Chapter 152: Kael was not a man who could be ignored.
"Mount Vigerth... we’ve finally arrived," Kael murmured, gazing up at the imposing black mountain from the hillside.
Michel and Audrey stood silently beside him. They were exhausted; their clothes were wet and stained with the blood of wild beasts.
After overcoming the stretch of raging currents, the river of blood, they managed to advance as far as possible in a boat that was about to sink to the bottom of the river.
However, the road to the mountain was subject to several attacks and dangers, and after the boat proved useless, they had to venture into the jungle, where six-legged tigers and birds with green blood attacked them.
Some of the passengers who had survived against all odds died in the jungle, some from an infection that set in, others from being bitten by a gray mamba, one of the most venomous snakes found in the jungle.
They were pursued by blue-skirted monkeys that were extremely territorial, and since it was an almost unexplored jungle, there were many new and unknown dangers.
It had been about ten days since the ship was destroyed, sinking to the bottom of the river. Now, after a long and arduous journey, they were finally at Mount Vigerth.
Audrey remained silent, contemplating the mountain that rose with majestic firmness. Its imposing silhouette dominated, rising like a spear. Around it stretched hills tinged with an earthy red, as if the earth itself were covered in blood.
This contrast further highlighted the mountain’s characteristic black color, dense and solid, as if it absorbed light.
She was lost in her thoughts. Getting to that mountain had cost her too much.
If it weren’t for the intervention of the two young men, the strongest on the boat, she would most likely have perished. Her flesh would have been torn apart, and her bones crushed. Her end would have been miserable: transformed into mere fish excrement, erased from the world without leaving a trace.
Meanwhile, Kael was reviewing his memories of the event that took place on this mountain.
Mount Vigerth was occupied by the Kirth family, which is a "neutral" zone on the Northern Border, where people from the three kingdoms, Aragon, the Holy Empire, and Lion, can be found.
That family was responsible for ensuring that everything ran smoothly and that there was no bloodshed between the citizens of the other kingdoms, who were not very friendly towards each other. Tensions had been high in recent decades, and now even more so with the destruction of the Medici Clan.
But what Kael remembered most about this mountain was that there was an event that shook the three ruling kingdoms of the Northern Frontier, and in which Audrey’s identity as the third princess of the Kingdom of Aragon was revealed.
He had a feeling that the event that shook Vigerth Mountain had something to do with Audrey, but he wasn’t entirely sure because the information about it was hidden by the three kingdoms.
Kale smiled softly, his gaze fixed on the black mountain. And he couldn’t help but remember when he arrived at Dubhu Mountain.
When he and Michel arrived at that mountain, his rank was only 8, and Michel’s was 7. At that time, their skills only covered the basics necessary for survival.
If they had continued that way, without a radical change, their fate was already sealed: they would not have survived in the River of Blood.
At that time, their powers were insignificant.
But now they were not. Michel was one step away from reaching rank 6, and Kael was at rank 7, in addition to having obtained the Magic of Stellar Acceleration.
The difference now was much greater than before.
Kael pushed his thoughts aside and began to make his way up the mountain toward the city on top of it, followed by Michel, Audrey, Martha, and the survivors.
...
The sun shone brightly in the blue sky, like a silent spectator. The clouds moved slowly, carried by the wind.
The breeze stirred the leaves and branches of the trees, producing an eerie whisper. Small flashes of gold and blood red floated in the air: insects of light and blood, giving the place a magical and mysterious appearance.
In the green meadow, the sun and blood butterflies danced delicately. The air carried the scent of wildflowers and a slight dampness.
From above, as if looking down with the eye of a three-eyed blood eagle, one could see Chrysar Mountain occupied by countless houses.
In a small cabin with a beautiful lake behind it, where the light reflected off the water and there was a panoramic view of the city, Lyra watched the streets calmly, her expression lifeless.
Along the avenues, coffin-shaped carriages pulled by skeletal horses glided slowly by. The image was both disturbing and fascinating.
The houses, old and worn by time, seemed to come from another era. The inhabitants wore elegant suits and top hats. Despite their peculiar culture, the streets were brimming with vitality.
Several bone shops displayed strange products. Lyra found nothing unusual about this: the mountain dwellers had a strong belief in death, and for them, all this was part of their everyday life.
Lyra had not yet left Chrysar Mountain. All this time she had remained there, cultivating in silence, perfecting every fiber of her being, strengthening her essence step by step. Now she was on the verge of a great change, she was at rank 6, peak level, just one step away from rank 5!
Rank 5!
It was just one step, but that step represented the distance between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Reaching rank 5 meant reaching the pinnacle of mortal power, the ultimate boundary separating the earthly from the divine. With that, Lyra would rise to equal the rank of her own father.
And yet, inside, there was no joy.
Lyra still wore mourning in her heart. She couldn’t get the tragedy that had occurred on Kiran Mountain out of her mind.
She hadn’t been there to prevent it. She hadn’t been there to save them. That absence consumed her. Those people, though peculiar, though with so many differences and conflicts, were still her family. And she had failed to protect them.
"Ahh..." She just sighed deeply as she got up from the chair she was sitting in. She observed the peculiar city, with its culture so different from her own, but still charming.
Besides, she hadn’t heard from her father in days, but Lyra was already used to this. He disappeared and reappeared very often, and she had grown accustomed to this dynamic.
At that moment, a maid appeared on the scene. She had short black hair, black eyes, and was approximately 5’5" tall.
"Lady Lyra, the head of the Beck family requests your presence," said the maid respectfully, bowing.
Lyra looked at her briefly before nodding, her expression unchanged.
...
In the sunlight, Kael, Audrey, and Michel made their way through the black forest, which was unique. Everything they saw was completely black.
Several black dots could be seen in the air, flashing intermittently, as if all the creatures inhabiting that mountain had the same black theme.
As they moved forward, Kael could see a large number of animals that, if touched even for a second, would mean certain death: black-hearted foxes, widow birds, black rattlesnakes, death butterflies, and much more.
They continued under the warm sunlight, which cast several distorted shadows on the damp mountain ground.
After an hour and a half, they finally arrived at the Kirth family’s territory. The city stretched out before them.
Dark roofs. In the streets, black lanterns rose in multiple levels, forming a maze of passageways. The air was filled with the scent of incense and street food.
Black bridges crossed canals, where slow boats carried goods and passengers, while children ran along the docks laughing, dodging street vendors offering their wares.
Despite all the hustle and bustle of city life, everything was tinged with black. There was no trace of any other color. Streets, houses, carriages, shops, even the smallest decorations, everything was covered in that dark hue, as if the city itself had been dipped in ink.
The effect was unsettling. The vitality of the crowd contrasted with the somber uniformity of its surroundings, as if every laugh, every conversation, and every step echoed in a soulless place.
Black dominated everything, unifying the city in a single oppressive tone.
This detail gave the place a distinct, almost unique air, as if it existed nowhere else in the world. But at the same time, the chromatic uniformity gave the impression that everything was smaller, reduced, shrunk by the weight of the color.
"Audrey, our contract ends here," Kael said calmly, ignoring the stares of the others, and added, "Don’t forget the reward."
Audrey nodded without saying a word, looking for a brief moment into those deep black eyes, devoid of emotion.
After saying that, Kael separated himself from the group on his way to an inn, while Michel followed him, watching everything with some surprise.
Audrey, on the other hand, remained where she was. Her gaze was fixed on Kael’s back as he disappeared into the crowd walking down the street.
It wasn’t the first time she had seen a man leave... but it was the first time her mind had been so preoccupied.
They had spent little time together. However, for her, that brief period had left a mark that was difficult to erase.
And deep in her heart, where her thoughts became calculating and cruel, Audrey admitted it: Kael was not a man who could be ignored.