Chapter 327: Trapped In Vrethka

Darion and Seren remained standing over Dross’s war table.

The room was quiet now that the initial discovery of Vrethka’s resources had settled. The sheer volume of the stockpiles—the grain, the iron, the weapons—was staggering, but the shock of it had faded, replaced by the cold, hard reality of governance.

Maps covered the heavy oak table, along with military records, supply lists, marked routes, and frantic notes left behind by a dead man.

But Darion’s attention wasn’t on the weapons, food, or soldiers anymore.

His eyes remained fixed on one particular marking. Somewhere in the eastern mountains was the location associated with the Kulidii. The symbol itself was simple, just a red mark on the map, but to Darion, it felt like a loaded crossbow pointed directly at his head.

He was so deep in thoughts.

He remembered exactly what the system had told him:

[Kulidii — A being who grants magic that neutralizes Necromancer abilities.]

Darion realized that this one being could completely change the balance of power. Right now, Vrethka had lost.

Their army was broken, their chief was dead, and their territory belonged to him. But that didn’t mean the threat was gone. If someone reached the Kulidii and obtained its magic, Darion’s undead army could become useless against them. The very foundation of his power would be ripped away.

The room became heavy with the implications. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.

Seren noticed Darion hadn’t moved for a while. She looked at the map, then at him. She understood what he was thinking. She quietly said, "We have to find a way to deal with it."

Darion didn’t look away from the parchment. "I know."

"We can’t simply pretend the Kulidii doesn’t exist," she pressed gently.

"I know," Darion agreed. He stared at the eastern mountains for another moment. Then, almost casually, he suggested, "We could go there."

Seren looked at him, her brow furrowing. "Where?"

Darion pointed at the marked location. "To the Kulidii, perhaps... right now."

Seren’s expression immediately changed, her eyes widening. "Right now?"

Darion nodded. "Just the two of us."

Seren didn’t even entertain it. "Go there and do what?!"

Darion tried to explain that they could investigate the Kulidii before anyone else reached it. If they moved fast, they could secure it, or at least figure out what it was. But Seren immediately pushed back, her voice sharp.

This became a serious conversation rather than a simple argument. She forced Darion to look at the problem from another perspective, from the perspective of someone who wasn’t a Necromancer blinded by their own fear.

"The continent has other Necromancers, Darion," Seren said, stepping closer to the table. "You aren’t the only one in Valvanos."

Darion paused. He hadn’t actually thought about that.

"There are likely other Necromancers scattered across the continent," Seren continued, her voice calm but firm. "Some may be good. Some may be neutral. And some are probably terrible people who use undead to terrorize villages, enslave people, or wage wars of conquest."

Darion listened, his mind slowly shifting gears.

Seren pointed at the red symbol on the map. "If the Kulidii exists specifically to neutralize Necromancers, there is probably a reason for it. The Kulidii might not even be evil. It might not care about you personally at all. To it, a Necromancer might simply be a dangerous magical existence that needs to be controlled. A monster."

Darion frowned. "I’m not a monster."

"Of course you are not. But to the people you killed today? You are," Seren said bluntly. "And the Kulidii doesn’t know you."

She pointed out the biggest flaw in Darion’s plan. He didn’t know anything about the Kulidii. He didn’t know its personality. He didn’t know whether it could communicate normally. He didn’t know whether it was hostile. He didn’t know what its magic actually did. He didn’t even know whether it could distinguish between a good Necromancer and a bad one.

"You could walk into its territory expecting a conversation," Seren said, "and instead immediately get hit with its magic. What if you walk up to it, and it simply decides you’re a threat?"

Darion went quiet.

"You won’t have time to explain yourself," she continued. "This isn’t an ordinary enemy. The Kulidii isn’t a warrior carrying a sword. It’s a magical being whose very existence counters your greatest advantage."

If it neutralized his Necromancy, Darion could suddenly find himself standing there with none of his undead abilities. His army wouldn’t matter. His numbers wouldn’t matter. Even his status as a Baron wouldn’t matter. He could potentially be reduced to an ordinary swordsman facing an entity specifically capable of defeating Necromancers.

Darion considered whether he could simply kill the Kulidii. Seren immediately pointed out that he didn’t even know whether that was possible. What if the Kulidii couldn’t be harmed by normal weapons? What if it could neutralize his undead but also possessed powerful offensive magic? What if attacking it caused it to react violently? What if the moment Darion’s Necromancy was neutralized, the entire journey became a death sentence?

"Darion, you cannot walk into an unknown magical entity’s territory and assume you can solve the problem by being stronger," Seren said.

Darion didn’t argue. He looked at the map again. Then at Seren. He realized she was completely right. He had been thinking like a conqueror who had just won a battle. Seren was forcing him to think like someone walking into an unknown threat.

Darion sighed. He gave a small smile. " You are right. We’ll think of something later."

Seren nodded. The immediate danger wasn’t solved, but at least Darion wasn’t going to rush into something stupid.

Darion stepped away from the map. He walked toward one of the keep’s windows, looking out over the ruined streets of Vrethka.

Smoke rose from damaged buildings. Warriors carried bodies. Others tended to wounded soldiers. The streets were filled with people who now answered to him.

Darion watched silently.

He began thinking about what would happen if he simply left Vrethka right now. Not permanently, he needed to return to Percvale anyway. He had been gone long enough, and Garren was still there holding everything together. Darion needed to tell him what had happened. More importantly, Darion needed Garren here to help him organize a newly conquered territory.

At first, the solution seemed simple. Leave Vrethka. Return to Percvale. Tell Garren everything. Then bring him back. Deal with the Kulidii later.

Simple.

The longer Darion thought about it, however, the worse the idea became.

If he left now, Vrethka had only just surrendered. The warriors kneeling outside had accepted his authority, but that didn’t mean their loyalty was secure. The officers were still trying to understand what the new order even looked like. The civilians were still terrified. The territory had no established ruler. Darion hadn’t placed anyone he trusted in positions of authority. He hadn’t secured the gates. He hadn’t organized the surviving warriors.

He had barely scratched the surface of what Vrethka possessed. And now he was considering walking away?

’That sounds like a terrible idea.’

If Darion left immediately, everything he had accomplished today could begin falling apart. The surviving warriors might decide that Darion was gone and use the opportunity to escape. Some could flee into the mountains. Others could return to old allies. Some might simply disappear into nearby settlements and spread word that Vrethka had fallen.

And there was another problem. Dross’s war room. Those maps. That marking. The Kulidii.

Someone could find them. Someone could realize exactly what the symbol meant. And if even one surviving warrior decided that the best way to protect Vrethka from its new Necromancer lord was to seek out the Kulidii... Darion would have created his own worst nightmare.

He had conquered Vrethka to prevent it from attacking Percvale. He couldn’t leave it in a condition where the survivors could simply reorganize and find a way to counter him.

Then another thought entered his mind. Darion imagined himself leaving Vrethka and heading toward Percvale. Maybe he would make it back safely. Maybe he wouldn’t. He had enemies. A lot of them. And now they knew exactly who he was. They knew where he lived. They knew Percvale was his territory. They knew he had to travel between his territories.

Someone could simply wait. Wait until Darion was on the road. Wait until his guard was down. Wait until he was far enough from Vrethka that reinforcements couldn’t reach him. And then attack. Worse... what if the enemy somehow obtained the Kulidii’s magic first?

Darion imagined himself standing somewhere in the wilderness. No undead. No army. No overwhelming numbers. Just him. Then someone attacks.

He almost laughed. ’I conquered Vrethka... only to walk out of the gate and get ambushed because I couldn’t even secure my own territory.’ He shook his head. ’I could probably just cough and die at that point.’

The thought was ridiculous. But underneath the humor was a very real concern. Darion had spent too much time fighting to establish his position. He wasn’t going to throw it away because he was impatient.

Darion looked back at the map. He was trapped between two problems. If he stayed in Vrethka, the Kulidii remained a potential threat. Someone could reach it before him. Someone could obtain its power. And if that happened, Darion might eventually find himself facing an enemy capable of neutralizing his greatest advantage.

And also, he couldn’t leave to get Garren. Not now when he just conquered a settlement.