Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Enter the Grave (Special Chapter)
Dexivdwyne Bloodstone had always been a man of intuition, and when news reached him that his cousin Dawrien Azurean had been missing for weeks, he knew something was terribly wrong.

The Bloodstone family had long cautioned Dawrien against traveling so far from their home planet of Sinalta, but Dawrien, stubborn and reckless, had insisted on enrolling at Celestara’s Academy as a civilian.

By taking his mother’s surname, he had managed to escape the weight of the Bloodstone name, blending in among the commoners.

But now, he was gone.

Dexivdwyne wasted no time. He departed from Sinalta immediately, traveling across the starways to reach Celestara.

The academy, once a beacon of wisdom and elite knowledge, now felt like a place filled with shadows and unanswered questions.

As he stepped onto its grounds, a strange chill ran down his spine.

The academy had seen better days, but the true decay was not in its physical form, it was in the secrets buried deep within its walls.

His investigation led him to whispers about Alexander Vancial, the man who had once been a prince, a noble heir, a prodigy.

He was a man whose ambitions had driven him into the depths of the forbidden forest of Bianzion. Alexander had not gone alone. Dawrien had accompanied him.

No one knew what had happened inside the forest, only that Dawrien never returned. Dexivdwyne needed answers.

He traced Alexander’s last known movements, interrogated students and faculty, searched through records in the academy’s archives. What he found disturbed him beyond measure.

Reports of vanished soldiers, mutilated corpses found on the outskirts of the forest, and strange, haunting wails echoing in the dead of night.

Tales of a man who entered the forest again and again, each time offering more sacrifices. A man whose presence twisted the balance of nature itself.

That man was Alexander. And he was no longer human.

The truth left Dexivdwyne sick to his stomach. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as rage bubbled beneath his skin.

Dawrien had trusted Alexander. He had followed him into the unknown, and now he was lost to the abyss. But Alexander was still out there.

Dexivdwyne knew that if he wanted to find his cousin, if he wanted to uncover what had happened, he would have to understand the darkness that had consumed Alexander.

He would have to seek out the history of Bianzion. The forbidden forest was older than Celestara itself.

Legends spoke of an ancient covenant made between the first settlers of the planet and the creatures lurking in the depths.

A balance had been maintained for centuries, until Alexander arrived and shattered it.

Dexivdwyne sought out the oldest records, searching for anything that could tell him how to navigate the cursed lands.

He pored over ancient manuscripts, forbidden texts hidden away in the academy’s underground archives.

One passage stood out.

“The Forest of Bianzion was never meant to be tamed. Those who enter without offering shall be devoured. Those who enter with offering shall return… changed.”

His blood ran cold. Had Alexander known about this? Had he willingly offered Dawrien and the others to whatever monstrosities lurked within?

The more Dexivdwyne uncovered, the more his fury burned. He needed to go to Bianzion himself, but he couldn’t do it alone.

He pulled out his communicator and pressed a secure line. The signal bounced between planets, encrypted and hidden from any possible interference.

It rang twice before a familiar voice answered. Dan Bloodstone.

“You’re alive,” Dan’s voice was calm, but Dexivdwyne could hear the underlying tension.

“Not for long if I go in alone,” Dexivdwyne replied. “I need backup.”

There was a pause. Dan was not the type to ask unnecessary questions. He was younger than Dexivdwyne but just as ruthless when needed.

“Where?” Dan finally asked.

“Celestara. The academy. The forest of Bianzion.”

A sharp exhale. “You found something.”

Dexivdwyne’s jaw tightened.

“Alexander was involved in something deep. He was going into the forest over and over again, and I think he was sacrificing people. Dawrien was with him when he disappeared.”

Silence. Then, Dan’s voice hardened. “Give me two days. I’ll be there.”

The line cut. Dexivdwyne took a deep breath, staring at the darkened forest in the distance. It loomed like a living thing, its mist curling like fingers eager to pull him in.

Two days. He could only hope that would be enough time before the forest took another soul.

The wind howled as Dexivdwyne stood at the edge of the academy’s outer walls, staring at the distant, ominous forest of Bianzion.

The sky above Celestara was cloaked in dark clouds, casting long shadows over the academy ruins. He gritted his teeth, his mind churning with possibilities.

Two days. That was all the time he had before Dan arrived. But something in his gut told him he couldn’t wait that long. He needed to act.

His footsteps echoed as he made his way back to the archives, descending into the hidden chamber beneath the academy’s grand library.

The place smelled of ancient parchment and dust, a relic of a time when knowledge was a weapon just as sharp as a blade.

He ran his fingers along the spines of old tomes, searching for anything that could give him an advantage. Then, he found it.

A book bound in obsidian leather, its pages inked with golden Celestaran symbols. It was old, far older than any other manuscript in the chamber.

He flipped through the pages, his eyes narrowing as he deciphered the ancient text.

“To enter the Forest of Bianzion uninvited is to walk toward death. Only those who wield the Mark of Passage may step beyond the cursed threshold unscathed.”

Dexivdwyne’s breath caught. The Mark of Passage?

He continued reading, his pulse quickening. The book spoke of an ancient rite, a ritual that bound the bearer to the will of the forest, allowing them entry without being consumed.

It required blood. Not just any blood. Blood of royal lineage. His stomach twisted. Bloodstone blood would suffice.

He exhaled, closing the book with a thud. If this was the only way to enter the forest without being devoured, then he would do it.

Dan could meet him there. But Dexivdwyne wasn’t going to wait. Dawn was still hours away, but the forest was calling. And Dexivdwyne Bloodstone was ready to answer.