Chapter 393: End of the First Day
Third Person’s POV
The demon’s voice was gruff, yet sonorous at the same time as it echoed like a massive iron bell that struck deep within a cathedral, the sound carrying power and weight that settled in everyone’s chest.
"Congratulations to you all for passing the entry trial into the hallowed grounds of the Abyssal Sanctum.
I am the Enforcement Elder of this sanctum, and I am here to instruct you regarding your induction ceremony."
The square fell into utter silence on hearing his declaration.
His words were simple, but the sheer resonance of his voice carried such authority and a powerful aura that their spirits were involuntarily suppressed, and no one dared to breathe too loudly, let alone speak.
A ripple of unease moved through the crowd, but all heads eventually nodded in subdued acknowledgment.
The elder’s piercing gaze swept across the assembly, and then he spoke again as his voice reverberated like rolling thunder.
"It is late. The formal rites shall commence tomorrow. For now, follow me."
With that, he turned his back on them without hesitation and strode toward the yawning black corridor behind the altar.
His dark, form-fitting robes billowed faintly with each measured step, with the soundless power in his movements being enough to silence any clamoring and command obedience without words.
One by one, the young men and women fell into line, their nervous footsteps echoing against the stone.
Yet not all walked with unease.
There were a handful among them, like Ethan, the dark-haired youth beneath the Abyssal Dominion’s banner, the platinum-haired werewolf girl, and a select few others who moved with calm composure, as their bearing betrayed no fear, but instead quiet readiness.
As the elder advanced, torches mounted along the walls flared to life in his wake and ignited with crackling bursts of flame.
Shadows danced and swayed across the corridor, as if the very walls bent to his presence, illuminating the path for those trailing behind.
Ethan kept hold of Lucy’s delicate hand in his left and Velcy’s firm, steady one in his right, as he guided them forward through the oppressive silence.
Yet his crimson gaze never strayed far from the figure leading them because the aura rolling off the Enforcement Elder continuously pressed against his senses with a steady and unshakable rhythm and contained a calm suffused with overwhelming strength.
For a fleeting moment, awe flickered in his chest.
This was no mere guardian; this was a true powerhouse, someone who stood on a level above nearly everyone Ethan had encountered thus far.
Only his Master Nyx and the little duchess Altheria, who also held the title of Headmistress of the Sanctum, could compare.
The thought of her sparked a realization in his mind.
’Wait... could it be because of the little duchess that the Sangrial girl I slapped carried herself with such arrogance?
Perhaps she believed that no one dared discipline her because she was protected by her clan’s ancestor, who was also the headmistress of this place...’
His eyes narrowed slightly as the pieces seemed to have finally fit together.
’It would also explain the pitying looks on those altar boys’ faces.
But then, how could they know that I myself am ’close’ to the Duchess and more than they or the girl could even comprehend?’
A smirk tugged instinctively at the corner of his mouth at the irony of it all.
Yet the expression froze for a moment when he realized he was not alone at his side.
The platinum-haired werewolf girl had drifted closer to his side in the silent march, her light steps eerily graceful for someone so feral in aura.
Her cold, platinum-gray eyes were sharp as a predator’s, though when he turned towards her, he found them fixed on Velcy rather than him.
Her gaze lingered there in a hard and unblinking manner and carrying a strange depth of confusion flickering in its surface.
Sensing his attention on her, she shifted her eyes to him.
For the briefest heartbeat, surprise flashed in her irises, but then it was gone, replaced by the biting frost of hostility.
She lifted one pale hand and drew it slowly across her throat in a deliberate slitting gesture.
Her lips parted, and formed silent words he read without effort,
’Just you wait..’
Most would have bristled, or at least frowned at this threat, but Ethan did neither.
He only let his smirk deepen faintly before facing forward again, his expression unreadable.
His reaction made the werewolf girl fume, but she looked ahead to control her emotions and actions that she feared would end up with her beating the shit out of this repulsive vampire.
As for Ethan, whether it was the threats of a petulant little wolf girl or the schemes of whatever shadow backed her, it mattered little.
His path was already full of greater dangers and enemies who would not hesitate to devour him whole.
The hostility of a single werewolf, no matter how cunning her clan, was nothing compared to the storm he was already walking into.
Soon, the group was led into the inner halls of the Sanctum.
The passageways unfolded into vast stretches of beauty and strangeness.
Under the bloody moonlight, Ethan saw sprawling gardens brimming with pale, luminous flora that swayed without wind and open squares where intricate stone patterns glimmered faintly as if alive.
To his surprise, he also spotted closed chambers reminiscent of the greenhouses from Ethan’s previous life, though here the plants pulsed with faint mana-lights instead of sunlight.
Yet, without sparing so much as a glance at these marvels, the Enforcement Elder pressed forward with unwavering strides and led them to a place that starkly contrasted the verdant splendor.
They stopped before a desolate spire that rose like a colossal fang into the shrouded clouds above, its surface dark and jagged, and exuding an ancient chill.
The structure was one of the outer spires of the huge castle and loomed over the rest of the Sanctum, as its oppressive silence seemed to mock the vibrancy of the gardens behind it.