Chapter 8: Serpents in the Smoke
The symbol of the Eclipse Order burned in Damien's mind.
A serpent wrapped around a dying sun.
It wasn't just some forgotten relic of a dead cult. It was the scar that haunted every corner of the old empire. The name itself had once been enough to make kings kneel.
But if they were back… it meant the shadows weren't done feeding yet.
---
The Blackspire Refuge remained still, its wards humming low as the group tried to regroup. Damien stood in the training hall, bare-chested, his body covered in sweat and bruises. The weight of the Crown's influence pressed around him, even when Sierra wasn't near.
He had to get stronger. Fast.
His system pinged again.
[Crownbound Guardian – Proficiency Increase: 14% → 19%]
Skill Mastery: Soul Ward (Basic → Adept)
New Passive Unlocked: Anchor Bond – The closer you are to the Crown Host, the more resistant both of you become to corruption and psychic attacks.
Valeria watched from the edge of the room, arms crossed.
"You keep pushing like that," she said, "and your body's going to collapse before the next fight."
Damien grunted. "Then I'll crawl. But I'm not letting anything touch her again."
Valeria rolled her eyes, but there was respect in it now. "You're a fool… but the right kind."
---
Meanwhile, Sierra sat alone in the archive chamber, her hands trembling over old manuscripts. The visions had started again—more vivid, more painful.
A man cloaked in ash and silver, standing before a throne of bones. He whispered words in a language she couldn't understand… but her soul did.
> "The Crown was forged in blood… not to control… but to contain."
She gasped, clutching her head. Another memory surged forward.
This time, she saw herself—but not as Sierra. Another life. Another form.
And behind her… a monstrous gate.
Something ancient tried to claw its way through.
---
She stumbled to the training hall, nearly collapsing at Damien's feet. He caught her instantly.
"I saw it," she gasped. "The Crown—it wasn't made to corrupt people. It was made to hold something back."
Damien's heart thudded. "What?"
"A being. A presence. A—" she trembled, "—god, maybe. Or worse."
Valeria tensed. "You mean… a seal?"
Sierra nodded. "And if it breaks, the Crown will lose control. That thing will be free."
Damien cursed under his breath. "So the Empire doesn't want to use the Crown… they want to unleash it."
---
Their conversation was cut short by a shrill alarm slicing through the refuge's halls.
[System Alert – Hostile Entity Detected]
Bounty Class: S-Class
Codename: Reaper of Dust
Affiliation: Freelance Hunter (Unknown Patron)
Intent: Capture (Alive Preferred)
Damien's blood ran cold. He knew that name.
"Reaper of Dust…" he muttered. "I thought he was dead."
Valeria pulled her sword. "Apparently he didn't stay buried."
---
Moments later, the outer walls of the refuge exploded inward.
A figure stepped through the smoke—tall, cloaked in gray rags, face hidden behind a skull-like metal mask. Twin axes spun at his side, dripping with a dark, pulsing energy.
"I come for the girl," he growled, voice distorted like grinding stone. "Step aside, Damien. We've done this before."
Damien stepped forward, summoning his blade, Soulfire igniting along its edge.
"Then you already know how this ends."
The Reaper laughed—a sound that made even the walls shiver.
---
The clash was immediate.
Axes met sword in a storm of sparks and power. Damien moved like lightning, fueled by desperation and duty. The Reaper fought like a ghost—untouchable, ruthless, silent even as he crushed stone beneath his strikes.
Valeria joined the fray, her sword a blur, but the Reaper anticipated every move.
"Why protect her?" he taunted. "She's not your blood. Not your destiny."
Damien's eyes flared. "She's my choice."
He unleashed Soul Ward, casting a brilliant glyph beneath Sierra. Light surged outward, shielding her even as the roof cracked above her.
The Reaper snarled and turned toward Sierra.
"Wrong choice."
But before he could reach her, Damien roared and tackled him through a column.
---
The battle raged across the outpost.
Walls crumbled. Blood painted the stones.
But Damien refused to fall.
His system pinged mid-fight.
[Skill Chain Triggered – Crownbound Strike + Soul Ward: Synchronization Achieved]
New Skill: Guardian's Judgement (LV.1)
Temporarily freeze target's movement and suppress all skills for 4 seconds.
Cooldown: 1 hour.
He slammed the skill into the Reaper, locking him in place for a breath.
It was enough.
Valeria's blade struck true, slicing through the bounty hunter's chest.
The Reaper screamed, collapsing into the rubble.
Damien didn't wait.
He walked over, grabbed the mask, and pulled it off.
Underneath was a familiar face.
Once a friend. Once a brother-in-arms.
Now a monster.
"You were one of us," Damien whispered. "Why?"
The man laughed through blood. "Because they offered me something you never could… a future where I live."
---
By the time the dust settled, Sierra was on her knees, crying softly.
"More will come," she said. "Stronger ones."
Damien knelt beside her, holding her close.
"Then we'll keep fighting."
Valeria stood over them, breathing hard. "We can't stay here."
"No," Damien said. "We need to find the origin of the Crown. The real one. Before they do."
Sierra looked up. "You think there's someone out there who knows?"
"I don't know," Damien said. "But I'm done waiting for enemies to come to us."
---
That night, as the outpost began to fall apart from the damage, the trio stood at the edge of the ridge.
A new path ahead.
And a war rising behind them.
But Damien's heart was clear.
He wouldn't stop. Not until the truth was burned into the world.
---