Chains of Vengeance

Chapter 11: Momentary Peace

Narinder advanced through Darkwood, feeling the dense atmosphere of the forest around him. Shadows moved as if they had a life of their own, and the silence was interrupted only by the crunching of branches under his feet. He knew that his path would lead him to a confrontation with the heretics of the ancient faith, those who worshiped chaos, and he was ready to make them pay for their insolence.

In his first encounter, a group of heretics rushed at him, armed with torches and knives, shouting blasphemies in honor of their dark deity. Without hesitation, Narinder drew his scythe, the relic that represented his power and dominion. With a fluid movement, his figure rose in an instant, the scythe's glow flashing among the shadows of the forest.

The first two attackers approached from his left flank. Narinder turned in their direction, his scythe slicing through the air with a hissing sound. The sharp blade found its target, severing the first one's head from his body and cutting diagonally through the second, whose expression of surprise froze on his face as he fell to the ground.

The other heretics recoiled, but there was no time for fear. With a quick spin, Narinder made another move, invoking the energy of his relic. A flash of light surrounded his scythe, and a green tentacle emerged from the open portal, striking at the enemies with brutal force. Two more heretics were dragged into the abyss, screaming as they disappeared.

As he delved deeper into the forest, he came across another chamber, this time wider and darker. In the center, a circle of heretics was gathered around an improvised altar, where a yellow cat was tied with ropes. Its gaze reflected fear, and the heretics, with their grotesque faces, laughed at their capture. Anger bubbled within Narinder. Without thinking, he lunged at them.

His scythe shone with a new fervor, cutting through the air with deadly precision. This time, the heretics, who were too focused on their sacrifice, did not realize his presence until it was too late. With a single motion, he cut the ropes that held the cat captive, freeing it. The surprise on the heretics' faces turned to terror, but there was no time for them to attempt to attack.

Narinder skillfully wielded his power, creating a burst of dark energy that pushed the heretics back. One of them tried to counterattack, raising an axe toward him. However, with an elegant twist of his body, Narinder deflected the blow and responded with his scythe, which sliced through the heretic's torso as if it were paper. As the body fell, the other enemies began to realize they were facing a true god of death.

As the battle intensified, the energy of the relic grew even more. Each fallen enemy fueled his power, and Narinder, now in a state of controlled fury, did not hesitate to use the scythe to take down those who dared to challenge him. The ground was covered with dismembered bodies and blood, a clear testament to his dominion.

Once the last heretic fell, the chamber was left in an unsettling silence. Narinder breathed heavily, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The yellow cat, who had witnessed the chaos, looked at him with eyes filled with gratitude and a touch of fear. It was then that the cat's voice pulled him from his thoughts, reminding him of the strange vision he had after seeing the tarot cards.

"Oh yes, of course... The Lamb did that too..." Narinder murmured, as if trying to convince himself that what he had done was right. With a wave of his hands, he opened a portal that led the cat to his cult. "More cultists will help me," he thought, feeling a momentary satisfaction at adding another follower to his growing power.

With a calmer mind, he closed his eyes and teleported back to the cult, pleased with the number of camellia flowers he had collected along the way. As he dematerialized, one last battle echoed in his mind, a confirmation that his journey was just beginning. Upon landing in his temple, Narinder felt renewed. The thrill of having defeated the heretics, the echo of their screams, and the taste of victory filled the air. He knew there was still much more to be done, and his heart raced with eagerness to seek new opportunities to increase his power and influence. The night was just beginning, and the shadows of Darkwood were already stirring with the promise of new challenges.