Black Dragon X [LitRPG • Dark Fantasy]-Chapter 50 - 49 : Dawn of Darkness and Choices

The fog still clung to the peaks of the Azraqeen Mountains. The air was heavy... and the calm that followed the battle was anything but natural.

In the middle of the courtyard, Skyler lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. His body barely moved with shallow, uneven breaths.

In front of him stood Kai. His eyes were steady... cold, as always.

Behind him, on a nearby rock, Akira observed silently.

The wind drifted lazily between the stones. Then Akira finally spoke, his voice low:

—"I knew you would do it."

Kai remained still. Yet his eyes shifted slightly toward Skyler. Then he said, quietly,

"I knew you would reach the same conclusion."

Akira’s smile was faint. But it was no ordinary smile. it belonged to someone who sees what others cannot. Gazing at the cracks spreading across the Sun stone, he said :

—"The Drakhaen Kingdom has already begun to move."

He lifted his eyes to Kai, then continued,

—"They must have realized the stone cried out."

The wind paused momentarily. Kai did not seem concerned. Instead, he slowly reached into his pocket and drew out a small metallic device strapped to his wrist.

Akira studied it for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. He understood.

"Before we reached the mountain..." Kai began, lifting the device slightly,

"...I took this from Skyler."

He glanced briefly at Skyler’s prone form, then continued,

"His tracking device."

Stepping closer to the cracked Sunstone, he added in a low voice,

"I wore it in his place."

A brief silence fell between them.

"As for the system..." Kai lifted his gaze to the gray sky.

"...Skyler is still here."

Akira said nothing, but his smile widened subtly.

"The system won’t know it has collapsed," Kai continued quietly.

"It won’t know the stone cried out."

Then, slowly,

"And most importantly..."

He looked at the deep fissures in the stone.

"...it will no longer be able to locate the Sun stone."

The wind swept forcefully across the mountain, sending small rocks tumbling. Akira let out a soft laugh, lowering his head briefly before raising it again. A strange glint shone in his eyes.

—"So then..." Akira said,

His smile darkening.

—"...even the Black Dragon has gone blind."

A heavy silence fell. Kai remained silent, gazing once more at the Sunstone. Finally, he asked,

"Now... what happens next?"

The wind died. The fog began to drift lazily over the courtyard. Akira did not answer immediately, his eyes fixed on the deep cracks in the stone... as if they whispered secrets meant for him alone.

_

Meanwhile, in the Drakhaen Kingdom...

The grand meeting hall was swallowed in silence. Around the circular table, all the leaders were seated. Yet the air was dominated by one presence alone.

At the head of the hall stood the Black Dragon. His human form was tall... imposing...

and his eyes radiated an ancient, endless darkness.

He did not raise his voice. But when he spoke, the hall fell into absolute silence.

"We have... three days."

No one stirred. He continued,

"During these days... we will reclaim two things."

Raising his gaze across the hall:

"The Black Mirror."

A moment of silence passed. Then he added,

"...and the Sun stone, before it merges with the Moon stone." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The light above the table flickered faintly. He continued, coldly,

"And we will... destroy the School of Mages."

A heavy stillness filled the room.

Suddenly, the hall’s door burst open. The clang of metal echoed off the walls. All eyes turned. At the entrance stood two figures: Villiam... and Lilithia.

Their steps were quiet but resolute. They advanced into the hall.

Lilithia paused slightly behind him, while Villiam continued to the center of the table. He lifted his head and spoke steadily:

—"I want to be part of this meeting."

No one moved. The Black Dragon’s gaze fixed firmly on him. A long silence passed. Then he said coldly:

"You are not a warrior."

The words fell like stones in the hall. Villiam did not flinch. He stepped forward, calmly:

—"Perhaps."

His gaze met the Black Dragon’s directly.

—"And yet, the blood of this kingdom..."

He paused.

—"...flows through my veins."

Silence fell again.

Slowly, he extended his hand, opening his palm. In its center appeared a stone, white with fine golden lines moving slowly, pulsing faintly.

The light reflected across the leaders’ faces.

—"I know this stone has become powerless," Villiam said in a deeper voice.

He tightened his grip around it slightly, then continued,

—"Since I lost the White Dragon..."

A silent pause. His eyes did not waver.

—"I understood something afterward : Power does not always determine the path."

—"Even if I become weak..."

He clenched his fist.

—"...that will not stop me from defending my kingdom."

His gaze locked on the Black Dragon.

—"My brother."

The word echoed across the hall. Some leaders exchanged glances.

—"This war... It will be a new beginning for me."

He spoke slowly:

—"And for that... I will fight."

A long silence followed. The Black Dragon said nothing.

Villiam stepped closer, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

—"I have chosen my path."

Lilithia stepped forward.

—"And so have I."

She lifted her head and added,

—"I want to be part of this war."

The hall grew heavier with tension. The Black Dragon remained unmoved.

—"Words... do not make soldiers," he said coldly.

A soft voice came from the side. Mirei. Sitting calmly near the table, she watched Lilithia.

"But will... does," she said, standing slowly.

"If you wish to fight..."

She paused.

"...then you are welcome."

All eyes shifted to the Black Dragon. He did not object. He only lifted his head slightly, eyes fixed forward. As if this decision no longer mattered.

_

While the Drakhaen Kingdom prepared for war... darkness stirred elsewhere.

Night had swallowed the forest. Black mist slithered between bare trees. The air carried the scent of fresh blood.

Only the footsteps of a man running through the twisted trunks broke the silence. He stumbled, panting, his face pale with terror. He screamed hoarsely:

"Please... no...!"

Before he could continue a tall shadow appeared.

The man froze.

From the darkness emerged a tall figure, dark hair falling over his eyes, a cold smile on his lips.

It was Taiga.

He regarded the man as though he were insignificant.

—"Why do humans always run?" he asked, calm, almost amused.

The man trembled, stepping back... then another step. Taiga was faster. In an instant, his hand shot out, grasping the man’s arm.

A sharp scream pierced the forest. Then the arm was severed. Blood spattered through the air. The man fell, clutching his shoulder, writhing in pain.

Taiga did not flinch. He lifted the severed hand, studied it briefly... then bit it. The sound of tearing flesh echoed in the forest’s heavy silence.

He sat on a nearby rock, consuming it calmly as if it were a meal.

The man writhed, his screams fading to weak moans. Taiga swallowed the last piece and wiped blood from his lips with his finger.

—"It seems..." he said thoughtfully, lifting his gaze toward the dark sky,

—"...that I must regain my strength."

A moment passed. Then he continued slowly,

—"Before this war begins."

Suddenly, his ears twitched. His eyes flicked to a dark corner among the trees. He smiled.

—"Ah... I wasn’t alone after all."

Four small children crouched behind a tree trunk. They trembled, eyes brimming with tears, frozen in fear.

Taiga raised a finger slowly. In the dim light, a thin thread extended from his fingertips, nearly invisible.

—"Don’t worry... you won’t feel much," he whispered.

He waved his finger. Nothing happened... then, in the next instant, the heads of all four children fell simultaneously, rolling across the damp ground.

A terrifying silence fell.

Suddenly, the darkness trembled not the wind, not the trees but the darkness itself. From the shadows on the ground, a dense blackness rose, like smoke... or a living shadow.

Above it emerged a woman’s face. Beautiful, yet lifeless. Below it no body, only writhing darkness. From within, a strange scream erupted, as if thousands of souls groaned at once.

Taiga froze. His smile narrowed.

—"I didn’t expect you to visit here," he said calmly.

The shadow coiled, and the faint scream rose again. It was Ravager of the vien. The being that appears only when darkness awakens.

Taiga’s lips curved into a slight, sarcastic smile.

—"So then... are you ready for this war?"

She did not answer. Her face moved slightly, dark eyes fixed on him. After a moment, Taiga laughed softly.

—"As I expected... always mysterious."

The shadows around her moved like breathing smoke. Taiga looked to the sky, then back to her.

—"Tell me... will you stand with the Mages?"

Her face shifted slightly. Her voice emerged, calm and distant:

"Everyone has chosen their path... even if it is built on darkness."

Taiga’s smile widened, unsurprised.

—"So then... you know as well."

The wind stirred. The shadows around her twisted slowly.

"We will help them," he said after a moment. Then, quietly,

"...but something... is still missing."

She fell silent, understanding without words.

Taiga extended his hand.

—"Anyway... it seems we stand on the same side."

Her shadow shifted, trying to form a hand. But as it neared his, it vanished.

Taiga looked at his hand, then let out a short laugh.

—"Ah... right. I remembered. You cannot shake hands."

He lowered his hand slowly.

—"But it’s alright... as long as we walk the same path."

The shadows around Ravenger of Fen twisted slowly. The faint screams echoed again. Then her form dissolved into darkness. The night itself seemed to swallow her.

Taiga remained alone among the trees, smiling coldly at the spot where she had vanished.