Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 190: The Only Salvation?

A boy darted through the dark alleys of Lustra, his footsteps silent and his red eyes scanning every shadow.

Damn it.

After parting ways with Mark, Alden’s plan had been simple—use the Pendant of the Wanderer and escape the city. Quick. Clean.

But as always, nothing had gone according to what he had expected.

He channelled mana into the artifact again, thinking something different would happen this time.

But nope.

Just like before, it glowed dim blue, flickering with power like it wanted to respond.

Then it died.

A system window appeared in his view.

[ W#R@D ##@#$@ HAS REJECTED THE TELEPORTATION. ]

Alden’s jaw clenched.

Fuck.

There was no explanation. No code. Just corrupted text, as if reality itself was falling apart.

He had no time to decipher it.

He shifted Yuna’s unconscious body on his shoulder.

She was light. Too light. Her breath was shallow, each rise of her chest barely noticeable.

Maybe it is better that she hasn’t woken up yet.

He didn’t know how he would explain Mark’s sacrifice.

With the pendant’s failure, he rerouted.

The teleportation hub at the city’s centre was out—it had an ominous red pillar of energy spreading out of it.

Alden guessed it to be the ritual’s core. Every instinct warned him not to go near it.

So he ran toward the edge of the red dome—the boundary.

He had studied the mana fluctuations earlier. The dome wasn’t a typical barrier. It was a marker. A containment field. If he could cross it, he could escape.

He pushed his legs harder, making his way through cracked buildings and bloodied streets.

Many corpses were spread across the streets.

But something was... wrong.

The monsters had changed.

They no longer moved like mindless puppets. Now, they devoured one another—grinning as they tore flesh, as if they enjoyed it.

Alden had seen one creature eating its own kind, laughing through the act while its victim returned the smile.

The city had become something else.

Even the air felt heavier. Tainted.

The mana itself was no longer natural. Something foreign was mixing with it—twisting it.

And then—

His senses flared.

Too late.

He felt the movement, but his body didn’t react.

A blur sped through the sky.

Alden barely turned as something slammed into him; a sonic boom echoed through the streets.

BOOM!!

Yuna flew from his grasp.

His body flew through the air like a ragdoll, crashing through the side of a ruined building.

Stone shattered, and dust rose.

He had barely cushioned the impact with the help of his unnatural senses and precise command over mana.

A shadow dome covered him at the last moment just before impact.

Still, he wasn’t spared of damage. Although the shadows had absorbed most of the damage, some of it was still transferred to him.

Pain exploded across his ribs, but he forced himself upright, coughing blood.

His eyes widened.

Yuna was lying on the street.

And someone stood beside her.

A man.

A familiar man.

Black hair darker than the void. Violet eyes glowing with cold amusement.

He was wearing a sleek black blazer. His hands were covered with thin white gloves.

His face held amusement.

Alden’s heart froze as he felt the power radiating out of the man.

Expert Rank.

Not a normal expert but one who stood at the peak.

But something more had shocked him even more.

The man was someone he recognised.

The tailor. He had bought clothes from Yuna and Mark from his shop.

He had felt that he was a good person back then. But the ominous mana drifting out of him said an entirely different story.

The mana of a demon contractor.

No, it was too pure for a mere contractor.

Alden didn’t know who the man before him was, but he knew one thing– he wasn’t some nobody.

"Who are you?" A question left his mouth unconsciously.

The man didn’t respond immediately.

"Me?" He smirked. "I’m the tailor, remember."

Alden stared silently.

"You can call me Gravius." The man–Gravius replied. "But some people also know me as a Disciple of Greed."

Disciple of Greed?

Fuck.

Alden’s danger sense amplified even more.

Disciples were the direct students of the seven deadly sins.

The seven deadly sins were the current highest-ranking demons on the Eryndor. Just below the Demon King himself.

His gaze drifted towards the Yuna—she hadn’t moved.

Still breathing.

Barely.

His heart twisted—not because he knew her, but because she was the last wish of a dying man.

He had said yes. He had taken that burden. Chosen to carry it.

And now?

She still lay there unconscious on the ground beside the man.

Now she was about to die, just like the rest.

Shit.

He recalled the promise he had made just moments ago.

I’ll protect her.

Those words echoed within his mind. He remembered the smile of satisfaction and trust on Mark’s face.

He was sure I would save Yuna.

I have to save her.

His senses flared as he activated [Spirit Domain] and [Eyes of Supreme].

His sword of chaos appeared in his hand.

Alden’s mana surged. Shadows danced.

He wasn’t going to let her die.

But before he could even move an inch, reddish-black coloured chains erupted from the ground.

The chains wrapped around Alden’s body, coiling like a living serpent.

No...

I have to move.

His every movement was restricted.

The disciple grinned. "Now, now, what’s the rush?"

He crouched, lifting Yuna, holding her neck. He studied her like one might examine an insect.

Then he looked up at Alden and smiled.

"You dropped something," he said.

Alden thrashed. The chains bit deeper, but he didn’t care. Blood ran down his arms from the pressure.

His mind raced.

Think. Move. Do something.

He couldn’t.

"Let her go," he growled, voice trembling—not with fear, but something more primal.

Gravius tilted his head. "Oh? You care?" Then he chuckled. "How touching."

His mind was going blank.

His [Abyssal Soul] didn’t recognise the chains as a magic attack, so he couldn’t absorb it.

He poured mana into his core. He was activating intangibility effect of his [Monarch Of Mana]

Just one more second.

"Too slow," Gravius whispered.

Then—

A gaping hole opened in Yuna’s chest.

A heartbeat echoed.

In the Disciple’s hand, her heart pulsed once. Then stopped.

The world went still.

For a moment, Alden couldn’t hear the wind, the crackle of corrupted mana chains binding him, or the twisted laughter of monsters in the distance.

All he could hear was the soft thud of Yuna’s body hitting the ground.

She didn’t even scream.

She didn’t wake up.

She just... died.

Gravius looked down at her corpse, then flicked his gloved fingers with disinterest—like brushing away dust. "This was the only salvation I could offer to the poor soul."

Alden didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

His hands trembled. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Not from fear.

But from the fire clawing up his spine.

Yuna had died.

Because of him.

Because he had been too slow. Too cautious. Too human.

A scream built in his chest—not one of grief, but of something far older.

Rage.

A wrath so cold it burnt.

His shadows began to writhe, stretching unnaturally across the ground like they were alive.

His heartbeat thundered like war drums in his ears. The world sharpened—details too vivid, too raw.

Gravius tilted his head. "Ah. So now you’re angry?"

He smiled.

Alden didn’t answer.

His expressions turned cold. Everything around him faded.

[SKILL: VOIDHEART IS ACTIVATED AT FULL INTENSITY]

The shadows exploded behind him.

No words.

No hesitation.

Only blood.

Only death.

Only retribution.