Chapter 8 Chapter 8: The Crimson Warning
The Crimson Warning
"You should've used something stronger." Lucas' face turned white with pure terror appeared in his eyes.
Pure terror appeared in his eyes, for several seconds, he simply stared at me. The crowd surrounding us remained completely silent.
Nobody knew what was happening, nobody understood why Lucas suddenly looked like he had seen a ghost.
But I knew, and Lucas knew, the poison had failed. The shadow fang forest had failed. Everything he and Cedric planned had failed.
His grip on my collar loosened and his hands trembled slightly, first time in his life, Lucas Ashford looked afraid of me.
I could almost see the thoughts running through his mind.
How, how was Rowan standing here? How did he survive the poison? How did he survive the wolves?
How did he become stronger every time someone tried to kill him?
Lucas slowly stepped backward. The students around us exchanged confused looks.
One of them finally spoke. "Poison?" Another student frowned.
"Did he just admit poisoning Rowan?" The whispers started immediately, like wildfire.
The atmosphere changed suddenly, students began looking at Lucas differently.
Not with admiration, not with respect, but with suspicion,
Lucas noticed it instantly. His face darkened suddenly And then he pointed at me. "You..." His voice cracked. "You aren't Rowan."
The crowd gasped immediately and I simply smiled. Lucas looked even more disturbed.
That smile seemed to terrify him more than any threat. Because the weak Rowan never smiled like this.
The old Rowan lowered his head, while the old Rowan accepted humiliation. The old Rowan suffered in silence.
While I didn't, The system suddenly flashed. [WARNING.]
[Crimson Monarch Activity Detected.] [Emergency Event Approaching.]
[Estimated Arrival: Unknown.] My heartbeat slowed.
The Crimson Monarch again. Ever since the arena battle against Scorpion, those crimson eyes kept appearing.
Who exactly was this thing? And why was it interested in me? The notification disappeared.
Meanwhile, Lucas suddenly turned and walked away. The students parted automatically.
Nobody stopped him, while nobody called out. Lucas suddenly looked defeated
Several hours later in Ashford Estate, The office doors slammed open, while Cedric looked up from his desk.
His expression immediately darkened. Lucas stood there breathing heavily.
"Dad." Cedric frowned. "What happened now?"
Lucas walked forward. His face looked pale. Almost sick. "He survived."
Cedric froze. The room suddenly became quiet. "What?"
Lucas clenched his fists. "He survived everything." The family head slowly stood.
His eyes narrowed. "The poison?" "Failed." "The wolves?" "Failed."
Cedric's expression became colder. "Explain." Lucas immediately told him everything.
Rowan standing there completely unharmed. The more Lucas spoke, the darker Cedric became.
By the end, even the room felt colder. Impossible. That was the only word sounding inside Cedric's mind.
Impossible. The poison should have killed him. The shadow fang Forest should have killed him.
Cedric walked toward the window. His reflection stared back at him. A man known throughout the empire.
One of the strongest Spellbound Mages alive. Yet somehow... He couldn't understand his own nephew anymore.
Lucas broke the silence. "Dad." Cedric didn't respond.
"Dad." This time Cedric turned. Lucas' eyes were filled with fear.
Real fear. "Who is he?" The question hung heavily in the room.
Cedric had no answer. Because he was asking himself the exact same thing.
Who was Rowan Ashford? The cripple he destroyed years ago? Or something else entirely? Then suddenly another name entered Cedric's thoughts.
Scorpion. His eyes narrowed immediately. Perhaps it was time.
If ordinary methods failed... Then stronger methods would be required.
Much stronger. Cedric walked back toward his desk. Then opened a hidden drawer.
Inside sat a black crystal. Lucas immediately recognized it. His eyes widened.
"Dad..." Cedric picked up the crystal. "You know what this is?"
Lucas nodded nervously. A communication crystal. One used by the Dark World. One used by criminals, killers, dark mages and monsters.
Cedric activated it. Dark energy spread across the room.
The crystal glowed, then a voice appeared, it was cold, distorted and dangerous.
"What do you want?" Cedric remained calm. "I need Scorpion."
Several seconds passed. Then laughter sounded from the crystal.
It was slow, And unpleasant. "Scorpion is dead." Cedric's eyes darkened.
"No." The voice laughed again. "Not anymore." Lucas froze.
His heartbeat accelerated. What? The voice continued. "Dark mages don't die so easily."
A cold smile appeared on Cedric's face, it was interesting, very interesting and cruel, "Then I want him."
The laughter stopped. Then the voice spoke again. "Expensive." Cedric nodded. "I'll pay."
The crystal flashed once, then darkness consumed the room. The connection ended.
Lucas swallowed. "Dad..." Cedric smiled.NA dangerous smile.
"If Rowan survived once..." His eyes became icy. "He won't survive again."
Meanwhile. Imperial Arcane Academy. I sat alone inside the academy library.
Rows of ancient books surrounded me, most students avoided this place.
The system had given me several new abilities. But I knew almost nothing about them.
Especially Phoenix Eyes. I activated it. Golden light flashed inside my pupils.
Immediately the world changed. Thousands of mana traces appeared around me.
It was filled with enchantments, protective formations and ancient seals.
Everything became visible. Then something strange happened. One of the bookshelves began glowing.
I frowned. The shelf looked normal. But Phoenix Eyes showed something hidden.
I walked closer. Carefully. The glow intensified, with a concealed compartment.
Interesting, very interesting. After checking the surroundings, I pressed against the shelf.
A hidden section opened. Inside sat a single book. Covered in dust. Its cover was completely black.
The moment I touched it— The system flashed.
[Hidden Legacy Discovered.] [Ancient Arcane Record.]
[Would Host Like To Learn?] My eyes widened. Another reward?
I selected yes. Immediately. The book dissolved into blue light. Countless memories entered my mind.
Knowledge, spells and ancient techniques, Mana control methods and battle strategies. Everything flooded into me.
The process lasted nearly ten minutes. When it ended, sweat covered my forehead. But my eyes shone brighter than ever.
This book wasn't ordinary. Not even close. It contained knowledge lost for centuries.
Knowledge powerful enough to change lives. The system appeared again.
[Congratulations.] [Arcane Knowledge Increased.]
[New Skill Learned.] [Mana Compression.]
I smiled, another weapon with another advantage.
Exactly what I needed. Because my enemies were getting stronger.
