Part 1: The Value of Darkness
The auction at the Golden Arena House had ended, but blood still pulsed in the air of South Wind City. The crowd dispersed amidst murmurs and nervous glances, as if they knew the real show was about to begin in the shadows of the night.
Samael left through the back door, the Medicine King's Cauldron hidden in his spatial ring. Kael, the twins, and he walked together, cloaked in dark robes. Each step seemed to thunder on the cobblestones. The auction house manager had seen them off with a mix of respect and terror; not a single word of courtesy, just the desire for them to leave as quickly as possible.
The night air was fresh but heavy with omens. The city's lanterns flickered, and the shadows on the rooftops seemed to watch them with their own eyes. Kael, ever alert, moved closer to Samael, whispering:
"Patriarch, we're being followed. There's hostility… I sense at least four presences behind us, and more on the rooftops."
Samael didn't turn around. His voice was barely a murmur. "I'm keeping count. My sentinels have detected five archers above. Ten men advancing ahead. There's a greater aura closing the rear."
In his mind, the System confirmed each threat, highlighting the ambush positions on his "inner map." But only Samael could see this hidden dance.
The twins, though feigning calm, felt the pressure. Violeta watched every shadow; Eris gripped her dagger, trembling with anticipation.
The city seemed to hold its breath as the group turned down an alley in the warehouse district. Here, the lights were fewer and the bustle died away, leaving room only for the sound of footsteps and the distant whistle of the wind.
Part 2: The Black Hawk Ambush
At the center of the alley, the trap snapped shut like a jaw. Jareth of the Black Hawk appeared, blocking the exit with ten elite men. Their dark robes and the hawk symbol on their chests gleamed in the moonlight. On the rooftops, archers stood ready, crossbows loaded.
Jareth, drunk with greed and rage, raised his voice:
"At last! The mysterious 'benefactor' of the auction. Hand over the cauldron, and the girls… Maybe I'll have mercy and let you go alive—if you agree to serve under my boot."
His gaze fell on Violeta and Eris with repulsive lust. The guards laughed, confident in their numerical superiority.
Kael stepped ahead with feline movements, hand on his sword. Violeta and Eris took up flanking positions, exchanging a silent look of resolve. No one responded to Jareth's insult.
Samael lowered his hood with deliberate slowness, revealing his face. His voice sounded cold and clear in the gloom:
"Kael, twins. The ten in front… are your exam. Don't make mistakes."
Kael nodded gravely. Violeta and Eris swallowed, gripping their weapons.
Jareth snorted. "Do you think this is an academy? Archers, aim for their legs! I want the twins alive!"
On the rooftops, the crossbowmen drew their strings, ready to unleash a lethal rain. An expectant silence fell over the alley, broken only by the pounding of hearts.
Part 3: Summoning, Shadow, and Fear
Samael slowly raised his hand, his fingers brushing the cobblestones. The ground vibrated, and a dark crack opened, spreading beneath everyone's feet.
"You think darkness is your ally…" he murmured, "but darkness has a master. Malak. Harvest."
In that instant, the alley's temperature plummeted. White mist poured from the guards' mouths, and even the city's echo seemed swallowed by an unnatural void.
From the shadow pools on the rooftops, hooded, deformed figures emerged like nightmares. They had no faces, only black slits and claws of solidified smoke. The archers barely had time to turn before the claws pierced their chests or throats, silencing screams before they could be born. The bodies vanished, absorbed by the darkness.
The guards on the ground recoiled with a cry: "Demonic magic!!" "What's happening?!"
In the middle of the alley, the crack widened and from it emerged Malak: two meters tall, tattered cloak, chains of black smoke, and a rusted scythe exuding deadly mist. Malak didn't need to speak; his mere presence made enemies tremble.
[System: Silent Shadow Legion: Summon successful. Terror aura multiplied.]
Fear invaded the minds of the Black Hawk. Their legs shook; their coordination fell apart. Some even dropped their weapons, lost in panic.
Part 4: The Chosen's Battle
Samael made a brief gesture. "They're afraid. Now is the time."
Kael took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and vanished in a blur. Two guards didn't even know what hit them: Kael's sword sliced the air and their heads rolled, blood splattering the wall. A third tried to defend himself, but Kael slipped behind him, slashing the tendons before slitting his throat.
Violeta glided like ice, her sword glowing with a blue aura. A guard turned to flee and was frozen in place, his throat sealed by a layer of frost.
Eris advanced with unusual ferocity, her spear wreathed in fire. "Stay away from my sister!" she shouted. A double impalement, followed by a searing explosion, reduced two enemies to ashes.
The fight lasted less than a breath. The guards, incapacitated by Malak's terror and the Morningstars' skill, had no chance. Bodies fell one after another, silence returning heavier than ever.
Part 5: Jareth, Heretic and Prey
Only Jareth remained standing, surrounded by corpses, specters, and Malak's imposing figure. Sweat poured down his face, arrogance shattered.
"Stay back!" he screamed, hysterical. "My family uses Forbidden Arts! I have the power of demons! You can kill me, but the Valois will hunt you to the last corner!"
He bit his tongue, spat black blood onto his dagger. His veins bulged, his eyes reddened: "Demonic Art: Corrupt Blood Slash!"
A wave of red, pestilent energy surged through the air like a tide of screams. Samael stepped forward, his royal purple aura blazing in the gloom. The demonic energy touched him… and dissipated, burned away by sovereign blood Qi.
Samael looked at him with genuine disgust. "Pathetic. You steal power, sacrifice innocents… and you don't even understand the blood you wield."
He unleashed his Blood Domain. The air vibrated with absolute authority.
"Your impure blood offends me. Kneel."
Jareth was violently thrown to his knees. His own blood, empowered by demonic corruption, rebelled. Veins burst under his skin, his mouth filled with black clots.
"Why doesn't my art work?!" he cried, voice broken with fear and despair. "Why does my blood obey you?!"
Samael leaned in, iciness in every word: "Because you're a false demon. I… am the real monster here."
With one motion, he snatched Jareth's spatial ring and retrieved the box with the Ice Crown. "Thank you for safeguarding my wife's gift."
Jareth wept blood, unable to move, face twisted in panic. "What… what are you…?"
Samael turned his back. "Malak. Leave no trace."
Part 6: The Shadow's Judgment
Malak raised the scythe, but didn't cut; instead, he dropped chains of smoke that coiled around Jareth, binding him like serpents. The condemned man screamed, tears and blood mixing on his face.
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO GO THERE! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME!"
The chains dragged him toward the crack of darkness. His voice was lost, swallowed by the abyss, as the shadows consumed him completely.
The alley was left in sepulchral silence. There were no traces of Jareth, no archer bodies, not a single drop of demonic blood. Only the cold, the smell of iron, and the guards' corpses as a warning.
Samael dusted off his boots and looked at Kael and the twins.
"Cleanup finished. Time to go back. The wedding awaits."
Part 7: Reactions, Rumors, and Consequences
As the group walked away, the twins exchanged glances. Violeta trembled with adrenaline, but also with fear. "Did you see his eyes?" she whispered to Eris. "It wasn't just power… it was emptiness."
Eris, though satisfied they both passed the test, felt the weight of death in the air. "That's the real world," she said, but her voice lacked triumph.
Kael approached Samael as they crossed a deserted plaza.
"Patriarch… we killed many. Do you think the Valois will let this go unpunished?"
Samael didn't answer immediately. The System vibrated in his mind, sending a series of notifications:
[Special Event: Perfect Ambush.
Reward: Demonic Blood Core (x1), Devotion Crystal (Kael +10%), Regional Legend Aura.
Rumors about the disappearance of Jareth and his elites will spread across the continent.
New enemies have set their sights on the Morningstar clan.
Warning: Valois espionage network on max alert.]
Samael looked at Kael with a half smile.
"Let them come. Tonight, in this city, the darkness has a master."
Behind them, in the streets and on rooftops, unintentional witnesses fled to spread the story. The legends would grow: "The Black Hawk disappeared, devoured by impossible shadows." In brothels and taverns, bets shifted: the Morningstars were no longer just a rumor; they were a tangible threat at the heart of civilization.
Epilogue: The City That Breathes Fear
In a dark corner, a Valois spy watched the final scene with wide eyes. He ran through alleys to his hideout and wrote with trembling hands:
"The Dragon has taken the gold. The Black Hawk has fallen in a night without screams. The shadow of the void advances. I recommend maximum caution.
—Agent C, South Wind post."
In the Valois mansion, hundreds of kilometers to the north, a wine glass shattered in the fist of a young patriarch.
"The game has begun," a voice whispered in the dark. "This time… there will be no mercy."
End of Chapter 17