Chapter 1
In times of chaos, what's truly terrifying isn't the monsters with fangs, it's the greed, hatred, and ignorance hiding deep inside people's hearts.
*****
"Lucas Shaw, you've been lying to us for ten years!" someone shouted.
"The monsters disappeared ages ago! You kept us trapped out here in this godforsaken wilderness, making us live like wild men. You're nothing but a tyrant!" another voice echoed.
"We want to go back to the city! Guys like you should die here to pay for what you've done!" someone else yelled.
Dark clouds swallowed the moon, and flames shot up into the night sky.
Outside Firmament Abbey, nearly a thousand people raised their torches high, faces twisted with fury as they roared together.
Lucas lay inside the coffin, as seven soul-locking nails were hammered into his arms, legs, and body, one after another.
With every nail, his strength faded away, until finally he couldn't even twitch a finger.
Sarah Ellis leaned down, her voice gentle yet merciless as she whispered in his ear, "Lucas, does it hurt?"
"Where did you get those soul-locking nails?" Lucas asked, his voice wet with blood but eerily calm.
"I've got more than just soul-locking nails," Sarah sneered, her smile cold and twisted. "I made a deal with a king-tier monster out there."
"A deal? What did you trade?" Lucas asked.
"You," Sarah replied.
"Sarah, this is your last chance. Stop now, and you can still make things right," Lucas said, his eyes cold and sharp as a blade, his voice calm and detached.
"You saved me when I was ten, treated me like family, like your own sister. But you know what?" Sarah's eyes flashed with a cold glint. "All these years, I never saw you as my brother, not even once."
Sarah straightened up, her face once again wearing that righteous, unyielding look. Her voice suddenly rang out, loud and clear, so everyone outside the sanctuary could hear her.
"Lucas, you locked a thousand people away for ten years, all because of your selfishness. This coffin is where you belong!
"Emily Clark! Mark Rock! Seal the coffin!" Sarah ordered.
Two figures stepped out from the crowd.
Lucas's gaze landed on Emily.
She was the girl he'd watched over from seventeen to twenty-seven, the same girl who, ten years ago, was crying on his back, begging, "Lucas, please don't leave me."
Now, her eyes were red and puffy, and she was curled up in another man's arms, shooting Lucas a look like he was her mortal enemy.
"Emily," Lucas called out softly.
Lucas's voice was gentle, almost pleading.
"Enough!" Emily screamed. "Stop calling me! You know exactly what happened to my brother!"
"Emily, your brother's death had nothing to do with me," Lucas replied.
"Shut up!" Mark snapped.
Mark pulled Emily into his arms, towering over Lucas with raw greed and hatred blazing in his eyes.
"Lucas, we've been brothers for ten years, and I never thought you'd turn out to be so damn ruthless! You killed James Clark three years ago just to silence him. If Sarah hadn't dug up the truth, we'd still be fooled by you!" Mark spat.
Lucas's mind buzzed, everything going numb.
He hadn't done it.
He hadn't done any of it.
Lucas just stared at Mark and said nothing in his own defense.
These people were either unbelievably stupid or just out for themselves. Nothing he said would make a difference now.
"Lucas, why did you kill my brother? He was the only family I had left! How could you be so heartless?" Emily cried, her voice trembling with pain.
Emily's heart shattered, tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Mark's hand was already gripping her shoulder.
Emily closed her eyes, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "Seal the coffin. Let him die here, paying for his sins."
"Alright!" Mark replied.
The coffin lid slammed shut. Mark grabbed a three-foot sledgehammer, raised it high, and aimed straight for the first coffin nail.
Bang!
The first coffin nail was driven in, and the barrier around Dragonspire Peak shook violently.
Someone outside the sanctuary screamed in terror, "The barrier's breaking!"
No one ever imagined the barrier would actually fall apart. Everyone stared into the darkness, their faces twisted with fear.
But as each coffin nail was hammered in, Lucas lost all control over the barrier.
The final coffin nail was driven in.
Boom!
The earth trembled, the clouds shattered, and thick, blood-red moonlight poured down, drenching all of Dragonspire Peak in a crimson glow.
The Eternity Ward, which Lucas had spent ten years of his life weaving, burst into a rain of light and scattered across the heavens.
As his power faded away, Lucas didn't feel anger, just a cold smile tugged at his lips.
Ten years of protecting them, and all I got was seven soul-locking nails.'
Fine... when you come crawling back someday, begging me for mercy, you'd better pull out each of these seven nails with your own hands.'
"The barrier's really gone! What if there are still monsters out there?" someone shouted.
"Did we rush things? Lucas is locked away now, if something goes wrong, who's gonna save us?" another voice trembled.
"Sarah! What do we do now?" someone else cried out.
Everyone started backing away, huddling near the sanctuary entrance, their eyes glued to Sarah, desperate for answers.
Sarah stood at the highest point, wearing a serene, confident smile. "Don't be afraid. I've already confirmed the monsters are completely gone."
"If there were still monsters out there, they would've attacked us already. Just look around, do you see any sign of them? This proves Lucas has been controlling us with nothing but imaginary fears." Sarah declared.
Emily lifted her head from Mark's arms, wiping her tears, her voice trembling with excitement as she shouted, "Everyone, trust Sarah. We can finally go home!"
Mark stood behind Sarah, raised his arm and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Let's go home!"