The Legendary Demon Hunter’s Cursed Brother Chapter 17: Ch 17 - Wyvern

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Evan spent the day sitting there with his hands and feet bound while Isaac peppered him with questions. He answered half-truths, believable enough that Isaac would trust him, but nothing so helpful that it would give the man any real insight or make him an even bigger headache. He had no idea how much time had passed since entering the strange Rift, but one thing was certain. The night he had entered was long gone. For all he knew, it could already be the next day, or even the one after that. He could already imagine Hye-jin screaming at him when he got out, if he got out. Even so, he had a plan, though he was not certain it would work. It was a gamble, one that did not just risk his own life but also the children’s. He really hoped his bad luck would not strike him now. At least Isaac didn't spend every waking moment hovering over him. Most of his time was devoted to preparing for the sacrificial ritual as he climbed up and down the tower carrying materials, worked at his alchemical bench, or disappeared to the upper floors. The books and alchemical instruments scattered throughout the workshop made one thing obvious: Isaac was a genius. It was a shame that someone so brilliant had become a madman. Whether he had always been like this or had been corrupted by the Demonic Artifact, Evan couldn't say. One thing, however, was certain. Despite the polite treatment, the shackles around his wrists hadn't been removed. To Isaac, he was still nothing more than a prisoner. Evan could only wait and see what Isaac would do next. Hours passed, and boredom eventually pulled him into sleep. When he woke, Isaac was dragging him up the stairs. “Are you starting the ritual?” Evan asked. “Want me to monitor it for you? I can give you some tips.” Isaac did not reply and kept dragging him upward. “You do know you can just remove my foot bindings and I can walk on my own, right?” Evan said. “Look at you already huffing and sweating.” Silence answered him. On the rooftop, Evan was met with a ritual circle already etched into the stone floor. The wyvern sat calmly at its center, unbothered by the crying, bound children scattered across the outer nodes. “Brother Evan!” Tyler shouted as he saw Isaac dragging Evan. “You two know each other?” Isaac asked. “Yeah,” Evan said without bothering to lie. “And here I thought you were only here out of curiosity,” Isaac said with a mocking smile. “Can’t it be both?” Evan replied with a smirk of his own. Isaac answered by dropping Evan at the top glyph of the ritual circle. Unlike the smaller glyphs where the children were placed, his was larger, positioned just beside the central circle where the young wyvern sat. “The seat of honor,” Isaac said with a mad grin. “Since you are so proud of your work, I figured you would enjoy participating in it.” “Are you crazy?!” Evan shouted. “I have been very helpful to you, and this is how you repay me?!” “As a fellow practitioner of Demonic Arts, you should be happy that your junior is spreading his wings,” Isaac laughed as he stepped outside the ritual circle. “With this, I am one step closer to my revenge. I will make them all pay. Those church members. Those government officials. All of them!” The children screamed as Isaac unleashed the ritual, flooding the outer glyphs with his demonic power. One by one, they ignited along the ritual's perimeter, burning with a sickly crimson glow as dark violet lightning raced across the engraved lines. The energy did not rush inward at once. Instead, it crept forward as though the formation itself were slowly coming to life. Blackened power seeped from the embedded crystals in thick, swirling coils, drawn toward the activated glyphs before coursing through the carved channels. Layer upon layer, the energy wove itself into a tightening spiral that coiled around them like a slowly constricting noose. Only then did it reach the central sigil. Crimson light burst upward as though the stone had split apart, while converging streams of vi