Before Pyris could comprehend the aning of the last system notification, a sudden, oppressive pressure descended upon the chamber like an unrelenting tide. It was overwhelming, suffocating, and inescapable.
Alera was the first to falter since she was near. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she dropped to the ground, clutching her chest as though an invisible force sought to crush her ribcage. Her violet eyes dimd, and her lips trembled as she bit down hard to stifle a scream.
Shadows flickered uncontrollably around her, betraying her inner turmoil.
Seren, ever the unyielding vampire warrior, gritted her teeth as she, too, succumbed to the weight of the pressure.
Her warhamr fell from her grasp, clanging against the cold, unfeeling floor. She clawed at her throat, her fangs bared, as if struggling for breath. Blood-red sparks danced along her fingers, but even her vampiric strength seed utterly futile against the crushing force.
Lyra on the other hand, paled, trembling before she collapsed beside them.
Her delicate hands clutched her chest, her face contorted in pain.
The miasma of the labyrinth that had haunted them before now seed like a re whisper compared to this overwhelming aura. Her wide eyes flicked toward Pyris, desperation flickering in their depths.
Pyris remained standing, though even he couldn't deny the staggering weight pressing against his shoulders. His mind raced as he steadied himself, his Elental Sovereign's Aura crackling faintly around him like a protective cocoon.
This was no ordinary force—this was like an awakening. And not just any usual awakenings.
"She's waking up," Pyris murmured under his breath, his gaze darting toward the once-still figure of Lady Nysa.
The atmosphere grew heavier, the air thick with ancient energy that seed to pulse in ti with the orb's flickering glow. The remaining faint golden-green life energy that had fed the husks now radiated with an intensity that made the walls hum, the labyrinth itself seeming to quake in reverence.
Then, she moved.
It was subtle—a delicate tilt of her head, as though shaking off the chains of slumber. Her dark gray hair, cascading down her back, seed to shimr faintly, catching the eerie glow of the orb. Slowly, her eyes snapped open.
They were like voids of endless depth—although they were a shade of green—their depths almost like the abyss itself had found a ho within her gaze. They pierced through the chamber, seizing everything in their sight.
The pressure intensified.
Alera let out a choked gasp, Seren's hands balled into fists against the floor, and Lyra collapsed completely, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Pyris, despite the monuntal force bearing down on him, couldn't help but marvel. This wasn't just a woman—this was power incarnate. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
Lady Nysa exuded a presence that demanded submission from all who dared to exist in her realm. The void that consud her essence seed to reverberate with one unspoken truth: she was a force beyond comprehension.
Her lips, pale and cracked, parted, and her voice erged, low and lodic, tinged with a power that made the air shudder.
"Who art thou, that darest to tread upon these hallowed grounds? Speak, stranger, and reveal thy purpose, lest thou be deed unworthy." Pyris didn't find courage to reply.
"Who art thou, that dost disturb my slumber?" She asked again.
The question wasn't directed at any one person, yet it was as if her abyssal gaze locked solely onto Pyris.
Her words carried an ancient weight, each syllable heavy with authority, as though they had been pulled from the fabric of ti itself.
Pyris straightened his posture despite the pressure, his Sovereign's Aura flaring briefly as he t her gaze.
A spark of amusent—or perhaps curiosity—flickered in her endless eyes as the room fell deathly silent, save for the echo of her question hanging in the air.
"Lady Nysa..." Pyris began, his voice trembling, though his tone was steady.
He glanced sideways to check on the others. Zara seed to be holding herself together, but the others—Alera, Seren, and Lyra—were on the ground.
His fists clenched. "Stop this madness—"
"Who art thou, that darest to tread upon these hallowed grounds? Speak, stranger, and reveal thy purpose, lest thou be deed unworthy!"
Her voice, resonant and sharp as the crack of a whip, cut him off. It echoed through the chamber, shaking the very walls.
Lady Nysa's body began to rise from the ground, her movents fluid yet unnatural, as if she were a puppet on unseen strings.
Yet there was no mistaking the divine grace in her bearing, the undeniable aura of authority radiating from her being. The oppressive energy around her surged again, pressing down with such force that even Pyris and Zara nearly buckled.
Alera let out a strangled gasp, her trembling hands gripping the floor as if anchoring herself. Seren's fangs dug into her lip, drawing blood, her warhamr forgotten at her side. Lyra, pale and wide-eyed, could barely move.
The pressure intensified, Pyris couldn't take it anymore.
"I SAID STOP!!!" Pyris bellowed, his voice breaking through the suffocating force like a thunderclap. His eyes blazed with defiance, his aura flaring around him in sharp bursts.
"I hope this works," he thought at the sa ti, reasoning with himself. "The system said her fate is now tied to , not the other way around. That must an I hold so authority over her!"
As his command reverberated through the air, Lady Nysa's entire being began to tremble. Her radiant form faltered, and her body convulsed as though struck by a divine lightning bolt.
Her eyes—a shade of green—rolled backward, and for the briefest mont, she clutched her chest, a faint grimace of pain flickering across her ethereal features.
The overwhelming pressure vanished.
Alera collapsed completely, gasping for air. Seren let out a strangled curse under her breath, her knuckles white as she pushed herself off the ground. Lyra simply lay there, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she clung to consciousness.
Zara stood beside Pyris, straightening her robes with a scowl. "Well, that was unpleasant," she muttered, her usual sarcasm tinged with exhaustion.
Lady Nysa's piercing gaze snapped to Pyris, fury flickering like a dark fla behind her eyes. "How darest thou, mortal, bind this ancient being! Art thou courting thine own doom?" Her voice thundered with a primal rage, resonating with centuries of authority.
Pyris adjusted his stance, brushing the nonexistent dust from his shoulder with deliberate nonchalance. "Bind you?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"I didn't do such a thing. If anything, you should be thanking . I saved you, you Ancient Hottie from staying stuck in whatever nightmare that was. You're welco."
His confidence grew as he spoke, his instincts reaffird by the fading remnants of the oppressive aura.
Luckily, his guess was right— "Lady Nysa's fate was bound to mine—but seriously, what the fuck? She had absorbed my Life Force, and that alone was enough to bind her fate to mine?
"What have I beco? No, more importantly, what was she?"
Lady Nysa's scowl deepened, her hand instinctively moving to her chest as if trying to feel for the truth. "Saved ? Thou darest to claim such audacity and calling hottie?" Her tone was incredulous, her archaic accent thick and commanding.
Her gaze faltered montarily, confusion clouding her features. mories stirred—a blur of events, fragnted and disjointed. She rembered the strike—her brother's blow—and the darkness that had swallowed her whole.
Then...sothing else. A dream, a world too perfect to be real. Centuries spent in bliss, surrounded by familiar faces, only for it all to dissolve into nothingness.
And now, here she was. Before this boy?
"Where..." she murmured, her voice softer now, distant. Her gaze darted around the chamber, searching for familiarity. These weren't the sacred grounds, yet she felt like she knew the whole place?
Where was she? And... Lady Zaryana? Where was...anyone she knew?
"Hey," Pyris called out, snapping his fingers to draw her attention. "Lady Nyasa, back to earth—or, uh, back to Argos."
Her gaze snapped back to him, her lips curling into a sneer. "Do not presu familiarity, boy. Thou art unworthy to utter mine na with such insolence."
Pyris smirked, folding his arms. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lady Ancient-Beyond-All-Reckoning. Should I kneel, too, while you try to crush into at paste?"
Zara, unable to suppress a snort, muttered under her breath, "I can't decide if he's brave or just incredibly stupid. Oh well, he's the master now!"
"And she deserves it. So much for going into all trouble saving her ass!" Alera felt bitter and angry too. She had been reduced to a re kid of five after they saved her? Who was Lady Nysa kidding?
Lady Nysa narrowed her eyes, her expression an inscrutable mix of irritation and intrigue. "Thou art fortunate thy tongue dost amuse . Tell , boy—by what ans hast thou bound ?"
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