*TRIGGER WARNING- DEPICTION OF VIOLENCE INCLUDED IN THIS CHAPTER*





In a remote forest region on the outskirts of Volos, members of the illegal mage organization, the Serpents, had gathered to perform a sacrificial ceremony to reorganize the imperial structure.

The day was chosen to coincide with the foundation festivals to avoid allegations against the aristocrats since the nobility were mandated to attend the annual ball at the imperial palace.

Under the direct gaze of the moons was placed a stone podium at the center of which stood a massive statue of the Serpent God, Havu.

The well-defined statue that was sculpted from a single stone, overlooked the ceremonial grounds acting as the head to siphon the power of the god Havu.

The podium itself was interconnected with several likewise platforms, each engraved with mysterious symbols that paved the way towards the statue as its central point, converging the entire structure in a linked system.

Each podium had three Serpents on it forming a circle, all dressed in long dark hoods and their faces covered with white masks that had a red snake across them.

One of the Serpents was dressed in white acting as the Priest to the ceremony. He stood in front of the Havu statue commanding the rest of the members whilst controlling the spells.

Together, the Serpents were chanting in a monotonous tone that was heard across the audience chambers filled with curious eyes waiting for the main event to begin.

The audience to the ceremony was composed of representatives from aristocratic families that follow the Esdels as well as several men that were guarding the forest to eliminate any disturbances.

Seamus Esdel was absent due to him being at the border confronting the Frost army as a cover to avoid allegations that would be placed against him in the future.

In place of him overlooking the ceremony was his proxy, the former Count Moore, who was in fact recently stripped of his title after being caught for using bandits to kidnap people to sell as slaves.

As the ceremony commenced in full swing, the sacrifices were brought to the podiums one after the other in an orderly manner.

The sacrifices were diverse ranging from small and wild animals to elderly convicts, still in their prison uniforms and even young beastmen whose eyes were covered with blindfolds and hands bound by rope.

Since their supply of slaves was cut short due to the Frosts seizing control of Napal, the aristocrats had no option but to replace the sacrifices by bringing in wild animals, death row convicts and young orphans snatched from the streets to make up for the discrepancy.

When the Serpent Priest finished chanting, two members on each podium stepped forward and forced the convicts to kneel before the other, who was standing with a silver dagger in his hands.

In the blink of an eye, the Serpents unanimously slit the throats of the convicts, causing the people in the audience to cause an uproar surprised by the sudden slaughter.

Brought up in upper-class circles, they were disgusted by the violence to the point that the guards had to step in to calm them down so as to not interrupt the ceremony.

The victims, on the other hand, fell to the floor lifeless as the blood from their bodies gushed out through the wound.

Ignoring the audience's response, the Serpents proceeded with the ritual and directed the blood from the bodies to drip onto the symbols engraved on the podium, for it was the first step to initiate the curse the 'sacrifice of a life that was about to end'

Once the blood was drained, the bodies were discarded to the floor as if they were worthless objects.

With the first step of the ceremony completed, the Serpents began chanting again during which another set of sacrifices was brought to the center.

For the second step the 'sacrifice of a life about to begin', small animals that appeared to be mere hours old were butchered in a similar manner to that of the convicts and tossed to the side after fulfilling their purpose.

The blood from the engravings converged and flowed along its path, until it stopped at the foot of the Serpent priest, right before it could reach Havu's statue.

The people in the tent overseeing the ritual thought ahead of the glory that awaited them when the sun rises again.

After the plan succeeds, the positions of all the members of the society who had succumbed to the curse would be replaced by those supporting the aristocrats.

Just like that, the scent of blood permeating in the air was no longer uncomfortable to them. Clinking glasses of champagne to rejoice in the smoothly proceeding ceremony, all they could do was ecstatically chatter amongst themselves.

The new era will be made of those that knew how to utilize the power bestowed upon them instead of people without ambition craving peace.

Unbeknownst to them, the area was being surrounded by the Dark Wolfs who had infiltrated the grounds after completely wiping out the Serpents standing guard at the foot of the forest.

It took longer than planned to reach the place, due to the Serpents being more in numbers than anticipated.

"Your grace"

Ezra returned after clearing the remaining guards patrolling the forest. Half of his armor was burned to a crisp in the initial sweep.

"As you've ordered, there are no survivors"

"Yeah... there were so many that I lost count of them" added Mikhael Ellinger, one of the Dark Wolf Knights and the Head of Infiltration.

Unlike the dignified Ezra, he had an easy personality, that made it effortless for him to blend into crowds and collect information.

It was him that discovered the location of the ceremony after being undercover in the Esdel Marquisate for months.

"Ezzy, you look like a chicken that escaped halfway through frying" Mikhael smirked and pulled on the burnt armor, infuriating the latter.

"Sir Ellinger, be aware of your surroundings before you act!"

By standing at the top of a narrow cliff on the dark side of the moons, I was able to get a clear view of the ceremony.

The guards around the ceremonial grounds were slave traders and bandits hired for money. The aristocrats seemed to have avoided involving Knights from any house as a precaution to not leave any evidence behind.

"They are using their brains for once"

The tips of my lips curved unconsciously.

By now, the foundation ball should be in full swing.

Although the foundation ball is considered to be the most exclusive event in Orion, the celebration in the forest seemed more extravagant.

Now that the entirety of the cavalry has been dealt with, it was time to crash a party.

"Catch as many of the snakes as possible"

My gaze shifted from the Serpents to the aristocrats sitting cozying in their tents spectating the people being killed with joy.

The filth in the country has grown beyond the controls of the government, to the extent of forging ideas to overthrow the imperial power.

"Kill the rats and anyone else that comes in your way"







Meanwhile, on the other side, the ceremony was almost fulfilled and required one last sacrifice before the curse could manifest.

At the end of the final round of chanting, the Serpent Priest ordered the guards to bring forth the remaining sacrifices.

"Bring them"

To complete the curse the last piece required was the 'sacrifice of a prosperous life', which were the young orphans fished from the streets of Orion.

With this, the cycle of life would be completed and the god would be awakened from his slumber to descend upon the living.

"Please let me go... Ugh!"

"Stop struggling!"

Beaten into subjugation and scared out of their wits, the orphans were dragged to the stage begging their captors to spare them go to no avail.

Among them was a young cat beastman, yet to reach adulthood trembling in fear as he was made to kneel in front of the Serpent Priest. He was unable to put up a fight, back when he was captured as he had been starving for days and had no energy left to fight for his life.

Tears ran down his sullen cheeks as he recognized the strong scent of blood.

Through the gaps in his blindfold, he was able to witness the fates of those before him. Having lost any hope for life the moment he was caught by the bandits, he could do nothing other than wait for his impending death.

"!"

The cat beastman flinched when he felt a cold finger wipe the tear from his eyes.

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain" The Serpent Priest spoke in a soothing voice that sent a chill down the frightened beastman's spine.

"You, youngling will bring forth the dawn of a new era"

The Serpent Priest raised the dagger towards the sky prompting the other members to reflexively do the same.

"To he who has risen from the ashes!" The Serpent Priest exclaimed, swung down the blade towards the beastman's neck.

"Eeek!"

The cat beastman held his breath sensing the movement of the blade that was about to pierce his throat.

But no matter how long he waited, he couldn't feel any pain.

"!"

However, he could hear the sound of metal clashing against each other in the distance followed by a series of blasts and the faint cries of people begging to spare their lives.

The air felt heavier than before with the stench of death as if the forest had turned into a graveyard.

Somehow he managed to loosen the blindfold around his eyes, only to find the back of a human standing before him, blocking the Serpent Priest his sword.

Startled, the beastman lunged back in a panic and dropped to the ground.

"Wha... What"

The cat beastman's eyes grew wide as saucers, unable to comprehend the scene unfolding in front of him.

Soldiers clad in armors were killing everyone inside the tent while the rest was engaging the hooded men in a fierce battle.

The hooded men were fighting the soldiers with magic during which the platforms were destroyed in the crossfire.

The ground was riddled with dead bodies everywhere with puddles of blood-forming beside it.

The beastman wiggled his way towards a nearby tree to evade being captured again and held his breath to not be detected.

All of his captors were dead and the other orphans brought with him were fleeing into the forest to save their lives.

Before he could run away with the rest of the orphans, the cat beastman looked towards the Havu statue one last time.

The man that saved his life appeared to be the leader of the soldiers attacking the hooded men.

From his position, the beastman was unable to see his savior's face. He tilted his head to at least see the emblem on the man's armor.

The bloodied cape revealed the symbol of a mighty silver wolf as the man had brought the defeated Priest to his knees.

Satisfied, the beastman silently thanked him before he ran into the woods to join the other orphans.







"Any last words?"

"..."

When I asked him out of courtesy, the Serpent Priest didn't reply but muttered underneath his breath.

The battle between the Serpents and Dark Wolfs ended with the victory of the Knights.

The sacrificial platforms were destroyed in the crossfire leaving behind only fragments of the structure. Although the Havu statue was damaged along the sides, it stood still not losing an ounce of its magnificence.

The surviving Serpents were being arrested and handcuffed with magic suppressant cuffs. None of the aristocrats or their guards survived and as for the orphans who escaped to the forest, they would be found by the Frost Knights stationed at the borders.

The last one remaining was the Serpent Priest.

"Nothing to say?" I asked again.

Right from the beginning the Serpent Priest restrained himself to a certain level and concentrated only on protecting the Havu statue.

For a lunatic whose plans on mass murder were thwarted, he was strangely too calm that it was rising my suspicions.

Just as I was about to drag him away, the Serpent Priest smirked arrogantly.

"You are too late"

It was then I noticed his robe turn crimson red.

"HAHAHA" The Serpent priest began to laugh hysterically and dropped something to the floor.

It was a piece of stone covered in blood, most likely from the fallen debris.

Using the sharp stone he had picked from the ground as a weapon, the Serpent Priest had stabbed himself in the gut.

Soon, blood from his wounds flooded the podium.

The Serpent Priest's blood mixed with those in the engravings and gradually flowed towards the statue.

The moment the blood touched the statue, the Priest's eyes began to glow. A strong gust of wind swept through the forest as he began to speak.

*SWOOSH*

Everyone in the area froze in their steps and heard him speak with bated breathe.

"In the name of he who has risen from the ashes, I curse you..." The Serpent Priest pointed his trembling bloody hand towards me,

"The heir of Frost to a fate of endless suffering till the soul perishes beyond existence"

With that, the light in his eyes faded and the Serpent Priest fell on the ground lifeless as the winds stopped.

Despite the fact that the Priest had killed himself and condemned me in his dying words.

Nothing happened.

"That was a dud" Mikhael commented and clicked his tongue, only to have his head whacked by Ezra.

"Get back to work!"

I bent down next to the Serpent Priest and removed the hood covering his face.

To my surprise, the Serpent Priest was a young man in his prime, not older than twenty. His eyes, which were glowing seconds ago was hollow as if they had been gouged out on purpose.

'How did someone so young become the leader of a notorious mage organization?' I couldn't help but wonder.

It was not only him but, most of the members were young men around the same age.

There should be a common connection between them, to have joined a dangerous organization at such a young age. I have to look into this when I return.

Right when I closed the Serpent Priest's hollow eyelids, there was a sharp burn on the back of my body.

"?"

After a second, the pain from the burn subsided and turned back to normal.

Without thinking much about it, I stepped down from the podium and addressed the Knights.

"Take the prisoners to the cellars"

Although the Serpents were colluding with the aristocrats, each had their own benefits in mind.

While the aristocrats wanted power whereas the Serpents' intention remained a mystery.

Seeing how the aristocrats were still oblivious to the Saintess's disappearance, it is evident that the Serpents were up to something big.

After I finish interrogating the prisoners and find just that, it'll only be a matter of time till the Saintess is found.

"Leaves the bodies as it is. I'm sure they'll enjoy a little mess..."

When the burning sensation returned, I unconsciously stopped talking.

"Mess? To leave a mess?" asked Mikhael.

"Because that would be one easy job"

Distracted by the increasing pain, I dismissed the Knights to their duties without further briefing.

"!"

My eyes instinctively wandered in the direction of the Havu statue.

As if a snake was slithering on my back, I could feel the movement coincide with the burning sensation.

I let out a dry laugh, belatedly understanding the meaning behind the pain.

The voices in the background blurred and the world became distant. I could feel cold hands reaching out from the beyond and pulling me towards them.

The Serpent Priest had given his own life in exchange for completing the ritual.

And I was the cursed.