Twenty-eight years ago, Ereskia's father, Reciaus, became Reciaus Veyric NightWhizkersz when he married into the NightWhizkersz clan, a legendary lineage said to carry divine blood in their veins. As tradition demanded, any man who wed a daughter of their house would forsake his own last name and take theirs instead. It was more than custom, it was a sacred rite, an acknowledgment that to enter the clan was to bind oneself to its legacy.

But a name alone wasn't enough.

To be truly accepted, Reciaus had to face the clan's ancient trial within the Secret Night Sanctuary, a deadly crucible meant only for the worthy.

And he passed.

In doing so, he earned the right to wield one of the clan's sacred relics: the Afelkris, also known as the "Darkness Crystallizer," a colossal behemoth of a greatsword, forged not from steel but from obsidian-black crystal and concentrated shadow mana.

While it lacked the raw, overwhelming divinity and destruction of Ereskia's Sheol, Afelkris was a monster in its own right. While Sheol was the sword of the End, of Death itself, Afelkris was the sword of eternal pain and suffering, symbolizing the futile struggle of mortals against death.

Thus, Afelkris had one unmistakable trait, something no other blade in the world possessed.

Its cuts would leave behind crystallized remnants of darkness mana. Jagged veins of black crystal would sprout where its edge touched.

And now, here, in this ancient ruin…

Those same marks marred the pillar before her. Thick slashes etched deep into stone, their edges lined with black crystal still glinting faintly in the blue runic light.

Normally, the crystals would disappear after a set period of time. However, due to this dungeon's dense mana, this room had accidently become a preserving chamber, not only maintaining the crystals but even enhancing them, making them shine more.

"It's really him…" Ereskia whispered, her voice cracking as her hand rose to her mouth. Her whole body trembled.

"It's really Dad… that's Afelkris…"

Those crystals…

Ereskia remembered them well.

Years ago, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had reached out to touch one of those jagged black shards clinging to her father's training post after a sparring session.

The consequences were immediate and nearly devastating.

A searing pain shot through her hand, like acid eating through flesh. Her finger blackened within seconds, the skin cracking, veins turning dark. Everyone panicked. For a brief moment, they even considered amputation.

Only thanks to the clan's Great Sage and a long, agonizing treatment was her hand saved.

Apparently, the crystals from the blade were actually markers of its terrible venomous property. That mana would crystallize inside the victim's veins, causing intense pain and disrupting the victim's mana flow itself, even paralyzing them.

After that, her father had never let her near the sword again.

Years had passed since she'd seen those cursed crystals up close.

Now, her breath caught as her gloved fingers hovered just above one, gleaming faintly along the slashed pillar.

"…It really is Afelkris," she murmured.

She reached out, slowly, cautiously, and pressed her fingers to the edge of the black shard.

Szzzt.

The outer layer of her glove sizzled, the enchanted fabric hissing as the crystal began to corrode it.

It hurt.

But it was proof. Unmistakable.

Then—

Zap!

A sudden jolt shot through her fingertips, sharp and searing, like a streak of lightning.

Ereskia gasped and yanked her hand back, eyes wide with shock. "What—?"

She stared at her glove, its fabric now singed at the fingertips, smoke curling from the edges.

Then her gaze snapped to the crystal she'd touched.

Still smoldering…

But no longer the same.

Now, veins of tiny black lightning crawled silently across its surface, arcing in eerie, flickering pulses like serpents of shadow.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Black lightning?

That wasn't Afelkris.

That wasn't her father's mana!

Something else had left its mark here.

Her eyes darted around the chamber, suddenly seeing it with new clarity. The damage wasn't uniform. Yes, there were the signature cleaves of Afelkris, with massive, crushing gouges where crystal had bloomed, but among them were other marks too, alien and chaotic.

Jagged tears from axes. Scorch marks from spells. Deep punctures from arrows embedded in stone… And worse, there were also colossal claw marks, raked across the walls like a beast had been trying to tear everything down.

A slow chill crept up her spine.

Because it was clear from the evidences here, that in this very chamber, a battle had happened.

A chaotic, crazy battle.

A big battle of life and death.

So, it was clear. Her father was fighting something back then. And as Afelkris left crystalized marks on the wall, it also captured some of the enemy mana as well.

But the enemy… what could they be?

Or rather… who could they be?

Who could have this black lightning mana? A violent, offensive version of darkness attribute?

…

Well…

The answer was clear now.

The truth of what had really happened to her father was right here, right behind her, looming, undeniable.

It was just a matter of whether Ereskia was ready to face it.

She turned sharply, whipping around, looking back.

And there he stood.

Lucian.

The Guildmaster of Shadowfang.

His dark cloak fluttered gently in the mana-heavy air, and in his palm, he held the pendant… the one they had followed all this way. Its once-glowing surface now looked wrong. It flickered, then dimmed, then the light went off.

He smirked.

And from the corner of his eyes, a streak of black lightning cracked and fizzled, dancing through his hair.

Then, with a casual flick, he tossed the pendant to the ground.

Smash.

It shattered instantly, leaving jagged pieces scattering across the stone floor.

The once a symbol of hope… now just fragments of a broken lie.

"Just a fake fang," Lucian said and laughed. "A glowing crystal trick. I can't believe you all actually bought it!"

As he said that, the glint of his fang caught the glow of the rune-light, sharp and gleaming like a predator's.

But worse than the sneer… were his eyes.

Gone was the warmth, the camaraderie, the calm, guiding mentor. In its place, now, there was only madness, wild and unhinged.

And just like that, the Lucian that Ereskia knew… was no more.

Or rather… he was never truly him in the first place.

"G-Guildmaster?" Ereskia's voice cracked. Her body trembled, as if her blood had turned to ice, her eyes wide with shock. "W-what are you doing… what's the meaning of this…?"

Even though the trap had already sprung, her mind still fought the truth. It couldn't be him. Not him! Not the father figure who had raised her, protected her, and fought alongside her all this time!

She had even come to see him as a second father, one of the few people she respected and loved the most.

And Larpard too, trusted Lucian…

And yet…

Lucian said nothing. His smile only widened, and sparks of black lightning crackled from his fingertips.

Larpard staggered forward. "Wait, what do you mean it's fake? What's going on?!"

Still not realizing what had happened, the boy was even more confused than his sister.

But then—

"ARGHH!"

Larpard screamed, collapsing to his knees, clutching his chest as if his ribs were cracking open. He then vomited blood.

"Larpard!" Ereskia shouted, but her own cry was cut short.

Suddenly, a searing, soul-wrenching pain exploded in her chest.

Her mana core!

At the center of her heart, it pulsed. The pain spread like lightning, surging through her limbs, burning through her veins. Her limbs spasmed as her entire mana system locked up, seized by invisible chains. Even the thought of channeling mana made her bones scream, causing pain that worse than dead.

Thud.

She hit the floor, breathless, convulsing, teeth clenched so tightly it hurt.

Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

"F-Fuck—!" Ereskia rasped, barely able to force out the words. "The… Dragon Heart Pill…!"

Realization struck.

They had been too careless.

The pills they had taken before entering the ruin, the ones meant to stabilize their mana core and protect it from the dungeon's effect, they'd been tampered with.

They hadn't been medicine.

They were poison.

No, worse.

Inside her, she could feel it now.

Something writhing, something feeding.

A worm.

Her eyes widened in horror. "An Arcane… Corruption Parasite?!"

Slow claps of boots echoed across the chamber floor.

"Oh?" Lucian tilted his head, his voice dripping with amusement. "So you know about it too? I'm impressed."

The Arcane Corruption Parasite… it was the name of a worm species that infests the host via the digestive tract and then burrows into the host's mana core. There, it would siphon mana, disrupt the flow, and corrupt the vessel from within.

It was a rare creature from some of the most dangerous dungeons in the world, but apparently, some mysterious guilds had found a way to utilize it, turning it into a deadly weapon. Some were even able to control the worm itself using some kind of dark arts.

Lucian stepped closer, black lightning crackling at his heels. His eyes gleamed, madness dancing behind them.

He looked down at them, at Larpard writhing in agony, at Ereskia gasping for breath, and his grin twisted, sharp and wicked.

Like he was savoring every second.