His eyes shine with something close to reverence, almost fanatical.
Alix sighs internally. 'All my subordinates are just too extreme in revering me.'
Shaking his head, he raises a hand. A pouch appears in his palm, brimming with wealth. With a flick of his wrist, it lands in Calak's grasp.
"Here's two hundred thousand gold coins," Alix says. "Use it to stabilize the city."
Calak clutches the pouch like it's the most precious thing in the world. His voice trembles slightly. "I will not disappoint you, Your Majesty!"
Before leaving, Alix glances at Sorin.
"Since I promised them that they could visit me, lead them tomorrow," he says. "The four know where Noctaris City is."
Sorin places a fist over her heart and bows slightly. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
Alix nods in approval before adding, "Also, there's a lot of weapons and armor in the treasury. Use them to reward the soldiers."
Sorin's eyes flicker with understanding. "I'll make sure they're distributed properly," she responds.
Satisfied, Alix exchanges a glance with Varkas. With a faint shimmer, their forms blur and vanish as they activate invisibility. Then, without a sound, they ascend into the sky disappearing.
Inside the resurrection chamber, a faint glow pulses from the ancient runes carved into the resurrection altar. The air hums with power, a dense, almost suffocating energy filling the chamber as Alix stands before the resurrection altar. His gaze locks onto the name displayed on his transparent screen.
[Vaelith the Phantom Stalker – Level 532]
Resurrection Cost: 1,050,000 Gold
A wraith-like assassin, Vaelith was a terror on the battlefield. His Shadowmeld ability allowed him to phase between the physical and ethereal realms, making him nearly impossible to track. He was the perfect killer—silent, precise, merciless.
Alix exhales, pressing his hand against the altar.
The moment the word leaves his lips, a surge of dark energy explodes from the runes, spiraling upward like a vortex. The chamber trembles slightly as the sheer power of the resurrection process unfolds. Wisps of black mist seep from the altar, coiling in the air before condensing into a humanoid form.
Slowly, a figure emerges from the darkness.
His form is draped in a tattered cloak of shifting shadows, his presence barely tangible, as if reality itself struggles to keep hold of him. His face remains obscured beneath a hood, revealing only faint traces of spectral blue eyes glowing beneath the darkness.
For a long moment, he remains motionless. Then, he takes a slow step forward.
His voice is barely more than a whisper, yet it carries an eerie weight, like a blade gliding through the night. Vaelith drops to one knee, head bowed in absolute submission.
Alix watches him with a satisfied nod. "Welcome back."
Vaelith lifts his head slightly. "I am yours to command," he intones, his voice unwavering.
Alix crosses his arms, his gaze steady as he looks down at Vaelith. "Good. Right now, the Shadows don't have a leader. That's why I revived you."
Vaelith nods, his glowing eyes narrowing with determination. "You can count on me, Your Majesty."
A moment of silence lingers before he finally asks, "May I know, how many of the shadows are left?"
Alix exhales. "Right now, it's just five. And they're all at the lowest rank." He pauses before adding, "But don't worry—I'll revive more with the gold I have left."
Vaelith bows his head slightly. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
As Alix channels his remaining gold into reviving the fallen Shadows, he glances at Vaelith. "Tell me what happened. Why are there only five left?"
Vaelith's expression darkens slightly beneath his hood. His voice is calm, but there's a sharp edge to it, like a blade that has seen too much battle. "Your Majesty, when you suddenly lost consciousness and never woke up… Lord Kieran rallied all of the Shadows and led an assault on the enemy's capital city."
Alix's eyes flicker with recognition. Kieran. One of the Five Lords—the strongest of his subordinates.
Vaelith continues. "The two enemy king was locked in battle with Lord Kaelthar at the time. When we attacked, one had no choice but to abandon the fight and return to defend his capital."
Alix scoffs. "Hah. So Kieran forced one back. Smart."
Vaelith nods. "Yes. But in the end… we were all killed."
Alix's expression turns unreadable. "By that bastard?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Vaelith confirms. "He was so furious that he used a one-time-use divine item to wipe us all out."
Alix pauses, then suddenly laughs. "Pfft. That's actually great news."
Alix smirks. "Do you know how expensive those divine items are? The fact that he had to use one means you all did a damn good job before going down."
Vaelith's lips twitch slightly. "We took many of his subordinates with us. Enough that he couldn't risk fighting us normally."
Alix nods in approval. "Good. That alone makes me feel better." He focused back on the altar.
With a deep breath, Alix continues the resurrection process. The chamber glows ominously as dark energy swirls around him, forming into shadowy figures one after another.
One by one, the members of the Shadows return. Their forms emerge from the abyss, flickering into existence as they kneel before Alix.
When the final pulse of magic fades, Alix takes a moment to assess his resurrected assassins.
One stands out immediately—a figure clad in dark leathers, exuding a sharp, predatory aura. He's the strongest among them, somewhere in the level 400 range. The rest vary between level 200 and 300. Not bad.
Vaelith steps forward, his gaze scanning the group before settling on the strongest one. "Kain," he says, voice unreadable.
The assassin, Torik, looks up. His eyes gleam under his hood. "Lord Vaelith," he acknowledges before turning his attention to Alix. "Your Majesty," he says, bowing low. "It is an honor to serve you once more."
Alix watches them in silence for a moment before speaking. "You've all been brought back for a reason," he says, his voice calm but firm. "The Shadows have fallen far from what they once were. That changes today."
The assassins remain kneeling, their unwavering attention on him.