Page 83 of Sundered By Fate

Twenty-Two

Aric stalked through the shadowed corridors of the military district, tracking Valerian's trail amidst the chaos of the city. Through windows and archways, he caught glimpses of the soldiers battling back the demonic horde: ordinary men and women, their armor dented and bloodied as they fought with desperate ferocity. But among them were figures that made Aric's heart freeze.

They wore armor that gleamed unnaturally in the moonlight, the metal shimmering with an oily iridescence that made Aric's skin crawl. As they moved, the armor pulsed with an unsettling violet light, sending out waves of a familiar, nauseating energy.

The same energy that had resonated from the Silver Tower's damned weapon.

Aric pressed himself against the stone wall, his breath coming in harsh gasps. He knew what Valerian had done; he'd seen the evidence scattered throughout the workshop. But seeing the results of Valerian's experiments in action, the horror he'd unleashed upon these soldiers—it was almost too much to bear.

Dark energy pulsed through the armor, the same energy he'd once felt in the Tower's weapon, in the rift anomalies thathad plagued Thornhaven. The chaotic signature, twisted and corrupted, tainting and warping everything it touched until it collapsed into surreality.

Those soldiers—were they even still human? Aric's stomach turned at the thought. What had Valerian done to them, in the name of fighting back the darkness?

Aric followed the overwhelming waves of energy signature through the palace's lower levels, to a vast workshop complex nestled beneath the heart of the district. Inside, Valerian stood amidst a whirlwind of activity, directing a team of mages as they infused weapons and armor with the unstable energy.

"Careful, now," Valerian called over the ambient hum of magical machinery. "We cannot afford any misfires, not with our current schedule."

Aric ducked behind a stack of crates, watching the operation unfold. Crystalline focusing arrays channeled the energy, while containment fields struggled to hold its volatile nature in check. But what worried Aric most was the sight of dozens of elite soldiers standing at attention, their armor already shimmering with the tainted power.

The air in the workshop crackled with barely contained force, tugging at Aric’s own magic, the demon blood reacting with the foreign energy. He set his jaw and stepped out of hiding, his voice cutting through the workshop's noise.

"Stop this madness, Valerian. You have no idea what you're tampering with."

Valerian's eyes widened, but he quickly schooled his expression into one of polite neutrality. "Ah, the infamous mage returns," he said, folding his arms. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Aric?"

Aric pushed past Valerian and strode into the workshop. The soldiers watched him with wary eyes, their hands drifting instinctively toward their weapons. "You need to stop this,"Aric said. "Whatever you're doing here—it's only going to make things worse."

Valerian followed him in, his footsteps echoing off the cold stone walls. "I assure you, everything is well under control. If you'll excuse me, I have important work to attend to?—"

Aric whirled on him, and the guards immediately stepped forward, their armor clanking ominously. Valerian raised a hand, and they halted, but they continued to watch Aric with suspicious eyes. "Important work? You mean this—this butchery?" Aric gestured to the soldiers, their armor shimmering with the familiar, nauseating energy. "What have you done to them?"

Valerian's jaw clenched, but his expression remained cool. "We are simply empowering our elite forces to better combat the demonic threat. It is a necessary measure, given the rising tide of incursions."

Aric's hand drifted toward his hip, where his sword should have been. He cursed inwardly as he remembered it had been taken from him. "This energy—it's the same one that's causing the anomalies. You can't possibly think you can control it."

Valerian's mouth flattened, and he stepped closer to Aric, his voice a low murmur. "I am aware of the dangers. But we have made great strides in containment and control. These enhancements will give us the edge we need against both the demons and the rifts."

"At what cost?" Aric asked.

Valerian's eyes gleamed, a dangerous light sparking within them. "I am more than willing to pay it."

Aric shook his head, disbelief and anger warring within him. "You can't just play with forces you don't understand. You've already put the whole city in danger?—"

"And what of your demonic dalliances, Aric?" Valerian cut in, his voice razor-sharp. "How many lives did your little bargain with the enemy cost us?"

Aric flinched as if struck, the words hitting too close to home. But he forced himself to stand tall, meeting Valerian's gaze with a simmering fury. "I did what I had to, to save my people. But this—this is madness, and you know it."

Valerian's eyes narrowed, and he took a step back, waving a hand at the soldiers. "Escort my wayward friend out of here, please."

But before the guards could move, the atmosphere in the workshop shifted, a palpable energy gathering around them. The soldiers tensed, their hands drifting to their weapons, but Valerian held up a hand, a wicked smile playing across his lips.

"It seems we have a visitor."

As the workshop's doors swung open with a resounding clang, the sounds of screams and metal clashing filled the courtyard. Aric turned to see a horde of demons breaching the outer walls, their eyes gleaming with a vicious hunger. And leading them was a terrifying figure, taller than the others, his obsidian armor drinking in the light.

Malekith.

Aric's heart clenched at the sight of him—so close, and yet so far away. But there was no time to dwell on the ache, the longing that had haunted him for so long. The demons were charging, their clawed feet scrabbling on the stone.

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