The "Ode to a Nightmare" did not hit the floor. The dark tendril wrapped tightly around the book. The book floated in the air right next to the black orb.
The book looked incredibly old. The cover was made of dark, rough leather. Strange, glowing purple symbols were carved into the spine. The pages looked like they were made of dried skin. It radiated a massive, terrifying aura of pure, ancient dark magic. It felt incredibly evil.
Noir gasped in shock. He looked down at his empty hands. He looked up at the floating book. He felt a sudden, sharp spike of true panic in his chest. He realized something was completely wrong.
The black orb did not shrink back. The orb did not fly away with the book.
The orb began to pulse rapidly. The humming sound grew much louder. The black magic started to expand. The small orb grew to the size of a melon. Then, it grew to the size of a large boulder. It expanded wildly. It turned into a massive, gaping hole of pure, suffocating darkness. The darkness swallowed the light in the room completely.
"What are you doing?!" Noir yelled. His voice cracked with pure terror. He took a fast step backward. His back hit the stone wall. "The deal is done! You have the book! Leave me alone! Make me the King!"
The massive orb did not answer. It just projected a feeling. It projected a feeling of absolute, endless hunger. It projected a feeling of total, chilling apathy.
Noir realized the horrible truth.
Javier did not want a partner. The Black Magicians did not care about who sat on the throne of the Bluemoon Kingdom. They did not care about his childish jealousy. They never intended to crown him King. They only used him because he possessed the royal bloodline access required to open the deepest vault.
He was a pawn. He was a disposable tool. He served his purpose. Now, he was just a loose end that needed to be permanently silenced.
"No!" Noir screamed at the top of his lungs. He felt absolute betrayal. "Javier promised me! He swore an oath! I am the rightful ruler! You cannot do this to me!"
Noir raised both of his hands. He tried to fight back. He gathered his royal magic. A bright, powerful bolt of blue energy formed between his palms. He pushed his hands forward. He shot the blue magic directly at the massive, swirling orb of darkness. He wanted to blast the orb into pieces.
The blue energy bolt hit the black orb.
The orb did not flinch. It did not explode. It simply opened a hole in its surface. It swallowed the bright blue magic completely. The dark magic ate the royal spell instantly. The orb just grew even larger. It fed on his power.
Noir dropped his hands. His eyes widened in pure, unadulterated horror. He realized he was totally helpless. He could not fight this magic.
He turned to the right. He lunged toward the panic room door. He grabbed the heavy metal handle. He pulled with all his might. He rattled the handle violently.
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The door did not move. He had locked it from the inside. He had trapped himself perfectly in a small, inescapable cage with a hungry monster.
"Help me!" Noir shrieked hysterically. Tears of absolute fear streamed down his face. He pounded his fists against the thick stone wall. "Somebody help me! Guards! Father! Please!"
Nobody could hear him. The panic room was completely soundproof. The palace above was entirely empty.
The massive black orb drifted closer. It hovered right behind him. The freezing cold aura washed over his body.
Dozens of thick, pitch-black tendrils shot out from the center of the orb. The tendrils moved with terrifying speed. They wrapped tightly around Noir's ankles. They coiled around his wrists. They wrapped around his waist.
Noir thrashed wildly. He kicked his legs. He tried to pull his arms free. The dark tendrils were incredibly strong. They squeezed him tightly. They pulled him backward. They pulled him away from the door.
"I am the King!" Noir screamed. He cried openly. "I gave you the book! You need me!"
A thick, dark tendril slapped across his face. It covered his mouth completely. It instantly silenced his screams. His voice was muffled. Only panicked, muffled grunts escaped his lips. His eyes bulged with pure terror.
The massive black orb opened wide. It looked like a giant, hungry mouth made of pure darkness.
The tendrils violently yanked Noir backward. They pulled his entire body directly into the center of the black orb.
The darkness consumed him completely. The black magic washed over his head. It covered his torso. It swallowed his kicking legs. The orb ate him alive in a single, silent second.
Noir completely vanished. The orb digested him instantly. It left absolutely nothing behind. There was no blood on the stone floor. There were no broken bones. There were no torn pieces of clothing. The 4th Prince was totally erased from existence. He paid the ultimate, brutal price for his treason.
The massive black orb pulsed once. It seemed completely satisfied. It had eaten the traitor.
The orb began to shrink rapidly. It condensed back into a small, apple-sized sphere of pure darkness. The dark tendrils retreated inside. The freezing aura faded away.
The orb held the "Ode to a Nightmare" safely inside its dark core. The forbidden book was completely secure. The mission was entirely successful.
The small black orb floated upward. It glided toward the ceiling. It passed effortlessly right through the thick, solid stone roof of the panic room. It floated through the empty floors of the royal palace. It emerged into the cool night air above the capital city.
It hovered in the dark sky for a fraction of a second. Then, it zipped away. It vanished completely into the night. It headed back to its true master.
The truth was finally revealed.
Ken Eliot’s lazy, goofy anime theory was absolutely, one hundred percent correct.
The massive invasion of the Bluemoon Kingdom was a complete trick. The terrifying Black Magicians marching through the streets were just a loud diversion. The giant, glowing Neitherworld Devil Flower growing in the central plaza was nothing but a flashy, attention-grabbing decoy.
The enemy wanted the grandmasters to focus all their energy on defending the walls. They wanted the citizens to panic. They wanted everyone to look at the giant plant and the shadow monsters. They created a massive, chaotic spectacle to hide their true intentions.
The entire war was staged for one single purpose.
They wanted to keep the royal guards busy so Prince Noir could sneak into the unguarded vault. They needed a royal bloodline to bypass the ancient magical seals. They used his pathetic jealousy to get exactly what they wanted. They manipulated the foolish Prince flawlessly.
The real goal was always the forbidden book. The "Ode to a Nightmare" was the true prize. The Black Magicians wanted the dark knowledge hidden inside those ancient pages. They needed the book to awaken their ultimate, world-ending entity.
They played the entire kingdom perfectly. They got exactly what they came for. The true mastermind successfully stole the most dangerous artifact in the world, and nobody even knew it was gone. The real threat was just beginning.
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