Cursed Heir System: Revenge Against the Gods

The Parheller mines were a death nightmare three days after the massacre. The tunnel floor was smeared with dried blood. Heads were severed, limbs were ripped, and the bodies of guards and slaves were strewn about.

It was quiet until bootsteps began to echo, and the air smelled of rot and blood. With a tall, muscular frame and a deadly grace, Duke Danel Verdelane moved through the carnage.

His jaw was clenched as his grey eyes surveyed the devastation. His dark hair was cropped and short.

He was followed by a group of elite soldiers who were too scared to talk.

The stone beneath them shook as a low, unsettling growl rumbled from the tunnel ahead. A tall, bony, hunched figure slithered between splintered pillars, its grey flesh quivering. Jagged slits flared as if it sensed the Duke, and it paused, tilting its eyeless face toward him. Then it began to skitter across the stone with terrifying speed.

The soldiers clenched into a line, their hands clutching spears and swords. However, like a hunter waiting for his prey to stumble, Danel remained still, his grey eyes fixed on the creature.

"RAAH!" Like a shooting star, a blur fell from the ceiling and struck the creature as it was charging. With his twin curved swords in his hands, Louis Koller landed with a wild, careless grin. His blades cut a savage cross through the creature's side as he spun in midair.

Shhlick!

The monster stumbled, its charge broken, and black ichor sprayed, splattering the stone.

Louis landed lightly, his tanned skin slick with sweat, his lean frame solid as a coiled spring. His short, high ponytail of wild black curls bounced with his every step. Clad in flexible red-and-black leather, he radiated a savage, wild energy.

His amber eyes, glimmering with laughter, met the creature's.

"Gosh, you look even more disgusting than the rumors said!"

"Thought they were exaggerating. Clearly not."

The beast screeched again, lunging with a claw where Louis had stood, but he was already gone. After cutting its legs and avoiding a whip-like tail that struck the stone, he charged forward and stabbed it in the spine with one sword. With a sharp cry, the monster fell, black ichor pooling beneath it.

But then, its body snapped. Bones snapped and flesh writhed, weaving together beneath its skin like living threads. The wounds closed within seconds. Completely healed, the creature rises and lets out a louder snarl.

Louis took a step back, his eyes narrowed.

He whispered, "Well, that's a nice trick."

"Avoid killing it, Louis. Just Restrain it." Duke Danel gave the order.

A claw swipe was deflected by Louis. "Oh, of course, I'll simply tie it up with a nice bow!" He ducked a blow that cracked the stone behind him and shot back.

"Your Grace, any advice?"

Danel moved forward and lifted one hand, a faint golden light glimmering in the dark tunnel as his palm glowed with divine mana.

"Dominae Vincula: Null Web."

Like a spider's web woven with divine skill, golden threads of mana spread out from his hand and stretched across the ground. It sank into the trembling flesh of the creature and wrapped around its limbs. As the threads tightened, the monster's bony form jerked as it hissed and thrashed. Like a puppet ensnared in golden strings, its movements slowed and its strength lowered.

With a flick of his wrist, Lois wiped perspiration from his brow and said, "Not bad, boss."

"I guess I made it easier for you by softening it."

Danel stared at the creature with his grey eyes and commanded, "Secure it."

The soldiers moved quickly, using the Duke's mana to strengthen the enchanted chains that bound the monster. The creature's snarls faded to low, pitiful whimpers, its body pinned to the stone like a trapped bug.

"So, what is the plan? Keeping this thing as a guard dog?" Louis inquired.

Danel studied eyeless monster, his eyes narrowing as he took a moment to think before responding.

"This is no ordinary beast."

"It's a remnant of something older. We take it alive. I want answers."

From Louis's back came a chilly, soft voice. "Sir, we found a clue."

Louis winced and whirled around, his hand snapping to the hilt of his sword. "Gods, Zoe, you scared the shit outta me!" With a hand on his chest and a sharp exhale, he said.

He looked at the slender woman, who had no insignia to identify her and was wearing a long, hooded, plain black cloak that blended into the darkness. A sleek, glossy black mask with delicate gold lines encrusted on it hid her face.

For a moment, Duke Danel's grey eyes shifted to her. With the weight of a man accustomed to obedience, he ordered, "Lead." With an emotionless nod, Zoe turned as she led them farther into the tunnel's depths.

They moved through the carnage, stepping over broken bodies and reached a section of the wall where a single, bloated hand hung from a rusty wall ring, still bound to the chain. Dried blood streaked the wall below.

Louis tilted his head, his lips curling into a lopsided smirk. "Who's this poor bastard's hand belong to?" he asked, his tone half-curious, half-mocking.

Danel's gaze was icy, his voice flat with certainty. "It's Dekel's, of course. Nobody else here's fat enough."

His keen grey eyes scanned everything around him. A severed arm nearby was cut neatly and precisely, as if it had been slashed by a swordsman. A set of hand chains and two shattered slave collars were strewn next to it. He kept his eyes on the hanging hand, observing the ring finger's ripped flesh, which looked as though it had been yanked off. His stern face flashed with grim understanding as his jaw tightened.

Danel said in a cautious, low voice, "Someone used this chaos."

"They may have planned their escape rather than just making it. Orchestrated the massacre, locked the gates, and baited the creature to cover their tracks."

He turned to Zoe, his grey eyes burning with cold resolve. "Find them. Whoever escaped these mines, hunt them down and kept them alive. I'll handle the rest."

Zoe nodded.

Louis let out a low whistle, his grin widening. "I really want to see the genius who pulled off this chaos," he said, his voice laced with admiration and a spark of mischief.

"Gotta give 'em credit for turning this place into a slaughterhouse? That's some ballsy work."

************************

Meanwhile,

Evening cloaked the hills in amber and firelight, painting the world in gold.

The sky was streaked with drifting clouds that captured the last of the light like brushstrokes on a fading canvas, and it blazed in shades of soft rose and molten orange.

With his shoulders slumped under a ragged, stolen cloak, Alan sat on a fallen log close to the campfire. The fire in front of him crackled brightly, illuminating his pale face and tired blue eyes.

A waterfall's rhythmic rush echoed gently behind him, far away but calm. Beside him, the river reflected the evening sun and flowed smooth and silver.

!

As the fish struck the hot stones, their skin crisped and their juices hissed as they sizzled over the flames. The earthy perfume of pine needles, river mist, and wildflowers blooming unseen in the underbrush blended with the savory aroma as it rose into the air.

Alan remained silent. He seemed to be trying to get rid of the memories of the mines from his mind by keeping his gaze on the fire. Silence and the sky have taken the place of blood, chains, and yelling mouths. It was brittle. Amazing.

He turned slightly when he heard a soft crunch behind him.

Standing barefoot on the riverbank, Moriko's loose shirt clung to her body in the wind. The light caught her silhouette, outlining her slender form as she stared out over the water. Her golden eyes reflected the sunset's dying light.

Slowly, she reached for the hem of her tunic.