Chapter 76: Obsidian Covenant
"You see, they are called the Obsidian Covenant..."
The Obsidian Covenant was a secretive society operating in the shadows of Dirarnia. They were infamous among the noble class, but for the general public, their name was nonexistent. Each time they acted, they left no witnesses—only cold corpses in their wake. This made tracking them nearly impossible.
Among the nobility, the Covenant was an open secret. Officially, it didn't exist. No records acknowledged its operations, no banners bore its name, and no public figure dared to speak of it openly. But within the upper echelons of society, its shadow was ever-present.
Rumors circulated in hushed tones, describing the Covenant as a clandestine network that pulled the strings behind Dirarnia's political and economic power struggles. Its true strength was a mystery, but fragments of information painted a picture of a terrifying entity.
The Obsidian Covenant was said to possess resources rivaling the strongest duchies—some even claimed it could challenge the Mystoria Kingdom itself. They were rumored to command an army of loyal followers, as well as elite warriors and mages capable of contending with the kingdom's finest. Entire noble families had crumbled under their unseen hand, their lands seized and influence eradicated without leaving a trace of evidence.
What made the Covenant truly horrifying was its control over information. While nobles whispered their fears in private, the general populace remained blissfully unaware. Attempts to expose the organization were met with disappearances, deaths, or retractions, leaving only fragmented accounts dismissed as conspiracy theories.
Still, the nobility knew some things for certain. The Covenant's power was vast—an SSS ranked leader was suspected, though the specifics remained unconfirmed. More disturbing were their motives: the Obsidian Covenant wasn't just a criminal syndicate. They were fanatics.
The Covenant worshiped demonic entities from another dimension known as Nexoria. Whether these entities were real or symbolic, and what the Covenant sought to achieve through their devotion, was unknown. Their operations were shrouded in mystery, leaving even their most basic goals unclear.
For Amelia, the Obsidian Covenant wasn't merely a shadowy threat that nobles whispered about—it was personal.
"My mother," Amelia began, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions behind her words, "was an SS ranked mage. She rose from humble beginnings to become one of the kingdom's most powerful, marrying my father, Cadmus Mournsky, despite the disapproval of his family. They were happy together, and a few years later, I was born.
"When I was four, my mother was working as a royal investigator. She came across crime scenes—entire villages sacrificed in horrific rituals. She couldn't look away, especially when she saw children my age among the victims. The more she dug, the clearer it became that these atrocities were linked to the Obsidian Covenant."