Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Clash of Cursed Fates

📖 Chapter 4: Clash of Cursed Fates

🌑 Moon of the Fallen King

The forest was silent. Too silent.

The kind of silence that feels like a scream waiting to happen. Even the wind seemed afraid to move, carrying only the scent of ash, blood, and something darker—cursed fate.

Lucius stood behind a shattered tree, eyes wide, knees trembling. His breath was shallow. The demon girl who once hummed lullabies to him, who had cradled him like a mother—was gone. Slaughtered before him by those who called themselves protectors.

And now, between Lucius and certain death, stood a lone figure. A man cloaked in gray, known only as the Master.

From the mist stepped a towering figure—the Demon Lord. His armor was blackened with time, his eyes glowing like dying embers. Every step he took burned the ground beneath him.

> "So…" the Demon Lord's voice cracked like dry stone. "This is the child you risk your life for?"

The Master didn't flinch.

> "He's not just a child. He's the key to the future you're too afraid to face."

No more words were needed.

They moved—both at once.

Their fists collided mid-air, and the ground buckled beneath them. Trees split. Wind shrieked. The sky itself seemed to ripple from the force.

Lucius watched, breath stolen. His heart pounded—not just in fear, but in… recognition. Something inside him was reacting. Stirring. Awakening.

The Demon Lord twisted back, unleashing a flaming side-kick.

The Master blurred—gone in a blink—and reappeared behind him, landing a palm strike that cracked the air like thunder.

The Demon Lord stumbled forward, laughing.

> "Impressive," he snarled. "But do you think that's enough?"

He stretched his arms wide.

From his back, blackened wings burst forth. Horns curled from his skull. His claws gleamed with cursed heat. His very presence seemed to suck the light from the world.

> "You forget," he growled. "I was once feared as the King of the Underworld."

Lucius's legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees. This isn't a battle between men… he realized. This is war between monsters.

But the Master stood tall.

> "You talk too much."

The Demon Lord plunged his fists into the earth. The cursed energy rippled outward like a quake. Lucius covered his face as trees were uprooted.

But the Master had already vanished—sliding under the blast, then leaping skyward.

> "Cursed Art: Blade of Light!"

Dozens of shining swords formed above him and descended like judgment.

The Demon Lord raised his wings in defense, but the impact launched him backward, carving a crater in the earth.

He rose from the dust, laughing—blood dripping from his mouth.

> "You're good. But now let's see where your limits lie."

He vanished.

Appeared right before the Master.

Claws slashed.

The Master blocked with his forearm, but blood sprayed as the claws tore through skin and cloth.

Lucius screamed.

> "STOP!!"

Everything froze—not from fear, but from what came next.

A pulse.

A soundless wave, radiating from Lucius. Crimson and black energy shimmered around him like smoke. The air warped.

The Demon Lord turned slowly, eyes gleaming.

> "There it is... the soul I've been waiting for."

Despite the wound, the Master smiled.

> "He's beginning to remember. Or… awaken."

Lucius fell, shaking. Visions burned behind his eyes.

Blood. Rituals. The moon.

> "I… I'm… What am I?" he whispered.

> "You are mine," the Demon Lord declared.

> "No," the Master said, rising. "He is his own."

He clapped his hands. Cursed sigils erupted from the ground beneath him.

> "Cursed Domain: Mirror Binding!"

Two copies of the Master blinked into existence, each charging from opposite directions.

The Demon Lord grabbed one—but the other drove a glowing blade deep into his back.

The real Master descended.

> "Final Form: Heaven Breaker!!"

A beam of pure light exploded from his palm, tearing through the Demon Lord's chest.

Light and ash swallowed the battlefield.

For a moment—silence.

Then, as the dust settled… the Demon Lord stood.

Bloodied. Burned. Still smiling.

> "Interesting…" he muttered. "You're stronger than I thought."

The Master, panting, nodded.

> "So are you. But this isn't over."

Behind them, Lucius slowly rose. Cursed energy shimmered around him like a second skin.

No longer hidden.

No longer dormant.

The true battle…

Had only just begun.

📘 End of Chapter 4 – "Clash of Cursed Fates"

➡️ Next: Chapter 5 – "Dreams in Chains"