My Shadow Monarch's System
Chapter 32: The Secret Unvieled.

Chapter 32: The Secret Unvieled.

Blood flowed from the clump of bodies onto the icy floors of the cavern, freezing before getting anywhere near Shadow. Still crouched at a corner, he sniffed at the air.

It smelled wet with the scent of blood heavy in the air. He looked to his left and right, then closed his eyes, he expanded his shadow sense, looking, searching for anyone that may have escaped this onslaught.

He opened his eyes and breathed out, standing up, he walked towards Scar, who was seemingly unharmed and protected by the surrounding ice. But he couldn’t escape his mind control.

A memory flashed through his mind, the bodies of pregnant women and dismembered body parts of humans, laid on an altar for some form of sacrifice. It has also been the time he had gotten the mind control ability, the problem with the skill was that it sapped him of his mental strength.

"You can come out now, Liora" he whispered. The presence of another shadow welcomed itself into the cavern.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to heal you?" Liora took several steps forward, catching Shadow by the arm.

"You seem tired. And what was that at the ending?" she inquired. Shadow looked at her and she shook his head.

"You ask too many questions, take me closer to the man. I need to get answers from him".

Slowly, Liora carried a tired Shadow and dropped him just before Scar. There was an Ice wall that surrounded him, keeping him safe from the attacks of his comrades towards the end. Shadow still needed him alive.

"Ooii".

"Take down your damn ice wall" Shadow grumbled. It was too cold for either of them to get close enough. The ice wall broke, cracks spreading throughout the entire cavern.

"Hey wait wait, not the entire damn cave..." Shadow shouted. But it didn’t matter, the ice covering the entire cave Instantly shattered.

Shadow couldn’t be more bothered, he walked up to Scar and held him by the face, he had to be quick, he was losing himself, if he wasted any more time, he’d flop to the ground and pass out.

"Tell me everything about the demon cult" Shadow demanded. He could feel his consciousness slowly leaving him.

"Liora, heal me quickly!" Not letting his hand go from Scar. He was resisting, much more than he had anticipated. That was the problem with mind control, it worked easily of those that were weaker than him, but those that were stronger, he had to focus his all.

Scar especially, he managed to bind an Ice Spirit, that took innate talent. Shadow thought, spirits wouldn’t just go for anyone.

"No..." Scar gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Noooo!" He shouted sending shards of ice outwardly in every direction, the ice held Shadow in place, not allowing him to move, lest he rip off his skin and bleed.

Liora stood just out of his range, he had needed her help in healing him but, now, the chance had vanished. He had to do this on his own.

Shadow poured in even more mental strength into the attack. He understood something, in his prime, Scar was insanely strong.

It’s not that Shadow’s mind control was subpar, it’s just that Scar was on a whole other level than he had anticipated. Yes, he had lost most of his senses, basically making him a cripple, but not one that was so easy to dominate.

"Talk damn it! Say something." Shadow shouted as ice crept up his arm, slowly encroaching towards his face. Once the ice swallowed him, he would be good at dead.

Shadow gathered the remnants of his mana and poured everything into his mental attack. As he did so, he shouted towards Liora.

"Liora! Whatever he says, don’t ever forget it!" The ice was already beneath his jaw, he grouted his teeth and gave another mental command at the same time covering himself up with shadow energy as the ice completely covered his face, but before it did, he saw Scar’s lips move.

***

In all of Liora’s life, she was never one to be stimulated or excited by the events that happened around her, her heart never jumped in excitement or joy, or even fear. But as of that moment, Liora wasn’t sure what emotions she felt...

Her hands quivered, perhaps in fear, maybe respect, she wasn’t sure. But she found herself listening to what Shadow had said before being swallowed by the ice.

She found herself running, not to save Shadow, but to obey his command, to listen to the last words of Scar. She felt an impending doom, as though the feelings of Shadow were passed unto her, that if she didn’t bide his command, something horribly wrong would occur.

And so she ran, holding the ice with her bare hands, pulling chunks of them away, ripping off parts of her skin as the ice stuck instantly, but she didn’t care, she had to follow his command.

She surrounded her body with fire magic and dove through, close enough to see Scar, to hear his last words before the ice covered up both of them.

She had heard it, it didn’t make sense to hear, but she had heard it. Something else was happening that took her attention from what she had accomplished.

Liora currently stood in a puddle of water, surrounded by ice, but the puddle began freezing once more, despite the fact that her body was covered in protective fire magic. The ice kept growing, more and more.

I need to get out.

That was the best decision she had made in her life, she Instantly summoned an explosion magic, ripping her free of the ice and sending her meters across the cavern...

She landed with her back, sending shocks through her body, slowly she tried standing up but fell down.

Shadow would survive, she told herself. He would be fine, she convinced herself.

Liora crawled further away from Scar and Shadow, the ice surrounding them grew larger and larger, more cold, Frost covering the air. But Liora crawled on regardless.

Her legs wouldn’t work, she didn’t know why, she couldn’t be bothered with why. But she didn’t want to die either...

He’ll be fine. He had to be fine.

Blood seeped from her palm, the parts where her skin had been ripped off, but she didn’t care, the ice had covered everywhere, it began growing on her. Threatening to keep her in place, seize her life for all she was worth.

Then it happened.

The ice pillar that Scar had covered himself and Shadow in shattered into a thousand pieces, sending chunks flying through the air, one landed on her thigh, breaking it instantly, while the rest fell around her.

I’m really going to die, she whispered.

It wasn’t a bad death, it was much better than she had hoped for, these few days she had spent with her half brother, Shadow. They were the best she ever had in her life.

Now she just had to give up, she did what Shadow had wanted of her, but she couldn’t tell him, she couldn’t...

Something grabbed her by the waist, picked her up and pulled her, moving with intense speed, but she didn’t panic, she felt relieved. He wasn’t dead.

With the last strength that she had, she said the words that Scar had said, it was a name, the name of a noble she was familiar with.

"Raphael Kane".