Lucas leapt backward, putting distance between himself and the Velmoryn. He stumbled again and dropped to his hands, barely stopping himself from falling. His entire body trembled, his breathing uneven.
Only then did I notice the bite marks on his neck. Strange symbols surrounded them, forming a circular pattern.
Is this bastard a vampire?
I was puzzled. When I had checked his status window earlier, there had been nothing of the sort. Even now, after examining it again, he was still listed as a velmoryn. His class was Dark Magician, no different from Aria or most of the other velmoryns.
Yet his magic was clearly abnormal. It felt less like a spell and more like a hex, something that latched onto Lucas and drained him.
A memory surfaced in my mind. Shelya. A mage who could restore her youth and strength by absorbing the life force of her targets. Perhaps this velmoryn’s magic functioned in a similar way. Unfortunately, the status window did not show spells or magical arts the mages knew, only skills.
Despite having threatened Lucas moments earlier, the velmoryn did not move. He stood in place, his posture slack, eyes dulled as the red aura surrounding his body intensified. Slowly, his sunken cheeks began to fill out, and his emaciated frame regained mass.
Is he still draining Lucas?
I checked Lucas’s status window. He was listed as Cursed.
I considered intervening. Even if I could no longer act directly in the mortal world, I could still pull Lucas into my realm. Here, I was a true god. No curse placed by a mortal would survive my will. Or I could’ve simply killed that velmoryn. He was under my Authority, so just a thought of mine would be enough to stop his heart.
But in the end, I chose not to act. Not yet.
Lucas was the kind of man who relied on himself. If I interfered immediately, without allowing him to fight back, it might plant doubt in him. Doubt that his god did not trust his abilities. I needed him confident and capable, not self-conscious.
Besides, as my father had always told me - people only grow stronger by overcoming adversity.
Lucas straightened, still unsteady. He fixed his gaze on the velmoryn, scarlet eyes filled with unveiled hostility.
Then he charged.
He drew two blades from his back and immediately coated them with mana. At the same time, his body began to shimmer. A crimson glow spread over him, wrapping around his form like a second skin. I had never seen that effect before.
Lucas crossed the distance in an instant and slashed at the man’s chest as he blurred past him.
The velmoryn reacted just as quickly.
He raised both arms, bracing himself and taking the strike head-on.
A thin red line split his skin. The wound was far shallower than I had expected. It began to bubble almost immediately, the flesh knitting itself back together.
Lucas landed several steps away and staggered. His condition was clearly deteriorating, and it was happening fast.
He quickly regained his balance. His focus returned, and he charged again. His speed was even more impressive now, his figure blurring as he circled the Velmoryn faster than the eye could follow.
Small cuts began to appear across the man’s body as Lucas kept striking. He targeted the chest and arms, deliberately avoiding the neck. If he had intended to kill him, that was where he would have aimed.
Even now, even after recognizing the man as his enemy, Lucas did not go against my command, nor did he ask for permission. His priority remained delivering the velmoryn to Aurelion, even if it meant risking his own life.
Why is he so loyal?
Lucas had become a devoted believer after receiving a second blessing from me, but my blessings strengthened the body. They did not alter the mind. At first, I had assumed gratitude was the reason. Now, I was no longer sure. His actions showed genuine loyalty, even if his Faith stat did not reflect it.
As if responding to my thoughts, Lucas increased the pressure. His attacks became more relentless, the shallow cuts on the velmoryn’s arms and hands accumulating, some of them deepening into more serious wounds.
“I commend your resilience,” the man said. His voice remained calm despite his situation. He spoke from behind his raised arms, which shielded his face and chest. “Sadly, I cannot allow you to live.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The red energy surrounding him intensified further.
Then it erupted.
A wave of crimson force surged outward in every direction. There was nowhere to evade it. Lucas was struck head-on and thrown back, hitting the ground hard. One of his blades slipped from his grasp and skidded several steps away.
He coughed blood on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head and saw the velmoryn walking toward the blade he had lost. I could feel his pain through our shared connection. He was truly suffering - not only physically.
Despite it, Lucas forced himself to move. He pushed up onto his knees, then struggled to his feet.
The velmoryn waited until Lucas had fully straightened.
In his hand was the red dagger, the one I had created for Lucas. He turned it idly, testing its balance, inspecting the edge where traces of Lucas’s mana still clung to it.
“What an unusual blade,” he murmured. “As far as I remember, none of us… none of the velmoryns could have forged something like this.” He paused, as if considering the thought. “Did one of the younger generation awaken as a smith?” Another pause followed, shorter this time. “No. Do not answer. It no longer concerns me.”
He continued speaking, mostly to himself, while Lucas struggled to remain standing. His thoughts were sluggish, his consciousness dulled. I knew how strong Lucas was. The curse placed on him had to be exceptionally powerful for him to be reduced to such a state.
“I must admit, I did not expect to encounter a velmoryn with your strength,” the man said with a soft chuckle, exposing pale teeth. “Are you a Vael?”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“And more importantly… why are your markings red?”
Lucas met his gaze. His face looked unnaturally slack, his eyes struggling to stay focused, yet his hand remained locked around the dagger’s hilt. His mana surged once more, flaring briefly before sputtering out and fading.
“That’s unfortunate,” the Velmoryn said. He cast a brief glance toward the city before returning his attention to Lucas. “I would have preferred to get some answers from you before they come for me.” He studied Lucas for another moment, then shook his head. “No. Torturing you would be pointless.”
Having reached a decision, he extended his hands. Red runes began to form across his skin, glowing faintly as they took shape.
The mark on Lucas’s neck reacted. The symbols forming the circular pattern expanded outward, as though dark ink were spilling from them. The markings spread rapidly, crawling across his skin until his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
“Lord, if I wait any longer he will die,” Aurelion’s voice echoed in my mind, trembling with fury.
The ground shattered in front of the velmoryn as Aurelion descended with a deafening impact. Chunks of dry soil flew in all directions.
Aurelion took a single step and appeared directly in front of the man. He reached out and seized the velmoryn’s rune-covered arm. A wet cracking sound followed as the man screamed and tried to pull away, but his limb was locked in Aurelion’s grip, blood spilling from between his fingers.
“You defied Lord’s will,” Aurelion said, his voice heavy with anger.
He released the arm and struck the velmoryn on the face with a backhanded blow. The man was lifted from the ground and sent flying, tumbling across the field for dozens of meters before coming to a stop in a twisted heap.
Aurelion was already standing over him.
“I will not kill you,” he said. “But you will repent for your sin.”
The velmoryn stared up at him, fear taking over his entire face. “What are you?” he rasped.
Aurelion did not answer.
He grabbed the man’s other arm and snapped it at the elbow. The bone tore through flesh, blood following it, but the angel did not pause. He seized the velmoryn by the throat and lifted him off the ground, pulling him close.
“Look into my eyes,” Aurelion said.
He spread his massive wings, wrapping them around the velmoryn until the two of them were completely enclosed.
I saw Aurelion’s divinity surge and coil around him. I knew what he was doing. Still, the only thought repeating in my mind was how brutal my usually sheepish angel turned out to be. And this was against someone he had no intention of killing. I did not want to imagine what he would do to an enemy he truly meant to destroy.
While my angel was occupied, I noticed a massive shadow rising from the city and moving rapidly toward him.
Aurelion noticed it as well. “Father, may I move them into your kingdom?” he asked.
I felt him reaching for the gate to my realm. This was the first time he had ever asked permission, and the sensation was… strange - like a desire I couldn’t quite grasp.
I considered the situation quickly. Rather than letting them in my dominion, I could have ordered Aurelion to flee with Lucas and the other velmoryn, but as the shadow drew closer, I sensed a faint trace of divinity within it. Retreating now would likely lead them straight toward my forest, which I wanted to avoid.
So I allowed it.
Lucas and the velmoryn appeared in my dominion, both collapsed on the dark stone floor.
Lucas was unconscious, but his life was not in danger. If anything, his recovery had already begun. Aurelion’s intervention had removed the curse.
The velmoryn, on the other hand, was broken both physically and mentally. He wept silently, his thoughts so scattered that he did not even register the giant throne or the God of Velmoryn seated upon it.
I did not linger on them. Lucas was recovering, and the velmoryn would not die no matter how much he suffered. So I shifted my focus back to the mortal world.
“Father,” Aurelion whispered into my mind, “please allow me to meet them. I feel no hostility from them.”
No hostility? Since when can he sense hostility?
I considered his request briefly, then agreed.
Even if the one approaching Aurelion turned out to be an emissary of a hostile god, no one would recognize him as my angel. And killing Aurelion was impossible. He could retreat into my realm anytime he wished.
Besides, I was curious.
Especially after seeing that the one approaching was riding a dragon.