Read Magic Black Corvus (MANUSCRIPT/FIRST EDIT) :: THE VOTE ABOVE, THE BLOOD BELOW!

The sky over Velmureth pulsed with a quiet, unnatural stillness.

Clouds hung like statues in the heavens, their forms unmoving, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Beneath them stood the capital—**Velmureth**, jewel of the **Continent of Magnolia**, its spires catching what little light filtered through the dense, rune-scribed skies.

Within the heart of the city, in the highest sanctum of the Magnolia Castle, a gathering was underway—one so rare it was spoken of in prophecy more than politics.

Seven chairs.

Seven crests.

One throne.

At the room’s center, cloaked in ancient light and a presence that could silence storms, sat **King Jareth Magnolia**—first of his name, last of his kind. The only ruler this land had known in a century of silence. His eyes were carved from resolve, his posture regal yet weary, as though carrying the weight of generations long buried.

He was not alone.

To his right stood the head of House Vireaux—**Luceris Vireaux**, cloaked in ember-threaded silk, her very presence radiating heat. Firelight danced in her eyes, sharp as forged steel.

Beside her, cold as history’s edge, stood **Drayven Calderis** of House Calderis. Frost curled at his boots, and time itself seemed to slow near his gaze.

Further down stood the storm—the living tempest—**Zepharion Thornevale**, whose voice could split stone and who wielded lightning as if it were a loyal dog.

Opposite them, veiled in silence and clad in mourning black, sat **Gravik Obellion**, Warden of the Veinless. None had heard his voice in years, yet all obeyed when he raised a single skeletal hand.

At his flank stood **Myros Virethar**, head of the mirror house. His face was hidden behind a cracked mask, his shadow moving ever so slightly out of sync with his form.

And last—wrapped in crimson robes inked with sacred blood—**Mirethe Elarion**, matriarch of House Elarion, eyes like garnet glass. Her every breath was a vow unspoken.

They had not gathered in peace. Not truly.

There were no pleasantries shared. No wine. No music.

Only the sound of breathing, the scent of old magic, and the oppressive weight of something ancient stirring beneath their feet.

No war had been declared.

No kingdom yet fallen.

And still—

**the world had already begun to change.**

The chamber was silent.

Not the quiet of peace—

but the kind that pressed in from every corner.

Heavy. Suffocating. Expectant.

King Jareth rose from his throne. The air itself seemed to recoil as he spoke.

"It is no secret why we gather here today."

No one moved. No one breathed.

"It… is here."

"And with it, a new era begins."

The silence that followed wasn’t empty.

It was judgment. A verdict waiting to be spoken.

Eyes shifted. Thoughts raced. But no one dared speak—

Until the king did.

"All in favor of completing the summoning ritual..."

"State your house."

A pause. Then—

"House Vireaux."

"House Obellion."

"House Elarion."

Stillness again.

Then the king’s voice broke it like glass.

"House Magnolia."

He waited one breath longer.

"To those who did not cast a vote—your silence is noted."

"Your honesty... respected."

He turned, gaze sharp, voice absolute.

"We proceed. The ritual will be completed."

In that breath of silence, the axis of fate turned—

not loudly.

But forever.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Back in the dungeon, we were locked in combat with mid-tier creatures known as Thrall—feral, mana-starved husks twisted by dungeon corruption.

They lunged from the shadows in twitching waves, hollow-eyed and shrieking with fractured echoes. Their claws scraped the stone, their breath reeking of old spells and rot.

Renn shouted over the chaos, swinging wildly. “One silver per kill! I’m keeping count!”

He nearly tripped over a collapsed Thrall and scrambled back up, muttering, “Shit—okay, that one doesn’t count.”

Mira, crouched behind Bronn, let out a sharp curse as her healing light stitched a gash across his arm. “Next time, duck, you oversized tree trunk.”

She flicked blood off her fingers, eyes scanning the field like a strategist watching a losing chessboard. “We’re surrounded. You morons need to start thinking.”

Bronn didn’t respond. He never did. His axe cleaved through two Thrall in a single arc, his eyes locked not on the enemy, but on Kai.

Elric stood behind a pillar, panic rising in his throat. “I—I’m charging a barrier! Don’t move—no, wait—move!”

His spell fizzled, sparks sputtering. A Thrall almost reached him before Kaelyn flash-stepped forward, blade slicing it in two.

KAELYN: Stay behind the shield, Elric. Focus.

Kai ducked low, drove a punch into a Thrall’s chest—and watched it disintegrate in a burst of glowing flesh. His eyes widened. The resonance was getting stronger. His body wasn’t just reacting… it was learning.

Another wave surged toward them. They met it as one—fire, steel, grit, and instinct.

After the final Thrall hit the ground, twitching and steaming, the room went still.

Kaelyn flicked blood from her blade, her voice calm amid the fading echoes.

Kaelyn: “We’re starting to move in sync.”

She glanced toward the next tunnel.

“I think we’re ready to head deeper.”

The party of 6 kept moving deeper into the dungeon until they reached the last cave. No where else to go they plunged into the dark abyss

They walked on, boots crunching against dust and gravel, voices echoing softly in the narrow corridor.

Renn was mid-rant about pay.

“I swear, once this is over, I’m taking every silver coin and buying the biggest—”

Kaelyn cut him off with a scoff. “You’ll die before you get to spend a copper if you keep talking that loud.”

Elric clutched his staff nervously. “Do you think dungeon creatures actually care about noise?”

Bronn grunted. “Only the smart ones.”

Laughter flickered through the group—light, almost forced.

But Mira wasn’t laughing.

She lagged slightly behind, beads of sweat rolling down her temple, her jaw clenched.

Mira: “Something’s wrong… I can feel it. There’s a presence up ahead. Strong.”

Her voice was low, urgent. Different.

Kai stopped mid-step.

Kai: “This... feels like the forest. Back when I was hunted.”

Elric turned, eyes wide.

Elric: “What happened in the forest?”

Kaelyn answered before Kai could.

Kaelyn: “He was stalked by a Void Crawler. Nearly tore his arm off.”

Silence dropped like a stone. The air felt heavier. The path ahead darker.

Bronn swallowed, voice rough.

Bronn: “You said… this feels worse?”

Kai didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

Renn, now visibly sweating, wiped his brow with a shaky hand.

Renn: “Are we... actually gonna make it out of here?”

Then the tunnel ended.

No door. No warning. Just open space.

They stepped into a vast, circular chamber that felt nothing like the dungeon they’d known. A sky of stone arched high above, lined with colossal pillars that stretched into darkness—each one carved as if to hold up the heavens themselves.

It was eerily still. Sacred. Wrong.

A pulse rippled through the ground.

And at the center of the room…

something moved.

...

The air was thick with heat and dust

And then the Abyssal Warden stepped forward, twin obsidian blades dragging across the stone, sparking red trails in its wake. Its molten eye glared at them—no emotion, just execution.

Kai’s head spun—danger, danger, danger. No one else seemed to grasp it, not yet. They didn’t understand that just standing in the same room as this thing meant death. With every step the Warden took, Kai’s pulse pounded louder. What do I do? No one’s moving... they’ll die. I’ll die. I have to move. I have to—

Kai was the first to move. He charged low, light flaring around his fist as he slammed it into the Warden’s leg with enough force to fracture the stone pillars in room.

It barely flinched.

The Warden’s blade came down in a brutal arc—too fast.

Bronn was already there, axe catching the strike just enough to divert it. The impact rattled the chamber, his boots skidding against the floor. He grunted, muscles straining. “It’s way fucking heavier than it looks.”

Renn sprinted past, trying to get behind the thing. “Big, slow, and ugly? My type!” he shouted, leaping for the Warden’s exposed back.

It twisted unnaturally fast.

Renn hit the ground hard, rolling out of the way as the second blade crashed down inches from his skull.

Mira cursed loudly from the rear. “Dumbass!” She raised a hand, a pulse of light shooting toward Kai as he stumbled away from another near-miss. “Stop playing hero and start playing smart!”

Elric stood frozen behind a pillar, eyes wide. “I—I can’t get a reading. Its mana’s like a black hole!” He flinched as the Warden’s eye locked on him.

Kaelyn blurred forward, intercepting the Warden’s swing with both blades crossed. Sparks flew. “Then stop reading and start reacting!”

She spun with the deflection, her heel connecting with the Warden’s side. It staggered—only a step—but enough for Kai to come back in with a full-body tackle, slamming the beast against a nearby pillar.

Cracks spread across its armor.

Bronn followed up, axe rising overhead. “Now!”

His swing landed dead-center, splitting the Warden’s shoulder plate.

For a moment—just a breath—it faltered.

Then its molten eye flared. The ground exploded beneath it, and all six were thrown back like leaves in a storm.

Kai hit the wall hard, coughing blood. “It’s regenerating.”

Mira was already chanting, blood dripping from her palms. “I can buy us one minute. That’s it.”

Kaelyn dragged herself up. “Then we make it count.”

Renn coughed and stumbled to his feet. “So… final plan?”

Kai’s eyes locked on the Warden. His aura was flickering again, brighter this time.

“Hit it till it stays down.”

The Warden stepped forward, dragging its cracked blade through the ground like it was marking their graves.

Kaelyn was the first to move, her body flashing gold as she charged in, blades spinning. She danced between its strikes, cutting low, high, then twisting to avoid the retaliating sweep—but her weapons barely scratched the surface.

Elric shouted from behind, veins glowing blue as he threw everything he had into a stormburst rune. “Get clear!”

The rune detonated in a blinding blast. Fire surged across the Warden’s armor.

It walked through the flame untouched.

Mira slammed her hands into the earth, channeling raw life magic. “Now or never!” Thorned vines erupted from the ground, binding the Warden’s legs with supernatural force.

“Go!” she screamed.

Kai lunged again, aura blazing like wildfire. He didn’t punch—he leapt, twisting mid-air, fist drawn back with energy crackling down his arm.

It connected with the Warden’s chest—hard.

A shockwave blew outward, blowing Mira’s vines apart and rocking the whole chamber.

The Warden staggered.

Bronn was already airborne. “Die, damn you!”

His axe came down in a brutal overhead strike—right into the same spot Kai hit.

The Warden sank to one knee, armor split, molten energy leaking through the cracks.

Everyone froze.

Renn stepped forward, grinning, trembling. “Did we...?”

The Warden’s eye snapped open—brighter than before.

In a blink, it surged upward with unnatural speed.