Chapter 383 — The Shadow Seal Ring

But that "acquaintance" extended only so far as not attacking her. From her past experience in communicating with them, the shadow dwellers seemed unable to understand material-plane dwellers, and their manner of response was strange and fragmented; conversing with them was an exhausting ordeal.

As she had expected, the shadow dweller answered her only with a few scattered, broken words: "...respond... bring back... not yet the time..."

The shadow dweller she had seized abruptly turned insubstantial, slipping easily free of Amber's hand.

Amber stared blankly as the shadow dwellers poured into the depths of the black mist. Almost instinctively, she slowly reached into her garments and drew out something she had long treasured.

It was a ring of peculiar design, its gray-white metal band plain and unadorned, making it look quite unremarkable—but on its face could be seen a black swirling pattern, as though it were identical to the black vortex of smoke before her eyes.

"Father... Mother... is that you on the other side...?"

The shadow dwellers who had appeared around the "gate" had all entered the depths of the black mist, yet the mist still showed not the slightest sign of settling. Amber lingered before the black mist, hesitating for a long while, and at last shrouded herself in a mass of shadow-mist and took a step forward.

Trembling, Francis II lowered his left hand, the one wearing the ring. Forcing the Shadow Seal Ring to function when his bloodline did not qualify sent waves of stabbing pain through his nerves—but the price was worth it.

In the center of the room, at the spot where the monster had pounced upon his shadow avatar, space had been torn open into a massive rift, and a dozen strange and terrifying shadow creatures were pouring out from it. These shadow creatures were plainly immensely powerful around the rift; without even employing any spells, they effortlessly tore apart that mighty, horrifying flesh-monster that could scarcely be killed.

Before those shadow creatures could lunge at him, Francis II decisively reversed the summoning incantation, sending those dreadful beings from the dark world back to where they had come from.

The spatial rift in the room had not yet vanished, but Francis II had already breathed a slight sigh of relief. He went to the place where the monster had died, hoping to find some clue amid the shattered flesh, so as to determine just who wanted him dead.

But just before he could stoop to examine it, a violent crash suddenly sounded from the doorway.

The old king spun around at once, every nerve in his body drawn taut as he stared toward the door.

Blow after blow came from beyond the door, mingled with the shrill ringing of some magical ward being broken. Francis II felt the barrier shrouding the chamber vanish all at once, and then the door burst open. Master Duke, drenched in sweat and clad in his robe of stars, came charging in.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you hurt?!" the archmage shouted as he rushed in, and then his eyes fell at once on the monstrosity at Francis II's feet, and on the dark rift still hanging in midair. "...By the Goddess of Magic! I was caught in a magical trap for over ten minutes! I thought all was lost beyond recovery!"

"Master Duke," said Francis II, watching the legendary mage who had served the royal house for decades with open wariness, once more covertly stroking the ring on his left hand, "you were caught in a trap?"

"Yes," said the old mage, shame on his face. "I was careless. The instant I stepped out, I was trapped in some kind of mirror space. If Prince Edmund had not sensed something amiss and broken the seal from the outside, I don't know how long I would have wandered among those reflections..."

"Edmund?"

"I am here." Prince Edmund's voice came from beyond the door, and the next second the young prince, fully armed, appeared before Francis II. The old king noticed a sheen of fine sweat on the young man's brow and wounds on his hands, likely suffered when he had forced the seal open by main strength.

"Father, thank the heavens you are unharmed... I was very nearly ready to give the order to blow this wall open."

Francis II finally relaxed a little. "It is fortunate I had the Shadow Seal Ring with me."

"You ought to wear it," the young prince said with a smile, walking toward the king alongside the mage Duke. "If you did not, how would Master Clement test the new pet he has made?"

Francis II was taken aback. "Master Clement?"

"The legendary mage Duke" stepped forward, and a ray of corrosion leaped silently from his fingertip and pierced Francis II through the chest.

"That is my true name, Your Majesty."