Chapter 14:The Pact of steel and shadows
The next morning, Victoria and Lucas asked to see the king and were taken to his private study.
"You asked to see me. Is something important?" the king asked.
"Yes, my king," Victoria replied.
"We are not at war with Axel, are we?" he asked.
"No, my king," Lucas answered.
Lucas glanced at Victoria. She was nervous, her hands shaking, but her bracelet gave off a warm glow that calmed her. Taking a deep breath, she began to speak.
"My king, what I told you before was only partly true. Lucas is not just my husband—he is also my protector. We are not ordinary travelers from Axel. He is the Prince of Darkness, and I am the Daughter of Shadows. My father is Den, the traitor demon."
The king was not shocked by what they were—he had suspected it—but he was surprised that Victoria was Den's daughter.
"Den? The demon who brought war to Valor and killed my parents and many of my people? That is your father?"
Victoria stood firm. "Yes, he is. But my mother was a keeper. She discovered why I was born and hid me from him. I am not only a bridge between realms—I am also a weapon. The scream you heard in the arena was mine, and the speed you saw was mine too. I haven't fully mastered my powers yet, but Lucas is training me. I need your help to train as well."
She continued, "Valor is no longer just a place I hide. It is now my home, and these are my people. I promise to protect them from any danger."
"Show me," the king said. "I want to see it myself."
Victoria hesitated, and Lucas stepped forward.
"My king, Den does not want her as his daughter—he wants her power. She holds the other half of his strength, and he plans to take it by consuming her. He wants to become a god, and if he succeeds, Valor will be destroyed."
The king fell silent, pacing as he thought. Finally, he spoke.
"You want me to trust you—the Prince of Darkness and the Daughter of Shadows—the very beings that have harmed my people—to save us?"
Victoria answered, "I am asking for your help. The scream you heard in the arena—Den heard it too. He now knows I am in Valor. He will come soon, and your machines will not be enough to stop him. Help me train. Give me your resources, and I will protect Valor when he comes."
The king stopped and looked out at his kingdom.
"I have spent my whole life building this peace after my father, the fallen king. But you are right—the war I feared has already begun. I need every ally I can get."
He turned back to them. "I will give you my mages and training grounds. But you must also prepare my warriors for what is coming."
Then he added firmly, "Remember this—if I see the darkness taking over you, I will not hesitate to kill you."
"I understand," Victoria replied. "But you don't have to worry. There is something else within me that did not come from my father—I have the Shrine of Sin."
"I still want to see it," the king said.
"See what, my king?" she asked.
"What you truly are—both of you."
So Victoria and Lucas revealed their true forms, and a pact was made between them.
Even so, Victoria was not happy. She had now become both Valor's greatest hope—and its greatest danger.
The next day, Victoria and Lucas went to the training ground beneath the castle. It was an underground arena built for magic training. The king's ten mages, who were meant to train Victoria, were already there waiting for her, dressed in white robes.
Above them, the king stood on a balcony, watching closely to see if the darkness inside Victoria would take control.
"Begin," the king commanded.
At once, the mages attacked Victoria together using powerful magic—lightning, thunder, storms, and more. It was overwhelming and very different from anything she had faced before, including Lucas's training. Their attacks burned her skin every time they touched her.
"Don't try to block it!" Lucas shouted from the side. "They are using the chaos in your blood. If you resist, it will hurt you more. Use the Shrine of Sin to absorb and redirect their power!"
Victoria struggled to stand. Her breathing became heavy, and each time she tried to use her powers, her golden bracelet began to glow brighter, as if something inside her wanted to break free. She became afraid she might lose control and hurt someone.
"It's too much… I can't do this!" she cried.
"You can, Victoria!" Lucas encouraged.
"I can't…" she said, crying and struggling to breathe. Just then, a blast of magic struck the back of her head, knocking her to her knees.
One of the mages—the oldest—walked toward her and said, "She is afraid of hurting others. Her power is building up inside her, but she hasn't fully accepted who she is."
The mages decided to push her further by making her angry. The old mage leaned close and whispered, "You are just a vessel, meant to be used by your father for destruction."
Victoria felt a sudden surge of anger and coldness. She looked up, and her bracelet took over. Her eyes turned bright silver and gold.
"I am not a vessel!" she screamed.
This time, she did not resist. She let the power take control. She rose into the air, flames forming in her hands. The training ground filled with strong winds and dust. The mages tried to control the chaos, but they couldn't stop her.
In that state, the only person she responded to was Lucas.
"Calm down, Victoria! Control it! Look at me!" he shouted as he tried to reach her.
Suddenly, Den spoke through her.
"You hid in Valor. Do you think you can protect her? She is mine. Train her all you want—she belongs to me," he said, laughing darkly.
Hearing this, Lucas quickly transformed into his true form and rushed forward, holding her tightly and bringing her back down.
The king and the mages were shocked.
"What was that?" the king asked. "That voice speaking through her?"
"That was her father, my king," Lucas replied.
Victoria had used so much power that she fainted. She had no memory of what had happened.
"Does she know any of this?" the king asked.
"No, my king," Lucas said. "She was in a trance when he took over her mind. When she wakes up, she won't remember anything. That's why we must train her carefully and not provoke her."
The king frowned. "So Den truly is her father? And what did he mean when he said she belongs to him?"
"Her heart is what he wants," Lucas explained. "That is the only way he can become a god. I believe he is still in shadow form, which is why he can reach her mind. If he regains a physical form before she is ready… Valor will be destroyed."
While they were talking, the oldest mage spoke again.
"I felt something else in her," he said. "I sensed water and forest energy in her veins. She is more powerful than what Den gave her. She can connect to other realms and even to the guardians. I felt it when her bracelet glowed."
"About that bracelet," he added, "it wasn't given to control her powers. It was given by the guardians. I believe it is tied to her true origin."
Lucas already knew the truth about her origins and asked the king and the mages to keep it a secret.
Just then, Victoria woke up.
"What happened?" she asked.
Everyone lied to her.
But the king was uneasy about hiding the truth, because he feared what might happen to his people if she lost control.