Chapter 41: In love? I think I am too young for that kind of bullshit
Meanwhile...
" So, heir... Are you ready to face the daugrs in the catacombs? " asked Katelyn in a mocking tone.
Kristian did not look up.
" It is not the daugrs that worry me, Katelyn... It is what we will become if this box is opened... "
" Do not be so melodramatic... " she replied while closing her fan with a sharp snap. " It is a mission, nothing more. We retrieve the relic, avoid the spears of the Spear Clan, and return. "
Kristian finally turned toward her.
" Nothing is ever that simple in Hundun... "
The sun was slowly setting... A few hours later, it was around six o’clock in the evening as the preparations for the expedition reached their peak. Kristian Snowfall Dagon and Katelyn Ravenna were near the stables, checking the straps of their mounts and making sure their horses were ready for the long journey to the catacombs. The silence of the late day was suddenly broken by the steady sound of boots striking the ground.
A silhouette walked calmly toward the center of the courtyard, where Patriarch Dorian and the other family heads had gathered for their departure.
The man wore an all-black outfit, consisting of pants, a dark shirt and a long travel coat that floated slightly behind him.
In his right hand, which was completely bandaged... he proudly carried his father Lloyd Lancelot Dagon’s katana. His physical appearance had changed since the Blood Moon incident. He had become a little thinner, having lost the last roundness of adolescence, but his stature remained athletic. His long black hair, once uniformly jet-black, now had white tips.
His golden eyes, piercing and cold, swept over the assembly with an intensity that made the closest servants step back. He stopped in front of the group of leaders and bowed slightly.
" I greet the patriarch and the family heads. "
Kristian stopped brushing his destrier’s coat, his eyes widened in surprise. He observed his cousin, noting every detail of his physical transformation.
" Daemon? It has been a few months since we last saw you... Are you okay? "
Daemon turned his head toward Kristian.
" As you can see Kristian. "
He then shifted his attention from his cousin to fix Dorian Dagon, who was watching him with an unreadable expression, undoubtedly worried to see his nephew.
" I will participate in obtaining Pandora’s box. I do not think that will be a problem. "
A heavy silence settled in the courtyard. The family heads looked at each other, uncertain of how to react to the head of the Winter family. Katelyn Ravenna, who had not lost her usual annoying behavior, closed her fan and let out a small mocking laugh.
" Obviously Lord Daemon. But I thought you would not be interested with your broken heart. "
Daemon slowly turned his gaze toward her.
" Lady Katelyn... "
Kristian, uncomfortable, intervened to try to calm things down.
" Broken heart? "
Katelyn took a few steps forward, a provocative smile stretching her thin lips.
" Well the rumors say that the last time you were in love with that famous servant it ended badly. "
She was referring to Luna, or rather Andromeda Yak Surgat, whose betrayal had nearly cost Daemon his life. Everyone in the clan knew that Daemon had even fought in the past for her against Markus, ending up being publicly punished for his crimes. Daemon’s face remained neutral, insensitive to Katelyn’s jabs.
" In love? I think I am too young for that kind of bullshit. "
Without adding another word, he headed toward the horse that Katelyn was about to mount. He seized the animal’s reins with one gesture, mounted it with disconcerting agility and looked down at the young woman.
" Find yourself another mount. "
Furious, Katelyn grabbed his wrist.
" What do you think you are doing? "
Daemon’s face remained expressionless despite the pressure on his wrist. He did not flinch, his golden eyes remaining fixed on the horizon.
" I am leaving ahead. "
In a fluid movement, he freed his hand from Katelyn’s grip with disconcerting ease and launched his horse into a gallop, leaving the courtyard in a cloud of dust.
Katelyn remained frozen in place, observing her own hand. She was truly surprised. With the force she had applied, he should have been writhing in pain or his bones should have cracked.
’ It looks like Lord Daemon has reached the Second Sense... ’ she thought.
***
At the same time, in the Sorcery Clan.
The Great Witch Agath stood in front of a massive rock wall that seemed to merge with the mountain itself. She made a few signs at the tips of her fingers, manipulating the surrounding chi with millimeter precision.
Under the effect of her will, the rock blocking the entrance to the Doom disappeared, fading like an illusion to reveal a dark and damp tunnel. The two witches guarding the entrance bowed deeply, fear marking their features, and let Agath and the masked man accompanying her pass.
Inside, the cave was deep and the walls were dotted with torches stuck to the wall that diffused a flickering light. The air was filled with an ancient and stifling energy, each step echoing.
" Do not touch anything. Each of these objects can upset all of Hundun. "
The masked man nodded.
" Yes, Great Witch. "
As they progressed through the galleries filled with Mystical relics, the man looked to his left. His eyes fell on a kind of large egg covered in dark scales, solidly chained with iron beams all around. The object seemed to breathe, pulsing with a malevolent aura that seemed to absorb the ambient light.
He remained frozen while looking at it, fascinated... It did not take long for him to feel his own chi being sucked toward the egg. Agath used a chi discharge to snap him out of his trance.
" Not only touching... Do your best to use your five senses as little as possible, otherwise you will not know how you died. "
The man shivered, averting his gaze from the egg.
" I will try to remember... If this egg can suck my chi in this way, I cannot even imagine the danger of the creature that will come out of it. "
After a few more minutes of walking in this maze, Agath stopped in front of an ebony stand. On it rested a spear. The weapon was golden, with a tip of such deep red that it seemed coated in blood. The Great Witch took it with precaution, wrapped it in a thick bandage to contain its chi, and handed it to her guest.
" Be careful before using it. Do not use it more than twice in one day. "
The man nodded as he accepted the weapon.
" Thank you for your gift, Great Witch. But I am quite surprised that you offer the Spear of Destiny like this... It is still a relic that wounds someone permanently with no way to heal until death. "
Agath turned toward him, her gaze expressing no warmth.
" I give you this relic because I want you to do everything in your power to kill Daemon Shaytan Dagon. "
The man paused, surprise visible in his posture.
" Lancelot’s son? Do you have a grudge against the Sword Clan? I thought the Sorcery Clan was neutral? "
Agath let out a sigh of contempt.
" Are you not the heir of the Spear Clan? Does it bother you to kill a vermin from the Sword Clan? If you do not have the audacity, you can leave the spear here and go. "
The man tightened his grip on the bandaged weapon, an invisible smile detectable under his mask.
" Do not worry, Great Witch... if Lord Daemon sets foot in the catacombs, he will not come out alive... "
About a kilometer away, Luci’El was observing the scene through her own mystical senses. Although blind to the physical world, she perfectly perceived the chi flows and intentions and had therefore heard the conversation.
’ So that is the name of Lancelot’s son who is the bearer of the Beast’s Mark? ’
She remained motionless, the wind blowing her long golden hair, as she absorbed the orders her mother had just given to the heir of the Spear Clan.
’ It seems that Mom wants to kill my dear Nemesis... Daemon Shaytan Dagon... ’