Chapter 9: The Elven Legacy and the Crimson Gaze
While the halls of the academy were buzzing with whispers of war and impending doom, Volt sat in his dimly lit room, seemingly oblivious to the chaos. He was devouring a mountain of roasted meat, his hunger as insatiable as his ancient power. To anyone watching, he looked like a simple, gluttonous boy, but the air around him hummed with a suppressed, dark electricity that made the shadows dance.
The door creaked open. Aki slipped inside, her face pale and her breath shallow. She wasn't carrying books or weapons; instead, she held a fragile, yellowed piece of parchment. At its center was a wax seal—the intricate, silver stamp of the High Elf Royalty.
"Volt, stop eating and listen," Aki hissed, spreading the map on the wooden table. "My lineage isn't what it seems. My family has held a secret bond with the Elven Kingdom for generations. They are the only ones who truly understand the flow of mana—the only ones who know how to anchor a power as unstable as yours. Before the giants and the High Teachers realize you've awakened, we have to move. If we stay, this academy will become your tomb. We must reach the Sacred Elven Forest."
The Burden of a King's Shield
In another wing of the Argun Academy, Sai sat in total darkness. His hand was clamped tightly around his throat, where the skin felt like it was being branded by an invisible iron. The mark of Sakuna was glowing a faint, sinister purple.
"Look at them, Sai," Sakuna's voice slithered through his mind, cold and mocking. "These ants, these 'teachers' and 'heroes'... they are sharpening their sticks to kill their own King. Tell me, boy, whose side are you on? Will you join the mob, or will you be the wall that protects the monster? Remember this: if Volt falls before his time, I will be trapped in your pathetic soul forever. You will lose your humanity, your future, and your life."
Sai's eyes snapped open in the dark. The fear was still there, but something else had replaced his hesitation. A cold resolve. He realized that his life as an ordinary student had ended the moment he met Volt. He wasn't just a student anymore; he was the self-appointed bodyguard of the man the entire world was destined to fear.
Escape: The Shadows of Argun
The moon was hidden behind thick, black clouds as three shadows slipped past the heavy iron gates of the Argun Kingdom. Aki led the way, her elven map humming with a faint light, while Sai kept his hand on his blade, his senses heightened by Sakuna's lingering aura. Volt walked between them, his expression unreadable, his eyes reflecting the distant lights of the kingdom they were leaving behind.
They were heading for the docks, aiming for the forbidden ships that crossed the Great Ocean to the Elven Continent. Just as they reached the crest of the final hill, Volt stopped. He didn't look back at the city. Instead, he tilted his head and stared directly at the highest point of the midnight sky.
"Sai... Aki..." Volt's voice was unnervingly calm. "Why is that red star up there staring at me? It feels... like a burning eye."
Aki and Sai stopped and looked up. The sky was a sea of ink; the constellations were bright and silver, but there was no red star.
"There's nothing there, Volt," Sai said, a chill running down his spine. "The sky is clear."
But inside Sai's mind, Sakuna was trembling. Not with fear, but with a dark, twisted excitement. The demon whispered to herself, a name that hadn't been spoken in nine millennia.
"Lucifer... so, you've finally opened your eyes. The hunt has truly begun."
Director by (ahmed barozh)