Chapter 262 - Nathan Evenhart and Nikolaus Wolves

Nathan Evenhart:

I ran, feeling an overwhelming rage surging within me, as if my identity as Nathan Evenhart was being overshadowed by the fury of Icarus. I wanted to find Nikolaus Wolves, I wanted to kill him more than anything in this world.

Eventually, I arrived at a long corridor that housed prison cells. What I saw there was disturbing: corpses chained, with buckets of blood beside their bodies, as if they had been used for macabre experiments and other twisted practices.

I kept exploring, passing through rooms filled with contraband drugs, weapons, and even stone blocks with ancient inscriptions, found in archaeological digs. All of these items were carefully organized, ready to be sold on the black market. The walls, covered in dust and wear, revealed a history buried for centuries, now in the hands of greedy criminals.

Among the stone blocks, some still had fragments of runes and unknown symbols, partially worn by time. I touched one of them, feeling a faint vibration, and realized there was more to this cavern than simple contraband. It was as if the place itself was connected to something bigger and darker.

Each room revealed more about the criminal operations taking place, and the air grew heavier, as though an invisible presence was watching me. The inscriptions on the stones, from a long-extinct civilization, unsettled me.

As I approached a large stone mural, something unexpected happened. The inscriptions in an ancient language, initially incomprehensible, began to glow with a faint, pulsating light. My eyes tingled slightly, and for a moment, I thought I was hallucinating. But then, the letters began to rearrange themselves, slowly shifting until, suddenly, the words carved into the stone transformed into phrases I could read, as if they were translated directly into my language.

I was stunned. I had never experienced anything like this. It was as if the mural itself was communicating with me, unlocking long-lost secrets. The words spoke of a "War of the Elves," mentioning ancient kingdoms and a "Dark Conflict" that, from what I could gather, had devastated entire civilizations.

My heart raced, and the more I read, the more the feeling that something profound and dangerous was about to be revealed grew inside me. It was as if the mural was whispering secrets from past ages, and I, somehow, had been chosen to hear them.

The realization of how I was able to read the inscriptions hit me like a bolt of lightning. It was my Celestial Eyes. Somehow, they knew this language, and now I could uncover information that no one else could. I could feel the ancient magic flowing through the mural, revealing secrets long buried. I continued moving from wall to wall, trying to understand what was there, but despite reading the words, the content still seemed disconnected. Many parts were missing, with pieces of the mural destroyed, and the runes cracked or incomplete.

I ran my hand over the inscriptions, feeling the runes light up with a pale glow, shifting as I touched them. It was as if they recognized my presence and wanted to show me something deeper. The words glowed, changing shape before my eyes. Yet everything was still an enigma.

"Elves... and Great Elf Mother," I whispered, trying to connect the fragments. "A war between elves? Or a war in which they participated?"

The disordered phrases kept appearing, loose pieces of a puzzle that seemed impossible to solve. Everything pointed to a conflict of epic proportions, but it was impossible to say against whom or why. It was as if part of the history had been erased or deliberately hidden.

There was a growing sense of something dark behind those words, an echo of a distant past that still reverberated in the present.

As the murals ended abruptly, a sense of incompleteness lingered in the air. Without the other parts of the mural, the story they were telling felt unfinished.

I decided to move forward, but something made me stop. A sharp sound echoed behind me.

‘CAW’ the caw of a crow.

I quickly turned, scanning for the bird, but there was nothing. Just the silence and darkness surrounding me.

Something on the ground caught my attention. Beneath a pile of wood and animal pelts meant for smuggling, there was another mural, partially hidden. It was smaller, a small stone slab that seemed out of place compared to the rest of the murals. That sound seemed to have appeared only to guide me to it.

With effort, I pushed the wood aside and grabbed the stone slab in my hands. As soon as I touched the runes, they glowed, as if the slab had awakened. The inscriptions began to rearrange themselves, forming a new message, and I read it aloud:

“Darkness always walks with the Treacherous, following their every step. Beware the great liar who whispers lies and desires you so long to hear. Beware falling into their words, lest you lose yourself.”

At the bottom, a subtle signature: ‘Mimir’s Journal.’

These words seemed to echo inside me, like an ancient and urgent warning. It was as if something bigger, more dangerous than any previous mural, was at stake. A dark puzzle that had only just begun to reveal itself.

I continued walking, the path growing into an increasingly claustrophobic labyrinth. The headache began to intensify, and with each step, it felt like the air around me was being drained, and a faint trace of malevolence lingered in the atmosphere.

Still, I pressed on, knowing that whatever was happening here, it was far beyond simple contraband.

I arrived at my destination, feeling the fury burning within me, ready to explode. Standing at the back of that chamber was the man who had caused me so many problems since I was only five years old. The chamber was circular, its edges surrounded by a dark pool, reflecting the vaulted ceiling. To reach him, I had to cross a small stone bridge.

That place didn’t seem like just a battle room.

“Temple!” I exclaimed, surprised by the revelation.

What would a temple be doing here? Humans on this continent don’t worship gods.

He was facing away from me, with his personal troops, the so-called ‘Great Wolves,’ by his side, ready to defend their master. However, something in that room caught my attention. The walls were covered in drawings depicting strange and disturbing figures.

One of the stone drawings showed a tall man sitting on a throne, with an eye patch. Surrounding him were crows and other birds. But they weren’t ordinary birds… they were phoenixes.

My head throbbed, and the familiar darkness within me stirred. The guardian was clearly disturbed.

I turned my gaze to another image on the wall. This time, it was a man holding a hammer, and next to him, a...

Serpent… I completed in my thoughts.

Above all of them, black ropes hung like marionette strings, controlling them. And beyond the ropes, glowing eyes in the darkness watched them from above, commanding like an invisible force.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Grrrrr!” The voice of the guardian echoed in my mind, growling in irritation. Something about those black figures and the painted scene deeply unsettled him.

I felt excruciating pain, an immense pressure. I needed to focus, but I was flooded with information, and then the guardian burst out of the darkness with a loud roar. He had awoken, and in great haste, he spoke to me in the darkness of my mind, in that place where time seemed to stand still. There, he and I had a brief argument.

"Nathan Evenhart!" Nikolaus Wolves's voice echoed through the chamber, filled with desperation and rage. He was sweating, fear clear in his eyes, but his fury was even more evident.

"It’s all your fault!" he screamed, his voice trembling with frustration. "They stopped answering me! I was special! I was chosen to be someone important. But then... you showed up! They told me to wait... They said everyone would fall on the day of the great conflict! But you got in my way, stopping me from marrying Chloe and becoming the Duke!" His anger was palpable, almost suffocating, as if he was on the brink of collapse.

Nikolaus's men, his personal troops, stood motionless, but there was something deeply wrong with them. Silently, they began to move toward me. Their bodies were deformed, with dark, decaying parts. Grotesque holes appeared in their flesh, and their eyes... completely black, lifeless, without whites, like voids staring into nothingness.

Corrupted...

I knew what they were. The information was etched in my Celestial Eyes. They were mere shadows of the humans they once were, now controlled by the corruption of their souls.

"I had to use them... my last resort! Now you will die, and I will dance on your corpse!" Nikolaus screamed, his insanity spilling over.

The corrupted began to charge toward me. Their screams were inhuman, their bodies deformed. Their mouths opened wider than should have been possible, and from their throats came distorted, beastly roars.

"Kill him!" Nikolaus roared, his voice echoing through the chamber.

I didn’t hesitate. Feeling the burning rage against Nikolaus Wolves, I gathered the thunder in my hand. The energy crackled around me, accompanied by the desire for vengeance.

‘ZAP!’ The first corrupted was struck by my lightning, flying backward with a shrill scream. But others came, leaping with speed and ferocity. Dozens of creatures that were once human advanced, hungry for destruction.

"You’re no longer human..." I murmured, realizing they were all coming to devour me.

Nikolaus Wolves:

I sent the men transformed into those abominations directly at the boy. I followed exactly what I was taught, using the special stones I received from that merchant, one of the Illuminated's servants. He gave me the black stone, promising power and control. I had witnessed the power of the Illuminated up close, and I believed I would be one of the chosen. I would be at the top, ruling beside them when they came to this world.

I looked at Nathan Evenhart with hatred, but something was wrong. The boy wasn’t afraid. Even as the creatures advanced toward him, his eyes remained firm, impassive. A chill ran down my spine when I saw something was off. Nathan Evenhart’s eyes were glowing orange, and his pupils were strange. They were vertical, like a serpent’s.

How is this possible?

The creatures advanced against him. This was my last resort. I needed to kill this boy and then use the creatures to set a trap and kill his family.

‘Zap!’ The boy shot a lightning bolt, sending one of the corrupted flying backward, but the others kept coming. He drew a sword from his storage bracelet and charged directly into the crowd of monsters.

“This kid is crazy!” I muttered, tightening the black stone in my hand.

When the abominations were born, I trembled with fear at their monstrosity, but that boy was insane. He ran toward the monsters that would make anyone piss themselves.

“Kill him!” I shouted.

The beastly creatures leaped at him, but what I saw next shocked me even more. Nathan Evenhart jumped right into the middle of them.

He drove the sword into one creature’s chest and, with a strike to the hilt, sent the monster flying backward, knocking down others coming behind. More creatures jumped onto his back, but he grabbed one by the head, slamming it into the ground and landing punches so powerful that the impact cracked the floor.

Nathan Evenhart jumped, punching another creature with such force that its head flew off. He advanced like thunder through the crowd, sparks running across his body as the ground around him exploded. More monsters tried to grab him from behind, but he grabbed them by the neck and, with a brutal movement, made one of their heads explode in his hands.

One creature jumped to bite Nathan, but he locked his hands on its mouth and, with tremendous force, ripped its face in half.

“Aaaargh!” the abominations screamed around him, but the boy remained still, his body soaked in dark blood. He extended his hand, and his sword flew back to him. Nathan began to spin, and lightning shot from his sword as the creatures leaped towards him.

One of them grabbed his leg, while another tried to sink its teeth into his face. In response, Nathan Evenhart concentrated his energy, bursting into lightning that hurled the creatures away. Without wasting time, he ran, firing his sword like a cannonball, propelled by the wind, piercing two creatures at once and throwing them aside.

He grabbed one of the abominations by the stomach and, with a devastating move, split it in half over his knee, shredding it without hesitation.

I fell to the ground, watching in horror, realizing that both Nathan and the creatures were monsters.

The boy extended his hand, and the sword returned to him in a fluid motion. He kept running, firing blasts of wind and stomping on each of the creatures without showing any fear. The sword flew like a projectile, cutting through the enemies and soon returning to his hand, spinning and slicing through the enemies as if guided by unyielding magnetism.

He channeled his energy into the sword, which began to glow intensely with thunder crackling along its surface. In a swift move, he threw the spinning sword like a boomerang. The electrified blade cut through the air, crackling as it spun, decapitating the creatures that crossed its path. Snapping his fingers, he made the sword return, cutting more enemies as it came back to his hand. Without hesitation, he threw it again, the blade spinning and whirling at high speed, causing the creatures to be split in half as explosions of thunder illuminated the field. With the sword returning to him, the boy charged at the creatures, ready to continue the massacre.

When he pointed his hand at a group of creatures, I felt the air around me change, becoming heavy. Suddenly, all the abominations were sucked into a sphere of wind. With his other hand, he launched the sword, which spun towards them and exploded in thunder as it hit. The blood splattered across his body as he remained unshaken, without fear or hesitation.

He stared at me, and I, in a desperate impulse, pointed at a wall and activated my earth magic.

“Fuck!” I shouted, my voice choked and desperation overflowing. “You're fucked, kid! I saved this to finish off your family, but now this thing is going to destroy you!”

The walls began to shake, revealing a hidden space where I had kept something that had taken years to cultivate. This was the result of a decade of smuggling, kidnapping, and dark experiments. Humans had been transformed into monstrosities. Deformed creatures, created and cultivated in the darkness, molded for war. This was the true power the gods had granted us, an army of aberrations, obedient as long as my mana controlled them.

I touched the black stone in my pocket, my guarantee of survival. As long as I kept that artifact with me, charged with mana, they wouldn't turn against me. The creatures began to emerge, one by one, from the deep shadows of the hole. They snarled frantically, pushing each other in their eagerness to escape. From where I stood, it seemed like the flow would never end. It was an endless river of monstrous flesh, armed with rusty swords, claws, and a primordial hatred that pulsed in every fiber of their distorted bodies.

My eyes widened for a moment as I watched their grotesque forms. The deformities were terrifying; some had multiple arms, others had exposed bones. The darkness where they were locked seemed to have fed them, turning them into something even more fearsome.

"Kill! Kill Nathan Evenhart!" I shouted, feeling my mana violently drained to give the command. The pain from the mana loss made me stagger, but the hatred and fear kept me steady. I needed to control them. This was the price for ensuring their obedience. Without my mana, these creatures would turn against me, and that would be my end.

They lined up, a horde of over 200 frenzied beasts, and charged toward the boy. Their guttural growls and screams reverberated through the tunnels.

"You’re dead, Nathan Evenhart!" I shouted, my voice filled with hatred and triumph. "These things will kill you and then go after your family!"

I ran back, weaving through the creatures with the stone clenched in my hand. I held it as if it were my only lifeline. Each step I took was filled with fear, but also with sadistic pleasure. My mind boiled with the vision of Nathan being torn apart by those things.

"This place will be your tomb!" I shouted again, laughing as I watched the scene. The creatures moved quickly, their twisted bodies moving like hungry predators. Their screams echoed, filling the space:

"AARGH!"

"ROAR!"

They charged toward Nathan, more powerful and numerous than anything he had ever faced before. A tide of pure hatred and destruction.

I watched from afar, waiting for the moment he would be engulfed by the horde.

"Cry! Scream!" I yelled. "You’re dead!"

Nathan Evenhart remained still, but then he opened his mouth, issuing a single command, clear and resonant:

"BODY ASPECT!"

An explosion of white light lit up the place. The impact of the light made me stumble and fall backward, my body colliding with the wall. When the light began to fade, I struggled to lift my head, trying to understand what had just happened.

And then I saw.

"Impossible..." I muttered, seeing a semi-transparent white figure beside Nathan Evenhart, identical to him, that... was a clone.