บททั้งหมดของ Where Ashes and Oaths Collide: บทที่ 101 - บทที่ 110

Mestre Escuro did not turn immediately. He was bent over the alter, his fingers hovering just above the surface of the king’s crown. The flickering light from the candles cast long, dancing shadows across his face, making him look older than he had even a week ago. “The inscriptions are changing,” he said, his voice low and preoccupied. “Every time we clear the site, the runes shift. It is as if the altar itself is reacting to our presence.” Escuridade stood in the doorway, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. The silence between them stretched, thick and uncomfortable. “We found her,” she said. His hand froze. He did not move for a long moment, then slowly straightened, turning to face her.Escuro’s expression was unreadable– a mixture of relief so profound it looked like pain, and something else she would not quite name. “Emile?” he asked calmly. “Yes,” Escuridade said, her voice flat and h

Escuridade pulled back slightly, her hands still gripping her robes. Her purple eyes sharpened, the soft vulnerability replaced by cold, calculating clarity. “That is what you gave him?” she asked with a suspicious look. Escuro nodded. “Perhaps it is time I told you everything,” he said and took a deep breath. she stood still; her gaze fixed on him. The soft moment between them had evaporated, replaced by the heavy stillness of the underground chamber. She did not pull away, but she braced herself, her fingers loosening their grip on his robes as she prepared for whatever truth he was about to lay bare. “Then tell me,” she said with a steady voice. “No more half-truths. No more protecting me from things I need to know.” she glanced toward the statue of the king standing between the candles, its unblinking eyes seeming to watch them both before returning her attention to him. “Tell me everything you have been hiding.”

Water damage streaks down many sections in the foyer, creating black stains that suggest years of rain leaking through the damaged roof. Supporting the upper gallery was a series of grand stone arches resting upon thick decorative columns, each featuring finely sculpted capitals adorned with floral motifs and gothic ornamentation. Although weathered and shipped, the stonework retained its remarkable craftsmanship. The arches frame shadows passageways leading deeper into the manor, where darkness obscured whatever lies beyond. Suspended from the high ceiling hangs a massive wrought-iron chandelier, once intended to illuminate the entrance with dozens of candles, but at the time it hung crookedly, coated in dust and cobwebs. Many of the candle holders were bent or empty, while parts of the metal frame were rusted and fragile. Above it, the ceiling itself disappeared into darkness, with only hints of decorative moulding visible through the gloom. The second-floor g

“Destroy them?” Escuridade whispered, her voice trembling. She took a step toward Escuro, her purple eyes wide and searching his face in the gloom. “You are insane,” she breathed, though the words lacked their usual venom. “You are a madman. You would walk into a trap just to strike at them? They will unt you to the ends of the earth. They will burn everything you touch.” She reached out, her fingers twitching as if she wanted to grab his collar and shake him or perhaps push him away before he dragged her into his madness. “Why would you ask me?” she demanded, her voice rising in pitch. “I have no other choice. I have already spent two years looking for the ruins and now looking for a witch…” her purple eyes searched his, looking for the flicker of a lie, the subtle tell of a man who was actually a knight in disguise.“Two years,” Escuridade muttered, more to herself to him. The sheer

Escuridade’s purple eyes were wild, darting past him into the trees, searching for the threat she assumed had just appeared. They were in a secluded forest clearing deep within the ancient woodland, where towering trees crowd together so tightly that very little sunlight reaches the forest floor. The tree’s thick trunks were dark with age, while twisting vines and creeping ivy climb the bark, weaving a dense canopy overhead. The limited light filters through the leaves in muted shafts, creating a dim, green-tinted atmospheres that feels isolated from the rest of the world. Every surface is overgrown with tangled vegetation, more and tangled roots. If there were ruins here, it would be impossible to see. The ground was uneven and littered with fallen leaves, broken twigs, and patches of damp earth. Thick shrubs and wild undergrowth surround the clearing, their branches intertwining to form a natural barrier that makes the location difficult to discove