The next morning
the entire capital of Elarion had fallen silent.
Black banners carrying the insignia of Dravik fluttered across the streets while countless citizens stood along the roads with lowered heads.
Vyom Dravik's funeral procession slowly moved through the capital.
His coffin, covered by the banner of Dravik was carried by the guild members themselves.
Not a single person spoke loudly.
Even the nobles remained silent as the procession passed by.
People stepped out from their homes and shops to pay their respects.
Some bowed their heads.
Others quietly prayed.
At the center of the procession walked Drake.
His eyes looked exhausted from the sleepless night while his black formal attire fluttered quietly in the cold wind.
Behind him followed the members of Dravik guild.
The atmosphere felt unbearably heavy.
Eventually the procession arrived at the grand church near the center of the capital where the final rites would be performed.
According to the traditions of Elarion
before burial, a senior church official would bless the deceased so their sins could be forgiven and their soul could peacefully ascend to heaven.
A large crowd had already gathered outside the church.
Many nobles had also arrived to attend the funeral.
Then a luxurious white carriage slowly approached the church grounds.
The moment the nobles saw the insignia engraved upon the carriage their expressions changed instantly.
A phoenix spreading its wings protectively around the sun.
The royal insignia of Elarion.
Whispers immediately spread throughout the crowd.
"The royal carriage…"
"the king personally come here…"
Even Drake looked slightly surprised.
The carriage doors slowly opened.
A man dressed in elegant black and gold royal mourning attire calmly stepped out.
King Arthur Von Elarion.
The ruler of the kingdom.
The moment he appeared every noble immediately lowered their heads respectfully.
The king's sharp eyes slowly scanned the surroundings before finally resting upon Vyom's coffin.
Then another figure stepped out from the carriage behind him.
Aldron Vale.
Head of the Magic Union and principal of the Royal Magic Academy.
The whispers among the nobles immediately grew louder.
"The king himself came…"
"And even Aldron…"
"This funeral is becoming political…"
Ignoring the murmurs around him, King Arthur slowly walked toward Drake.
For a brief moment the king silently stared at Vyom's coffin.
Then he finally spoke.
"Elarion has lost one of its greatest talents today."
His calm voice carried genuine weight.
"You have my condolences."
Drake lowered his head respectfully.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The king's expression hardened slightly.
"I promise you this."
"A full investigation into Vyom Dravik's death will be conducted."
"No matter who is responsible ,they cannot escape ."
Drake remained silent for a moment before nodding slowly.
The funeral rites soon began.
Inside the church, candles illuminated the massive hall while priests quietly recited prayers.
A beautiful woman dressed in silver robe walks down to the chruch . She had royality in her every step .
The nobles whisper
"Even though she let go of her royal status but the royality has not let her go *
The nobles bow to her . She bows back to them gracefully .
She walks to the king and bows to him
King gently pats her shoulder
"Lisa , you dont need to bow to me . You are my dear sister"
"Your majesty , before being my brother you are a king and as your subjects respectibg you is natural " she replies
The king smiles gently
"Go perform you duties"
She walks to the coffin and gently placed his hand over it.
"May the heavens forgive your sins."
"May your soul ascend peacefully into eternal light."
The church bells echoed throughout the capital.
And just like that Vyom Dravik was laid to rest.
________________________________________
Several hours later
outside the church
Drake stood silently near the stairs while absentmindedly staring toward the cloudy sky above.
His exhaustion had only worsened.
Then several tired looking guild members hurried toward him.
One of them carefully handed Drake a folded piece of paper.
"Drake…"
"We found this under a rock near the cliff."
Drake slowly unfolded the paper.
The moment his eyes scanned the contents his expression changed slightly.
Before he could speak, another guild member hesitated nervously.
"Also…"
Drake immediately looked toward him.
"Also what?"
The guild member swallowed nervously.
"We found traces of the same footprints near the letter."
Drake's eyes slowly narrowed.
________________________________________
Inside the Valden mansion warm sunlight softly illuminated the luxurious room.
Large bookshelves messily filled with books on communication magic and mana theory. While polished wardrobes stood nearby, filled with noble clothing stitched from expensive fabrics.
Everything inside the room screamed wealth and nobility.
beneath the blanket resting on the large bed a strange trembling lump could be seen shaking continuously.
Completely wrapped inside the blanket was Aarav Valden.
Only his terrified eyes remained visible through a tiny opening.
"Is… is that really what dead people look like…?"
His voice trembled badly.
"Damn…"
"Would I have looked like that too if I jumped off the cliff…?"
The horrifying image from last night still remained burned into his mind.
The half-burned corpse.
The missing limbs.
The staring eye.
Aarav immediately felt his stomach twist again.
Last night, the moment Aarav saw the corpse, he had run without even looking back.
He kept running through the forest until he eventually stumbled across Cassian, who had been sent to search for him after Ronan ordered the knights to find Aarav immediately.
Aarav quickly wrapped the blanket even tighter around himself.
"Nope nope nope…"
"I'm never going near that forest again…"
Just as Aarav slowly started calming down—
he suddenly heard a strange sound.
"Mmmmmm…"
Aarav froze instantly.
"…Huh?"
"Mmmmmm…"
It sounded almost like someone yawning in their sleep.
Aarav's body immediately stiffened.Very slowly he peeked out from the blanket.
"…Who's there?"
Silence.
Then
"Mmmzzzz…"
Aarav's face instantly turned pale.
The sound was close.
Very close.
His trembling eyes slowly moved toward the silver ring resting on his finger.
"…No way."
Aarav slowly raised his hand toward his ear.
"Hello…?"
The soft snoring suddenly stopped.
Silence filled the room for two whole seconds.
Then
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"WHERE AM I?!"
"WHY CAN'T I MOVE?!"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Aarav almost died from fear.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
Tears instantly flooded his eyes as he wrapped the blanket completely around himself again while only sticking the hand wearing the ring outside.
"I SHOULDN'T HAVE GONE TO FOREST !"
"IT REALLY WAS A DAMN CULT!"
"I'M CURSED!"