LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 11: The Devourer Returns
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the horizon, Leor, Shania, and Seraphina readied themselves in the armoury, preparing for their next journey. With every buckle secured and weapons gathered, their resolve hardened, forged in the fire of impending battle. The armoury's silence was broken only by the soft clinking of metal, a solemn cadence to their unspoken vows.
Clad in black armor and greaves, Shania's lithe figure cut a striking silhouette. The runes on her sword shimmered with an ethereal golden glow, casting an otherworldly aura. Her white hair, now tied in a ponytail, danced in the wind, its gentle sway a stark contrast to the darkness of her armor. As she stood, her piercing emerald eyes seemed to linger on Seraphina, who had gotten ready.
Seraphina, clad in crimson armour, nodded and then carried maps. Her red hair, now in braids, swayed gently behind her as she sheated her sword for the upcoming confrontation. The urgency of the mission was palpable, but there was an eerie calm in the air, as though they all understood the gravity of what was about to unfold.
Leor, clad in dark majestic armour, looked like a god as his hands gently tapped the hilt of his blade repeatedly. His expression seemed distant, but focused. While Shania was sorting through a set of weapons, Seraphina inspected her crystalline dagger, her fingers tracing the blade absentmindedly as she wonder what fate had in store for them. The weight of the unknown pressed down on her; this wasn’t just any battle—they were preparing to face something they had believed was gone forever.
As Leor, Shania, and Seraphina prepared for their mission, the soft hum of magic emanated from their weapons, and every sound in the room seemed heightened—footsteps echoing off the stone walls, the quiet rustle of maps. Leor’s sword thrummed with a faint, resonant power, as though it could sense the impending battle. Shania’s breath was steady however, but beneath the surface, a flicker of tension rippled through her.
The urgency was palpable, but in the silence before the storm, a certain calm settled over them. They all knew what they were about to face, yet none of them spoke it aloud. The battle against the Devourer loomed like an unspoken promise, a darkness waiting just beyond the horizon.
Suddenly, the doors swung open, and Azarath strode in, his presence filling the room with an unmistakable intensity. His crimson eyes locked onto the trio immediately, but there was no pretense this time—no hidden smirk or cryptic remark. He went straight to the point.
"It would interest you all to know that..." He paused, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "the Devourer has been found."
Seraphina and Shania froze at his words, but Leor remained stoic. Shania turned to Azarath, a mix of curiosity and concern tightening her features. "Where is it?" She asked.
Azarath moved towards Leor, his gaze fully focused on Leor. "The Devourer is currently destroying a realm," he said, his tone grim. "A realm under your rule, Prince. It seems your absence from your very own realm has distracted you from your very own responsibilities, and now the consequences for that lurks, Your Majesty."
The words hit Leor like a thunderclap. Shania’s hand stilled over her weapons, her expression darkening as the gravity of the situation settled in. Seraphina took a sharp breath, her emerald eyes flicking between Leor and Azarath, trying to process the magnitude of what had just been revealed.
Leor clenched his fists at his sides. "Valek'thar," he whispered with a knowing voice, his voice low but filled with urgency.
"Indeed, Valek'thar," Azarath said, his gaze unwavering from Leor's. "I fear your pursuit of peace between the realms has dulled your sensitivity to the turmoil brewing within your own kingdom. Perhaps the dimensional divide has attenuated your magical connection, leaving you unaware of the gathering storm."
He paused, his voice taking on a grave tone.
"The Devourer's hunger will not be satiated until all is consumed. If we fail to stop it now, nothing will remain but ash and the shadow of your kingdom, Prince."
The revelation that the Devourer had set its sights on one of the realm's under Leor's rule sent a jolt through Shania. Concern for her own world morphed into a fierce determination to help his people. Azarath's words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the precarious situation.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence, the weight of Azarath’s revelation pressing down on them like a suffocating blanket. Valek'thar was a demon world under Leor's rulership, it was one of the demon realms he had ruled over as a demon prince—a place filled with loyal demons who had followed him for centuries. Losing it would be catastrophic, not just for him but for his entire dominion.
"Perhaps you speak truth, Azarath. My focus on peace has blinded me to the darkness growing within my own kingdom. I was so consumed by the vision of humans and demons living in harmony that I forgot my duty as a ruler," Leor admitted, his voice laced with self-reproach. He took a step forward, fists clenched, his eyes now a fiery crimson blazing with intensity. "Why did my sentinels not send word?" he demanded, his tone forging steel.
His eyes, normally a warm blue, flickered with a crimson glow, betraying the storm of emotions swirling within. He had failed his people in Valek'thar, and the thought was unbearable. To Leor, Valek'thar was more than just his kingdom—it was his responsibility. The thought of its destruction, of its people suffering under the Devourer’s unstoppable force, made his blood boil.
"Because the Devourer’s power is unlike anything your people have ever faced. It is an embodiment of primordial chaos energy. It consumes the very essence of realms, slowly feeding on everything. Your sentinels may have already been destroyed, Prince, along with everyone else in your kingdom." he said, his tone blunt but devoid of malice."
His words hung in the air like the sting of a scorpion. Shania glanced at Leor, her hand resting lightly on his arm. She felt his frustration, his guilt, his anger from the colour and glow of his eyes. She couldn’t allow him to carry this burden alone. Seraphina noticed the colour of Leor eyes, she could also sense his emotions, and though he didn't seem to show it much, she had never seen him that way before.
"We must leave for Valek'thar at once," Shania said, her hand resting lightly on Leor’s arm. "We can still stop it, can't we? Before it finishes off the realm." She asked, her voice laced with curiosity and concern.
Azarath turned to her, fixing his gaze fully on her. "Not long," he said softly, though his voice carried a chilling weight.
"Once the Devourer finishes off Valek'thar, it will teleport to the next world. It will move quickly, and the other realms—both the demon worlds, that of other creatures, and this human world—will fall in rapid succession." Leor said, his voice tinged with concern. "This is a force that cannot be underestimated, but it can be contained as long as it has not reached its full might."
Without another word, Leor packed the final pieces of his weaponry. His mind churned with thoughts. He had always taken pride in his role as a ruler, and protector of the realms under his dominion. But now, Valek'thar—his realm, and his people, were on the brink of annihilation, and he hadn't been there to prevent it earlier. Guilt clawed at him, creeping into his thoughts. How had he become so entangled in the quest for peace between the human world and the demon worlds? So entangled, that he had failed to protect his own kingdom.
As he strapped his dagger to his side, he exhaled slowly, trying to calm the storm brewing inside him. The fate of Valek'thar hung in a balance, but so did the fate of every other realm.
The group knew they had to act now, before it was too late. There was no other option.
Leor stepped forward, his eyes flashing with determination. "I must go now. Time is of the essence. I need to face the Devourer head-on, before it grows beyond my ability to stop it."
Shania stepped closer to Leor, her expression softening slightly as she met his gaze. "We’re coming with you," she said quietly, her voice filled with conviction. "You won’t face this alone."
"What did you think? That we'd let you face this all alone. Listen here Your Majesty, we do this as a team, every step of the way." Seraphina added, her voice filled with determination.
Leor’s gaze softened as they spoke, their presence grounding him in the midst of his turmoil.
"We’re with you, every step of the way," Shania said quietly, her eyes locked on his. It wasn’t just a promise—it was a vow.
"Let's go," Seraphina suggested, standing beside Shania as she gripped the hilt of her sword, her resolve unshaken. The moment solidified their bond; they were a team, united against an unimaginable force.
Leor looked at them, a faint gleam of respect and gratitude in his glowing crimson eyes.
"An enemy of my ally is… my enemy," Azarath conceded, a hint of support in his voice. "Our goals align, we have a common enemy. We must combine our forces, our knowledge, and strike before the Devourer consumes everything completely," he rumbled, his usual arrogance subdued.
"Very well then." Leor replied, his expression a mask of stoicism, but the worry in his eyes was unmistakable. He glanced at Shania, their shared purpose forging a silent bond between them. They were all in this together.
Azarath’s gaze, sharp as ever, momentarily lingered on Seraphina, whose hand held a crystalline dagger. Seraphina felt a pang of curiosity, a brief concern in her chest as she looked back at him. She had been inexplicably drawn to the enigmatic envoy's mystery since he arrived, but now, faced with the revelation he carried, that attraction felt... dangerous.
She quickly forced the thought away, reminding herself that this wasn’t the time for distractions. But the fleeting moment of tension between them didn’t go unnoticed by Shania, who raised an eyebrow, wondering if Azarath’s motives were truly as aligned with theirs as he claimed. Could they trust him, or was this another step in some unseen game he was playing?
Leor glanced at Shania and Seraphina, a flicker of determination crossing his eyes. "Are you certain that you want to be a part of this?" he said, his voice firm. "You know it's not going to be easy."
Shania met his gaze, her voice firm. "It has never been easy, Leor. And besides... " she added, a playful glint in her eyes, "Who says humans can't help demons with a thing or two?"
"Exactly," Seraphina agreed, a small smile etched on her face.
A smile tugged at the corner of Leor's lips. "There's always something dangerous to face, especially amidst an apocalypse."
With a wave of Leor's hand, a portal shimmered into existence, casting a brilliant light across the room. Its edges flickered with energy, the air around it thick with the scent of magic. A gateway to Valek'thar.
Shania and Seraphina stood shoulder to shoulder with Leor. A contingent of human and demon soldiers immediately arrayed behind them, their faces etched with determination.
Azarath, clad in his obsidian armor, stood beside them.
"This is it," Shania murmured, her voice barely a whisper.
Leor squeezed her hand, his touch a silent reassurance. "Yes," he replied.
With a shared breath, they all stepped through the portal, venturing into a world teetering on the brink of oblivion. Their journey, a testament to the unlikely alliance forged in the crucible of war, had just begun. The fate of a world, and perhaps the very existence of their own as well, hung in a balance.