Chapter 40: Into the Shadows
Mini Arc: Gasper's Rescue
The bitter wind howled across the mountain ridge, sweeping through twisted black pines that lined the outskirts of the Tepes-controlled territory.
Magic shimmered faintly in the air—an unseen veil of warding spells, curses, and blood-born surveillance. The kind of place that didn't just keep people out, but made them forget why they ever came close.
Volundr Agares stood in the shadow of a craggy cliff, his cloak drawn tight, watching the sky pulse with violet arcs of residual magic. They were close now—too close.
He turned to the three devils behind him, cloaked in black and gray travel coats etched with subtle runes.
Lilith, his illusionist; Darius, a rune specialist and shadow scout; and Seraphina, his sensory mage. Each of them hand-picked. Each one trusted beyond words.
"Second ward layer ends here," Seraphina whispered, her violet eyes glowing faintly.
"Time-slow bubble activates in seventy seconds. We'll have five minutes before the surveillance resets."
Volundr nodded. "Then we walk in time's shadow."
He touched the Agares Time Sigil, a relic fused into a silver ring on his right hand. Arcane gears turned in his mind, recalling spell structures and recalibration sequences.
With a twist of the ring, the world around them shimmered—Time slowed. Their footsteps became whispers. Leaves drifted lazily in the air. Birds above hung mid-glide like suspended ghosts.
They moved.
The Descent Begins
The group entered the first layer of the vampire domain—an unnatural forest saturated with blood magic. Twisted trees oozed ichor.
The ground squelched. Darius stepped lightly, dispersing rune anchors with flicks of his wrist. Lilith scattered reflection charms to confuse distant watchers.
Volundr marked a rune on a tree with a quiet chant. "Memory fog. If they track us here, they'll see a pack of deer fleeing."
They made their way to a crumbled outpost—an old watchtower from when vampire clans warred openly. There, an old contact waited, cloaked and hooded. He was called The Grey Scribe, a former vampire librarian now acting as an information broker.
"You came," the Scribe rasped, handing over a scroll sealed with dragon wax.
Volundr broke it and scanned the contents. Schematics. Guard rotations. Inner sanctum layers. "They're testing the Sacred Gear again?"
The Scribe nodded grimly.
"The boy's been frozen half a dozen times this week. Each time, the effect spreads further. They're… trying to weaponize it."
"And Valerie?" Volundr asked, eyes sharp.
The Scribe hesitated.
"Deep in the crypt vaults. Sacred Gear activation spikes erratically. One day, she might grant life. The next, madness. They think she's… divine. They also think she's a threat."
Volundr tucked the scroll away and handed over a promise-sigil. "Call it in when you need. I never forget debts."
The Final Phase One Briefing
Hours later, back at their hidden camp within a hollowed stone fissure, Volundr laid out the parchment scroll before a flickering ward-fire.
"The estate has five entrance seals," he began.
"We break only two—just enough to create a breach. Lilith will conjure a veil clone to draw out any patrols from the south wall."
"Darius and I will disable the primary sigil gate and disarm the ward crystals," added Seraphina.
Volundr looked toward the mountains beyond.
"While you draw the chaos, I'll enter the eastern breach with full stealth. The lower dungeons are shielded, but the Time Sigil should give me just enough phase room to slip in."
He rolled up the scroll with sharp finality. "No heroics. No full battles. This is a rescue, not a war."
Lilith smirked faintly. "You say that every time."
Darius chuckled. "And yet we're always running from someone."
Volundr met their gazes with quiet fire. "We're rescuing a child from being turned into a living weapon. And maybe… a girl who's been left to fade in the dark."
He raised his hand.
"Phase One: Disrupt the Wards.
Phase Two: Extract the Boy.
Phase Three: Evaporate."
The others echoed softly:
"Evaporate."
Final Scene
As night fully fell and the moons rose high over the Carpathian peaks, Volundr stepped away from the camp, standing alone at the edge of the ridge.
Below lay the Vladi Estate, cloaked in darkness, steeped in malice. A forgotten place housing a forgotten boy—and perhaps a girl the world never knew.
He whispered to the wind:
"Hold on, Gasper. We're coming."
Then, with a flare of magic and the silent shimmer of shadow-warp, Volundr vanished into the night.