The word 'immortality' hung in the air, heavy and horrifying.
Alrain and everyone in the room gasped. The shock hit them harder than any physical blow. Their King, the protector of the people, had sold his sanity for a mad ambition of eternal life.
"You're insane..." Alrain hissed, his eyes glaring wildly.
"Where is my sister?!" suddenly a man tied to a pillar on the left screamed hysterically, tears streaming down his face. "You said sacrifice?! Tell me! Where is my little sister?!"
King Dalvanel glanced over, his face flat and sinless.
"How should I know!" the King answered with a bored tone, as if discussing inventory in a warehouse. "There are many virgins gathered here. Perhaps she has already been made a sacrificial victim before this. Who cares?"
That answer triggered a new wave of rage.
"Bastard!!"
"You damn King!"
The man who asked struggled frantically, the veins in his neck bulging, trying to break the ropes binding him. However, his efforts were futile. The ropes were not only physically strong but also radiated a binding magic impossible for ordinary humans to break.
King Dalvanel chuckled at their desperation.
"It is useless." he said coldly. "Those bonds are reinforced by magic. Not a single one of you can escape."
He turned his back on Alrain, walking back toward the altar.
"You all just watch from here!" King Dalvanel exclaimed as he walked, his voice echoing cruelly. "Witness this historic moment. And don't worry, once all the female sacrifices are used up, all of you men will follow them to hell!"
Alrain's blood roared. He didn't care about his own life, but he saw the King climbing back onto the altar.
There, the robed followers began to strip the clothes off the still-unconscious Yonna. His sister's body was exposed before dozens of pairs of eyes, treated as nothing more than a lump of meat for a ritual.
The sight incinerated Alrain's sanity.
"STOOOOP!!!!"
Alrain screamed with all his might until his throat felt raw, tears of frustration pooling in his eyes.
"DON'T KILL MY SISTER! I BEG YOU! TAKE ME INSTEAD! NOT HER!"
His voice broke into a heartbreaking wail. He yanked at his hand bonds until the skin of his wrists was abraded and bleeding, but he didn't care. He only wanted to save the only family he had.
However, King Dalvanel seemed deaf to it. He didn't look back even once. He stood beside Yonna's body, taking the short sword lying on the edge of the altar. The blade glinted sharply, ready to claim blood.
The King raised the sword high with both hands, the tip aimed directly at Yonna's left breast.
"NO! DON'T! SISTER YONNAAAAAAA!!" Alrain shrieked, his eyes wide, recording every second of the event in agonizing slow motion.
Time seemed to stop. Alrain's gaze was locked on the tip of that sword. And then...
Zrash!
The sound of metal piercing flesh and bone rang so clearly in Alrain's ears, louder than any sound in the world.
The sword plunged deep, penetrating the chest of Yonna who lay helpless. His sister's body convulsed violently once, then fell limp and stiff atop the stone altar. Fresh red blood seeped out rapidly, staining her pale skin and flowing heavily to soak the altar stone.
Alrain froze, his breath hitched witnessing the scene. His sorrow and fear vanished instantly, replaced by a wave of fury exploding in his chest. He was consumed by absolute rage after witnessing his sister being brutally murdered right before his eyes.
A painful silence blanketed the underground chamber the moment Yonna's body went limp and lifeless. However, that silence did not last long.
Something inside Alrain cracked. It was not his sanity, but rather the dam that had long held back the hidden potential within his soul. Pain, grief, and exploding anger simultaneously created a terrifying chain reaction within his mana core.
Whoosh!
A violent wind suddenly surged from nowhere within the enclosed space, swirling wildly with Alrain at its center. His green hair whipped against gravity.
Crackt!
The deafening sound of a lightning strike rang out sharply, followed by a blinding flash of light.
In that room, everyone, the black-robed figures near the altar and the hostages still bound to the pillars, instantly turned toward the source of the sound and light. Even King Dalvanel, who had just withdrawn his sword from Yonna's body, paused. He narrowed his eyes, staring at a green-haired man bound to a pillar far in front of him.
Alrain no longer looked like a despairing youth. His eyes, swollen from tears, now shone brightly, emitting a deadly electric green glow. The veins in his neck and face bulged, coursing with overflowing energy.
"You..." Alrain growled, his voice sounding double, vibrating with the resonance of magical power.
His body emitted arcs of green lightning that struck wildly, scorching the stone floor around him.
Snap!
The hemp rope, reinforced by binding magic, could not withstand the explosive surge of energy. It snapped instantly, burnt to a crisp and crumbling into ash.
Alrain was free. His breath hitched, hot steam escaping his mouth. He stared at his hands, now enveloped by a swirling aura of wind and lightning.
Has my power awakened? Alrain thought, feeling an alien sensation as immense power rushed through every blood vessel, begging to be released.
His gaze shifted quickly to the altar, to his sister's frozen body. The pain pierced him again, sharper than before.
No! This is not the time to be in awe! I must kill that barbaric King!
Though he did not know how to control his new power, the killing instinct took over his body. Alrain stood up, and with a single stomp, he dashed forward.
However, he did not go straight for the King. He knew he needed help. He needed chaos.
Alrain waved his hands toward the surrounding pillars.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Sharp blades of wind were created from his hand movements, shooting out with precision to cut the ropes binding the other hostages without harming their skin.
"Wake up!" Alrain bellowed. "If you want to live, FIGHT THEM!"
The dozens of men who had just been freed, previously filled with fear, now saw a glimmer of hope. And more than that, they saw a chance for revenge. Adrenaline took over their fear.
"Kill them!"
"You black-robed bastards!"
The angry mob charged toward the crowd around the altar. Unarmed, they used bare hands, stones, or whatever they could grab.