Chapter 123: Sacrifices
Eiren’s pov
"Are you hesitating?" Kaevian asked, narrowing his eyes. "If you have a better alternative, tell me now. I have already sent Lioren to the tower’s upper dais."
Eiren shook his head.
"No. Let him. You always said sacrifices have to be made when necessary. I believe this is one of those times."
"Good. Then let us go meet our dear Lioren."
Kaevian raised his hand and tore open another portal.
They stepped through.
The portal opened onto the balcony at the top of the Tower of Prosperity.
The air was thin, and ancient magic hummed around them.
Lioren stood near the edge, his expensive robes whipping around him in the hot wind rising from the burning city.
"Eiren! Kaevian!" Lioren called, turning toward them with an excited smile. "Since Eiren is here with you, does that mean the prince has been dealt with?"
Eiren exchanged a look with Kaevian before slowly nodding.
"Great!" Lioren clapped his hands. "I cannot believe we only have one person left to get rid of."
He turned back toward the city.
"I never expected Elysium to push this far. They are attacking everyone. Innocent people are dying."
"It is not our problem," Kaevian said, stepping forward with his hands behind his back. "The kingdom can be rebuilt after the domain shifts. There is nothing to worry about."
"But thousands of people are dying!" Lioren protested. "What is a kingdom without its people?"
Eiren opened his mouth to reassure him, but Kaevian spoke first.
"Would that really be worse than losing our immortality?"
His dark eyes widened as he stepped toward Lioren.
"If this harem is disbanded and we can no longer cultivate with the Prince of Lust, our immortality ends. The moment our connection to his divine grace is severed, we become weak, ordinary humans again. We will age, grow old, and die."
Kaevian pointed toward the burning city.
"And who gets everything after that? That human. Seraphel will gain eternal life while we rot in the ground. So stop worrying about the people below and worry about ourselves!"
His voice echoed across the balcony.
"If the Tower of Prosperity activates now, everyone will be transported, including Seraphel. Everything we have worked for will be lost!"
Lioren stumbled back, clearly shaken.
Eiren quickly stepped between them.
"Kaevian is right this time, Lioren," he said calmly. "We have come too far to stop now. We need to trust him and focus on stopping the tower."
Lioren slowly looked at Eiren.
The fear on his face disappeared.
A bitter smile twisted his lips.
"Do you really think I do not know what you are planning?"
Eiren froze.
Lioren gave a quiet, almost hysterical laugh.
"I know about the Tower of Prosperity. I know it requires a high-tier cultivation sacrifice, a human soul, to slow down its power. I have known about this array since I was a child."
His smile widened.
"And after seeing how easily you dealt with Sylven during the curse incident, I knew exactly why I was summoned here."
Eiren’s eyes widened.
He stepped forward, ready to lie, but Lioren moved first.
He pulled a silver dagger from his robes and slashed at Eiren.
The blade cut across Eiren’s cheek.
Eiren gasped and stumbled back as blood ran down his face.
"Do not come any closer!" Lioren screamed. "I will not be anyone’s sacrifice!"
He slashed his own palm, letting his blood drip onto the air as he began chanting.
Glowing runes appeared around him.
"I will never let you sacrifice me! The prince is mine! I want immortality too, and I will not—"
His words were cut short.
A wet sound came from behind him.
A dark sword had pierced straight through Lioren’s stomach.
His eyes widened. A strangled gasp escaped his lips.
Eiren froze.
Kaevian stood behind Lioren, his face cold and emotionless.
With a dark smile, he twisted the sword before pulling it free.
Lioren collapsed onto the stone floor.
Eiren stared in horror.
Then he looked toward the other side of the balcony.
Kaevian had been standing there only moments ago.
That version of him smiled calmly before blurring and disappearing.
"How... how are you here?" Eiren stammered. "You were standing over there!"
Kaevian chuckled and flicked the blood from his blade.
"I used a shadow clone. Lioren was becoming too difficult to control, so killing him was easier."
Eiren’s heart pounded.
Now he understood just how dangerous Kaevian truly was.
He was ruthless.
And if Eiren ever became useless to him, Kaevian would not hesitate to kill him.
"What are you waiting for?" Kaevian demanded.
Dark purple tendrils erupted from his palm, wrapping around Lioren’s corpse and lifting it from the ground.
"We have a tower to stall before Seraphel can be taken away."
Eiren swallowed hard.
"You just killed Lioren without any remorse. What will his father do when he learns his son is dead?"
Kaevian scoffed and turned toward the stone stairs leading to the glowing core of the tower.
"I will get rid of the old man too."
He began walking.
"Sacrifices are necessary when building an empire. I will make every sacrifice required to reach my goal."
Eiren remained frozen at the bottom of the stairs.
Then he forced the question out.
"And will you do the same to me if it ever comes down to it?"
Kaevian stopped.
Slowly, he turned his head.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then a small, unreadable smile appeared on Kaevian’s face.
"I hope that never happens."
Eiren’s heart pounded.
That was exactly the answer he had expected.
It was a warning.
If he ever became useless, Kaevian would kill him without hesitation.
Fear tightened around Eiren’s chest, but beneath it, something colder began to grow.
He had to survive the siege.
He had to make sure Seraphel was destroyed.
But once the war ended and Azriel was finally his, Eiren knew what he had to do.
He had to get rid of Kaevian before Kaevian got rid of him.