Catgirls And Dungeons
Chapter 227: Aphaeleon

Chapter 227: Aphaeleon

There were three major evil organizations recognized by both Terra and Faunae as the greatest threats to peace across the two worlds.

The first: The Crimson Order.

An extremist human faction born in Terra, their ideology was rooted in ruthless supremacism. They believed humans were the apex race, destined to rule, conquer, and dominate all others. Their ultimate goal was simple: to trample Furren society into the dirt, to erase its culture, to enslave its people. They saw the Furrens not as equals... but as tools, as an inferior race that deserved nothing.

And standing in opposition was their mirrored counterpart: The Silver Crescent Moon Order.

If the Crimson Order was fueled by hatred of Furrens, the Silver Crescent Moon was vengeance incarnate. They preached the destruction of humanity, their righteous fury twisted into calls for violence. Humans, they said, could never be trusted. Peace was an illusion. Every human was a liar and evil at heart. Their doctrine called for fire, for blood, for the end of mankind... to purify the world of its greatest sins.

And then... there was the third.

Aphaeleon.

Many would argue that they were the most dangerous of them all.

They were not born of war or politics, not driven by vengeance or race, but by faith.

It all began less than a century ago.

One day, a single explorer suddenly returned from a dungeon, claiming he had received a vision, a blessing from a divine entity. He spoke of a god, of truth, of awakening.

And from those words, somehow... a religion was born.

Aphaeleonism, they called it.

Its followers believed the world was already doomed, that chaos would consume everything, that only through the arrival of the "Divine Ones" could salvation be found. They believed that very soon, these gods would descend, bringing destruction to the world, but also rebirth.

A new world would rise from the ashes.

And only those marked with the Sign of Aphaeleon—a black cross crowned with six wings—would be spared. With that mark, they would become the Chosen, and would later be reborn in the image of their gods.

At first, it seemed nothing more than a cult.

But then... it changed.

Radicalized.

Twisted.

Under Aphaeleon’s name, atrocities began to surface.

Human sacrifices.

Mass murder.

Terrorism.

Forbidden magic.

They would kill without hesitation, defy every law, burn entire villages, poison cities, slaughter innocents—all in pursuit of power, power to "prepare" and "cleanse" the world for their gods’ arrival.

They claimed it was purification, a holy purge.

All in the name of Aphaeleon.

...

And so, the signs were always there.

But Ereskia hadn’t seen it, not until now.

Those migraines Lucian always had... they weren’t migraines at all!

It was said that every true follower of Aphaeleon eventually began to hear the whispers, the sacred voice of the gods, deep inside their minds, commanding them, urging them, driving them toward madness and murder.

They obeyed without question.

And Lucian...

Lucian had been obeying all along.

---------------------------------

Now that Lucian had revealed his true face, the puzzle pieces fell into place far too easily. Ereskia could see it, all of it. She could now understand why the man her father trusted most, the man he called brother, would one day turn on him so viciously.

After all, only someone twisted by Aphaeleon’s fanaticism could commit such a monstrous act of betrayal.

Yes, it made sense now.

Back then, her father—Reciaus—must have discovered Lucian’s secret. And being the man he was, he wouldn’t have stood idle.

Reciaus was a man of principle. He was not only a Guildmaster, but also a knight, a hero, a prominent figure in the kingdom. And above all else... he despised Aphaeleon to his very core.

So of course, he confronted Lucian.

And Lucian...

Lucian silenced him.

To keep his secret safe, to protect his plan.

And of course, what would be a better opportunity than the appearance of that S-rank dungeon?

And thus, while the world thought he was away handling the issues regarding the Crimson Order, Lucian had in fact descended into the dungeon—

To murder Reciaus.

It had all been a lie.

And the proof was right here: the marks scorched into the dungeon chamber walls and pillars, the black lightning... they were Lucian’s mark.

He had been here.

He and Reciaus had fought a battle to the death.

And now, the fact that Lucian was here now, in front of Ereskia, while her father had been missing for years since then only meant one thing...

Ereskia’s dad must had been...

"Tell me... Lucian... what did you do to our father? WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Ereskia asked, her whole body trembling with rage towards this bastard of a man.

Lucian’s grin stretched wide, too wide. It split across his face like a sickness, fangs gleaming beneath the madness.

"Hey, isn’t it obvious?" he purred, his voice low and venomous. "I killed him..."

He leaned closer, his eyes glowing with unholy delight.

"With my own hand."

Then, he laughed.

"Haha... HAHAHAHA! I KILLED HIM! I KILLED RECIAUS!"

The scream of triumph echoed off the stone walls, a cruel, taunting sound that rang like the shriek of a demon!

Ereskia’s heart stopped.

"No... no, it can’t be..." she gasped, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her knees buckled, her heart clenched, tighter than ever before. The parasite writhed, feeding off her anguish.

And just like that, her entire world began to collapse.

Her strength, her fighting spirit was now drained like blood from an open wound, leaving behind only a hollow shell.

Suddenly—

"Don’t... believe... him..."

A voice, ragged and faint, cut through the haze.

Ereskia looked up.

It was Larpard.

Across the room, the brother was now broken, bloodied, barely able to lift his head, but still defiant, still fighting.

His voice was a rasp, but his eyes—

They burned.

"Father... is alive," he growled. "There’s no way... he’d die... to some Aphaeleon scum!"

His words cut through the fog, piercing straight into Ereskia’s heart like a flare in the darkness.

"YOU FUCKING BRAT!!" Lucian turned, eyes wild with fury.

BAM!

His boot crashed into Larpard’s ribs with thunderous force. The impact sent him sprawling, coughing blood as he slammed into the ground.

"LARPARD!!" Ereskia screamed.

But, even as he writhed in agony, Larpard laughed.

A broken, bloody chuckle.

"Heh... heh... I was right, wasn’t I?" he wheezed, dragging himself up on shaking arms. Blood smeared his lips, but his grin never faltered. "You didn’t kill him... you couldn’t!"

Lucian’s face contorted, fury boiling to the surface like magma.

His hand snapped into a clenched fist.

And the parasite obeyed.

"ARRRGHHHHH!!"

Larpard’s scream tore through the air as the cursed worm inside him flared to life. Agony surged through his veins like liquid fire. His spine arched, limbs thrashing uncontrollably. Veins bulged across his skin as if something vile tried to crawl out of him.

But even then—

Even drowning in pain—

He still laughed.

Wildly, manically.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU PATHETIC BASTARD!!" he roared, blood dripping from his mouth. "YOU COULDN’T KILL OUR FATHER, SO NOW YOU TORTURE HIS KIDS INSTEAD!? YOU FUCKING LOSER!!"

Lucian’s eye twitched.

CRACK!

Another brutal kick, lightning fast, merciless.

Larpard’s body flew across the chamber and slammed into the stone wall with a sickening crunch. His form crumpled mid-air, folding awkwardly before crashing to the ground in a limp heap.

Motionless.

"Tch. Noisy little brat," Lucian spat, brushing flecks of blood and dust off his boot like filth.

"LARP!!" Ereskia screamed, her voice ragged with horror.

She crawled across the broken floor, stone scraping her knees, the weight of dread crushing down on her chest.

"Larpard..." she breathed.

But he didn’t move. The catboy now laid there, motionless.

The fear nearly shattered her, nearly, but then... Larpard breathed, softly.

He was still alive!

And then, something clicked.

What Larpard had done, it wasn’t foolish, nor was it reckless.

Even through the agony, even with death breathing down his neck, he had provoked Lucian, had tested him, and Lucian’s reaction...

Lucian had raged, snapped, and lost control.

Think about it... if he really had killed their father, why would he react with such fury, such anger at Larpard then?

Ereskia’s bloodshot eyes narrowed. She swallowed her pain. Her teeth clenched so hard it felt like her jaw might snap. Grit ground between her molars. Her heart thudded, not with fear anymore, but with purpose.

Her father...

He might still be alive.

And if there was even a sliver of hope, then she had to keep fighting, had to keep thinking.

No more crying. No more crawling.

And with that, she wiped her face with the back of her trembling hand, and slowly, painfully, forced herself upright.

Her voice, when it came, was steady.

"...I still don’t get it," she said, glaring up at Lucian. "If you wanted us dead... why bother with all this?"

Lucian paused.

Ereskia continued, voice gaining heat.

"You’re an S-rank. You could’ve killed us the second we stepped into the dungeon. But you didn’t. You lured us here. Infected us. Played this sick little game. Why?"

She stepped forward, fists clenched, her rage now forged into clarity.

"Lucian... what the fuck do you want?"

A beat of silence.

Then—

Lucian smiled.

He turned toward her slowly, his boots echoing like drumbeats of fate against the stone. That maddening grin stretched wider as he came to a stop in front of her.

His eyes, now feverish with devotion, glinted in the dim light.

"I want to show you the way, NightWhizkersz child, a way for you to live," he said, his voice like velvet wrapped around a dagger.

"Surrender to us, and you will be salvaged. The Gods wanted you. And if you join us, all of this pain... will be gone."

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