Chapter 1058: A Choice Between What Was Easy, And What Was Right
It didn't take long for William and Celine to arrive at the temporary stronghold that the Demons had built near the entrance of the Ancient Ruins.
"It's bigger than I thought," Celine said as she glanced at the ruins in front of her. "To think that something like this has been buried for countless years and was only unearthed recently, it makes me wonder if it's just coincidence."
"No." William shook his head. "This is no coincidence. It might be due to that Prophecy."
"Prophecy, is that edible?" Chloee asked before chewing the gummy bear in her hand.
William, and Celine exchanged a glance before giving each other a helpless smile.
To be perfectly honest, William didn't believe in Prophecies. However, he could no longer deny that there seemed to be some kind of mysterious power that was pushing things in motion. He didn't know if this was really what the Prophecy was like, all he knew was that he wouldn't allow Celine to become the bride of whoever that Prince was.
"Is there a way for us to sneak in?" William inquired as he gazed at the well-guarded entrance in the distance. If possible, he didn't want to force himself in because he was afraid that it might trigger the Ancient Ruins' defense mechanism and make the Dark Powers inside his body lose control.
During that state, he was practically helpless. In order to prevent both of them from being incapacitated, he opted for the most optimal way to enter the Holy Land of Dark Magic.
"I can feel some very faint signals coming from various locations around the ruins," Celine replied, "but I am not sure if they are the entrances that we are looking for."
Chloee who had been sitting on top of William's head voiced out her thoughts.
"I still think that using bruteforce is the best way to handle this situation," Chloee stated. "How about I do it for you g uys instead?"
"No."
"Let's not do that."
"Tsk."
While the three were pondering about what course of action they should take, something unexpected happened. At the center of the ruins, a dark orb slowly expanded and shot in the direction where Celine, William, and Chloee were hiding.
William and Celine were planning to dodge this dark beam, but to their surprise, they were unable to move their bodies. They could only watch helplessly as the Darkness engulfed both of them.
Chloee, on the other hand could move, but seeing that the Half-Elf and her Master's twin sister couldn't move, she just held tightly on William's hair as she allowed herself to also be hit by the beam of darkness as well.
It was at that moment when a hoarse laughter echoed within the Ancient Ruins that filled those who heard it with dread.
"The time… has come," the Dark Wraith appeared in the sky above the ruins and spread its arms wide. "Let this world… descend into Darkness!"
The dark orb once again expanded above the center of the Ruins and shot a dark beam of light towards the sky. A moment later, the clear blue sky became darker than black. No stars, no moons, no light, could pierce through the veil of darkness that extended for miles.
Felix immediately stepped out of the stronghold to try to understand what was happening around him. Although the Demon Army that had built the temporary stronghold was made up of elite warriors, he could sense the anxiousness in his surroundings, and he understood that if this continued, things might slip out of his control.
However, before he could even do anything, the dark orb once again expanded and shot a beam of darkness around the Ruins in a circular manner, hitting every living thing within a ten mile radius of the Ancient Ruins.
A few seconds later, not a single soul could be seen in the Stronghold,or in the surrounding regions.
The Dark Wraith laughed once again before disappearing from sight.
—---
Every Demon Clan near the Ancient Ruins was startled when they saw the unbelievable phenomenon that just transpired near their borders. None of them wasted any time and sent their fastest scouts to investigate what was happening.
A few hours later, the scouts returned with grim expressions on their faces. According to their observation, the field of darkness was slowly expanding outwards. They insisted that It was only a matter of time before it reached their territories.
"DId you cross the boundary of darkness?" one Patriarch asked one of the scouts that he had sent to investigate.
"Yes," the scout replied. "Aside from being under a dark sky, I didn't notice any noticeable changes in my body."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, My Lord. there is nothing wrong with arghh!"
The scout held onto his head in pain, while everyone in the room backed away. Tendrils of dark mists oozed out of his body as he rolled around on the ground.
A few minutes later, he stopped moving completely.
The Patriarch grit his teeth as he willed himself to walk towards his fallen subordinate to check his condition.
When he was only a few meters away from him, the subordinate's eyes opened. The patriarch was shocked to see that his pupils had turned completely black, instead of the orange color that was the trademark of their clan.
The scout slowly stood up as he gazed indifferently to the Demons around him.
"The Heir of Darkness… will be born soon," the scout said. "All who submit to him… will live, all who oppose him… will perish."
The scout walked towards the patriarch, while the latter backed away in fear.
Seeing his reaction the scout laughed hoarsely, which made everyone inside the room shudder uncontrollably.
"Spread the word…," the scout said as the mist that was oozing out of his body slowly dissipated. "He is coming. Darkness… will soon… reign supreme!"
After laughing one last time, the scout collapsed on the ground, dead, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
This scene was happening in many places at almost the same time. The Messengers of Darkness had heralded the coming of their Lord.
Just as they said, the dark sky was slowly expanding outwards, covering the land in eternal Darkness. Forced to make a decision, the Patriarchs immediately held an emergency meeting.
They were only left with two choices, cease all resistance and submit to the soon to be born Heir of Darkness, or flee their territories and head South to escape him.
As those whose territories bordered the northern regions were on their way to making a hard decision, the other Demon Clans weren't being idle either. Although they were quite far from the North, they didn't feel secure.
Even they felt that it was only a matter of time before their own territories would be under the dark sky, and fall under the rule of whoever would be chosen to become their new Master.
—--
The Southern Regions of the Demon Continent…
"So, it has finally started." Joash gazed at his artifact that was monitoring the Ancient Ruins.
Dark lightning streaked across the sky as thunderous roars boomed in the heavens. The lightning bolts would hit the Ancient Ruins from time to time, but they didn't do any damage to it. It seemed that the lightning itself was being attracted to it.
"Zeph, what are your plans?" Joash asked as he gazed at another round mirror that was hovering beside him.
"We will wait for the time being," Zeph answered with a solemn expression on his face. "According to my calculation, it will take at least two to three months before the Dark Domain reaches the Fortaare Desert. We have plenty of time to evacuate. I have already ordered my subordinates to prepare the logistics for if and when we are going to leave our homeland.
"For now, the majority of our people still don't know what is happening in the North. I'd like to keep it that way for a month, so there wouldn't be any cause for panic. My Liege Lord, Lorcan, also thinks the same way."
Joash nodded his head in understanding.
"I will tell my daughter and her entourage to join your clan for the time being," Joash said. "Watch over them for me. If you decide to flee, take her with you."
"Understood."
"Okay."
The image of Zeph faded from the round mirror. Joash once again contacted all of his allies and asked them on what course of action they were planning to take.
The main reason why Joash had volunteered to become the Gatekeeper of the South was due to the discovery of the Ancient Ruins. From the very start, he had a feeling that, sometime in the future, a great calamity would happen in the Northern Territory.
This was why he decided to create a stronghold in the South, in preparation for what was about to come. His fortress was not made to only keep the invaders of their land away from their Domain, it could also be used as the last line of defense to contain whatever evil might be born from the Ancient Ruins that had made him feel inexplicable danger back then.
"I just hope that Adam can become the chosen one," Joash muttered as he thought about his disciple. "But, that Half-Elf is also a good second choice. Regardless of who remains in the end, I just hope that they will be on my side. If not…"
The Black Dragon closed his eyes, as he clenched his fist. He didn't dare voice out the rest of the words he wanted to say for fear that they would come true.
Dark times were upon them, and soon they would be given a choice between what was easy, and what was right.