The throne room was quieter than usual, but the silence carried weight.
It was not the calm silence of order, but the stillness of something shifting beneath the surface. The air itself felt heavier, as though something unseen were pressing down on everyone present. The recent discoveries of the black crystals, the corrupted forest, the corrupted monsters and the clear evidence of human interference had already begun to alter the atmosphere within the palace.
At the centre of it all sat the King.
King Aldric Valerion III remained upon his throne, composed and unmoving. His expression was calm, yet a sharpness behind his eyes did not go unnoticed by others.
Before him stood the heroes, the royal mages, and the knights who had returned from the expedition.
"The situation has escalated beyond expectation," the King said.
His voice was steady and controlled, yet firm enough to silence the entire hall.
"The existence of corrupted manifestations alone was already concerning…" he continued, pausing briefly. "…but now we have confirmation that something or someone is accelerating the growth of the curse energy."
A low murmur spread across the room before fading just as quickly.
The head mage stepped forward, his tone measured.
"Your Majesty, the black crystals we recovered appear to be remnants of those manifestations. However…"
He paused slightly before continuing.
"…their structure is unnatural."
The King's gaze narrowed.
"They retain condensed curse energy even after destruction," the mage said. "That should not be possible."
Silence followed his words.
"Which means," the King said slowly, "this is no longer a simple outbreak."
No one argued.
Then the King's gaze shifted.
It settled on Lucius.
One by one, the attention of the entire hall followed.
"You," the King said.
Lucius stepped forward slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The King observed him for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Then he spoke.
"You will not be joining the next expedition."
The words landed without warning.
A subtle shift moved through the room. Liam's lips curved into a faint, satisfied smirk, while a few knights exchanged brief glances, as though the decision confirmed what they had already believed. Clara's expression tightened slightly, but she remained silent.
Lucius did not react outwardly.
"…May I ask why?" he said calmly.
There was no defiance in his voice, only a quiet question.
The King did not answer immediately. When he did, his tone had grown colder and more precise.
"You collapsed multiple times during the last mission," he said. "You were unable to maintain your condition even before the battle reached its peak."
Lucius remained silent.
"You required assistance to be removed from the battlefield," the King continued. "Your presence forced others to divide their attention."
A knight shifted slightly nearby, not in disagreement, but in confirmation.
"In a situation where every second matters, hesitation costs lives."
The words settled heavily across the hall.
"You did not contribute to the outcome of the battle," the King added. "Yet you increased the risk for those around you."
Silence followed.
"This is not a matter of potential," the King said. "It is a matter of reliability."
His gaze sharpened.
"In your current state, you are unstable."
He paused briefly.
"You are not an asset."
"…you are a liability."
The words were final. Not emotional. Simply a decision.
"There is no reason to place unnecessary burden on the expedition," the King concluded. "You will remain in the capital."
Lucius lowered his gaze slightly.
"I understand."
No one spoke in his defense.
And that silence said more than any words could have.
The meeting ended soon after.
Plans were set into motion immediately. Maps were brought forward, marked locations reviewed, and orders given without hesitation. Weapons were prepared, supplies gathered, and the next expedition was scheduled to depart at dawn.
There was no time to hesitate.
Lucius stood alone in one of the quieter corridors of the palace.
The sounds of preparation echoed faintly in the distance, but none of it seemed to reach him.
He leaned slightly against the cold stone wall, his breathing steady, though his body still felt weak. For a brief moment, a faint pulse moved through his chest as the lingering effect of Reversal stabilised him just enough to remain standing.
The weakness had not disappeared.
But it no longer completely overwhelmed him.
"They're not wrong," he muttered quietly.
He had collapsed.
Again and again.
But even so
He had survived and never burdened them.
And something inside him had changed.
"If I stay here…" he said under his breath, "…my power won't evolve, and I won't be able to survive long among these people ."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"So I must join them even if I have to go secretly…"
He turned.
Already decided.
The morning of departure arrived quickly.
The courtyard was filled with movement. Knights checked their armour and weapons, mages prepared supplies and enchanted tools, and carriages stood ready, loaded with everything needed for the journey ahead.
At the centre stood the heroes, prepared and focused.
Lucius was nowhere among them.
At least, not where anyone would think to look.
Near the back of the courtyard, among the workers and servants preparing the final equipment, a quiet figure moved carefully.
Lucius.
His posture was lowered, his movements controlled and deliberate. He lifted crates, secured them onto the final carriage, adjusted straps, and checked bindings with quiet precision.
He did not attempt to hide, but he needed to join them.
He simply made himself unimportant.
A passing knight glanced briefly in his direction before looking away, uninterested. Another walked past him without pause. A servant handed him a coil of rope without questioning who he was.
No one noticed him.
Because no one was looking.
And that was enough.
Once the final carriage was secured, Lucius climbed onto the back quietly, positioning himself among the stacked supplies where shadows and crates concealed him naturally.
He adjusted a cloth slightly over the cargo just enough to avoid attention.
Then he remained still.
The gates of the capital opened slowly.
The expedition began to move.
The sound of wheels rolling across stone echoed outward as the group left the safety of the palace behind.
Lucius did not move, not until the city walls began to fade behind them.
Only then did he lift his head slightly.
The journey stretched forward.
At first, the land was familiar and orderly, but as they moved farther, the change became impossible to ignore.
The grass lost its colour.
The air grew heavier.
The silence returned.
Lucius remained still among the supplies, watching quietly.
Something was wrong.
More than before.
Even the knights began to feel it.
"This isn't normal…" one of them muttered.
The head mage said nothing, but his expression darkened with each passing mile.
Hours later, they stopped at the marked ruins.
Their horses grew restless.
The air shifted.
Then came a sound.
Low.
Distant.
It came again.
A deep, unnatural growl.
The ground trembled slightly beneath it.
The knights reacted instantly, weapons drawn and formations forming without hesitation. The mages raised their hands as magic gathered around them, while the heroes stepped forward, ready to face whatever approached.
Even without seeing it
They understood that something was there.
Hidden among the supplies, Lucius slowly lifted his head.
His gaze was fixed on the dark path ahead.
A faint pulse echoed within his chest.
The corruption inside him stirred.
Responding.
And then
From the darkness ahead, a shadow figure smiled at the group that had just arrived and said right on time, heroes
"Let the game begin".