The Cursed Extra: Bloodline of Sacrifice - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: The Castle Beckons

The sky was a pale shade of blue.

The village was already stirring—men carrying sacks of grain, women tending to livestock, childrens going to elementary schools.

It was an ordinary morning, yet there was something off about it.

Something that didn’t quite settle right in Ed’s mind.

Seated on a wooden bench outside a small house, he quietly observed the village head’s wife as she busied herself with a basket of herbs.

There was nothing strange about her at first glance—she was just another villager, dressed in a simple, faded dress.

But his mind kept circling back to one thing.

Why had his blessing activated when he touched her?

Memory of the Fallen—it only worked on the dead.

Was it a mistake? A glitch?

His blessing had never misfired before.

Before he could think further, the woman’s voice broke the heavy stillness.

“You three should reconsider.” Her voice was warm, almost motherly. “The castle is no place for children.”

Her gaze swept over them—not with judgment, but with something gentler.

A quiet concern.

“You’re what, eighteen? Nineteen?” she asked, tilting her head. “You should be in a warm home, resting, not throwing yourselves into danger.”

Her words weren’t a warning.

They weren’t a demand.

They felt like genuine worry, like an old woman scolding a reckless child for playing too close to the fire.

But Zareth didn’t even hesitate.

“We’re still going.” He said.

She sighed, her pale fingers curling slightly. “Then at least… be careful.”

Then Village head arrived —

“You’re planning to go to the castle?” The man’s voice was low.

“Yes.” Zareth said.

The village head sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Then go at night.”

Ed narrowed his eyes. “Why not morning?”

The man let out a slow breath. “Because we’ve gone there many times in the morning. We found nothing.”

Ed exchanged a glance with Vynesaa, who had been listening quietly.

Her expression remained unreadable, but he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

“If you really want to go,” the village head continued, “then wait until the sun has set. And if you do… just remember one thing.”

They waited.

“Don’t die.”

Zareth smirked, but Ed didn’t miss the brief flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Zareth said, standing up straight. “We won’t.”

But Ed knew better.

—

The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale silver glow over the darkened trees.

Ed kept his pace steady beside Zareth and Vynesaa, but his mind was racing.

Something was off.

He had felt it before, but now, as they moved deeper into the woods, it settled over him like an invisible weight.

Zareth and Vynesaa.

Prince and Princess of the Elven Kingdom.

Their parents—the King and Queen—loved them.

They wouldn’t just let them wander freely.

Someone had to be following.

Because if something did happen—if something went wrong—that person would step in.

Ed wasn’t sure who it was.

Maybe an elven knight.

Maybe a hidden bodyguard. Maybe an assassin working in the shadows.

But there was no way they were alone.

And if he had thought of that, then whoever was watching had definitely thought of it too.

“Ed,” Zareth’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “You’re tense.”

Ed exhaled slowly. “I just have a bad feeling.”

“You always have bad feelings.” Vynesaa said.

Ed shot her a flat look. “Yeah, and how often am I wrong?”

Neither of them answered.

Exactly.

Still, Zareth only shrugged. “We’ll be fine.”

Arrogant.

But not entirely wrong.

The trees thinned out, and suddenly—there it was.

The castle.

A massive, looming structure, its stone walls covered in creeping vines, its towers broken at the edges like jagged teeth.

The iron gates were rusted, hanging open slightly as if they had been left waiting.

They moved carefully, stepping past the gate and into the overgrown courtyard.

The silence here was heavier than before.

And then—

Ed’s eyes snapped up.

Through the shattered windows of the top floor—

Someone was standing there.

A dark figure, barely visible against the broken glass.

Their face was obscured by the reflection of the moonlight, but their presence was undeniable.

A second passed.

Then they were gone.

Ed’s breath hitched, his heartbeat quickening.

And then—

{Child… you are u-under—}

Bloodmoon’s voice.

Fractured.

Weak. A whisper curling through his mind.

His fingers tightened around his sword.

“Under what?”

But the blade didn’t answer.

And ahead of them—

The castle doors stood open.

Waiting.

The moment they stepped past the threshold, the air changed.

It was silent.

Not just the ordinary stillness of an abandoned place—this was absolute.

But their footsteps didn’t make sound.

The torches on the walls had long since burned out, leaving only faint streams of moonlight filtering through shattered windows.

Dust hung in the air, thick and unmoving.

Ed exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around his bloodmoon.

It’s just an old castle.

There’s nothing here.

They moved cautiously, scanning every shadow, every broken pillar, every doorway left ajar.

As expected, there was no one.

No movement. No signs of life.

And yet—

The further they walked, the stronger the feeling became.

They were being watched.

It started soft.

Barely a whisper at first, a sound just on the edge of hearing.

Then—

“Hahaa…”

A laugh.

Thin. Hollow. Echoing through the empty halls.

All three of them froze.

The laughter didn’t stop.

It grew louder, bouncing off the walls, slipping into every crack and crevice of the castle like a ghost that had been waiting.

And then—

Zareth moved.

Without hesitation, hebolted toward the sound.

“Zareth—!” Ed cursed, breaking into a run after him.

Vynesaa followed.

The laughter stayed ahead of them, always just out of reach.

Through hallways.

Down winding corridors.

Past doorways leading into nothing.

But it didn’t stop.

The closer they got, the more it felt like it was leading them somewhere.

And then—

Ed turned a corner—

And suddenly—

He was alone.

His breath hitched. His boots skidded to a stop.

“Zareth?”

Silence.

“Vynesaa?”

Nothing.

A cold chill crept up his spine.

He turned in a slow circle, his eyes scanning the dimly lit corridor.

The stone walls stretched endlessly in both directions, twisting into darkness.

They had been right behind him.

He had felt their presence just a second ago.

And now—

Gone.

Ed swallowed, his heartbeat hammering against his ribs.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared.

He was.

Scared as hell.