Chapter 15: Puppet...
Sitting inside her lavishly adorned office in the grand and opulent building of the Priest Guild was the guild master, Luna. Her piercing eyes, shrouded by a delicate veil, lent an air of enigma to her presence.
She reclined gracefully in a plush white chair, her fingers delicately tapping the armrest, the scent of freshly bloomed lilies permeating the room.
Luna's gown was a vision of elegance, a pristine white garment that draped around her like a silken waterfall. Her golden locks flowed down her back, a cascade of sunlight-kissed strands that whispered secrets to the air.
"Hmm, Master Luna, did you truly believe they could defeat Sera and lure her here?" Ronan, her loyal advisor, inquired. He stood tall, his stern countenance a stark contrast to the luxurious surroundings, adorned in the traditional Priest Guild attire, each intricate detail of his robe catching the warm glow of the room's chandeliers.
Luna leaned back, her chair a throne of ivory and silk. Her soft voice held the weight of authority as she spoke, the resonance of her words casting a spell of certainty. "Given their abilities and the indomitable strength that Sera, the master of One Guild, possesses, I hold no faith in their success."
"Then why did you send them?" Ronan pressed, his brows knitted in curiosity.
Luna's eyes, veiled but filled with determination, locked onto Ronan's. "They are but pawns in a grand scheme, Ronan. Whether they live or die matters not. What matters is Sera, and I have sent someone who shall execute my plan."
Ronan's confusion deepened, and he couldn't help but question further, "Is there someone with the prowess to complete this task without raising suspicion within our guild? If so, I would like to meet him."
Luna was about to respond when an ominous sensation washed over her, a chilling premonition of impending danger. Her keen instincts surged to the forefront, and she couldn't help but think, 'What is this eerie sensation? It is coming from beyond these walls.'
In the next instant, shouts of alarm and chaos erupted just beyond the office door, the disarray threatening to breach the sanctuary of Luna's inner sanctum.
"Stop him! Prevent his approach to the guild master's office!"
"Hurry! Execute the protective array formation!"
"Beware of his lightning attacks!"
The cacophony of conflict grew louder, a symphony of chaos and desperation.
"What is happening?" Ronan's startled words slipped out involuntarily, but before he could fathom the unfolding chaos, the very door to Luna's office shattered. A man was hurled through it, his body crashing onto the ornate table before Luna.
Ronan's eyes widened as he beheld the gruesome sight. The man's flesh appeared as if it had been subjected to an otherworldly fire, disfigured and charred.
Luna's heart pounded with fear, a sensation she had long suppressed. She understood that something extraordinary had breached their guild's formidable defenses.
'My body?' Ronan's thoughts raced, his limbs trembling involuntarily, 'Is this... fear?'
Summoning every ounce of willpower, Ronan compelled his eyes to move toward the ruined doorway. There, he witnessed a figure—a man with silver hair, his left eye ablaze with an eerie crimson aura, and his entire form enveloped in writhing tendrils of electricity.
'Who is he?' Ronan's thoughts raced, his voiceless inquiry mirrored by the stark terror etched upon his features. The man before him, cloaked in a maelstrom of crackling lightning, was none other than Rael. His visage had grown even darker, his presence more menacing than ever.
Despite his fear, Ronan steeled himself. 'It isn't the time for me to falter. I must protect the guild master,' he resolved. He summoned a sword into his grasp and surged forward toward Rael, every muscle in his body taut with determination, his heart pounding like a war drum.
But his resolve met a bitter end. Rael raised his hand and nonchalantly flicked his finger, and in that instant, a cataclysmic burst of electricity descended from above, obliterating the guild's roof and striking Ronan with unrelenting force.
The resultant destruction was a sensory onslaught—a blinding flash, an ear-splitting thunderclap, and the acrid smell of burnt wood and scorched flesh filled the air.
As the electrical tempest subsided, Luna's heart sank, her concealed eyes widening with disbelief, the once stalwart advisor reduced to naught but ash strewn upon the floor.
'He is dead?' Luna's thoughts echoed in disbelief, her veiled eyes wide with shock. Although her emotions remained hidden behind the opaque veil, the weight of despair hung heavy in the air.
Lightning continued to surge across Rael's form, his left eye burning with an intense aura that seemed to sear into Luna's soul. His voice, like a frigid wind, reached her ears, "You have made me exceedingly angry."
"And now, you shall become my puppet, regretting the day you were born." he declared, his intentions clear and bone-chilling.
————
A moment earlier...
Outside Sera's house, the moonlight bathed the surroundings in a silvery glow, casting long, eerie shadows.
As Rael instructed Yeon to guide him to the Priest Guild, an unfamiliar sensation seized him. It was a feeling, a palpable disturbance in the cosmic balance that he hadn't experienced since the tragic events of his previous life, when he was forced to end Sera's existence.
Now, that sensation coursed through him again, like an electric shock of dread and urgency. His instincts screamed at him, and he couldn't ignore the intense pull coming from Sera's house.
"Sera!" Rael's thoughts raced, his heart pounding like a relentless drumbeat. The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. The ominous feeling, the one he had felt only when Sera was in grave danger or peril, now emanated from her residence.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone