Orion stood watch at the southern gate, having sent Elder Slate of the giants and Elder Vespera of the succubi to patrol the eastern and western mountains. Now, only four guards and Lysinthia remained by his side.
He gazed into the distant darkness, noting that the scent of blood in the air had faded significantly.
"Those three tribesmen you chose—how are they doing?" Orion asked suddenly, his question catching Lysinthia off guard.
"Master, are you asking me?" Lysinthia looked up, her beautiful face showing a hint of confusion.
"Yes, I remember Elder Rendall gave you three slots to choose from," Orion replied. "Did you not make your selections?"
Lysinthia shook her head, then nodded, her voice filled with a mix of sadness and conflict. "I saved three of my tribesmen, but they hate me. They curse me."
"I don't understand why. I saved them, so why do they hate me?"
Lysinthia's voice trembled with a sense of injustice as she looked up at Orion, seeking an answer.
Orion reached out and gently stroked her head. "Kill them. They're not worth your sorrow."
Lysinthia froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Orion smiled, clearly enjoying the stunned expression on her face.
Without hesitation, he leaned in and kissed her deeply.
After a long moment, Orion pulled away, leaving Lysinthia breathless and gasping for air as he drew her into his arms.
"Dace, tell me, who is this in my arms?" Orion asked in a cold, detached voice.
Lysinthia, still recovering from the kiss, heard Orion's question and turned her head slightly.
"Chieftain, she is Lysinthia Stoneheart, your woman," Dace replied without hesitation.
Orion laughed heartily, lifting Lysinthia's chin and speaking with a wild arrogance. "Lysinthia, did you hear that?"
"Your name is Lysinthia Stoneheart. You are not only my servant but also my woman!"
Lysinthia's eyes filled with emotion, and she slowly leaned into Orion's embrace.
The night passed quietly on the southern wall, with Orion standing watch in the cold wind. Not a single dark creature appeared.
When Elder Rendall arrived to take over the watch, the situation remained the same.
"Elder Rendall, I leave this to you," Orion said.
"Rest assured, Chieftain!" Rendall replied confidently.
Orion nodded, exchanged a brief word with Elder Thundar, and then descended from the wall with his entourage.
---
Back in the chieftain's tent, with no battles to fight, Orion spent the entire night making love to the succubus and the medusa. It wasn't until 3 a.m. that he finally fell into a deep sleep.
Shortly after Orion drifted off, the animal hides covering the tent stirred slightly.
Lysinthia quietly slipped her head out from under the furs, carefully observing Orion and Lilith. Once she was sure they were both sound asleep, she gently rose, dressed, and slipped out of the tent.
As Lysinthia left, Lilith slowly opened her eyes.
"Beautiful Medusa, what are you up to?" Lilith thought to herself, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.
She didn't get up, though. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Orion's back, found a comfortable position, and nestled back into his embrace to continue sleeping.
Outside the tent, a shadowy figure darted after Lysinthia, following her silently.
---
Deep within Moonshadow Valley, in a prison carved into the rock, Lysinthia's figure appeared. She stood outside a stone door, looking in at three serpentfolk who were bound tightly.
"You bitch! You've disgraced the noble Medusa bloodline of the serpentfolk! You'll die a miserable death—I curse you!" one of the serpentfolk warriors spat as he lifted his head and saw Lysinthia through the stone door.
At this point, Lysinthia no longer had a serpent's tail, a clear sign that her bloodline had successfully evolved. The serpentfolk warrior could sense that Lysinthia was no longer a virgin, which meant that even if she returned to the serpentfolk tribe, she would never be accepted. In fact, she would likely be executed.
"Damn traitor! You're a disgrace to our people!" the warrior continued to hurl insults, his voice filled with venom.
Lysinthia remained expressionless, silently watching them.
"Is that you, Lysinthia?" a soft voice came from another corner of the cell.
The female serpentfolk slowly lifted her head, her eyes widening as she saw Lysinthia, now fully transformed into a Medusa.
"Naja, it's me," Lysinthia replied, her voice soft as she addressed the elder who had once cared for her. Read the latest on empire
Lysinthia had once been a contender for the throne of the serpentfolk tribe. However, after losing the competition, her status was stripped, and she endured endless humiliation within her former tribe. Eventually, she was traded away as a bargaining chip and became Orion's servant.
Naja had been one of the few who still cared for Lysinthia after her fall from grace.
"Lysinthia, you shouldn't have come," Naja said, her voice filled with sorrow. "Elder Vhisss is dead. Even if you save us, it won't matter. We have no future."
Lysinthia remained silent, her expression unreadable.
"Lysinthia, you damned bitch! How dare you show your face here?" another female serpentfolk, one of Lysinthia's former friends, had also woken up and immediately began hurling insults.
"Are you here on behalf of those foolish giants to convince us to surrender?" she sneered. "Hahaha... Don't even dream of it! The serpentfolk are the strongest—we will never submit!"
Lysinthia glanced at the woman, her voice calm as she spoke. "Venoma, I'm not here to ask you to surrender."
Her words left the three serpentfolk stunned.
"I'm not here to save you either," Lysinthia continued, her tone still flat.
With that, any flicker of hope the three serpentfolk had was extinguished.
"The Lysinthia of the serpentfolk is dead," she said, pausing for a moment as the three serpentfolk stared at her in confusion.
"I am now Lysinthia Stoneheart, the woman of the great chieftain Orion of the Stoneheart Horde."
"I came here today to sever my last ties with the serpentfolk."
Clang!
Lysinthia pushed open the stone door and stepped into the prison, walking up to the serpentfolk warrior who had first spoken.
"You bitch! You've disgraced the Medusa bloodline!" he spat.
Crack!
Lysinthia reached out and snapped his neck with a single motion.
As the life drained from his body, Lysinthia looked down at him and said coldly, "My Medusa bloodline was awakened and evolved by my master using a large amount of dark source crystals. It has nothing to do with you."
She then turned to Venoma, her former friend.
"You once taught me swordsmanship, and just now, you insulted me. We're even now."
Crack!
Lysinthia snapped Venoma's neck as well.
Finally, she approached Naja, but this time, she didn't raise her hand to kill her.
"Lysinthia, don't hesitate. Do it," Naja said softly. "Our bloodline has fallen. You are the last hope."
"To renew, you must first remove the old. I believe you think the same way."
"If my death helps you sever your ties, then I will die without regret."
"Lysinthia, live well."
Lysinthia remained still, her hand frozen in place. Naja suddenly chuckled, her laughter tinged with sadness but also a sense of relief.
Lowering her head, Naja began to chant softly, her voice mysterious and eerie.
As the chant ended, Naja's body began to wither, her flesh shrinking before Lysinthia's eyes.
"Lysinthia, if you're going to sever ties, do it completely," Naja said, her voice barely a whisper before her body crumbled into ash.
At the same time, dark lines, like vengeful spirits, swirled around Lysinthia's body, eventually gathering at her forehead to form a black, mysterious mark.
Simultaneously, Lysinthia's hair turned completely black.
Her eyebrows, eyes, lips, and nails followed suit, all turning a deep, inky black.