Chapter 199: The Silence Before the Truth

For a brief moment, silence stretched between them. Then, in the blink of an eye, the squid-like creature before Thalion shifted, its form morphing into that of a human—a man with one normal eye and one in piercing purple.

Jack?

Thalion’s mind reeled. The last time they had met, Jack had seemed lost, uncertain of his own path. And now, somehow, he had obtained such a powerful form? Not that Thalion envied him or considered it unfair—he simply found it unexpected.

Jack collapsed to his knees, his hands trembling as he pressed his forehead to the ground.

“Oh, please, honored Eclipsari,” he begged, his voice frantic. “Spare our worthless lives. We are unworthy to even be called your prey.”

Thalion raised an eyebrow. Eclipsari? How did Jack know his race? The information shouldn't have been common knowledge within the tutorial. The only explanation was Identify.

Just to be certain, Thalion decided to test the waters.

“How do you know about my race?” he asked, his voice calm but edged with curiosity. “That kind of knowledge shouldn’t be easily accessible.”

Jack somehow managed to bow even deeper, his head nearly touching the ground.

“Before I acquired this form from the system shop, I had a brief conversation with the Voice of the System. It told me about various powerful races. I was particularly interested in insects since my partner, Josh, was about to evolve into a crab. The Voice shared details about the strongest insectoid species in the universe.”

He took a shaky breath before continuing.

“In most insect societies, a single queen rules the hive, controlling the vast swarm beneath her. Their strength lies in sheer numbers, and occasionally, queens give birth to specialized elite warriors. But the Eclipsari… they rejected this hierarchy entirely.”

Thalion listened intently as Jack recounted the legend.

“Their origins are unknown, but they turned against their own kind, slaughtering their queens and decimating their hives. They refused to live as mere drones, instead choosing to carve their own path to strength. This rebellion led to a war against the other insect hives, a battle that the Eclipsari saw not as a struggle, but as an opportunity to cull the weak among them and grow even stronger."

"By the time the war ended, only a handful remained. But their journey did not stop there. They sought out what ancient tales describe as the Origin of Darkness. When they found it… fused with it and became something entirely new."

"Today, the Eclipsari are no longer mere insects. They are an elite warrior sect, accepting only the strongest among them. Every new Eclipsari must endure brutal, near-impossible trials simply to be allowed to survive. As far as the Voice told me, fewer than a thousand Eclipsari exist within the system.”

Jack finished his tale in a rush, still keeping his head bowed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Thalion exhaled slowly.

This was… valuable information.

After his own bonding with the darkness elemental, he had already suspected what the so-called Origin of Darkness might have been. If the first Eclipsari had bonded with an elemental as well, it would explain how their transformation had taken place.

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Could you, um… let go of our friend now?” Evelyn chimed in, her tone carefully measured. Unlike Jack, she had not bowed at all, which only seemed to make him panic further.

Thalion blinked, glancing down.

Oh. Right.

In his grip, the insectoid warrior—Josh, apparently—was still struggling against his hold.

“Ah, completely forgot about you,” Thalion muttered, releasing him.

Josh staggered back, clutching his neck. The spot where Thalion had held him had darkened, his skin tinged black from the mere contact.

Thalion observed him with mild curiosity. He really needed to find out how these two, of all people, had ended up with such powerful forms.

A rustling sound caught his attention. Nearby, the two griffins transformed, shifting into their human forms as Evelyn’s magic mended their wounds. Eddie and Chloe. So they had been the ones assisting in the fight.

Kargul, who had remained silent until now, let out a low chuckle.

“You sure he’s an Eclipsari?” the orc rumbled, eyeing Thalion up and down. “He looks half-dead. Never seen something that powerful while also looking like it got chewed up and spat out.”

Jack let out an audible gasp of horror.

“Are you insane?!” he hissed, his voice barely concealed panic. “Please, honored Eclipsari, don’t take offense! Our dear Kargul is but a simple-minded brute and knows nothing of your greatness!”

Thalion smirked but said nothing.

Josh, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes.

“Wait a second, Jack. Last time, you told me grasshoppers were at the top of the insect world. Why didn’t you ever mention the Eclipsari?”

Jack hesitated.

“Uh… you never asked?” he tried. “Besides, it’s not like you could ever become one. The fact that you even managed to evolve into an elite grasshopper is already impressive.”

Josh didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Fine. Then tell me this—how much stronger are the Eclipsari compared to grasshoppers?”

Thalion found himself intrigued by the question as well. He turned his gaze toward Jack, waiting for an answer.

Jack sighed.

“Well… grasshoppers are powerful,” he admitted. “They dominate most other insect races. But the Eclipsari?”

He exhaled slowly, his expression solemn.

“They stand far above them.”

“They are among the apex of all insects, with only a handful capable of matching their strength,” Jack explained after a moment of thought.

“Can we please stop talking to this incredibly dangerous creature that almost killed us?” Chloe pleaded, her voice shaking, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

It was clear this situation had pushed her far beyond her limits. Thalion sighed internally. It was probably time to end this little game.

“And where exactly do you plan to go?” he asked, his tone deceptively light. “I assume you’re also participating in the special quest?”

If they revealed Kael’s base to him now, he might be able to strike before they even had a chance to meet with Amalia or Jim. If he got that location… blood would flow.

Kargul let out a booming laugh.

“Haha! You’re damn right! We’re about to march into an epic war against the undead! Oh, and I still need to smash a certain red orc who managed to escape me. Can’t wait to finish what I started!”

The contrast was almost comical. While Kargul was already adapting to the situation with alarming ease, Chloe and Eddie still looked like they had cold sweat running down their backs.

Thalion tilted his head slightly, his voice taking on its usual dark edge.

“So… where’s your army? Or are you planning to take on the undead with just your little group here?”

“It’s just us,” Kargul admitted without a hint of worry. “You could come along, though. We’d make a great hunting party. Think about it! Slaughtering vampires side by side! Sounds fun, right? But just so we’re clear—the red orc is mine. I started smashing him first, after all.”

His enthusiasm was almost infectious. Almost.

Thalion considered his words for a moment before offering a slow, deliberate smile.

“Well, since you don’t have a base… why don’t you join mine?”

The moment the words left his lips, Chloe and Eddie visibly stiffened. Their expressions made it painfully obvious—his smile hadn’t come across as particularly friendly.

“Wait… you have a base?” Evelyn blurted out, eyes widening in shock.

Thalion chuckled, shifting back into his human form.

“My situation has changed quite a bit since the last time we saw each other,” he said casually.

The group in front of him remained frozen, their faces filled with disbelief. Their hesitation was almost amusing.

“The first one who moves gets a prize,” Thalion added, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watched their stunned reactions.

Evelyn took a cautious step forward.

“Wait, Thalion—how? You seriously have a base?”

“Yep,” he confirmed, fully enjoying the moment. “I have my own base, a lot of people under my command, and we’re currently preparing for war against the undead, assuming we can find them.”

Chloe, however, was having none of it.

“Wait, wait, wait!” she screeched, her patience finally snapping. “Do you have any idea how much those damn spikes hurt? And now you just casually mention that you have a base?!”

Thalion smirked.

“Well, it was good training, wasn’t it?” he mused. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, “Speaking of pain… what exactly did my black mist do to you? I noticed you moving slower inside it.”

He had a solid guess already, but it was always useful to get confirmation.

“‘Good training,’ he says,” Chloe muttered under her breath, clearly fuming.

Josh, however, cut in before she could continue venting.

“What didn’t it do?” he said grimly. “It was like a voice whispering in my head, pressing against my mind with every word. The mist also attacked me. I would’ve taken serious damage over time if Evelyn hadn’t kept healing me.”

Thalion’s gaze sharpened.

A voice?

He had expected the mist to exert mental pressure, to weigh down on their minds… but an actual voice speaking to them?

Could it be the elemental?

“What did the voice sound like?” he asked, now genuinely curious.

Josh shook his head.

“Hard to say. I couldn’t understand what it was saying, so I can’t really help you there.”

He seemed to have recovered well, unlike Jack, who remained unnervingly reserved. Thalion frowned slightly. Jack had been uncharacteristically respectful—a stark contrast to how Thalion remembered him. Had something changed?

Evelyn’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“Hey… what exactly happened between you and Kael?” she asked, leaning forward with interest. “We split from Kael because we didn’t trust him, but I’d like to hear your side of things.”

Kargul also seemed intrigued, stepping slightly closer.

Thalion exhaled slowly.

“To sum it up quickly? They wanted something I had and planned to secretly kill me for it,” he said, keeping the details vague.

Evelyn frowned.

“Really? I wouldn’t have expected them to act like that…” she murmured, disappointment flashing across her face. “Then again… I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising. The Blessed seem to understand quickly that in this world, power is the only thing that matters. And let’s be honest, stabbing someone in the back is a lot easier than fighting them head-on.”

She sighed, shaking her head.

Thalion’s expression remained neutral, but inwardly, he agreed.

That was the truth of this world.

And those who failed to accept it… wouldn’t survive for long.

Not that he considered himself one of the good guys—far from it. But murdering your own allies over an item? That was a line he would never cross. A leader had to be ruthless, especially when so many were out to take what was his. But betraying those who trusted you just for a power boost? That was something else entirely.

Josh, still eager for answers, pressed on.

“How many people are in your base? Is it bigger than Kael’s?”

Thalion didn’t hesitate.

“A lot bigger than his former base, for sure,” he answered truthfully. “But I have no idea how much it has grown since then.”

He doubted it had expanded too much. After all, not many humans had reached the higher stages yet.

“We wouldn’t know either,” Evelyn admitted. “We left pretty early after entering the fourth stage.”

That made sense. It seemed they had all stuck together after parting ways with Kael.

Kargul, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up, his voice filled with excitement.

“So when are we fighting the undead? I can’t wait to smash some! Up until now, I only got to fight a few vampires—and most of them escaped.”

His frustration was evident. Thalion could understand why. Killing strong enemies was no easy feat, and with escape tokens in play, it was even harder to land a finishing blow.

“I’m just waiting for my scouts to report back,” Thalion replied. “Speaking of which, I should check my messages.”

As he opened his interface, he immediately realized it was a good thing he had done so.

One of his scouts had discovered a black vampire fortress at the edge of a vast desert. The moment he got close, he was ambushed and killed before he could escape. But his final message had made it through.

Thalion’s scouts weren’t just searching for the undead. They were also mapping the surrounding territory. A quick glance at the updated map confirmed that the fortress wasn’t far.

More concerning, however, was the likelihood that the vampires were already mobilizing their forces, searching for his base. That meant the dense forest they were currently in might become the battlefield for their first major clash.

Would it be wise to travel directly to the fortress with this group? They were undeniably strong. But was it a good idea to bring them anywhere near his base with all the trouble Amalia and Jim were causing?

After a moment of thought, he made his decision.

“Alright,” Thalion announced. “I just got word—we’ve found the first vampire stronghold. It’s not far from here. I was planning to pay them a visit… unless they find us in the forest first.”

He didn’t need to ask Kargul twice.

“Oh yes!” the orc roared in excitement. “We’re gonna smash those vampires real good! Did you hear that, Vorlok? We’re back on the hunt for those tasty snacks!”

At the mention of food, the massive turtle perked up, and its aura flared with renewed vigor.

Thalion’s eyes narrowed slightly. That thing has gotten stronger.

Evelyn, Jack, and Josh were all immediately on board, eager to slay as many vampires as possible. Only Eddie and Chloe seemed less than enthusiastic about battling vampires in a dense jungle.

Not that their opinions mattered.

Without further delay, the group set off, making their way toward the looming fortress of the undead.

The hunt had begun.