The Wizard - May Your Pain Last

After passing through the last corridor, which ended at a large, solitary door, Meg glanced at Will before the door opened.

They entered, and the door closed behind them.

Will's heart pounded so hard in the silence that it was almost audible.

A gust of wind blew, and candles lit up the room. It was sparse, with nothing but a stone slab in the center, a chair, and a small table beside it.

A hand on his shoulder made Will jump. A handsome man emerged from the shadows and sat in the chair. "I'm pleased to meet you, Will Ultras."

Will said nothing, looking to Meg for reassurance.

Meg smiled. "There's no need to be afraid. He's kinder than his reputation suggests."

She then walked over to Griffin and transformed into a raven, perching on his shoulder. At that moment, Will regretted his decision but knew there was no turning back.

"You're right to think that," Griffin said, reading his thoughts. "There's no turning back now."

Will stepped forward. "Meg told me you could help me... But now I realize I trusted a raven."

Meg cawed, and Griffin chuckled. "It's True, she's a raven, but she didn't lie to you. I can help."

Will's eyes lit up. "You mean I can be saved?"

Griffin nodded. "I have some plans for you."

Will asked cautiously, "And what do you want in return?"

Griffin smirked. "As you can see, I have everything. What makes you think you have something to offer me?"

"Because everything has a price, and you don't strike me as the charitable type," Will replied.

Griffin stood up and took a few steps toward Will, stopping before him. "You're lucky, Will, because I don't want anything from you now. Helping you is something I want to do."

"Why?" Will asked.

"Because I have an old score to settle with Sebastian John, the wizard of Ozhem. I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. You survive with my help, and I get to use you to finish my revenge," Griffin explained.

Will still didn't fully trust him. "How are you going to defeat him?"

Griffin poured some drink from a bottle on the table into a goblet. "Don't be in such a rush. That's the next step. First, we need to make sure he can't kill you."

He handed Will the goblet. The liquid inside was a deep purple. "What's this?" Will asked.

Griffin replied, "Drink."

Will looked into Griffin's determined eyes and took the goblet. He sniffed it but detected no scent. "Are you sure you're not going to kill me before John does?"

"If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have waited this long," Griffin said with a hint of impatience.

"Are you sure I won't turn into a raven?" Will asked again.

Griffin was losing his patience. "One more question, and I'll throw you out the window. Drink it."

Will stared at Griffin with innocent eyes and asked softly, "Will my parents be okay?"

Griffin paused. He had always avoided dealing with children because he hated their pitiful looks.

He turned away from Will. Will brought the goblet to his lips. "I trust you, Griffin," he said and drank.

It didn't taste like anything, and for a few minutes, nothing happened.

Griffin turned back to Will, waiting.

Slowly, Will began to feel a burning sensation in his eyes, which started to blur his vision. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers. With each blink, his vision grew hazier. "What's happening to me?" he asked in desperation, falling to his knees from the pain.

Griffin leaned in, his hands framing Will's face as he stared into the boy's eyes, now struggling to see him through the fading light. "The first step is not to see," he said.

Three hours had passed since Derrick's deadline, and they still needed to reach a consensus. The numbers of those against and in favor of the trade were almost equal. Edmund spoke out, trying to dissuade the people from giving in, while Roman stood aside, observing. Meanwhile, another group, led by Kidman, was eager to march into Sunless with a predictable plan to retrieve the Ultras despite having yet to learn of the enemy's strength or tactics.

Edmund turned to Roman, who was pacing a short distance away. "Why are you holding back?"

Roman stopped. "Whether we hand over the provisions or not, the consequences might be the same. I can't take responsibility for that."

Edmund exhaled in frustration. "At least you're smarter than the others."

Roman glanced around, then asked, "Have you seen Adrien?"

Edmund fell silent, and Roman confronted him, sensing something was wrong. "Where is Adrien?"

Edmund remained calm. "Don't worry, he's fine…"

But his words were cut off by the ground trembling beneath them. It wasn't as strong as an earthquake, but enough to make them feel the vibrations.

Mrs. Abram asked, "Do you hear that?"

Everyone fell silent, straining to listen. Heavy footsteps pounding the earth reached their ears, followed by a low, ominous chant that sent chills down their spines.

"aeternum... aeternum... aeternum..."

All eyes turned toward the Indigo Cliffs. Through the thick fog that obscured their view, they began to see dark, hooded figures approaching with long, deliberate strides.

Roman whispered under his breath, "The Shadow Army…"

As the shadowy figures halted, so did the trembling ground. The cloaked figures stretched as far as the eye could see, standing still in the eerie silence. "Aeternum... Aeternum... Aeternum..."

The chant continued, even as the shadows fell silent.

The whispers echoed through the square, reverberating off the cobblestones and chilling the hearts of those who heard them. The people of Ozhem stared, mesmerized, not daring to move. They knew that any sudden motion might seal their fate, though none had ever witnessed the shadows inflict harm.

The whispers gradually faded, and the shadows parted, creating a path between them. Only approaching footsteps could be heard, growing louder with each passing moment. Fear and anxiety gripped the crowd, but no one could tear their gaze away from the path ahead. It was a sight they were compelled to witness.

Slowly, a tall figure began to materialize through the mist, its presence so intense that it seemed to steal their very breath. Had it not been for the moonlight, the figure would have been impossible to discern.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrived. A face that had been the subject of a century-long legend appeared, and a voice as heavenly as it was terrifying rang out: "Where is my sacrifice?"