Silence returned to the dungeon after the heavy iron door slammed shut behind Lord Veynar.
The echoes lingered in the stone chamber for a few moments before fading into the damp stillness.
Belphegor hung from the enchanted restraints, wrists stretched above him, ankles chained to the cold floor. The crimson chain wrapped around his torso pulsed faintly with dull red light, drinking steadily from his strength.
Every breath he took felt heavier than the last.
The chain did not simply restrain.
It fed.
Slowly.
Endlessly.
Belphegor's head hung forward, strands of dark hair covering his eyes. Bruises and cuts marked his body, the result of Veynar's earlier entertainment. Blood had dried across his skin, though much of it had already stopped flowing.
His chest rose slowly.
Then fell.
For several seconds, nothing moved.
Then Belphegor laughed.
A low, hoarse sound.
"Pathetic…"
His voice scraped against his throat.
His crimson eyes slowly opened beneath the curtain of hair.
"…I passed out."
The thought alone made his jaw tighten.
Once.
Just once in his existence.
Belphegor had lost consciousness like a common man.
The humiliation of it gnawed deeper than the wounds.
His gaze dropped to the glowing red chain wrapped around his torso.
Thin.
Fragile-looking.
A puny restraint.
Yet it drained him with relentless precision, pulling every fragment of energy the moment it formed inside him.
Even now, as his body struggled to recover, the chain consumed everything.
Belphegor flexed his fingers slowly.
Nothing.
No shadow answered his will.
No power stirred.
Just the faint sensation of energy forming inside him—
—and immediately being devoured by the chain.
His lips curled slightly.
"If I had even thirty percent…"
His voice was quiet now.
"…this entire manor would already be rubble."
For a moment the dungeon remained silent again.
Then a familiar voice spoke within the quiet space of his mind.
Calm.
Neutral.
Unbothered.
System Notification Detected.
Belphegor's eyes shifted slightly upward.
"You're still here."
A pause followed.
Then the response came.
Of course.
Belphegor exhaled slowly.
"I expected more assistance from a heavenly construct."
Correction: Assistance remains available.
A faint translucent interface flickered into existence at the edge of his vision.
Unreadable to anyone else.
Optional Objective Paths Available
• Destroy the Infernal Core within Greywatch Manor
• Liberate the imprisoned victims held within this facility
Potential Reward:
Partial Restoration of Sealed Abilities
Belphegor stared at the interface for several seconds.
Then he scoffed quietly.
"Interesting."
His head tilted slightly.
"So the solution to weakness is charity."
The system did not react.
Belphegor closed his eyes briefly.
"Noted."
The interface faded.
Silence returned.
Minutes passed.
The crimson chain continued its slow pulsing rhythm, drinking steadily from him.
Energy formed within his body again.
The chain devoured it.
Again.
And again.
Yet something subtle began to change.
Belphegor's breathing grew steadier.
The faint spark of energy inside him began forming slightly faster each time.
A slow cycle.
Recovery.
Drain.
Recovery.
Drain.
At first the chain kept pace easily.
But Belphegor was no ordinary prisoner.
Even reduced.
Even sealed.
Even chained.
His existence itself produced power.
And eventually—
the balance shifted.
The next pulse of energy formed stronger than before.
The chain drank it.
But a thin thread slipped past the drain.
Belphegor's crimson eyes opened slightly.
"…Oh?"
Another cycle.
More energy.
The chain consumed it again—
—but this time it hesitated.
A faint tremor ran through the crimson links.
Belphegor slowly lifted his head.
His gaze settled on the glowing chain around his chest.
"You're reaching your limit."
Another pulse of energy surged from within him.
The chain devoured it greedily—
—but the glow flickered.
A faint crack formed along one of the runic engravings.
Belphegor's smile widened slowly.
"There it is."
Another surge.
The chain strained.
The runes pulsed wildly as the enchantment tried to keep pace.
Drain.
Drain.
Drain.
But Belphegor's regeneration was now faster.
The system remained silent.
Watching.
Another surge.
CRACK
A thin fracture spread across one of the red links.
Belphegor flexed his shoulders slightly.
The restraints above him rattled.
The chain pulsed violently, trying to compensate.
But the damage was already done.
Another surge of energy rose from his core—
And this time the chain could not swallow it fast enough.
CRACK
The fracture widened.
Belphegor's smile turned sharp.
"Now we're talking."
He drew in a deeper breath.
Energy surged again—
The chain flared bright crimson—
Then—
SHATTERED.
The red links burst apart with a sharp metallic snap, fragments scattering across the stone floor.
For the first time since his capture—
Power flowed freely through Belphegor's body.
Not much.
Just a small fraction.
But it was his.
The remaining shackles around his wrists and ankles suddenly felt insignificant.
Belphegor exhaled slowly.
Then the dungeon door burst open.
Stone dust scattered as it slammed against the wall.
Kael stepped inside first.
Behind him came Lyra, Jarek, and Corin.
For a moment the room went still.
Kael's eyes quickly scanned the chamber.
The broken chains.
The shattered restraints.
And Belphegor standing calmly in the center of the room.
Half naked.
Bloodied.
But smiling.
Belphegor tilted his head slightly.
"You took your time."
Jarek blinked.
"…You already broke out."
Belphegor stretched his shoulders slowly, testing the movement of his arms.
"Barely."
The faint glow of shadow energy flickered briefly around his fingers.
Kael studied him carefully.
"You were captured."
Belphegor's smile sharpened.
"Momentarily inconvenienced."
Lyra frowned at the wounds across his body.
"They tortured you."
Belphegor glanced down briefly.
Then shrugged.
"They tried."
His gaze slowly drifted toward the stone walls of the dungeon.
Rage stirred quietly beneath his calm expression.
Cold.
Controlled.
But growing.
Belphegor stepped toward the door.
"I believe it's time this manor stopped existing."
Dark energy flickered faintly around his hand.
Jarek grinned slightly.
"That's my kind of plan."
"Stop."
Kael's voice cut through the room sharply.
Belphegor paused.
His crimson eyes turned toward him.
"If you destroy this place now," Kael said calmly, "we lose everything."
Belphegor's expression hardened slightly.
Kael continued.
"No witnesses."
"No proof."
"The Crown buries the story."
Belphegor stared at him for several seconds.
The anger in his eyes flickered once more—
Then slowly faded.
"…You're very irritating."
Kael allowed himself a faint smile.
"I'm also correct."
Belphegor exhaled quietly.
His gaze drifted toward the deeper sections of the dungeon.
He could sense them now.
Other presences.
Weak.
Broken.
Prisoners.
The system's earlier notification flickered faintly in his mind.
Belphegor rolled his shoulders once.
"Fine."
He turned toward the prison cells lining the far wall.
"I'll remove your evidence."
Lyra blinked.
"You mean rescue them?"
Belphegor didn't answer.
Shadow spread quietly across the dungeon floor.
The cell doors clicked open one by one.
Chains fell away.
Weak prisoners stared in disbelief.
Belphegor didn't look at them.
Didn't speak to them.
Didn't acknowledge their gratitude as they staggered free.
He simply opened a wide corridor of shadow leading upward toward the outer forest.
"Follow it," he said flatly.
"Or don't."
They fled.
Desperate.
Grateful.
Terrified.
Kael quietly gathered names.
Statements.
Details.
Evidence.
Belphegor stepped into the shadow corridor beside them.
A few moments later, the prisoners emerged at the edge of the forest beyond the manor walls.
Safe.
Some turned to speak.
To thank him.
But Belphegor was already gone.
The shadows swallowed him again.
When he reappeared inside the manor halls, his crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
His lips curved into a thin smile.
The party had already started.
And Belphegor had no intention of missing it.