Chapter 12 Crimson King Revelations

Leon POV

Everything I believed was a lie. The words sounded endlessly inside my skull while I stared at the burned photograph in Varies’ hand. My father stood beside the shadowed figure in crimson black like an obedient servant beside a king.

No, Not my father, not the man who taught me how to fight.

Not the man who carried me on his shoulders when I was a child.

Not the man who died trying to protect us.

“You’re lying,” I whispered again, but this time my voice sounded broken even to me.

Varies smiled faintly. “Denial is a beautiful thing, Leon.”

The Heir leaned lazily against the concrete wall, watching me like I was entertainment. “Your father helped build the Council before he tried turning against it. That’s why he died.”

Korr laughed harshly nearby. “Your family wasn’t innocent. They were traitors.”

Rage burned weakly through my battered body. I pulled hard against the chains around my wrists.

Metal cut deeper into my skin. “I’ll kill all of you.” Varies crouched in front of me calmly.

“You still don’t understand the scale of what you’re involved in.”

Then, the lights inside the dungeon suddenly flickered.

Once... Twice.... Thrice.

Then every bulb exploded at the same time. Darkness swallowed the room instantly.

Cold air swept through the dungeon. Even the Heir straightened immediately.

Korr’s arrogant smile vanished. Varies slowly stood.

He looked nervous. Heavy footsteps sounded somewhere beyond the darkness.

It was slow, deliberate, powerful. Each step felt wrong somehow.

Like the air itself was trembling. The siren sound inside my head screamed louder than ever.

My breathing stopped,

No…No no—

A deep voice sounded through the darkness.

“Leave us.” Every person in the room immediately obeyed.

Even Varies lowered his head slightly. “Yes, my King.”

The dungeon door opened again. Then I finally saw him.

The Crimson King.

He wore a long crimson-black coat that dragged across the floor like living shadows. Dark gloves covered his hands completely.

And over his face, an Ancient mask, looking cracked and terrifying.

Only his glowing red eyes were visible under it. The moment he stepped into the room, my Crimson power reacted violently.

Energy sparked weakly under my skin despite my injuries.

The Crimson King stopped directly in front of me.

Silently watching me and studying me Then slowly… He reached up and removed the mask.

My heart stopped. His face— God. His skin looked unnatural.

Shrunken and Decayed.

Veins dark as ink spread across his neck and jaw like corruption beneath dead flesh.

One side of his face looked almost skeletal, yet his eyes remained horrifyingly alive.

I understood immediately why he hid behind the mask.

The dark energy inside him was destroying his body.

And yet… He smiled.

“You have your mother’s eyes,” he murmured softly. Cold terror slid through my chest.

“You…” My voice cracked. “You killed them.” The Crimson King tilted his head slightly.

“No, Leon. Your parents killed themselves the moment they betrayed me.”

Rage exploded through me again. I pulled violently against the chains.

“You monster!” The Heir instantly punched me across the face hard enough to split my lip further.

“Watch your mouth!” he snarled. Blood filled my mouth.

But I kept glaring at the Crimson King. He remained calm.

Almost amused.

“You hate me,” he murmured thoughtfully. “Good. Hatred strengthens Crimson blood.”

I spat blood onto the floor. “I’ll never serve you.”

The Crimson King laughed softly. A terrible sound. “You already do.”

My breathing shook. “What?” He slowly walked around me while speaking.

“Your bloodline has belonged to me for generations, Leon.”

The dungeon suddenly felt colder. “Your ancestors were chosen long ago.”

“No…” “Yes.” His voice became softer.

“Your parents served me with everything they had.” Every word felt like poison.

“They obeyed every order. They built the Council beside me. They protected my empire.”

He leaned close enough for me to smell the strange scent of decay beneath his expensive cologne.

“They even ate from the crumbs of my table.” My stomach twisted violently.

“No…” The Crimson King smiled faintly.

“They worshipped power. Just like everyone else eventually does.”

“That’s a lie.” “Is it?” He reached into his coat slowly and pulled out another photograph.

This one nearly destroyed me.

My mother. Standing beside my father in a dark ceremonial room.

Both kneeling before the Crimson King. My breathing completely broke. “No…”

“They were loyal once,” the Crimson King said quietly. “Very loyal.”

Korr smirked from the corner. “Until your father grew a conscience.”

The King’s expression darkened slightly. “He forgot his place.”

The room fell silent. Then the Crimson King continued softly.

“I made a deal with your bloodline centuries ago.” My head lifted weakly.

“What deal?” His red eyes gleamed unnaturally.

“The Hawke bloodline carries rare Crimson energy. Pure energy.” He smiled faintly under the ruined skin. “Energy capable of slowing decay.”

Cold realization crawled through me. No… The Crimson King touched his own damaged face slowly.

“These powers keep me young. Strong. Alive.” Horror filled my chest.

“You’ve been using us.” “For generations.” His voice held no shame.

“Every Hawke born with Crimson blood eventually served me. Their power fed mine.”

I felt sick. “My parents tried escaping with you and your brother,” he continued quietly. “That was their betrayal.”

My throat tightened painfully. “So you murdered them.”

“No,” the Crimson King said coldly. “I punished them.”

The dungeon became silent except for my uneven breathing.

Then anger slowly replaced the horror. I looked directly into his glowing eyes.

“You think this ends with me?” I whispered weakly. The Crimson King studied me carefully.

I smiled despite the blood pouring from my mouth.

“You can torture me.” I coughed painfully. “You can kill me.”

The Crimson power flickered weakly under my skin again.

“But you can never stop my bloodline.” The Heir’s expression darkened instantly.

I kept speaking. “If I die… Crimson still survives somewhere else.”

The King’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“And one day,” I whispered hoarsely, “someone stronger than me will destroy you.”

The Heir punched me directly in the stomach. Pain exploded through my body.

“You dare speak to him like that?!” he roared. Korr joined immediately.

A brutal kick smashed into my ribs. Something cracked loudly.

I screamed, again, again and again.

They beat me mercilessly with their fists, boots and metal rods.

Every strike shattered another piece of me. Blood poured across the concrete floor beneath the chair.

My vision blurred violently.But still—I laughed weakly through broken teeth.

The Heir grabbed my throat furiously. “What’s so funny?!”

Blood dripped from my mouth as I smiled at him. “You’re afraid.”

His eyes widened. Korr slammed a fist into my face again.

“Shut him up!” The Crimson King watched everything silently and emotionless.

Like he was observing insects tear each other apart. The Heir punched me repeatedly until my head snapped sideways.

Pain became everything, my face instantly burned, while my ribs screamed and instantly my breathing turned wet. I could taste blood filling my lungs.

But still… I refused to beg. The Crimson King finally raised one hand.

“Enough.” The Heir stepped back breathing heavily. Korr wiped blood from his knuckles.

I hung weakly against the chains now. Barely conscious. The King approached slowly.

“You inherited your mother’s stubbornness too.” I forced one eye open.

“Go… to hell.”

For the first time, The Crimson King looked irritated. He grabbed my chin violently.

“You still don’t understand what you are.” Dark energy suddenly exploded from his hand.

Pain unlike anything before tore through my body instantly.

I screamed.

The dungeon shook violently. Red energy burst from my chest uncontrollably.

My Crimson power. The King was pulling it out of me.

“No—!” Agony ripped through every nerve in my body.

It felt like my soul was being torn apart slowly.

Dark crimson energy flowed from my skin into the King’s hand like burning smoke.

The decayed flesh on his face immediately began healing.

Wrinkles tightened. Veins faded. His ruined skin slowly became younger, healthier and stronger.

The Heir stared in awe. Korr grinned viciously.

“Yes…” the Crimson King whispered while absorbing my power. “Pure Crimson blood…”

I screamed again. Tears mixed with blood down my face.

The pain was unbearable.

Every memory flashed through my mind violently.

My mother smiling, my brother laughing. Seraphine kissing me.

Then Seraphine bleeding out on the mansion floor. My chest shattered again.

The Crimson power weakened further. The King’s appearance changed more rapidly now.

His posture straightened. His skin looked younger with every second.

The monster under the mask was rebuilding himself using me.

Using my bloodline. Just like he always had. “Stop…” I choked weakly.

The King smiled. “Why would I?” The dark energy intensified.

I screamed until my throat felt destroyed. The chains around my wrists cracked under the violent surge of power leaving my body.

But I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight. I was dying.

The siren sound inside my head screamed louder than ever now.

The Heir laughed beside me.

“Look at him,” he mocked. “The great Crimson General reduced to nothing.”

Korr kicked my bleeding body again. “You should’ve stayed dead two years ago.”

I could barely hear them anymore. My vision darkened slowly.

The Crimson King finally released me. I collapsed forward against the chains weakly.

He slowly placed the mask back over his restored face.

But before hiding it completely—I saw something terrifying.

He looked younger now. Much younger. And far more powerful.

The Crimson King looked down at me calmly. “You survived longer than expected.”

Blood dripped steadily from my mouth onto the floor. I couldn’t even lift my head anymore.

The Heir crouched beside me and grabbed my hair again.

“Where’s your strength now, Leon?” I tried speaking but nothing came out.

Korr laughed loudly. “He can’t even move.” The Crimson King turned away toward the dungeon

door.

“Prepare the ritual chamber,” he ordered calmly.

“Yes, my King,” Varies answered immediately from outside.

The King paused briefly before leaving.

“Oh,” he added quietly without turning back. “If he survives until morning, bring him to me again.” Then he disappeared into the darkness.