Once Goddess Auriel, Princess Evelyn, and Carol had left, Duchess Amara lingered in her grand estate, her thoughts briefly wandering to the trio and their dynamic.
Despite her easy smiles and flirtatious remarks, the duchess had a keen mind and an eye for unusual occurrences. Sothing about the bandits they had captured felt... off.
As she mulled over her suspicions, one of her senior maids approached with a worried expression.
"Your Grace, there’s sothing strange happening with the prisoners in the dungeon."
The maid reported, her voice shaking slightly.
"What do you an ’strange’?"
Amara asked, her tone sharpening with concern.
"The guards say the bandits have been muttering incomprehensible words. They’ve refused food and water, and the air in the dungeon feels heavy, almost... unnatural."
Amara’s lighthearted deanor evaporated. She stood swiftly, her flowing gown swishing as she made her way toward the staircase leading to the lower levels.
Her maids followed closely behind, their nervous glances betraying their unease.
As Amara descended into the depths of her estate, the oppressive atmosphere beca more apparent. A faint chill seeped into the stone walls, and the dim torches flickered as if threatened by an unseen force.
By the ti she reached the iron doors of the dungeon, her instincts were screaming at her to turn back. The guards stationed at the entrance looked pale and jittery, their hands gripping their weapons tightly.
"Your Grace, it’s not safe in there. There’s... sothing wrong. The darkness—it’s alive."
One of them stamred.
Ignoring his warning, Amara pushed the doors open and stepped into the dungeon. Her confident stride faltered as she was greeted by a thick, unnatural darkness that seed to pulse and writhe like a living thing.
The torches inside the dungeon were extinguished, leaving the entire space shrouded in an impenetrable black haze. The air slled of decay and corruption, and an oppressive weight pressed down on her chest.
"Corruption magic."
Amara murmured, her voice tight with recognition. She had seen sothing like this before but never on this scale. It was rare, dangerous, and powerful.
She was about to retreat and send word to the temple when, as abruptly as it had appeared, the darkness lifted. The torches flared back to life, casting flickering light across the dungeon’s cold stone walls.
But the cells were empty.
The bandits, who had been locked securely behind bars, were gone. Not a single trace of them remained, save for the faint lingering stench of corruption.
Amara’s sharp mind went into overdrive. This wasn’t an escape—it was sothing far worse. Soone or sothing had deliberately intervened, and she had no way of knowing where the bandits had gone or what they were planning.
"Search the estate and the surrounding area imdiately. I want every guard, every maid, and every soldier looking for those prisoners. And send a ssenger to the temple—this matter is beyond us now."
She ordered her staff, her tone cold and commanding.
Her staff hurried to obey, but Amara couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling creeping into her chest. Whoever had orchestrated this wasn’t done yet.
She waited as her staff went out to search for what happened. But she had a feeling she would need more help than this to be able to uncover what happened.
Duchess Amara stood in her private study, staring out the window at the moonlit grounds of her estate.
Her maids and guards were still searching for the missing bandits, but deep down, she knew they wouldn’t find them. Whoever had taken the prisoners was long gone.
She clenched her fists, her usually cheerful deanor replaced by a rare mont of solemnity. The corruption magic had shaken her more than she cared to admit.
It wasn’t just the danger it posed—it was the mories it stirred, mories of a ti when the world had been on the brink of chaos.
"Whoever you are, you’ve made a grave mistake"
She murmured to herself. A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and one of her maids entered, bowing deeply.
"Your Grace, we’ve sent a ssenger to the temple as you requested. Do you have any further orders?"
Amara shook her head.
"No, that will be all for now. Keep searching the area, but don’t put yourselves in unnecessary danger. If you find anything suspicious, report it to imdiately."
The maid nodded and left, leaving Amara alone with her thoughts once more. She placed a hand over her heart, steeling herself for what was to co.
Whatever was happening, she had a feeling it was only the beginning. And if Auriel and her companions didn’t act soon, the world might face a threat far greater than any of them could imagine.
_____
Far from the duchess’s estate, Auriel, Princess Evelyn, and Carol had finally arrived back at the temple. The familiar sight of the towering spires and ornate carvings brought a sense of relief to Carol, who imdiately relaxed.
"I’m glad to be back. The duchess’s estate was too stuffy. I don’t know how she lives there."
Carol said, stretching her arms.
Princess Evelyn smirked faintly but remained silent. Her thoughts were elsewhere, her mind replaying the events of their visit and the peculiar behavior of Duchess Amara.
Sothing didn’t sit right with her, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
Auriel, on the other hand, was unusually quiet. Her divine senses were tugging at her, an unshakable feeling of foreboding settling in her chest.
She felt the weight of an unseen threat looming over her, growing stronger with every passing mont.
Carol noticed her unease and frowned.
"Goddess Auriel, are you alright? You’ve been quiet ever since we got here."
Auriel forced a small smile but couldn’t mask the tension in her expression.
"I’m fine, Carol. Just... tired. I need so ti alone to think."
Carol exchanged a glance with Evelyn, who rely shrugged, as if to say it wasn’t her place to press Auriel for answers.
"Alright. But if you need anything, you know where to find us."
Carol said reluctantly.
With that, Carol and Evelyn left, heading toward their quarters. Auriel watched them go, her heart heavy.
She didn’t want to worry them, but she couldn’t ignore the gnawing sensation in her soul. Sothing was wrong, and she had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, it involved her.
As the sun set over the temple, Auriel sat alone in her chambers, her mind racing. She closed her eyes, reaching out with her divine senses, hoping for so clarity. But all she felt was an ominous void, as if the balance of the world was shifting in ways she couldn’t yet understand.
Her thoughts drifted to the corruption magic she had sensed at the duchess’s estate, the strange behavior of the bandits, and the darkness that seed to be creeping into places it didn’t belong. Was it all connected? And if so, how?
Auriel sighed, her hand resting on her chest. She could feel her divine core pulsing faintly, a reminder of her responsibilities as a goddess. She couldn’t afford to falter now—not when the world needed her.
But a small part of her couldn’t help but wonder: Was she strong enough to face whatever was coming?
Auriel’s head hurt and she decided that it was ti for her to go to sleep. She forced her body to relax and close her eyes.
But sleep would not co, no matter how much Auriel tried to close her eyes. It was as if her body was betraying her.
"Tsk, is it because it’s the temple? Or because I feel restless. Ugh, I have a feeling that I won’t be able to fall asleep tonight. I should take a small walk around the temple to clear out my mind."
Auriel sighed as she started to walk. It seed like the best way for her to put her worries down.
The temple was silent, bathed in the silver glow of moonlight. Auriel lay in her chambers, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.
Her thoughts churned with unease, her divine senses prickling with an urgency she couldn’t place.
After hours of tossing and turning, she finally rose, wrapping a light shawl around her shoulders. A walk might clear her mind.
Barefoot, she moved through the grand halls of the temple, the cool stone soothing against her skin.
The familiar pathways brought no comfort, though.
Her heart was restless, tugged by an unseen force. Before she realized it, her steps had led her to the forbidden corridor—the darkened hall she had sworn to avoid.
She froze at the threshold, her instincts screaming at her to turn back.
The air here was heavier, colder, as if the corridor itself exhaled shadows. The divine core within her pulsed faintly, warning her that this place was beyond her dominion.
But sothing about the corridor called to her, an unspoken challenge she couldn’t ignore.
Despite the dread curling in her stomach, Auriel took a step forward. Then another. Each step felt heavier than the last, her powers urging her to retreat.
Yet she pressed on, curiosity and resolve outweighing fear.
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