The Cursed looked at the knight questioningly.
The knight led him into a large hall, where an unfolded map of the area lay on the table. Two castles were marked on it.
"There is a second castle hidden in the forest," the knight explained. "It holds a powerful weapon called the Tears of Heaven. As told in the ancient chronicles, it is the only weapon that can destroy the Lord of the Dead and his army completely and irrevocably. But be careful. It is known that the Tears of Heaven are kept in a chest in one of the castle's towers. The other towers conceal traps that will kill anyone who tries to claim the weapon unsuccessfully."
"What traps?"
"That is not mentioned anywhere."
The castle gates opened between the attacks of the dead. Like a whirlwind, the Cursed burst out on a black horse, raced across the bridge, and sped past the ranks of the advancing dead creatures. Spatial magic created a spatial corridor that held back the enemy attacks until the moment the Cursed reached the forest. In the forest, he rode along the road that led to the hidden castle. Isolated groups of the dead attacked from behind the trees, but all of them were destroyed by dark streams of smoke that tore them apart.
The hidden castle lurked in a secluded grove. Its dark gothic towers rose above the surrounding lands like grim, all-knowing giants. Its dark windows watched the rider approaching the main gates.
The Cursed rode into the inner courtyard and entered the building. The interior was shocking. It raised reasonable questions as to whether this castle had been built by humans. Numerous faces of enraged beings were frozen into the walls, resembling either monsters or demons.
The Cursed moved between them, beneath the motionless gazes of numerous evil eyes, and delved into ever deeper halls. On their walls as well, there were faces of monsters.
As he moved through the twilight between them, he suddenly heard numerous voices:
"Human, what are you doing in the ancient Castle of Domination?"
He looked at the walls. The lips and eyes of the monsters were moving. They were alive. He answered without hesitation:
"I am looking for an ancient weapon."
"What do you need it for?"
"To destroy the Lord of the Dead."
"You will find the ancient weapon. If you sit on the throne of the Castle of Domination and defeat the Great Grey-Haired Ancients in battle, then magical sight will open to you, and you will see the spirits that guard the towers. And you will be able to pass them and reach where the ancient weapon lies."
The Cursed came into the throne hall. A vast chamber, with a tall dark throne standing at the far end.
The Cursed crossed the entire hall, climbed the steps, and sat on the throne.