The journey toward the Valley of Silence felt like walking straight into the mouth of a sleeping monster. Varg and his wolf pack only dared to escort them as far as the final ridgeline overlooking the valley. Below, dense purple mist crawled between the colossal bones of an ancient dragon, each one as large as a hill.
"This is as far as our courage goes, Grand Chef," Varg lowered his head, his ears flattened backward in fear. "That valley… the air itself is poisoned with soul toxin. The Cult of the Fallen never sleeps. They do nothing but pray and sharpen their blades with blood."
"Thank you, Varg. You've helped us more than enough," Rian said, handing him a small pouch filled with secret spices as a final gift.
Varg and his pack vanished into the darkness of the Wasteland as swiftly as shadows. Now, Rian, Elena, Seraphina, and Lila stood at the edge of the ravine, staring at a structure resembling a black cathedral in the heart of the valley.
"The aura down there… it's saturated with darkness," Seraphina gripped her staff tightly, her face pale. "Even my purification magic feels suppressed. Rian, are you sure the mushroom is down there?"
"Varg said it grows where life and death energies intersect," Rian replied. "That means right at the heart of this valley." His heart pounded unevenly. The black lines on his arm pulsed, as if resonating with something below.
They began descending the steep slope. The silence was absolute, true to the valley's name. No birds cried out, not even the wind dared to blow. Only the sound of their footsteps crunching over cracked, desiccated earth remained.
Suddenly, Elena stopped and raised her hand sharply. "Hide," she whispered.
They took cover behind the massive rib bones of the ancient dragon. Not far away, a patrol of figures clad in pitch-black robes and silver skull-shaped masks drifted through the air, hovering inches above the ground. At their center stood a man in heavy black armor, cold purple flames emanating from his body.
[System Alert: Boss Area Detected.]
[Name: Mordred, Gatekeeper Knight.]
[Level: 85 (Dark Paladin Class).]
[Status: Pure fanatic. Possesses olfactory senses for holy energy.]
"They can smell me," Elena whispered in panic. As a Holy Knight, her presence was like a lighthouse blazing in the darkness.
"Who dares defile the silence of our king's tomb?" Mordred's voice echoed, cold and emotionless. He drew his serrated greatsword. "The stench of imperial light… Hero, have you come to die?"
Without waiting for an answer, Mordred swung his blade. A wave of purple fire tore through the dragon bones they were hiding behind.
BOOM!
Elena leapt out, blocking the attack with her holy sword. White light and purple flame collided, triggering an explosion of energy that shook the ground.
"Rian, take Seraphina and Lila and run! I'll hold them off!" Elena shouted.
"No, Elena! You can't fight all of them alone!" Rian yelled as he saw dozens of cult members beginning to surround her.
Elena was pushed back. Mordred's strength was overwhelming in a land saturated with negative energy. Her holy blade dimmed as Mordred continued his relentless assault.
"Kneel, False Light!" Mordred raised his sword high, preparing a finishing blow that would cleave Elena in two.
Rian saw it—and something he had locked away deep inside finally broke free. Rage ignited his heartbeat into something monstrous. The world before his eyes turned crimson.
"Don't… touch… her," Rian hissed.
[Corruption Meter: 3.10%]
[Status: Demon King Authority Activated (Temporary).]
Rian stepped out of the shadows. He didn't run—he simply walked. Yet with every step, the ground beneath him cracked and blackened. The Black Pan in his hand no longer trembled in fear; instead, it radiated an aura so dense that all surrounding light seemed to be swallowed whole.
Mordred halted mid-attack. He turned toward Rian. His silver mask visibly trembled.
"This pressure… this suffocating aura…" Mordred muttered, his voice shaking. "Who are you, lowly human?"
Rian lifted his face. His usually gentle eyes now glowed with cold, arrogant violet light. He raised his hand, the black veins on his arm blazing brightly.
"You ask who I am in my own home?" Rian's voice was no longer his own. It sounded like the screams of thousands of souls layered together. "Kneel, gate dog."
A massive gravitational pressure erupted from Rian's body.
CRAAASH!
Every member of the Cult—including the mighty Mordred—was slammed to the ground, as if an invisible giant hand pressed their shoulders down. They couldn't move. They couldn't even lift their heads to look at Rian.
"T-this authority… the Aura of Sovereignty…" Mordred gasped, his face grinding into the dirt. "M-my lord? Is that… you?"
Elena stared at Rian in horror. She had never seen him like this. He stood shrouded in black smoke, like a god of destruction newly descended from his throne.
"Rian…?" Elena called softly.
At the sound of her voice, Rian jolted. The violet glow in his eyes vanished instantly. The crushing pressure disappeared. Rian staggered, nearly collapsing if not for leaning on his Black Pan.
[System: Warning! Soul synchronization has reached a critical threshold. Authority forcibly disconnected to prevent premature awakening.]
Mordred and his followers remained confused and trembling as they looked upon Rian, now pale and weakened.
"Move! While they're still disoriented!" Rian shouted, his real voice hoarse with exhaustion.
Though still shaken by fear and doubt, Elena grabbed Rian's arm. Seraphina threw a magical smoke bomb to cover their escape. They ran deeper toward the dragon's core, leaving Mordred behind, still prostrated and muttering incoherently about "the King's return."
They reached a cavern beneath the frozen skull of the dragon. There, in the heart of the darkness, grew clusters of translucent blue mushrooms that pulsed like beating hearts.
[Chronos-Fungus Discovered.]
Rian immediately plucked one and swallowed it raw. An overwhelming bitterness spread across his tongue, but instantly the burning pulse in his arm subsided. The black lines that had reached his elbow slowly retreated back to his wrist.
[Corruption Meter: 2.85% (Decreasing and Temporarily Locked).]
Rian collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Cold sweat drenched his body.
Silence enveloped them again—but this time, it felt different.
Elena stood several steps in front of Rian, her hand still gripping her sword, though it wasn't aimed at him.
"What was that, Rian?" she asked flatly. The lack of emotion in her voice frightened him more than anger ever could.
Rian stared at his trembling hand. "That was a part of me I never wanted you to see."
"They called you 'Lord.' And you… you commanded them as if the world itself belonged to you," Elena continued. She turned and met Rian's eyes. "I promised I would kill you if you ever changed. And for a moment… I felt like you weren't there anymore."
"I'm still here, Elena," Rian whispered. "I'm still the cook who makes you bread. I swear."
Seraphina stepped forward, trying to mediate. "Elena, he did it to save you. Without that pressure, Mordred would have killed you."
"I know!" Elena suddenly shouted, making Lila flinch awake from her hiding place. "I know he saved me! But how long, Seraphina? How long can he use that power without losing his soul? Every time he saves us, he walks one step closer to his own destruction!"
Elena sheathed her sword roughly and walked toward the mouth of the cave, turning her back on them all.
"Take as many of the mushrooms as you can. We need to leave this cursed valley before they realize their 'King' is nothing more than a terrified cook."
Rian remained silent. This victory tasted more bitter than the mushroom he had swallowed. He had bought himself more time—but he was beginning to lose the trust of the person he most wanted to protect.
In the corner of the cave, Rian's Black Pan reflected the blue glow of the mushrooms, cold and enigmatic, as if it were the only silent witness that knew fate could never truly be delayed—only slowed, at an unbearably steep price.