Author's Note:
Dear Readers,
This chapter contains mature themes and depicts extreme violence and non-consensual acts. While the explicit details of the act itself have been omitted to adhere to content guidelines, the narrative aims to convey the profound trauma, degradation, and emotional impact on the characters involved. Reader discretion is advised. My intention is to portray the brutal reality of the antagonists and the suffering they inflict, which serves as a crucial motivator for the protagonist's journey.
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The Scene in Front of him made his blood boil. his eyes filled up with rage.
On a stage-like platform, a man was seen on his knees as he was pushed down by two guards.
Seeing that man, Lucius Ran towards him as he shouted.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE DOING WITH MY FATHER?" he shouted.
Then suddenly a man appeared behind him as that man put his arm around Lucius's Shoulder.
"There.. There.. Why are you shouting, kid? Are you also here to watch the show? Who taught you how to swear anyway?" said the man.
He was wearing a black-red cloak, with a rose symbol added to it.
'The BloodRose Family....' Lucius thought.
"What show are you talking about?" asked Lucius as he addressed the silver-haired man, whose eyes were golden with a tint of red at the center.
"There! Look at the screen!" said the man as he pointed towards a screen. It was an artifact which showed the view of the Silverpetal city.
The view changed as it now showed how every person in the city was running everywhere. The city guards were getting killed everywhere. These were the soldiers of the BloodRose Family that were killing every man.
The soldiers did not spare even the civilians that had not left the city after the family's downfall.
These soldiers were ruthless. They inflicted unspeakable horrors upon families, violating women and girls before taking every life. This tragic pattern repeated through countless civilian homes.
Soon the view shifted to The Blackthorn Mansion. It was burning in flames. Everything was destroyed.
The dead bodies of guards and servants were lying here and there. The librarian was also killed. The elders who used to manage the city, Lucius's Uncles, were also killed, their bodies lying around as well.
Soon a thought clicked over to Lucius as he asked:
"W-w-w-where is m-mother?" he asked.
"Hey Arthur, where is that whore?" asked the silver-haired man to a guard.
"Sir Valmont, she just arrived," said the soldier as he gave way to a few people.
Lucius's mother was tied up in chains, but she looked untouched. Seeing this, Lucius sighed in relief. After a few seconds, the remaining Blackthorn Family was now on stage.
Soon, as Lucius was about to speak something, a rod of metal suddenly hit his head. Blood started flowing from his head as he fell, but he barely managed to stay awake.
"Lucius!" shouted Logan and Ariya in unison.
At that moment, Logan was able to get away from their grasp as he ran towards Lucius and held him with both his hands.
At that moment the guards came again and held him.
Suddenly Valmont came near Ariya as he held her chin.
He then spoke,
"How touching... your family really has deep love for each other, huh?" he spoke with a smirk.
"Idea! Let's see how they will react if I violate you in front of all these people," he said, turning her head to look around the colosseum-like structure, where thousands sat in silence. No one dared to speak, for this was the heir of the Marquis Family of BloodRose. Even dukes would think thrice before opposing them, fearing immense losses.
He then turned her head back, bringing his lips closer to hers, a cruel mockery of a kiss.
"BASTARD! STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING IMMEDIATELY, OR I SWEAR THAT I WILL HUNT DOWN EVERY SINGLE ONE IN YOUR FAMILY!" Logan's roar was raw with deeply enraged fury.
He was consumed by anger, his wife being violated before his very eyes, and he was powerless. His cultivation was sealed, his body weak, his soul cultivation far inferior to most present. He was truly helpless.
His desperate shout only fueled Valmont's twisted pleasure.
Immediately, Valmont seized Ariya's pink robe, tearing it away with a savage rip, exposing her to the horrified gaze of thousands.
Ariya's desperate pleas echoed through the colosseum, a heart-wrenching symphony of "No! Please! No! Stop!" and "Please! Just kill me! Don't make me go through this!" Her cries of anguish filled the air, each one a dagger to Logan's soul. The scene was a blur of terror and unspeakable degradation, a brutal display of power and cruelty. Logan could only watch, his body trembling, his mind screaming in impotent rage as his wife's dignity was brutally stripped away.
Logan didn't dare let Lucius stay here. With trembling hands, he fumbled inside his robe, pulling out a talisman—their last hope. He pressed it to Lucius's chest, voice breaking as he whispered, "Live, my son. Survive this hell." In a flash of light, Lucius vanished, leaving only the echo of his parents' agony behind.
The world seemed to collapse around Logan and Ariya. The jeering crowd faded into a distant roar, replaced by the sound of their own ragged breaths and the pounding of their hearts. Logan's body shook with fury and despair. He could feel his spiritual core burning, the power within him raging for release. he was burning his blood essence.
He staggered to Ariya's side, falling to his knees. Blood streaked his face, but his eyes were fixed only on her. Ariya, her dignity stolen but her spirit unbroken, met his gaze. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her voice was steady, filled with a love that defied the cruelty around them.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you. I couldn't protect our son," Logan choked out, his voice raw and broken. "All I have left is this—my love for you, and my hope for Lucius. Let's end this together. Let's deny them the satisfaction of our suffering."
Ariya reached for his hand, her fingers trembling as they intertwined with his. "Don't cry, husband. This world is cruel, but our love is stronger. If this is our end, let it be together. Let our son carry our hope. Let him remember that even in darkness, we chose each other."
Their eyes met, a thousand memories passing between them in a single heartbeat—laughter, whispered promises, the warmth of family. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
With a final, silent agreement, they drew upon the last reserves of their strength. Their spiritual cores blazed with light, the energy crackling and surging, threatening to tear them apart. The pain was unimaginable, but they held each other close, refusing to let go.
As the power reached its peak, Logan pressed his forehead to Ariya's, his tears mingling with hers. "I love you," he whispered.
"And I love you," she replied, her voice a trembling promise.
Together, they unleashed the full force of their spiritual cores. The explosion of energy was blinding, a final act of defiance that shook the colosseum to its foundations. In their last moments, they found peace—in each other's arms, united in love, free from the torment of their enemies.
When the light faded, nothing remained but silence and the memory of a love that refused to be broken.
...
Meanwhile, Lucius was currently in an unknown forest, lying down near a riverbank, next to a waterfall. He was unconscious, his body battered and his mind lost in darkness.
Slowly, the gentle sunlight crept through the leaves, its warmth brushing against his face. Lucius stirred, his eyelids fluttering open. The world was blurry at first, the sound of rushing water and birdsong unfamiliar and distant. He blinked, confusion clouding his gaze as he sat up, looking around at the dense jungle that surrounded him.
For a moment, he wondered if it had all been a nightmare. But as the memories crashed back—his parents' screams, the jeering crowd, the blinding light—his heart clenched with unbearable pain. He clutched his chest, gasping for breath as the weight of loss threatened to crush him.
Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling down his cheeks as he remembered his mother's desperate cries, his father's broken voice, the love and agony in their final moments. Lucius sobbed, his body wracked with grief. He screamed into the wilderness, his cries echoing through the trees, but no one answered. He was alone.
He mourned for what felt like hours, his soul aching with every memory. The world seemed empty, the sunlight mocking his pain. But as the tears finally slowed, something hardened within him. He wiped his face, his hands trembling but his eyes burning with new resolve.
"I will not let this break me," he whispered, voice hoarse but determined. "I will become stronger. I will crush every enemy who dared to harm my family. I will make the word Blackthorn Feared by everyone. I will have my revenge."
He stood, fists clenched, the pain in his heart now fueling a fire in his soul. Lucius vowed that he would not let this tragedy destroy him. He would rise above it, no matter the cost. For his parents, for his family, for himself—he would become the strongest, and one day, he would return to reclaim everything that was stolen from him.
With the sun rising above the treetops, Lucius took his first step forward, his journey of vengeance and rebirth beginning beneath the gentle light of a new dawn.
This was not just a new beginning—it was the birth of a legend. The boy who once knew no hatred would become a name whispered in fear by the strong, and worshipped by the weak. None would dare meet his gaze, for within his eyes would burn the memory of everything he had lost. He who knows no limits for the sake of his family, ready to shatter the world itself, if need be. Thus would begin the rise of the Obsidian Emperor.