Chapter 7: A Gateway to Darkness
The air was heavy with an otherworldly chill as Aric walked through the dim corridors of the Astravell palace, the wooden box clutched tightly in his hand. His heart pounded with anticipation, each beat echoing like a war drum in his ears. The Pearl of Severance — his ticket to the Demon Realm — lay nestled within the box, its eerie glow seeping through the cracks. This was more than just a mystical artifact. This was a symbol of his defiance, a path to power untapped by any mortal.
His footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, the walls adorned with portraits of past emperors and heroes, their eyes seeming to follow his every move. Each painting depicted a different ruler, a reminder of the Empire's glorious past, and a stark contrast to the treacherous path Aric was about to take. Every stern gaze felt like an accusation, a silent judgment passed down by those who had walked the righteous path. But Aric kept his eyes forward, his mind elsewhere, fixated on what lay ahead. The Academy could wait. The world could wait. First, he had to seize the power that would allow him to defy fate itself.
Slipping through a hidden passage, Aric found himself in a secluded garden at the far end of the palace grounds. Moonlight spilled over the ancient stone circle in the center of the garden, casting elongated shadows that twisted and danced around him. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and the rustle of wind through the trees. The distant chirping of nocturnal insects only amplified the eerie silence, a hollow soundscape that resonated with the tension coursing through Aric's veins. This was the spot he had chosen — a place far from prying eyes, where the darkness could hide his intentions. Here, beneath the cloak of night, he would take his first step toward a destiny of his own making.
Aric knelt and set the box down. With a slow, deliberate motion, he lifted the lid. The Pearl of Severance sat in the center, its pale, spectral glow illuminating his face. The light pulsed rhythmically, almost as if it had a heartbeat of its own. It was cold to the touch, its surface smooth as glass, yet it thrummed with raw, untamed power. He took a deep breath, his fingers hovering over the pearl. This was it. The point of no return. The final step that would sever his ties to the path laid out for him and set him on a course toward the abyss.
Without hesitation, he grasped the pearl, feeling a shiver run through his entire body. The air around him seemed to ripple and distort, a low hum resonating through the garden as the magic activated. The ground trembled, and a circle of black light erupted around him, swirling with demonic energy. The wind howled, whipping his hair across his face as the power of the pearl surged through him. He felt as though the air itself was being torn apart, the boundary between worlds thinning until it finally snapped.
Then, the world shattered.
Aric's vision blurred as the garden dissolved around him. The air grew thick and oppressive, heavy with the scent of sulfur and ash. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing amidst a desolate wasteland — the Demon Realm.
The sky above was a roiling sea of dark clouds, crackling with crimson lightning. Jagged mountains loomed in the distance, and rivers of molten lava snaked through the barren landscape. The ground beneath him was blackened and cracked, as if the earth itself had been scorched by an ancient, malevolent force. A chilling wind swept across the land, carrying the distant howls of monstrous beasts. The air was heavy, filled with the scent of burning embers and the echoes of tormented souls.
Aric exhaled, his breath misting in the frigid air. Despite the bleakness of the surroundings, a wicked smile played at his lips. This was it. The Demon Realm — a land of chaos and dark power, a place the human empires feared and avoided. But to Aric, it was the key to his future. Here, there were no limits, no expectations. Here, he could carve out his own fate, untethered by the prophecies and prejudices of the human world. Here, he would become more than the Empire could ever imagine.
But Aric wasn't here to cower. He was here to conquer. Here, he could forge alliances, seek forbidden knowledge, and rise to a power beyond even Leon's reach. If the Empire refused to see his potential, he would show them by becoming something far greater than a mere hero. Something monstrous, something feared, something that could shake the very foundation of Astravell.
He took a step forward, feeling the ground crunch beneath his boots. Somewhere in this forsaken land lay the Demon Queen, a being of unrivaled power and beauty. And Aric intended to find her. The path to her throne would be fraught with danger, but Aric was prepared to embrace it. Power awaited him in the depths, and he would claim it at any cost.
"Your sword may have chosen you, Leon," Aric muttered under his breath, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "But I will forge my own destiny. And it will be one the world will never forget."
And with that, he began to walk, the pearl still clenched tightly in his hand as he ventured deeper into the Demon Realm. His shadow stretched long against the crimson-streaked sky, a harbinger of the darkness that was to come. The path ahead was perilous, but Aric was no longer the boy who had been overlooked and dismissed. He was a man who would claim power, no matter the cost.
A gust of wind swept across the barren landscape, carrying with it the haunting echoes of a world torn asunder. Aric's eyes narrowed as he continued onward, the Pearl of Severance thrumming in his grip like a heartbeat in the dark. He could feel it now — the pulse of dark mana radiating from the depths of the Demon Realm. It was calling to him, beckoning him forward.
And as he took another step, a faint, eerie whisper echoed through the air, sending a chill down Aric's spine. The voice was dark, feminine, and laced with amusement, as though the very shadows were watching him.
Deep within the Demon Realm, the Demon Queen's crimson eyes gleamed like twin embers against the pitch-black void, her presence a looming, oppressive force amidst the chaos. She felt it — the sudden, unmistakable surge of foreign mana within her domain. A human had entered, and not just any human — one audacious enough to wield a forbidden artifact. Her lips curved into a predatory smile, her sharp fangs glinting in the darkness as she leaned back on her dark throne, her voice a sultry murmur that echoed through the air. "A human in my realm? How deliciously bold."