Saved By The Mad Duke

Once King Yuraon had properly thanked Yanad for helping Princess Melania reach the North, Aideen asked Safie to assist the young man in cleaning himself up. Then, she left the room with the others to allow him some rest alongside his beloved.

Aideen, Ahspid, and Yanad moved to the duke’s study, where more urgent matters still had to be discussed.

"Magic combined with alchemy..." Ahspid crossed his arms over his chest once he heard Yanad’s explanation, his silver eyes fixed absently on the opposite wall. "Any specifics, Your Highness?" He looked back at Yanad, who was shifting awkwardly on the opposite couch.

"Unfortunately, all I have managed to gather are bits and pieces. However, there was one peculiar term that was repeated several times in the encrypted letters Valon exchanged with Anathaen’s mages: Lunar Eclipse Ritual."

"Lunar Eclipse Ritual?" The mage widened his eyes, he was clearly shocked by the mention of this term. "Are you absolutely sure about that?"

Yanad took a few moments to carefully consider his findings, then confirmed again with an affirmative nod. Aideen turned to the mage and asked, "Why? What does it mean?"

"The Lunar Eclipse Ritual is a powerful combination spell that grants its target incredible strength, both physical and magical. The way it works is that a powerful alchemist creates his own ’copy’ of the Philosopher’s Stone by sacrificing many lives and... bodies with different life forces over the years."

Aideen narrowed her eyes in disgust.

’So this is what his experiments were all about... All the dead animals, all the poor children he used, their flesh, too... What a notorious monster!’ she thought, her revulsion evident on her face.

Noticing the princess’s distressed expression, Ahspid sighed and continued, "That artificial stone serves as a vessel, designed to absorb magic powers from twelve different powerful mages, creating a completely new set of skills and abilities. The vessel then rests under the moonlight, waiting for the moment of the eclipse to finally unleash it all."

Aideen’s heart sank further as she understood the full horror of the ritual. "So, all those sacrifices were just to create this vessel?"

"Yes," Ahspid confirmed, his voice heavy with regret. "And during the eclipse, the accumulated power will be released, transforming the chosen target into an entity of unimaginable power. It’s a dark and twisted practice, one that disregards the value of life for the sake of ultimate strength."