The Damned Demon - Chapter 755

Chapter 755 A Hundred Years of Silence, One Moment of Chaos

The low murmur of voices in the courtyard between Kira and Zu came to an abrupt halt when the distant sound of screams split the air. The cries of her people, sharp and agonized, sent a ripple of unease through the moment. Kira's expression shifted, her frown deepening as her sharp gaze flickered toward the source of the commotion.

Zu's voice carried a heavy edge, "It's coming from the prison... where that prince is kept."

Without hesitation, Kira's form blurred, her movements faster than the eye could follow. The world around her twisted into streaks of muted colors until she came to an abrupt stop before the stone building. The scene before her made her stomach twist.

She started, her voice firm, "What's going—" but her words caught in her throat. Her gaze fell upon the lifeless body of one of her own, his neck slashed, blood pooling beneath him like a crimson halo. Around him, her people sobbed, their cries filled with raw grief and pain.

Zu caught up moments later, his expression heavy, his eyes dark as they moved from the corpse to the sight of two more bodies being carried out. A heavy silence hung between them before he spoke, his voice laced with worry and concern, "Our place has been exposed. Somebody powerful must have sneaked in to save that prince, and he must have been a decoy who somehow exposed our location. We aren't safe here anymore."

Kira's fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned pale, her entire body trembling with a volatile mix of rage and grief. Her emerald eyes, usually burning with confidence, now simmered with unyielding fury as they lingered on the three fallen.

"How dare they come here..." Her voice was low, venomous. She turned to Zu, her tone shifting to one of unshakable determination, "It doesn't matter, Father Zu. They won't be a problem anymore... not after today."

- Nôv(el)B\jnn

Far beyond the Wretched Lands, Rebecca descended from the skies to a halt, her breaths coming in labored gasps as she gently lowered Oberon from her arms. The oppressive weight of the Wretched Lands lifted slightly by now, though her shoulders sagged with exhaustion.

"Are you okay, my son?" she asked, her voice tinged with weariness as she bent slightly to meet his eyes, "They wouldn't dare try to chase us outside with such few numbers."

Oberon nodded weakly, his lips trembling as he gazed at her. Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling over before he could stop them, "I—I thought I would never see you again, Mother..."

Rebecca's chest tightened painfully at the sight of her son's tears. She wiped them away with trembling fingers, her own eyes glistening as she whispered, "Don't cry, Oberon. You know I will always come for you. I would never abandon you. But..." Her voice quivered as she continued, "I can't forgive you for running off alone, taking up such a dangerous mission without telling me. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Her chin trembled, her voice cracking with emotion. She wanted to be angry at him but couldn't bring herself to, not after seeing how hurt he was.

Oberon pressed his lips together, shame overtaking his features. His voice was hoarse, laden with regret, "F-Forgive me, Mother. This ungrateful son has wronged you so much. I never did anything right in my life, but I at least wanted to do something right by you. I... I wanted to protect you with whatever strength I had left. I-I wanted to save you from him."

Rebecca froze, her eyes widening. Her worst fears were confirmed. He knew—knew of Asher's grip on her and that she was his slave.

But as she stared at Oberon's face, she realized he had misunderstood far more than she'd imagined.

"About him..." she began carefully, gripping his arms firmly, "You didn't have to worry. I can handle him fine. I told you to not worry about him again. Why would you even think that doing this would somehow protect me?"

Rowena's brows knit together, her voice sharpening. "Left? What do you mean by that? Where did she go? Is she planning to do something? And why am I only hearing about this now?" Her tone was icy, her words pressing Vernon to the edge of his nerves.

Vernon bowed his head, his voice apologetic, "Forgive me, Your Majesty. It only happened before I came here. I was about to tell you—"

Before he could finish, a voice from behind cut through, "Your Majesty, an urgent word with you," Seron called, his expression grim as he lowered the Whisper Stone in his hand. Ceti was also standing beside him, as if she wanted to consult Rowena together with Seron.

Rowena cast Vernon one last withering look before striding toward Seron, "What is it?" she asked, her tone clipped.

Seron leaned in slightly, his voice low and grave, "I just received information about movements among the werewolf clans. It might be nothing, but our spies report that they've never seen such activity before."

Ceti chimed in with a worried look, "It's as if they're preparing to leave their lands... perhaps for somewhere far or here..."

Rowena's expression remained steady, her voice calm but decisive, "It can't be here. The Moon Guardian may be many things, but he isn't one to break his word. If he wanted to attack us, he would have done so long ago."

"Perhaps," Seron said cautiously, "but there's another matter. It concerns our own people... our soldiers, and all the nobles. They're growing anxious, restless. The absence of His Majesty is weighing heavily on them. Our people worship him for everything he's done to protect and strengthen this kingdom, especially against the draconians. I don't know what to tell them to ease their worries even though they look up to you for strength as well."

Rowena's face hardened, memories of Asher's deeds flickering in her mind. She couldn't deny how much he had done to strengthen the kingdom. Yet, her father's face haunted her thoughts, the pain it brought bubbling to the surface, especially after knowing who he truly was.

Ceti hesitated before speaking, "May I ask, Your Majesty... will His Majesty return in time to fight with us? Perhaps you could call him back, given the emergency situation. Whatever reason he might have left for...I am sure he will return if we let him know how much we need him..." Ceti then added in a low voice which only Rowena could hear, "...how much you need him."

Rowena's eyes flickered as a storm of emotions brewed in her heart. But before she could think further, Lord Stormrider's voice cut through the room, his Whisper Stone clattering against the table, "Your Majesty!" he cried, his face pale and stricken, "We're under attack!"

The room froze, the air thick with tension. Rowena spun toward him, her tone calm and commanding. "Under attack? From where? They couldn't have gotten here this quickly."

Stormrider's jaw clenched, his voice strained, "Tens of thousands of draconian soldiers are pouring into our kingdom through teleportation portals that just activated within our borders!!"

The moment he finished, they felt the ground trembling as the darkness outside was shattered by dark red pillars erupting into the sky—one after another.

"Oh no..." Ceti gasped in shock and despair upon seeing all those pillars, which were a prelude to the manifestation of teleportation portals.

Silence fell as they watched these pillars afar through the windows. Despair swept over the gathered council, their faces falling one by one. Where did these portals even come from??

"What... what should we do, Your Majesty?" Stormrider asked, his voice trembling as his eyes sought hers.

Rowena's mind raced, but despair began to creep into her eyes. The realization of how deep their enemies' plans ran struck her like a dagger. And for the first time, the room saw a flicker of fear in their queen.