Haste Leads to Wrong Decisions

Eidan readied a stance to summon his ancient relic, but moments before he said the incantation, Samael stopped him in a panic.

"Wait, Eidan don't summon Phoenix's Rebirth here in this dimension! It can turn this place upside down if the mana explodes or gets dissolved into the fragments of this place."

"Then what do you suggest we do against a magical manic entity of this scale?" equally panicked, Eidan asked.

"Use the other sword and…Watch me." Samael took out dual daggers from his pant's back pocket and smirked; He is a demonic lord with centuries of experience, fought with fluid grace, his movements almost hypnotic in speed and precision.

Without a word, Eidan gripped the hilt of Stargazer and with a smooth motion, took it out, and launched himself at the figure after Samael, sword and spells at the ready. He fought with fierce determination, his sword cutting through the air with deadly efficiency as he moved.

The figure seemed to anticipate their attack, moving with a quick slyness that belied its size and shape. Its form flickered and shifted, making it difficult for Eidan and Samael to land a clean blow.

The figure countered their every move, parrying their blades with ease and deflecting their spells with a wave of its hand. Its voice echoed around them, taunting them as they fought.

"You're so predictable," The figure sneered at them, its voice laced with contempt. "You think you can defeat me? I am the embodiment of darkness itself. You are nothing to me."

"What the heck!" Samael recoiled in surprise at the suddenness of the attack, exclaiming "Are you serious!" as a blazing ball of fire hurtled towards him.

He quickly raised his dual blades in front of his face, using their force to deflect the flames and prevent them from engulfing his body.

Although Samael could still use some of his demonic mana to aid him in battle, he hesitated to unleash his full power in a place already overrun by a greater evil.

The risk was too great, as his full power had the potential to cause the entire dimension to crack and crumble. This was the last thing they wanted to happen in their current situation.

Analyzing the figure's patterns and the type of magic and flames it emitted, Eidan recognized the same darkness he had felt in the forest of the North Kingdom.

It dawned on him that this entity was the source of the deaths and corruption in his realm.

As he realized the extent of his negligence, his facial expression darkened with guilt and regret for those who had lost their lives.

As a proficient swordsman, Eidan swiftly mastered the art of imbuing his sword with the perfect amount of mana needed to counter and defeat the malevolent attacks aimed at him. And he was getting closer to the ominous figure.

"You…you're the one who is ruining the peace in my Empire, what do you get from killing those innocent lives?" Eidan yelled and unleashed his attack.

With swift movements, Eidan accelerated and lunged toward the figure before it could perceive his approach. In a blink of an eye, he pierced the figure's center with his sharp weapon.

The figure let out a harsh laugh, its body pulsing with dark energy. "You foolish pests," it exclaimed, its tone hurried and agitated. "You have no idea how long I have been imprisoned in this wretched place that YOU have created. All your hatred, anger, and malice gathered and confined in one location!"

Samael and Eidan were startled by the figure's peculiar actions. Despite Eidan's strenuous grip on his sword, the figure effortlessly wrested it from him.

The attempt was futile as the figure remained unaffected. Instead, it fiercely flung Eidan into the air using his own sword and hurled him to the ground with tremendous strength.

"In your quest for balance, you ignore the negative aspects of everything. How is that fair? I am YOUR malice and yet you refuse to acknowledge my presence? True balance cannot be achieved by trapping me here!" The figure seemed to get dense with each moment, purple lightning crashing and thunder clouds forming around it.

"Hey, things are taking a turn for the worse," Samael remarked as he gazed at Eidan, who struggled to sit up while coughing blood.

The previous blow had dealt a severe blow to Eidan's already weakened body, and his spiritual energy was rapidly draining away. "You need to get out of this damned place!"

"No! I can still fight," Eidan stubbornly protested as he attempted to rise, but his entire body trembled with weakness. He collapsed to his knees, blood gushing from his right eye, and for the first time in his life, fear gripped him.

As the scene unfolded, the figure released a mocking laugh and declared, "You still don't understand, do you? You, child of the cursed destiny, underestimate the might of darkness. I'll devour you all, you all will experience agony and I'll let you all witness true despair..."

With a flick of its wrist, the figure unleashed a blast of dark energy that was sent in Eidan's direction. But Samael quickly regained his formation, charging towards Eidan in desperation.

Samael let out a roar, his body growing in size and strength as he called upon his demonic powers. "You may be the embodiment of darkness," he said. "But I am the lord of demons. And you don't stand a chance against me."

The figure simply mocked back, "Fool…"

Swiftly, Samael reached out his hand and created a demonic sigil that dissipated the assailant's strike in time. But to his surprise, the attack materialized again, broke into million fragments, and struck his whole body like lightning needles.

Even though they were small, and his tolerance for such petty tricks was high, they did cause excruciating pain within Samael's demonic body.

"Yes, I remember you now, the son of a fool is indeed a fool." The figure said after fake pondering.

"Tch…that bastard," Samael clicked his tongue but quickly turned to face Eidan, "Listen, there is no way the two of us can handle this creature in its own territory. At least for now, we should retreat and inform the other realms about this situation."

Eidan's eyes quivered, torn between his determination and concern for his wounded ally. He couldn't bear the idea of losing a life right in front of him.

Samael helped him up but the figure was impatient, sensing that the prey is trying to run, it snorted evilly, "Oh, my…Leaving so soon, are we? But where do you think you're going... and who gave you permission to leave?"

It sneakily latched itself to Samael's back and just above his shoulder; it peeked at the weak Eidan, with intense greedy, and malicious eyes. "I won't let YOU go, mortal." It tilted its head and hastily covered Samael's body, taking over control of his movements.

The air was thick with tension as Samael's body hung limp, suspended by the figure's shadowy tendrils. Despite the physical strain, Samael remained composed, much to the figure's frustration. It could feel the palpable fear emanating from Eidan and decided to shift its tactics.

With a sickening squelch, the figure pierced Samael's abdomen with its whip-like appendages, causing blood to spill out onto the floor in a grotesque pool.

Eidan twitched, the metallic tang of blood invading his nostrils as droplets splattered across his face. His mind raced with panic as he struggled to regain his composure. "Stop it!" he cried out, desperation lacing his words. "You want me, right? Let him go!"

Samael's response was sharp and cutting. "Shut up! I told you not to do anything stupid. I have it under control!"

The figure cackled with twisted glee, its laughter echoing through the heavy atmosphere until it was all-consuming. "Yes, what is it that you desperately love? your people? your home? your parents? Are you sure they are doing well while you are here wasting your efforts trying to save this one demon?"

"What..." Eidan's breath hitched and become shorter and faster, his heart trembling with fear and panic as he struggled to catch his breath.

The twisted laughter of the entity only grew louder, mocking and taunting him. His mind raced with thoughts of his loved ones and his people, worried if they were safe or if they were facing the same kind of terror he was experiencing now.

"Don't listen to this bastard!" Samael gripped his blades tighter.

The figure only cackled harder, "Yes! Don't listen to anyone young prince, isn't that how you lost the lives around you when you were nothing but a child."

Eidan's senses were overwhelmed by the sheer horror of the scene unfolding before him. "I told you to STOP!" he screamed, his voice lost in the suffocating atmosphere.

A loud boom reverberated as the whole dimension shook with the waves, Eidan no longer calm pointed his sword at the figure, a gush of wind becoming dense around him. His bloodshot eye shone a bright red-gold as he mumbled a simple yet ferocious name, "Vindictus."

Amidst the numerous groups of spirits that exist, there is one particularly renowned for their formidable power, the "Fury Wielders".

The very name evokes the idea of powerful beings that are skilled at wielding their anger and rage as a weapon, using their magic and fighting prowess to unleash devastating attacks on their enemies.

And one of those Fury Wielders tamed by Eidan was Vindictus, a highly aggressive spirit that responds to his master's wrath.

Right now, it responded to Eidan's distress and radiated immense heat that burned only the whips of the ominous figure.

It was however, for a fleeting moment, the flames erupted and illuminated the darkness, casting a forbidden shadow on the figure.

In that brief span of time, Samael seized the opportunity to break free and chanted a binding spell, trapping the figure in its grasp.

As the flames flickered and died, a cold, oppressive atmosphere descended, choking the air with its icy grip. The figure's charred and broken form slowly began to reform, and its body wreathed in a thick cloud of smoke.

The tension between the two sides remained palpable, and the shadows seemed to grow deeper and more sinister as the silence stretched on.

Eidan, drained by the intense demands of the powerful magic he had just wielded, began to slip into unconsciousness.

"Shit…" Samael cursed under his breath, He became worried, and Eidan could no longer bear the weight of this dimension, to save him. Samael scooped up his limp body and fled beyond the veil with all the strength he could muster.

With his heart pounding, Samael peered back while walking through the veil, expecting to see the ominous figure in pursuit.

To his astonishment, the figure made no move to follow them, instead, it was watching in eerie silence as they made their escape without sparing another breath in this realm.

Exiting the veil, Samael hastily lowered Eidan to the ground by the willow tree and frantically began constructing another layer of seal over the already-existing one on the veil.

His hands shook with urgency as he muttered incantations under his breath, his eyes focusing on the glowing words appearing.

The weight of the situation was heavy upon him, and his every move was filled with a sense of urgency as he worked to keep them safe from the malevolent force that lurked beyond the veil.

As if sensing Samael's worries about Eidan's condition, the smaller will-o-wisps appeared from the roots and cooed around Eidan who had seemingly fallen asleep.

The willow tree swayed calmly and the luminous leaves fell on top of Eidan, easing his body from the strain of the Sinister Dimension.

The investigation was forcefully ended. Despite the findings, Samael felt weary and pondered about what their next step should be.

At the moment, Samael was well aware that the young prince required immediate care.

The encounter with the ominous entity in the dimension of sinister intent had left Eidan shaken and uncertain about the task ahead.

However, Samael also knew that they couldn't afford to lose any more time as their mission was far from over.

--------------