Chapter 298: Crimson Irises
[Music recommendation: Ruelle - Genesis]
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"Dad," Aliana called out. "Who is this entity you all offer your blood to?"
She asked because she needed to be certain it was not the demoness Vorra. She still remembered Vorra’s promise to return and kill her before she vanished.
Holding her breath, Aliana watched as Alester met her gaze before finally replying, "It’s the Devil."
Ba-dum!
Aliana’s heart skipped a beat. She did not know why her pulse spiked so suddenly, but in that exact moment, her mind flashed instantly to her husband.
Why?
Perhaps because Gavriel had told her the exact same thing countless times before, though she had always brushed his claims off as dark jokes.
The thought of him actually being the devil was absurd, especially after everything she had read in Hellborn.
According to that text, the Devil was the ultimate sovereign of the Underworld, ruling over all from a realm far beyond the human world.
An entity of such immense power could never possibly live among humans. Could he?
"Are you ready, Aliana?" Alester asked, seeing his daughter lost in thought.
Aliana snapped back to reality and parted her lips. "Just one more question. Did... did he ever make an appearance before?"
Alester’s eyes widened slightly at the question before he slowly shook his head. "No. The only answer we ever received was through the flames reacting once the blood offering was complete."
That answer seemed to settle her nerves somewhat.
Taking a breath, Aliana gave them a firm nod.
"Alright. Let’s start."
At that, Alester initiated the ceremony, and low, ancient chants began to echo through the chamber. The surrounding figures raised their hands to either side, palms open, as though they were preparing to welcome an unseen presence.
Jade, who had refused to take part in the ritual, remained against the wall at the far end of the chamber, her eyes fixed anxiously on Aliana. She had tried to talk her out of it, insisting that she should take some time to think before going through with something so serious.
But Aliana no longer saw this through the lens of the cult she had encountered on the island. To her, this was a way to protect her parents and ensure the curse did not claim their lives. That was why she had chosen to proceed.
Jade could only bite her tongue when she saw the determination in Aliana’s eyes. Even though she refused to participate, she did not dare leave the chamber. She remained where she was, ready to pull Aliana away the moment anything went wrong.
She couldn’t help thinking about Gavriel’s absence. Jade knew how fiercely protective he was of Aliana, and she was certain that if he had been here, he would never have allowed her to go through with this ritual.
Without him there to intervene, Jade grew increasingly nervous as she fretted over Aliana’s safety. She held her breath as the flames in the fire bowls began reacting to the chants, rising higher and higher with every passing moment.
As the incantation swelled, Alester turned to his daughter. "Now, Aliana, repeat after me, and then slice your palm to offer your blood to the Devil."
Aliana’s heart hammered against her ribs, but she forced herself to remain composed.
Her fingers tightened around the ceremonial dagger as she listened to her father’s words and repeated them in the ancient tongue.
"Vaelira en draeth, Azrakh vel." (I offer my blood to the Devil as promised.)
As soon as she uttered those words, the flames in the fire bowl suddenly soared higher, filling the chamber with a fierce heat that pressed against their skin.
Aliana felt the shift in the air and raised the dagger towards her palm.
Her heart thundered as she hesitated at the thought of cutting herself. But meeting her father’s reassuring gaze once more, she squeezed her eyes shut and slashed her palm in one swift move.
Sharp pain shot through her hand. Biting down on her lip, she extended her trembling, bloody palm over the dark basin and let the blood fall.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The moment the crimson drops touched the dark stone, it was as if the air itself had stilled.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Alester and the others surrounding Aliana slowed their chants until they quieted entirely. The soaring flames had suddenly plunged low, dying down so drastically that they seemed on the verge of extinguishing.
This had never happened before.
Usually, during a blood offering, the flames would roar high before returning to normal once the blood vanished from the basin.
This unnatural reaction made everyone freeze, scanning their surroundings warily.
For a full minute, heavy silence reigned as darkness descended upon the chamber.
Growing anxious, Jade pushed herself off the wall to step closer, her lips parting to speak.
Before she could utter a word, a sudden, powerful tremor jolted the ground beneath them, sending a shockwave through the room that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.
Panicked gasps echoed in chorus as they all scrambled to steady themselves.
Jade, Alester, and Portia immediately fixed their attention on Aliana. She had opened her eyes and continued to hold her dripping, bloody hand over the basin, her other hand gripping its edge as she looked around in panic.
"I-is this supposed to happen?" Jade asked, her voice tight with worry.
Alester scowled, his expression darkening. "No. Ali, step down from there right now."
The moment Jade heard that, she sprinted toward Aliana. Alester moved to step inside the circle as well, but before either of them could cross the perimeter line, an invisible force slammed into them, throwing them backward and crashing onto the hard stone floor.
"Dad!" Aliana yelled, watching her father hit the ground.
Portia rushed to her husband’s side. "Alester!!" She crouched down to help him up while the others stood frozen, paralysed by the sudden turn of events.
Then, without warning, the flames that had nearly died out suddenly surged skyward once more, burning higher and fiercer than any of them had ever seen.
Their golden flames abruptly shifted to a deep, ominous red, forcing everyone to instinctively back away from the circle as the ground beneath them began to tremble.
The air, which had been still moments ago, suddenly became suffocating as an ominous power hummed through the chamber.
Dark smoke began to rise from beneath the banner bearing the symbol.
The symbol itself began to glow, just like the flames, before suddenly catching fire, shocking everyone into stunned silence as they watched with wide eyes.
A ring of fire then ignited along the boundary of the circle before rising higher and higher until it formed a towering wall, blocking their view of Aliana and whatever was happening within.
Aliana remained rooted to the spot, too stunned to move as she watched the thick smoke billow upwards. It twisted and gathered before her eyes, gradually taking shape until it morphed into the imposing form of a tall man.
A powerful gust of wind swept through the sealed chamber, sending her hair and clothes fluttering as though the very air itself were heralding his arrival.
The figure’s features slowly emerged from the smoke, becoming sharper and more defined with every passing moment until he finally stepped through the thick veil.
Dark, ancient power radiated from his entire being.
His eyes that had remained closed until now slowly opened, revealing a pair of glowing blood-red irises that immediately locked onto the woman whose blood had been powerful enough to call him forth like no one before her.
And the entire world stilled.
There, standing directly before one another, were two beings staring into each other’s eyes as though everything else around them had ceased to exist.
Silence stretched between them like a thin string until Aliana’s trembling lips finally parted, and a whisper escaped her.
"G-Gavriel?"