The grand hall of the Vermilion Kingdom's royal palace was filled with tension. Whispers filled the air as noblemen, adventurers, merchants, and other dignitaries took their seats. The gleaming chandeliers above cast a golden glow, illuminating the anxious faces of those gathered.
"What could this meeting be about?" one noble murmured to another.
"The king hasn't summoned a gathering this large in years," replied a woman dressed in elegant armor. Her badge marked her as a high-ranking member of the Duskwood Guild, owned by the Duskwood family.
One other person that stood out in this crowd was a tall, handsome man with blue hair and eyes of the same color; he looked very similar to Brandon Chai, and one might even call him an older version of the field instructor.
Well, they weren't wrong because this man was Charles Xavier Chai, one of the wealthiest merchants in the kingdom. He leaned back in his chair, fanning himself. "If this is another tax hike, I swear, I'll—"
"So noisy," Brawn Collins whispered to himself as he stroked his beard.
Beside him was a bony figure who seemed as if even the breeze could knock him off his feet. This person was none other than Nathan, the Mad Dog of the West.
Though he knew that this meeting was not for trivial matters, there was no interest in Nathan's eyes. He still hadn't forgotten what the king had done five years ago. The main reason he even attended the meeting in the first place was because they were offering a free ride, and he also wanted to check on his grandkids.
Seeing that some minutes had passed and the king was yet to show up, Brawn frowned, an irritated look crossing his features. "Tsk, how long is this bastard planning on keeping us here—"
Before he could complete his words, the doors at the front of the hall swung open, and King Aldrich Vermilion entered. His crimson robes billowed as he strode to his throne. The crown on his head glinted ominously under the light, and his expression was unusually grim. Behind him followed several attendants, each carrying scrolls and documents, as well as a peculiar statue shrouded in thick black cloth.
The whispers died down as Aldrich raised his hand.
"Thank you all for coming," he began, his tone serious. "This meeting is not one of politics, economy, or war. It concerns the very future of the Vermilion Kingdom."
The crowd shifted uneasily, exchanging glances.
"As you know, our kingdom has faced countless threats over the years," Aldrich continued. "But none have been as dire as what lies ahead. In the shadows, there is a force that has been watching us, guiding us. This force is a god—a god who has chosen to reveal themselves to us."
Murmurs broke out instantly, growing louder as the king paused. A god? Many were confused, and others were outright skeptical. Was the king talking about the same patron gods they worshipped? What did he mean? Which god had been protecting them from the shadows all this while?
At that moment, one nobleman, a burly man with a scar across his face, stood abruptly.
"Your Majesty," he said, his deep voice booming. "With all due respect, what god are you speaking of? Our kingdom already worships all the patron gods. Are you saying there is another?"
"Yes," Aldrich replied firmly. "And this god has revealed their existence to me directly."
At this, the attendants stepped forward and unveiled the statue. Gasps echoed through the hall.
The figure was monstrous—its eyes hollow, its face twisted in an eternal sneer. Horns curled from its head, and its clawed hands reached out as if to grasp something unseen. It was unlike anything the people of Vermilion had ever seen. The aura it exuded was dark, oppressive, almost suffocating.
If Nox were here, he would have recognized this statue as the one he had seen inside the chamber below the lake at the back of the academy.
"This," Aldrich said, gesturing to the statue, "is the embodiment of the new god who will protect our kingdom. His name is Volgrath, the Watcher of Shadows."
A wave of unease swept through the room. One man froze, his face pale. "This... this doesn't look like a protector," he muttered.
"It looks demonic," someone else whispered.
Aldrich ignored the murmurs. "Volgrath has been cast out by other gods, unfairly labeled as an evil deity. But they have chosen us, the people of Vermilion, to serve as their sanctuary. In return, they will grant us their power."
"What are you up to again?" Nathan murmured to himself as he looked at the statue. The old monster wasn't the only one who was suspicious of the king's motive. The leaders of the Big Four clan were also suspicious of him.
They'd be fools to believe the bullshit King Aldrich was spitting. No one was a kid! All this while, no gods had protected them! Everything they'd achieved to this point was on their own!
The Big Four were more than certain that even the king knew about this, which led them to believe this was yet another move by the king to solidify his power in the kingdom.
King Aldrich paused, scanning the room, and in a heavy tone, he said, "Statues of Volgrath will be placed throughout the kingdom. Worship will be mandatory. Those who refuse... will be considered enemies of the kingdom."
Gasps turned to shouts. Even the dignitaries who usually maintained composure began to argue.
"This is madness!" Boris Fanum, the Adventurer's Guild head, roared. "You expect us to worship this... thing?"
Brawn Collins narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping the table. "What sort of power does this god offer, Your Majesty? And at what cost?"
Aldrich's eyes glinted. "The power to protect ourselves from the calamities to come. As for the cost… that is something we all must bear together."
Nathan, who had been silent so far, also spoke up. "What proof do you have that this god is real? That they'll help us?"
Aldrich motioned to one of his attendants. The man brought forward a glowing red orb, pulsing with an ominous aura. "This is a fragment of Volgrath's essence," the king said. "It was gifted to me as a sign of their favor. With it, I have already begun to unlock powers beyond imagination."
He held the orb high, and for a moment, the air in the hall seemed to crackle. A few people flinched, feeling an unnatural chill run down their spines.
Meanwhile, far from the Vermilion Kingdom, chaos erupted in the Tristan Kingdom.
In the northern region near the town of Grendale, the sky above the town turned pitch black, swirling with ominous clouds. A massive portal loomed over the land, spilling out hordes of monsters.
The town's guards were quickly overwhelmed as goblins, ogres, and other monstrous creatures flooded the streets. Houses burned, and screams filled the air as the townspeople fled for their lives.
At the center of the chaos stood a towering beast, its body covered in jagged scales that shimmered with a sickly green hue. Its claws tore through stone and steel with ease, and its eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence.
"This... a portal break!" shouted a mage as he hurled fireballs at the smaller monsters. "We need reinforcements, now!"
But the reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time. The monsters pouring out of the portal spread like wildfire, threatening to engulf the entire northern region.
Back in the Vermilion Kingdom, King Aldrich stood before his people and declared in a loud, booming voice:
"The world is changing. My intellects have revealed that the demons are beginning to make their move. And we all know how powerful the Demonic Empire is. Only by embracing Volgrath can we hope to survive."
Whether his people believed him or not, one thing was certain—the kingdom of Vermilion was on the brink of a transformation, one that would test the resolve of every soul within its borders.
Back at the temple atop the hill, Hendrix shook his head as he stared at the fist size crystal which was the ' real' essence of volgrath. "If only they knew this transformation would be for the worst."