novelraw Chapter 292: Throne of Glass
Chapter 292: Throne of Glass
Chapter 292: Throne of Glass Ynixia treaded carefully amongst the silence, herding the shadowed mist in her wake with every unheard step. Her surroundings drowned the chaos of her mind, unresistant to the castle void’s embrace.
Wearing a solemn expression, she strolled further and further into the decrepit, mist-ridden corridor—the darkness was offering no answers for her mind’s endless questions.
Questions like, Why has this castle aided me, despite its attempts to also silence me?
It felt as if the living shadows that hoped to feast on her flesh were nothing more than a meal themselves. As if, the castle knew of her power and was purposefully sending them toward their demise.
Though, more importantly, she wondered about something else that seemed much more simple on the surface:
Why have I not reached my destination yet?
It was true that her memories were fragmented—there were many pieces she had yet to truly uncover or learn about.
But that didn’t mean she was fully in the dark.
Every corridor she had passed through so far had uncovered numerous scenes of the past—this was a castle she frequently visited in the past after all. As long as she thoroughly explored it, memories would immediately begin to resurface, no matter how many centuries had passed.
But it seems this effect had already begun to wane. The dark halls she was crossing no longer gave her the same sense of nostalgia. It almost felt as if she had already passed by them moments prior…
No, perhaps that really was the truth.
“Is the castle messing with my sense of direction?”
The subspace was clearly being manipulated, she was just unsure how. Sensing the surrounding void was practically impossible with how layered the mist was woven.
But before she could ponder over her predicament further, Albert suddenly stirred awake—the shadows surrounding her signalling his presence.
Ynixia froze, “An enemy?”
The mist shifted in response, prompting her to click her tongue. “It truly never ends…”
She stood still for a while, unwilling to move even in the slightest. The mist around her continued to churn in silence, as if they were ocean waves slamming into the shore in a distinct rhythm. Ynixia knew the tide would soon rise, alerting her to the arrival of something…
And sure enough, her instincts were correct. In just a fraction of a second, the mist surrounding her shifted out of rhythm—she swiftly moved her head slightly to the right in response. In an instant, Ynixia felt a sharp sting coming from her left cheek.
She had felt it intrinsically—an arrow of darkness had passed by without leaving behind a single echo!
Clicking her tongue, she shifted her gaze toward the source, noticing a charred skeletal creature holding a mist-woven bow. His hollow eyes watched her from a distance in absolute silence, like a hunter eyeing his prey.
Then, before she could observe him further, the cloak of fog he wore made him vanish once more from sight.
Ynixia cursed inwardly. “Screw this, we’re running.” She grasped her left hand tightly while sprinting forward, feeling the familiar shape of the skull ring mounted on her ring finger.
Several more times, arrows of darkness flew toward her which she sensed with her control over the surrounding shadows. Each time, she would either shift slightly away to dodge or duck, letting the strange projectile pass over her. Corridor after corridor passed by as she changed course multiple times, but it seemed losing the creature was a lot more difficult than she had expected.
By now, the castle’s familiar layout had become a maze not even she could fully grasp. It was just as she had assumed—the subspace was indeed messing with her.
“Damn it!” She cursed her luck while attempting to dodge another shadowy arrow. Because of the strange nature of this castle, sensing anything beyond her purview was essentially impossible. In essence, this was now a battle between two forms of the Nameless Mist—one which hoped to erase her senses, while the other attempted to counter that effect. Only, the latter was far more limited than the former.
Think, Ynixia, think! She tried to refocus, What exactly is the subspace attempting to do? I need to find the pattern so that I can break through it!
As she pondered over this, she sensed another arrow coming towards her. Strangely, the mist was signalling that it was arriving from her front!
Ynixia’s eyes widened. In less than a second, the bolt of darkness raced toward her forehead—she tried to shift away, but it was too late. She was certain it would reach her before she could dodge!
But just as it felt her life was about to end, the mist surrounding Ynixia stirred, manifesting a colossal charcoal skeletal arm that blocked the arrow’s path.
“Albert!”
The impact was deafening—the Radius and Ulna splintered as the bone fragments flew everywhere. Ynixia was pushed back as well, shielding her eyes from the shrapnel.
She grit her teeth. “How dare you!”
But her anger was practically short-lived. Three more arrows were shot toward her—all from different directions. She swiftly dodged the first two with the surrounding mist’s warnings while deflecting the last one with Soren’s shadowed dagger.
It was only then that it finally dawned on her. Her eyes widened.
“I see… I get it now,” Ynixia froze, letting the surrounding mist churn freely.
“This maze… It was never the castle’s doing—you were the one responsible all along.” Her eyes sharpened. “You’re nothing like the other living shadows. That dark, misty cloak… I remember it now. You’re an elite member of the Death Empire’s Shadow Legion, right? The Night of Terror’s famous Sleepless Squadron.”
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No answer arrived. But the silence itself felt akin to one.
Ynixia shook her head. “To think someone like you would turn against their own master. What treasonous behavior… If King Arthur knew of this transgression, many heads would have flown off their bodies by now.”
It felt strange for her to say these words—she loathed the empire and its ways completely after all. But, it seemed to have worked regardless. The Sleepless Prowler, as they were called, had ceased all attacks. It seems to have confused him greatly—the Sleepless Squadron were known to serve as Guardians of the Temple so attacking the Holy Maiden, of all people, went against his duties.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ynixia took a deep breath as she stood there amidst the dark silence, pondering over her next move.
From what she knew of the Sleepless Prowlers, all of them were usually equipped with Magitech relics crafted with the power of the Nameless Mist imbued within them. The one standing before her was no different—his cloak was simply a manifestation of the surrounding dark mist that had engulfed Ynixia without her awareness.
Inside this isolated bubble, reality continued to present itself as normal. She had walked through several corridors attempting to escape the attacker’s presence, but it was all useless. The same gloomy halls would continue to present themselves again and again, making her assume that the castle’s subspace was attempting to trap her in an elaborate maze.
Although her assumption was indeed correct, the true reason behind it wasn’t. The castle was never responsible—if it had the capability to do something similar, it would have already tried doing it to her from the very start of her exploration.
Indeed, it was all due to the Sleepless Prowler’s cloak. She smiled softly. He had surrounded her in its presence, making her believe she was traveling the castle freely. That was why he was able to attack her from all angles and directions, despite her attempts at running away. His presence had been surrounding her from the very beginning.
She shook her head. If it wants to trap me within its own pitiful influence over the Nameless Mist, then I must drive into its skull that my authority will always dwarf his! Otherwise, my title as Holy Maiden wouldn’t be worth anything.
She opened her eyes, staring deeply at the edge of the shadowy mist. She watched it churn around her, like makeshift foggy prison. No doubt, the Sleepless Prowler was hiding within its illusive embrace.
She smiled, “If you want to consume me so badly, I will gladly feed you.”
As she said this, the shadows surrounding her began to expand explosively, as if a dam had broken, spilling everything it was previously containing.
In an instant, the corridor she had been sprinting through transformed into a complete void—erased by the Nameless Mist under her control. The world then began to shake as the two Nameless Mists clashed against each other. But despite the Prowler’s resistance, Ynixia’s darkness continued to pour out endlessly, building more and more pressure.
It didn’t take long for the ‘bubble’ to shatter. Ynixia watched as the flood of darkness broke through the surrounding mist, consuming it in the process. Her eyes immediately noticed his presence in the distance, holding his bow in a battle stance but unsure of whether to continue attacking or not.
“Allow me to take care of that cloak for you from now on.” She chuckled, “Not so hard to read anymore without it, right?”
But the skeletal creature only stood there in silence, unable to answer. But before Ynixia could think over her next move, a solemn but melodic voice reverberated all around them:
[You’ve tried your best, Forgotten Prowler. Stand down.]
A chill ran down Ynixia’s spine. She had instantly remembered who the voice belonged to.
Moreover, the shadows she had released were finally returning to her, revealing more of her surroundings. This wasn’t any familiar corridor in the castle.
This… was the throne room.
Indeed, reflecting in her eyes was a colossal structure made of crystalline, shaped into an enigmatic seat that radiated in power. The chamber expanded beyond it—decorated in countless banners and crystalized sculptures that were guarded by fierce, armored mannequins which all stood in unison on each side.
“The Throne of Glass…” She whispered.
That was what most in the empire called it. As the first bastion in His legendary conquest, Hyades Castle used to be the home of King Arthur Himself. This was where He used to be seated. After the castle was handed to Duchess Cassilda, the throne room was forever sealed—no one was allowed to sit in it, not even the Duchess herself.
So then why… Why was Ynixia seeing someone seated there now. And not just any random person. But someone loathed by the entire Death Empire…
“The Lady of the Lake… Morgan the Fairy.” Her voice stammered on the name.
In the distance, the woman’s silhouette finally came into view as more of the shadows receded. She crossed her legs suggestively as she sat upon the mythic throne, leaning on one side while observing Ynixia keenly.
The Shepherd also did the same, capturing the mysterious woman’s every feature. Aside from Her silver hair being a similar color to hers, the woman wore an almost identical crown of pallid white flowers that went around Her tied-up hair. The only difference being… they seemed to be drenched in crimson blood.
Her completely tattered pitch black robe also had a similar feature, but the fragmented patches of blood were shaped like butterflies, giving a distinct pattern to them. What drew Ynixia’s eyes the most, however, was the woman’s pale white skin beneath these loose robes.
It felt as if she was staring directly at a ghost or some terrifying umbral creature disguised in the form of a beautiful woman. The strangeness only became more palpable the moment she noticed the greyish white spectral wings floating behind her. They were shaped similarly to that of a moth or butterfly, completely translucent in quality as they flapped gracefully behind her.
Ynixia clicked her tongue. “I should have known you were behind this. The Sleepless Prowlers are known for their loyalty to the empire. They wouldn’t be allowed to serve within the Temple otherwise.”
The woman sitting upon the Glass Throne smiled.
[I’ve missed you, dearest Ynixia. Have you missed me as well?]
The Shepherd grit her teeth. “What the hell do you want?”
[How cold…]
Sharpening her gaze, Ynixia dragged her fingers across the Skull Ring as if striking at flint—igniting in a strange, black and white flame.
“O’ Black Stars… Heed my call,” the entire chamber suddenly dimmed as the ancient Dulvali words echoed for all to hear. In an instant, everything had become submerged in her Soul Realm’s presence. Ynixia watched as her palm became engulfed in the strange, shadowed flame that radiated no heat. She clutched it tightly into a fist.
[Incantation magecraft,] Morgan whispered, but Her voice filled the chamber anyway. [Interesting, I thought you hated the teachings of the Temple.]
“I am facing someone I despise even more,” Ynixia suddenly waved her hand, letting the black flame form an arc that instantly morphed into numerous blazing arrows.
[Am I that depraveable in your eyes?]
Ynixia didn’t answer—she continued channeling her incantation, “Fly, Shadow Flame Arr—”
Before she could complete her command, the colossal chamber door that leads into the throne room suddenly began to creak.
Ynixia paused, turning to see who had arrived. Her eyes immediately widened.
From the threshold of the royal hall emerged a gargantuan dark knight clad in silent armor, his thorned shadow-sword dragging across the floor with a grating scrape.
Even more strange, He held tightly to the limp body of a young, unconscious woman, hanging over His shoulder.
[Oh my… You’ve arrived back here so quickly. And it seems you’ve brought another guest with you as well…]
Ynixia bit her lip, “Mordred…”
She once again remembered that common saying:
“Whatever the Weeping Lake reflects, becomes infested in black thorns.”