All Chapters of Crimson Heir: Rise Of The First Blood : Chapter 141
- Chapter 149
149 chapters
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CHAPTER 142BLOOD PAID FOR DESTINY The gathering continued long after midnight. Candles burned lower, incense thickened the air, yet nobody left. Not when Cassian was speaking, not when prophecy seemed close enough to touch. The cultists remained gathered around the altar while their leader stood before them. One of the younger followers finally asked the question, none of them usually dared to voice.“What about Aldric?” The chamber became silent. Candles seemed to flicker differently afterward.“Quiet boy. Aldric is dead and that name is forbidden here.” One of the older cult members scolded him. The boy shrunk back, his face coloured red with embarrassment.Cassian’s expression did not change, but something colder settled behind his eyes. “Aldric lacked vision.” Cassian said, a faraway look in his eyes. The young boy lowered his head.“My apologies.” The boy stuttered.“No,” Cassian said calmly. “You deserve the truth.” Several members exchanged surprised glances. Cassian rarely s
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CHAPTER 143 A RING THAT LOOKED SIMPLEThe journey began before sunrise. The cathedral disappeared behind them beneath layers of mist and fading darkness while the eastern horizon slowly brightened with pale silver light. The cathedral meeting already felt distant, though the weight of everything discussed there remained firmly lodged in Rylan’s mind. He wasn’t just chasing a Seal this time, he was chasing for answers. The group traveled in silence for much of the morning. Seraphine led them through old roads long abandoned by modern travelers. Some paths had once connected ancient Dominion territories before being swallowed by forests and time. Massive stone markers occasionally emerged from the undergrowth, covered in faded symbols that nobody except Seraphine seemed capable of recognizing.Rylan walked near the middle of the group, his hand remained inside his truffle sack bag, wrapped around something. A ring, the Seal of Dominion. To anyone else it appeared ordinary. Just an old
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CHAPTER 144THE KING INSIDE THE DREAM The forest remained quiet long after the hooded figures disappeared back into the darkness. No one slept immediately after that. The campfire burned low while weapons remained close at hand. Lucien took the first watch without argument. Mara stayed awake longer than she needed to, occasionally glancing toward the tree line as though expecting the cloaked observers to return. Seris sat beneath one of the massive black-barked trees with her eyes closed, appearing perfectly calm despite everything. Rylan eventually settled near the fire, the ring rested in his palm. The Seal of Dominion. It looked ordinary beneath the orange glow of the dying flames, just silver and old metal marked with faint engravings. Nothing about it should have felt dangerous but yet it did. Every time he held it, he felt something beneath the surface. It wasn’t some kind of pulse or a voice. More like recognition as though the Seal knew him or maybe even worse as if it re
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CHAPTER 145THE VOICE BEHIND THE THRONE Rylan did not sleep again. The dream lingered long after he woke, refusing to fade the way ordinary dreams did. Usually details disappeared within minutes, dissolving into fragments and half-remembered images. This one remained intact. Every stone of that impossible city. Every banner hanging from those colossal walls. Every word spoken by the figure on the throne. Most of all, the feeling remained.The sky above the camp slowly brightened as dawn approached. The others began stirring one by one while the last remnants of the campfire smoldered quietly. Lucien was already awake, sharpening a blade beside a fallen log. Mara emerged from beneath her blanket looking annoyed at the existence of morning itself. Rylan sat apart from them, staring at the ring. The Seal of Dominion rested in his palm. The silver band reflected the weak morning light while dark engravings circled its surface in patterns that seemed almost random. Yet the longer he looke
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CHAPTER 146THE PROMISE OF A GOD Rylan woke before dawn with his hand already wrapped around the knife beside him. For several seconds he remained completely still, staring into the darkness beyond the dying campfire. The mountains loomed overhead like enormous shadows against the night sky while cold wind moved through the narrow valley where they had made camp. His pulse was steady. The dream should have frightened him. It should have left him shaken or unsettled. Instead, he felt calm. The memory remained painfully clear. Submit willingly, and I will let you remain. Rylan hated how reasonable the offer had sounded. He pushed himself to his feet and walked away from the camp before anyone else woke. The cold air helped clear his thoughts. At least that was the excuse he gave himself but the truth was simpler. He needed distance. The mountains stretched endlessly before him, black and silent beneath the fading stars. Somewhere among them lay the sanctuary Seraphine had mentioned.
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CHAPTER 147THE BARGAINMira sat against the back wall of her cell, staring at the bars. Days had passed since their capture or maybe not. Time felt strange down here. Across the corridor, Tovin was pacing again, Sera sat with her arms folded while Niko remained near the corner of his cell, trying unsuccessfully to hide how nervous he was, Darain stood near the bars, watching the corridor with the patience of someone who expected trouble eventually and trouble arrived sooner than expected.The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the prison and everyone immediately became alert, then the corridor doors opened and assian entered. The atmosphere changed instantly. The prison somehow felt colder whenever he appeared. His black coat looked untouched by dust despite the underground tunnels. The same two cloaked cultists followed behind him, silent as shadows. Cassian walked calmly between the cells.“Good evening.” “Always a pleasure,” Tovin muttered.Cassian smiled faintly. “You
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CHAPTER 148THINGS HE TAUGHT THEM Several minutes passed after Cassian left. The prison felt quieter than before, not because they had run out of things to say, but because none of them wanted to say the thing they were all thinking. What if Cassian was right? The thought lingered in the corridor like a ghost. The crimson lanterns continued burning overhead while distant footsteps echoed somewhere beyond the prison walls. Life continued as though nothing had changed, but everything felt different now.Mira remained standing near the bars of her cell. Across from her, Niko sat against the wall with his head lowered. Cassian had succeeded in doing what he always did best. He had left doubt behind.Finally, Niko broke the silence. “What if he’s already gone?” The words hurt because they had all thought the same thing.“He isn’t,” Mira said.Niko looked up. “You don’t know that.”“No,” she admitted. “I don’t.” The honesty surprised him. Mira gripped the bars tighter. “But I know Rylan.”
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CHAPTER 149THE BREAKMira had spent every waking hour watching the guards, memorizing patrol routes and studying every weakness she could find. Eran had been doing the same from his separate containment cell. Piece by piece, the prison had revealed itself to them. The eastern checkpoint changed guards shortly after midnight. For exactly three minutes, the corridor remained undermanned while the replacement patrol crossed from the upper levels. Three minutes, that was all they had. The moment arrived quietly. Mira was sitting against the wall of her cell when the warmth beneath her skin returned. Stronger this time. The strange resonance from the Seal of Flesh moved through her veins like liquid fire. It wasn’t painful. If anything, it felt familiar. Mira froze then slowly lifted her wrists. The blood-binding restraints were still intact, but something had changed. The warmth spread into her fingers, threading itself through muscle and bone. Across the corridor, Sera noticed immediat
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CHAPTER 150TOO LATEMira moved quickly through the crowded streets, keeping her hood low and her eyes forward. They had overheard one of the cultists talk about a sanctuary and she decided to go there to look for Rylan. The others followed close behind. None of them spoke much because every minute felt valuable now. Cassian’s words refused to leave her mind.The final awakening has begun.The transformation has already started.She hated him. Hated the certainty in his voice and hated the possibility that he might be right. The group slipped through a narrow alley between two abandoned buildings before stopping briefly beneath a collapsed archway.“Five minutes,” Niko said breathlessly.“No.” Everyone looked at Mira. “We keep moving.”“Mira,” Darain said carefully, “we’ve been running for hours.”“And we’ll keep running.”Sera studied her for a moment before speaking. “You’re scared.” Mira didn’t answer because she was. Every second felt like another step closer to losing Rylan forev