' Let him gather allies. Let him build hope."

He clenched a gauntleted fist.

"Then I will shatter it."

---

Through a corridor lined with the petrified remains of failed rebellions, Val'karth walked alone.

Past the Hall of Bleeding Tomes. The Reliquary of Bound Souls. Until he came to a chamber sealed with ten separate arcane locks. Each opened with a flick of his fingers.

Inside: a sphere of blood-red crystal suspended in a web of living veins, pulsing with unnatural rhythm.

It screamed softly.

Val'karth approached it like a father to a crib.

Within the crystal: a body.

Ardent.

Alive. But unmoving.

His veins glowed faintly with black lightning, his eyes twitching under closed lids.

"Your commander still resists the merge," Val'karth noted. "Admirable."

He placed a hand on the crystal.

> [Soul Convergence: 63% Synchronization]

"Soon, you'll be the first. A new breed. A soul forged not by birth, but by design. A knight that can never betray."

He turned to the misted figure behind him.

"Begin the next harvest. I want fresh material from the Northern Border. Children this time. The pure souls yield cleaner convergences."

"Y-yes, Your Excellency."

"And send a Wraith to shadow the boy. Nothing direct. Just... nudge him. Steer him to where I want him."

Val'karth returned to the crystal chamber, watching as Ardent's fingers twitched again, slightly stronger than before.

> [Convergence rising… 64%]

He whispered, "When the false Demon Lord comes face to face with his greatest failure… then we'll see what remains of his smile."

---

Elsewhere, far from the crystal prison, a black-feathered figure perched on the spire of a dying cathedral. Its eyes burned violet as it stared toward the Windscale Hills.

> [Target acquired: Subject Kazuki. Status: Observing.]

> [New Directive: Lead him to Site-Null.]

It didn't speak.

It didn't move.

It simply vanished into the wind.

And the game continued.