Suddenly, everyone around him vanished. His father, the clan members... they all dispersed like smoke. Vladis was alone in the great hall. Standing before him was Nydra. But this was not the Nydra of his memories. The dress she wore was even more audacious; its rips and cuts exposed large portions of her skin in an almost indecent manner. The expression on her face was not that mysterious, admiring smile, but a contemptuous, mocking look that saw Vladis as nothing more than an insect.
"What is it, Vladis?" she said, her voice echoing in the hall like the crack of a whip. "Taking refuge in the sweet memories of the past? Back to the days when you were that pure, little prince?" She took a few steps toward him, swaying her hips provocatively. "Do you remember the moment you first saw me? That hunger in your eyes... You wanted to explore me, to taste me, didn't you?"
Rage swelled in Vladis's veins. This was the curse's most cruel game; taking his most precious memories and turning them into instruments of torture. "Shut your mouth, harlot!" he hissed. But his voice came out muffled and weak within the delusion.
Nydra laughed, as if enjoying this reaction. "Anger suits you. But what lies beneath that anger, Vladis? Do you remember how your noble father trusted me? The idiotic surprise on his face when I betrayed him... The taste of that moment was more delicious than the richest blood I've ever drunk." She tilted her head, like a serpent. "And you... the gift I gave you. That little talisman... It's our most special bond. A part of me is always with you, under your skin, in the depths of your soul. Isn't it a perverse pleasure?"
These words stripped away the last vestiges of Vladis's control. His anger twisted into a burning passion, into a savage desire. He didn't want to kill this woman, he wanted to possess her, to silence her, to consume her. This was the darkest, most primitive form of the desire to taste, far beyond the will to destroy. He felt an insane urge to attack her, to tear a piece from her flesh, to drown that mocking smile with the taste of her own blood.
"What's wrong, Vladis?" Nydra whispered, as if reading his thoughts. "Curious about my flesh? Are you hungry? Or just too much of a coward? Come to me, then. Touch me, if you dare." Then she laughed again, that humiliating, contemptuous laugh.
Vladis couldn't control himself. With a snarl, he threw himself at the phantom woman. He wanted to catch her, to feel that silk skin beneath his fingers, to silence those red lips with his own teeth. But Nydra was like water. Just as he was about to grab her, she suddenly slid aside, dispersed like smoke, and reappeared a few meters away. Vladis's attack had hit empty air.
"Ahhh..." A moan escaped the woman's lips, sounding more like pleasure than pain. "You were close... Almost..." she whispered, a provocative glint in her eyes. "You'll have to do more than that, little prince. You must use all your strength. Let your passion guide you."
Vladis attacked again. Faster this time, more furious. This was not a fight, but a perverse dance. Every move Vladis made was met with Nydra's mocking and flirtatious evasions. Sometimes, the tips of his fingers would almost brush her phantom skin, and at that moment, muffled, provocative sounds would escape Nydra's lips. These sounds fueled Vladis's anger and desire even more. He wanted to combine his strength with his passion and end this torture. He focused his entire being on attacking this phantom. He was unaware that his real body in the cave lay completely calm and motionless. His entire battle was being fought in the depths of his mind.
Nydra continued to speak, flowing like water. "You want me, don't you? Just like you used to. But it's too late now. You are my plaything." Vladis's next blow seemed to find its mark, causing the woman to fall silent for a moment and take a sharp breath. But immediately after, she let out an even louder laugh. "That's it! Unleash the monster within!"
In a final, desperate effort, Vladis gathered all his will and strength and threw himself at her. His eyes were closed, all he wanted was for this torture to end. The very moment he felt he would touch her...
The image shattered like a mirror breaking into a thousand pieces.
Vladis blinked his eyes open. The absolute darkness and silence of the cave hit him like a slap. Nydra's laughter and her provocative whispers still echoed in his mind. His body was tense, as if he had really been fighting. For a while, he lay motionless, still under the spell of the delusion. The phantom of her touch, her scent, still lingered in his senses. This was the most disgusting part of the curse; it didn't just weaken him, it used his deepest desires as a weapon against him.
Slowly, reality returned. The complex, psychological hunger in his mind was replaced by the simple, physical hunger in his stomach. His body was repaired, and it needed fuel. He pulled himself up. His eyes were accustomed to the dark. He could make out the inside of the cave with details a human could not see. The cracks in the walls, the dampness of the water seeping from the ground, the dust motes in the air... And then he heard it. A tiny, hurried scratching sound, like a fingernail on stone. Something was moving in a hollow, deeper in the cave. With slow, silent steps, he moved toward the sound. It was a rat. A small, trembling, insignificant creature, searching for food in the dark. A momentary disgust welled up in Vladis. He, the last heir of the Drakovan line, the once-mighty prince, was now hunting rats in a cave. This was even more humiliating than Nydra's delusion. But hunger was a stronger impulse than pride. Moving quickly, he caught the small creature. He felt the trembling of its warm, tiny body in his palm. The feeding took only a moment. The blood he drank was not as satisfying as what he had taken from the two bandits. It was a weak, earthy taste, just enough to quell the gnawing emptiness in his stomach. But it brought him back to reality. This was survival. The tangible reality beyond delusions and the shadows of the past. And now, having regained some of his strength, he had to move on.
His rebirth from the womb of the cave was cold and painful. With the earthy taste of rat's blood still on his palate, Vladis threw himself into the sharp embrace of the night outside. His wounds were closed, but the wound in his soul, that deep gash opened by Nydra's phantom, still stung. The sticky, humiliating feeling left by the delusion was like a poison clinging to him. To clear his mind, to suppress that mocking laughter and provocative whispers, there was only one remedy: to move, to advance, to lock onto the target. The sky showed pale stars through the patchy blanket of clouds. He used this dim light as a guide and continued on his way toward the lands where the Chain-Skull Clan was said to be, even deeper into the mountains.
His speed was at a level that a normal human eye could not perceive. He glided over the rotten leaves on the forest floor like a whisper, flitting through the trees like a shadow. This speed was not just a physical ability, but also a way to silence his mind. The monotony of the movement and the wind whipping his face prevented his thoughts from being tainted by the memory of Nydra. After several hours of relentless travel, the dense weave of the forest thinned, and he found himself in a massive clearing. Before him stretched a large lake, surrounded by dense trees, reflecting the pale light of the stars like a silver mirror. There was a strange, almost sacred stillness in the air. The water's surface was so smooth it looked as if it were made of solid glass.
As Vladis approached the water's edge, he heard that sound. At first, it was an indistinct hum, then it gradually rose, turning into a high-pitched frequency that grated on his ears and echoed inside his brain.
This was a physical sound; it made his teeth ache, creating pressure inside his skull. He squinted and looked around. There was no clue as to the source of the sound. Not an animal, nor any other being. Just that piercing, unsettling sound. For a moment, he wondered if it was a trick of the curse, but this feeling was different. More... external, more mechanical. The sound stopped as suddenly as it had come, leaving a ringing silence in its wake. Vladis's nerves were frayed. "Nonsense," he muttered to himself. He wanted to get away from this uncanny place as soon as possible. He had just turned and taken a few steps back toward the shadows of the forest when he was startled by the cataclysm that erupted behind him.
First, there was a deafening splash, as if thousands of tons of water had been displaced at once. Then, a deep, earth-shaking rumble, as if a colossal mountain had fallen from the sky. The sound was so powerful that Vladis momentarily lost his balance. The ground beneath his feet trembled as if in an earthquake. This was not the sound of a falling rock. It was the sound of an unimaginable weight, like the footstep of something the size of a town. He spun around in shock. He looked at the lake. The trembling had stopped. The water's surface, apart from a few small ripples, had returned to its supernatural calm. There was no giant creature, no movement. It was as if that apocalyptic sound had never happened. Vladis, suspicious, approached the edge of the lake again. His eyes pierced the darkness like an eagle's. He searched the depths of the water for the slightest movement, but saw nothing. The uncanniness of this place was no longer just a feeling, but a tangible fact. His nerves taut, he quickly moved away, leaving this mysterious lake and its unseen inhabitant behind.
As he continued on his way, the air began to change. The mild breeze gave way to a strengthening, ominous wind. This was no ordinary wind. It blew as if it had a purpose, an intention. As it rustled the leaves of the trees, it seemed to carry pained whispers, muffled screams from afar. As the wind intensified, the sky closed over completely, and a pitch-black darkness descended upon the forest. Vladis found himself in an area of massive, ancient trees. Their trunks rose to the sky like towers, their branches intertwined, forming a dark canopy. The storm had now broken with full force. The wind howled like a monster among the trees, lashing the branches like whips. The rain fell like a waterfall pouring from the sky.
Vladis instinctively began to search for shelter. Advancing in the midst of this storm was pointless. A rock hollow, the space beneath the roots of a fallen tree, any place would do. Just then, the talisman on his neck began to burn with an icy flame. That familiar, sick warmth that seared his skin spread throughout his body. The curse had been triggered. Whispers once again began to fill his mind, but this time it wasn't Nydra's mocking voice; it was more of a nonsensical, chaotic noise. His vision blackened, and he felt a surge of pure, raw power he couldn't control ripple through his veins. His legs began to move against his own will. The movement, which started as a slow jog, escalated to superhuman speed within seconds. Vladis was no longer running; he was hurtling through the storm like a bullet. Trees, rocks, the entire landscape blurred into colored streaks around him. The sound of the wind and rain was lost in the roar created by his speed. He didn't know how long he had been in this state, or how far he had traveled. His mind was lost in the intoxication of power created by the curse. His body was like a tireless machine.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the wave of power receded. The burning heat of the talisman subsided, and Vladis stumbled to a halt. He was panting, his muscles twitching. Looking around, he realized he was in a completely different place. The storm had passed, leaving behind only a damp, heavy air. The forest of ancient trees was gone, replaced by a gloomy land of sparse, feeble vegetation and jet-black soil. The ground was as if covered in the ashes of an ancient fire. Just then, he heard a faint whisper carried on the wind. It sounded like a woman's voice, but he couldn't make out what it was saying. Vladis, his nerves frayed, shouted into the darkness: "Who's there? Show yourself!" No answer came. Only the silence of the night and this cursed land.
Muttering to himself, he began to scout the area to understand where he had come to. As he moved across the black-soiled land, a strange landscape appeared on the horizon. It wasn't a mountain range. It was more like a negative city, formed by a colossal excavation of the earth itself. As if giants had carved the earth like a bowl, creating terraces, massive stairs, and dark hollows that stretched for miles. It looked like the ruins of an abandoned, dead civilization. But it had a deliberate design, far more than a simple ruin. With suspicion and curiosity, Vladis approached the edge of this massive pit. It was then he understood. This must be the place the stranger had mentioned. The hidden fortress of the Chain-Skull Clan.
He found a massive path carved into the rock, descending into the pit, and began to walk down without hesitation. As he descended, the scale of the structure became even more overwhelming. There were enormous symbols and statues of unknown purpose carved into the walls. At the end of the path, at the bottom of the pit, he reached a massive gate carved into the side of a mountain. The gate was made of a shiny, black metal and was adorned with intricate chain and skull motifs. On either side of the gate stood two guards, clad from head to toe in armor of the same black metal. Their faces were hidden behind skull-shaped helms.
As Vladis approached, one of the guards thrust his spear forward, stopping him. The voice from beneath the helm was metallic and devoid of emotion. "Stranger. What is your business in these lands?"
Vladis, despite the exhaustion from the curse and all he had been through, did not falter in his stance. The nobility and authority in his voice were the accumulation of centuries. "I seek the Chain-Skull Clan. I have matters to discuss with them."
The other guard laughed mockingly. His laugh echoed, muffled and unsettling, from within the helm. "Not everyone who wishes can speak with the clan, Drakovan blood. You have lost your way. Go back the way you came, before your blood is spilled on this ground."
Vladis's eyes narrowed dangerously. They had recognized him. "I came here seeking a clue," he said, his tone hardening. "I heard rumors about Nydra. It is said your records know everything."
Hearing Nydra's name, the guards fell silent for a moment. Then the first one spoke, his voice even harsher. "We have no business with old tales. Nydra is a ghost. And we are not ghost hunters. Now, be gone! This is your last warning." He aimed the tip of his spear at Vladis's chest.
Vladis's patience had run out. "Then have me speak with someone in authority," he hissed. "If you do not, I will tear this gate down over your heads and find that authority myself. And believe me, I will be far less polite then." A faint, dark aura, born of his suppressed power, began to shimmer around his body.
The guards hesitated for a moment in the face of this non-bluff threat. They looked at each other. Finally, the guard who had laughed mockingly grumbled, "Wait here," turned his back, and entered through a smaller opening next to the giant gate. The other, without lowering his spear, continued to watch Vladis, as motionless as a statue. Long, tense minutes passed. Vladis waited with the last crumbs of his patience. Finally, the guard who had left returned. He scrutinized Vladis from beneath his helm. "It's your lucky day, stranger. Mistress Xara has agreed to see you." After saying this, he gave a nod to the other guard.
The massive gate, with a groan, slowly swung inward. Vladis, after giving the guard one last warning look, stepped inside. The sight that met him was beyond even his imagination. He found himself in a colossal underground plaza, its ceiling hundreds of meters high. The area was surrounded by multi-storied structures carved into the rock, complete with balconies and bridges. The space was illuminated by a soft, blue-green light emanating from giant crystals in the ceiling and bioluminescent fungi growing on the walls.
But Vladis's gaze was fixed on the thing in the very center of the plaza. There stood a statue of mind-boggling size.
The statue depicted a hooded figure sitting on a throne, its face hidden in shadows. In one hand, it held an open book, and in the other, a staff topped with a skull. It was so enormous that Vladis felt like an ant. The statue seemed to symbolize wisdom, death, and eternity all at once. The guard behind him commanded, "Walk." Vladis began to walk toward the statue with heavy steps. Other clan members in the plaza had stopped their work, watching this unexpected stranger with curious and suspicious eyes. Whispers echoed in the vast acoustics of the plaza.