The Sinner's Banquet

The Price of Treason

The beam of holy light shot straight for Lily’s heart, but she did not even blink.

Before the energy could pierce her gold-trimmed robes, she raised her left hand and threw a round silver mirror into the beam's path. The holy magic slammed into the mirror, reflecting the white blast right back at High Priest Malakai.

Malakai stumbled backward, his red robes catching fire as he swiped his hand to extinguish the flames.

"Did you really think I trusted you, Malakai?" Lily asked, her voice calm and completely free of fear.

In our world, the High Priest maintained his absolute control over the lower districts through terror and holy magic. But Lyra had spent years studying the upper city's political games, and she always said that power built on fear was brittle. Lily knew this truth better than anyone. She had mapped out every backstabbing move in the palace long before she ever poured my blood onto that iron door.

"You arrogant little brat," Malakai growled, his golden crown slipping sideways on his head. "I gave you a seat on the High Council!"

"You gave me a target on my back," Lily replied. She reached to her belt and pulled out a small black glass orb. "You used my brother's blood to break the vault seal. But I modified the ritual spell before we came down here. The inner door will not open for your golden core. It will only open for someone carrying the void."

"Ethan!" Lyra called out from the shadows beside me. "Look at the altar!"

I did not wait for another second.

[Skill Activated: Shadow Step.]

My body dissolved into black mist and materialized directly between Lily and High Priest Malakai.

Malakai’s eyes widened as my dark shadow claws emerged from my right arm. "You! The guards said you were dead in the trench!"

"My sister is a liar," I said, stepping forward as dark energy swirled around my knuckles. "And so are you."

"Ethan, step back!" Lily demanded, her calm composure slipping for the first time. "He has thirty high holy guards right outside the chamber door! You are ruining the plan!"

"Your plan almost got me butchered three times today!" I told her without looking back. "I am done playing your games, Lily."

[System Alert: High Priest Malakai Threat Level: Extreme.]

[Target Health: 100%. Power Source: Royal Holy Array.]

Malakai laughed, a harsh sound that echoed off the white stone walls. "It does not matter if both of you are here! A broken slave and a foolish girl cannot stop the will of the High Priest!"

He lifted the long black wooden box into the air. The purple core inside flared with blinding dark light, connecting to the magic runes embedded in the white stone floor. The entire chamber began to shake violently as streams of holy energy turned black, draining directly into Malakai's body.

"He is absorbing the ancient core!" Lyra warned, sprinting out from the shadows of the drainage pipe. She threw two curved daggers straight at Malakai’s neck.

The daggers hit a dark energy shield five inches from his skin, shattering into tiny metal fragments. The raw pressure in the room expanded, knocking Lyra back against the stone wall.

[Warning: Enemy Energy Absorbing...]

[Enemy Void Control: 30%... 50%... 70%...]

Malakai’s skin turned a pale grey as dark veins spread across his face. His holy magic was merging with the void core, creating a twisted power that normal weapons could not touch.

"The core is too strong!" Kaelen warned in my mind. "His body is acting as a vessel for the ancient energy! If he completes the link, his magic will destroy this entire underground vault!"

"Not if I take it back first," I said.

I lunged forward, thrusting my shadow claws straight into the barrier. The dark energy on my hand screamed as it ground against Malakai’s shield. Pain shot up my arm, burning through my veins like boiling oil.

"You cannot overpower me, boy!" Malakai sneered, his eyes glowing solid purple. "I have ruled this city for forty years! Your family was born to serve me!"

"My family is going to put you in the ground!" I shouted.

[Devouring Ability Activated!]

[Attempting to Drain Enemy Core...]

My shadow hand began to absorb the dark energy from his shield. Streams of purple light flowed backward from his barrier into my own arm.

[Stored Essence: 1200 Units.]

[Level Up! Level 22 → Level 23.]

Malakai’s smile vanished as he felt his strength slipping. "What? No! Stop!"

Lily acted instantly. She did not run away, nor did she help me pull him down. Instead, she rushed straight past us toward the open iron vault door, reaching inside the glowing recess to grab the ancient silver scroll resting on the central pedestal.

"The real power of the core is not the crystal," Lily said, her fingers wrapping around the silver scroll. "It is the ancient command code for the entire city's barrier system!"

"Put that back!" Malakai shouted, turning his attention away from me to blast a wave of dark fire at Lily.

The blast hit the pedestal, blowing Lily off her feet and sending the silver scroll flying across the room. It landed right at Lyra's boots.

Lyra scooped up the scroll without hesitation, backing toward the dark drainage pipe. "Ethan, we have what we came for! We need to move now!"

"Nobody leaves this room alive!" Malakai roared.

He slammed his hands against the stone floor. Heavy iron bars slammed down from the ceiling, blocking both the vault door and the drainage pipe exit. We were completely trapped inside the white stone chamber with a mad tyrant who was overflowing with volatile core energy.

Malakai raised his hands, preparing to release a massive blast of dark fire that would wipe out the entire room.

Right at that second, Lily pulled a small golden key from her pocket and shoved it into a tiny slot near the floor.

The white stone ground under Malakai split open.

A heavy iron trapdoor snapped open beneath his feet, sending High Priest Malakai tumbling down into the pitch-black abyss of the lower mushroom caves. His screams faded into the dark depths as the trapdoor slammed shut again.

The room went completely silent except for the heavy sound of our breathing.

Lily stood up, dusting off her gold-trimmed robes. She looked at me, then at Lyra, her eyes narrowing as she saw the silver scroll in Lyra's hands.

"Give me the scroll, rebel," Lily said, holding out her hand. "It belongs to the High Council now."

Lyra pulled her remaining blade, her sharp eyes locking onto my sister. "If you want this scroll, you will have to cut it out of my hands."

Before I could step between them, a deep, mechanical voice echoed from the dark pit where Malakai had fallen. The iron trapdoor began to melt as dark purple flames poured out from the crack.

A giant, mutated shadow hand reached out from the pit, gripping the stone floor.