"You are certain that this is the way Cynthia went, Nikon?" Valarie asked the Guard Captian to her right while pulling on the reigns of her horse to slow it down. Her sword was sheathed on her back, her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing the new gauntlets that Spencer had gifted to her.

Nikon turned her head to meet the Hero's gaze with a nod, "I am positive. And even if I am unsure, she can still lead us to her companions' camp." The centaur yanked on a chain in her hand, pulling the succubus they had captured along with her. Iron shackles were locked around the Mamono's arms, her wings had been wrapped in chains, and a gag had been tied around her mouth. She could still walk, but could never run too far lest the chain around her neck pull her to the ground.

She shot the centaur an angry look while saying a muffled sentence and struggling against her bonds. Nikon scowled and yanked the chain again, "Try to get free as much as you like, fiend. You will not escape the justice you deserve."

"Unless you have a sudden change of heart," a newcomer shoved his way between the Hero and Mamono. White cloth with the symbol of the Order sewed into the fabric rested on the body and flank of his horse. Atop his head was a small golden band that matched with the white flowing priest robes he wore. The numerous wrinkles on his face emphasized his baggy yet sharp gray eyes that glared at the Guard Captain with suspicion and spite, "There is no telling when you might choose to betray us and free your brethren. Something that a servant of the Chief God would understand, before getting familiar enough to learn a monster's name."

He turned his judging gaze to Valarie, who quickly glanced away and hung her head in shame. Nikon grit her teeth and replied to the man, her voice dripping with frustration, "I am no traitor, Priest Galoran. I have been defending Vinvers from Mamono for years."

"During which you had ample time to sabotage the city. Which gives us all the more reason to suspect you," Galoran responded, this time without looking at the centaur.

"But that's not right," the three riders' attention turned to Valarie's left as Spencer caught up to them, with an angry scowl directed at the Priest, "Nikon's been helping us this entire time. If it wasn't for her, we would never have caught the succubus or the traitor Guardswoman in the first place. Her actions prove she is trustworthy."

The Priest returned Spencer's scowl, "Are you defending a Mamono, Spencer Strain? While criticizing a Priest of the Order you have sworn to serve?" There was a clear threat in his tone. A warning that the young Hero should be careful what his next words would be.

Both Heroes had heard it before. Whenever an Acolyte was caught slacking in their duties, all the Priest and Nuns would take this exact same tone to scold them. Most Acolyte's didn't make the same mistake twice after hearing the deep, threatening tenor in their voices. Valarie, her eyes wide with worry, prepared to speak up and deflect the Priest's attention from her friend.

Until Spencer said the unthinkable.

"Yes, I am. Because you're wrong."

Spencer's words surprised both the Priest and his longtime friend. She quickly leaned towards his ear and whispered in a panicked voice, "What are you doing, Spencer?"

Spencer placed a calming hand on her shoulder. He nodded at her with a confident smile before turning his attention back to the Priest. Galoran's eyes were wide, his head tilted upwards in shock, and his hands gripped the reigns of his horse tight enough to turn the knuckles white. He spoke in that same tone, the threat from before now clear as day, "What was that?"

"I said you're wrong," Spencer repeated without a hint of hesitation, "Guard Captain Nikon has been an invaluable ally in the search for the Mamono. It's because of her we caught the traitor and her accomplice in the act, and how Cynthia managed to track down the Mamono's camp. If she was not here, we would likely be forced to search aimlessly in the woods for days on end. During which the Mamono would've discovered us and begun their invasion early. She has proven herself to our cause, and doubting her is something I will not stand for. Even from you, Priest Galoran."

Galoran was silent as he stared down the young Hero. His eyes seemed ready to bore a hole through Spencer's head if they could. A part of his mind urged him to turn away. To bow his head and apologize to his superior before he was severely punished for speaking out of line.

But the young man had confronted death.

Compared to having his life flash before his eyes, Galoran's anger filled glare was nothing.

"Ha! Well this is a surprise," the tension disappeared as a chuckling man interposed himself between the Priest and Nikon. He held the reigns of his horse in one hand, and a short spear in the other. He held it lazily across his shoulder while flipping his black bangs out of his eyes. Beneath his friendly green pupils and sharp nose was a disarming smile that he directed toward Galoran. He wore an open, black and red shirt that bore his chiseled tan chest to the open air. His black trousers shifted as he turned to address the Priest, "I thought all Heroes were supposed to be silent, good boys and girls who listened to their 'betters'. But it seems there are a few you haven't drilled that into yet, huh Gally?"

Galoran frowned at the flippant man before clicking his tongue in disgust, "This is none of your concern, Luca. This is a matter between the Church and one of its supposed servants."

"I know. But your Church is based in my city. Thus, in a way, this does concern me. The last thing I want is to hear about the Order and its Heroes not getting along. That wouldn't be good for anyone, would it?" he placed a hand on his chest and shook his head with a faux look of concern on his face. This was swiftly replaced by a knowing smirk that made Galoran's frown deepen. The Priest scoffed before urging his horse ahead of the party, telling Spencer that their conversation was not over.

Once he was too far ahead to hear them, Valarie yelled at her friend, "Spencer, what were you thinking?! Do you have any idea what this could mean for you?"

"Y-yeah, I have a few ideas," he admitted while looking Valarie in the eye, "But I couldn't just sit there and let him say those things about Nikon. It was disrespectful to her and what she helped us accomplish."

"And you have my thanks for that," Nikon told Spencer while slightly bowing to the Hero, "I am glad that you have that much faith in me."

"Double that for me, Spenny," Luca winked a Spencer with a beaming smile, "Anyone willing to stand up to old stick up the ass over there is good in my book. Especially if they're a Hero."

A blush formed on Spencer's face at the praise. Nervous chuckles left his mouth as he tried to form a response, "W-well, it-it was nothing. Really," then he stopped and looked up to Luca with a confused frown, "Wait...did you call me Spenny?"

"Yes sir," Luca snapped his fingers in affirmation, "I give everyone a nickname. Helps me keep track of who's who. Isn't that right, Nikky?"

"I have repeatedly asked you to not address me in such a way, Guard Captain Luca. It is unbecoming of a warrior such as I."

Luca rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on. It's a cute name for a cute girl. Wouldn't you agree?"

Rather than respond, Nikon galloped ahead to catch up with Galoran. Her rapid pace forced the succubus to move faster, lest she fall to the earth and get dragged along with the horse woman.

Luca sighed before shooting another grin at Spencer, "I'd better keep up with her. It's up to me to keep those two away from each other's throats. And again, nice work, Spenny. Look me up when we get back to Vinvers. I'll show you some cool tricks you can pull off with that staff of yours."

Then he urged his horse to catch up with the other two riders, leaving Valarie and Spencer alone. Spencer smiled up at Valerie and said, "See, Val? It all worked out."

"But you still put yourself in danger!" Valarie worriedly replied, "Priest Galoran is a highly respected member of the Church in Vinvers. He could have you flogged or worse excommunicated! What would happen if I couldn't see you-I mean if you couldn't be a Hero anymore?"

Spencer didn't catch what Valarie was going to say before she backpedaled. But he did have an answer for her question. He looked away from Valarie's eyes, focusing on the ground beneath his horse's hooves. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly as he tried to find the best way to word his response. Finally, he simply said, "Well, Val...have you ever thought about being a Hero...without being in the Order?"

Valarie gasped in shock. She pulled back on her horse's reigns until it came to a full stop. Spencer did the same. The two Heroes looked at each other in silence, the concern in their eyes speaking for them. Spencer's grip on his staff tightened until he heard the wood creak. Valarie's eyes looked her friend up and down, trying to see what had changed since they last met. She was the first to break the silence, "Spencer...what are you-"

"Valarie! Spencer! Come, quickly!"

The two Heroes were broken from their moment of tense distress by Nikon's urgent call. They quickly pushed their horses towards her voice, thundering through the forest as fast as they could. They soon catch a glimpse of the four that gotten ahead, the body of multiple decaying succubi behind them. They slowed their horses as they approached the rest of their party at the edge of an incline that led down into what they thought would be a clearing.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

However, when they reached the incline, they saw a sight that took their breath away.

Beyond the incline lay a wasteland.

Where once there was grass and vegetation, there now lay smoking craters. Each one was big enough to hold a small house and the ground within them had been charred black. Spencer felt his blood run cold at the sight. An involuntary shiver ran up and down his body as he beheld the destruction before him.

Because, as he looked across the scarred and broken land, he could tell there was no Mana left within it. He could feel no trace of it within the air, nor the scorched earth below. But, he could feel...something else.

It was faint. A whisper on the wind. But it was there, he could feel it. And whatever it was, if it was the cause of all this...then it frightened him beyond measure.

He looked across at the faces of his fellows. Valarie was just as shocked as he was, her hand covering her mouth as she stared at the devastation in stunned silence. Luca's smile was gone, replaced with a determined and disgusted frown that matched Nikon's. Galoran's face was a mask of indifference, but Spencer took note of how he urged his horse away from the edge. The succubus had fallen to her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks. He guessed this confirmed that the camp was located here.

At least, it used to be.

The humans dismounted and made their way down the incline in silence. Nikon remained at the top to watch over the succubus. The four humans remained dead silent as they traversed the carnage around them. Any and all words that could be said were rendered useless in the face of this much destruction. For while this did answer what that large light from the night before was, it also raised many more questions.

What happened?

How did it happen?

Who did this?

These were but a few queries that came to the four as they examined the clearing. And as more details of the devastation revealed themselves, the need to answer those questions only grew.

First, were the bodies. There were countless bodies littering the entire scorched landscape. Every crater had at least ten at its edges. And the numbers increased the closer to the center of the crater they got. The reason they hadn't seen them from the incline was because all the bodies were charred black as the craters they were found in. When Valarie experimentally touched one with the tip of her blade it crumbled to dust.

Second, was the smell. A mixture of burnt ham and melted innards that made them hack every other moment. Galoran held a white tissue up to his nose the entire walk through the wasteland. Spencer and Valarie did the same with their sleeves. The only one seemingly unaffected was Luca, who traversed the area without issue.

Third, was the heat. The sun was hidden behind thick gray clouds, but that seemed to not matter within the wasteland. The temperature was high enough to make Spencer and Valarie sweat beneath their clothes. Both pushed on regardless, but it was clear their energy was being sapped by simply walking through the landscape.

And lastly, there was the area at the far back of the scorched earth. Where the clearing and the charred earth ended and the rest of the forest began. This, at a glance, appeared to be the epicenter of the blast last night. For this was no crater. It was a flat plane.

But the dirt had been blasted into pure white sand.

Smoke rose from the circular arena in thick waves that reached towards the sky like grasping claws. Where the rest of the craters seemed to have cooled somewhat, the sand glowed with the amount of heat it exhumed. The humans gathered around the circle and gazed in awe.

Not at the circle itself, amazing as it was.

But at the two things within the circle.

The first was a charred black body. Larger than the others, it knelt to the ground with its hands fused around the hilt of what was once a blade. Now, it was merely a broken, marred, slab of melted stone that had fused into the sand beneath.

And the other was a single black and red bloodstain.

Spencer felt his heart sink as he quietly whispered the first thing that came to his mind at the sight of the bloodstain, "Cynthia?"

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As Selina opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the Hunter's Workshop.

"Oh," she spoke aloud while pushing herself to her feet, "I died again. First time that's happened since I got here. Oh well."

Selina dusted herself off and walked up the road to Eve. She found the doll doing something she hadn't lately; praying.

"Eve? Why are you praying?" she asked while kneeling next to her friend.

"Oh, Good Hunter," Eve laid her hands on her lap to look at her returned friend, "I merely wishing for your safety in the Waking World."

Selina pulled down her bandana and smiled at Eve, "A good thought, but I'm afraid it came to naught. I died for the first time in this world."

"Oh, I am sorry Good Hunter," Eve bowed her head in melancholy understanding.

Selina gently waved away her concern, "There's no need for that. It was bound to happen sooner or later considering my actions in the Waking World. Though, I am surprised it was by the hands of a Mamono. They did not strike me at the type to resort to such methods. Though, I suppose it was a Goddess using a Mamono as an Avatar. Thus I can't be completely sure who wished to kill me at the moment. Then again, the Chief did say something about wanting to fight until we lay broken at each others feet..."

Eve tilted her head questioningly at Selina, "Good Hunter, are you at odds with the Gods of this world as well?"

"...I believe I am," Selina sighed while shaking her head, "Though I did not wish it to be so. It is true that I have...problems with the Gods and their decisions to put it lightly. However, I would not go so far as to say I am openly hostile to them, yet."

She let out a mirthless chuckle while shaking her head, "After all, in their eyes, I likely appear to be a horrifying monster from another world, that has come to tear theirs' asunder."

"Then you will not pursue them?"

"I will defend myself and those I care for if they come for me. But as for going after them myself...that will have to wait," Selina said with a determined nod. She stood up and bid the doll farewell before walking through the gate behind the Workshop. After pruning the weeds from Gherman's wheelchair once more, she took out the Burial Blade and began to fight an invisible opponent.

The purpose behind this was two-fold. The first reason was to keep her skills sharp. Whenever she came back from the dead, there was this feeling of... "lag" for lack of a better word. Her muscles felt sluggish and weaker than they should be. There were small patches of her memory that did not register certain movements until they were made, such as transforming her weapon while rolling, then following it up with a slash. She chalked this up to her body and mind needing time to reorganize after returning from the dead.

This was usually swiftly rectified either through a quick injection of adrenaline from dropping right back into a fight, or practicing like this. It had become less frequent the longer she fought during the Night Of The Hunt, but that didn't stop her from practicing to make sure it stayed gone.

However, it was her secondary reason that lay at the forefront of her mind: What happened at the end of the battle.

She knew she had died. That much was certain. Despite her efforts, the Mamono's attack managed to disintegrate her body. She could not remember the sensation of it. Firstly, because it was instantaneous. One moment her body was whole. The next it was dust.

But the other reason was because she wasn't focusing on it. Her entire being had been focused on...something.

Selina's brows furrowed even more as she swung horizontally at her phantom foe.

What had she been focusing on? Her memory of that moment was hazy, but she could remember enough to piece it together bit by bit. She started from the beginning of the fight with the Chief, and got all the way to when she was pinned to the ground.

She had...called the Messengers. She asked them to get her the Loch Shield...but instead they gave her the Phantasm for A Call Beyond.

Her scythe swung through the air, Selina completely missing the light humming coming from the silverite edge.

Then...then she...she heard a voice. It wasn't the Mamono's though. It was...something else.

The Burial Blade started to glow in her hands.

What...it had said to...use power? What power? Her...power? But...what was it? What power did she-

The next swing of her Burial Blade emitted a shockwave from the edge. It flew across the flower field and created a small twister as it hit the ground.

At that same moment, the memory became crystal clear.

She remembered it all.

Or, at least, what had transpired before she died. How she had called upon the powers from Beyond the Stars. How with it, she managed to scorch the entire camp with the might of multiple exploding stars. How her connection with the Arcane, before weak and barely existent, was now greater than even the most fervent Byrgenworth student. Which explained the thrumming power she could feel coursing through her limbs and into the Burial Blade in her hands.

And how the voice had spoken to her. How she had agreed to use this power to save the citizens of Vinvers. That voice from...that was the voice of something far beyond a mortal being. Something that could warp reality through simply existing within it

A Great Old One.

But yet she could not understand whey it happened.

One, because she could understand the words of a Great One.

And second...because the voice hadn't come from something else speaking to her. Another being finding and choosing to speak with her through some Arcane Connection or otherwise.

No...the voice had come from within her own mind.

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

Selina's face was pale as she closed the gate behind her. Her mind ran through every single possible explanation she could think of.

A delayed effect of the amount of Insight she had? No. Insight let her see beyond the veils of reality. It did not affect her connection with the Arcane.

Perhaps the Mana of the Waking World? Maybe it interacts with the Arcane in strange fashions? No. If that were the case, then her position in the middle of an entire army of Mamono would've made A Call Beyond's effect much more...carnal in nature.

Maybe she had put more power into the Arcane than she thought when she used the Blood Echoes she gained from killing the Werewolves? No. A Call Beyond had never been that powerful. Even when Micolash used it. The only one capable of doing anything similar to what she did was Eberitas. And she was a...Great...One.

Was...was she a-

Selina heard the sound of something being shut and locked tight.

The stray thought was gone before it could finish itself.

She yanked her bandana back into place and stomped her way towards the Workshop. She needed something to distract herself. Perhaps she could work on her weapons? Yes, maybe see about finally doing something with that Demon Realm Rapier. She had held onto it for almost two weeks now and...what is that?

The Huntress came to a stop at the sight before her. In front of the tombstone with Kogero's name on it stood the doll and a strange warrior. Its decaying armor looked foreign in design. In some places, the interlocking plates were replaced by pale white bone and skulls. Blue ethereal flames circled the blade it held in its right hand, the taut purple skin stretched thin enough to see bone. As the Huntress got closer she could see that it had no eyes. Merely two blue flames inside of empty black sockets.

Selina was confused at the sight. That is until she saw the familiar blade it held in its right hand.

The eastern sword that shared its appearance with the Chikage.

"Ah, hello, Good Hunter," the doll turned and bowed to Selina, "I believe you have a guest."

The undead monster fixed its gaze on Selina. By this point she was close enough to smell the rotting stench of death and decay that exuded from its body. But, beyond making her nose wrinkle, it did not effect her much.

She stared the undead monster down, its gaping maw opening and closing as it groaned in seeming pain. Selina steady her breathing and hoped that this wasn't what she thought it was. She spoke in a probing tone, "Kogero?"

The monster stiffened. For a moment it didn't look like an undead monster. Bu a golem, animated through a force not of its own making.

Then its posture shifted. Its mouth closed and a stoic expression came over the creature's face. It pointed its sword's tip towards the earth, stabbed downward, then fell to one knee before bowing its head.

The Ochimusha, formerly the female Mamono Kogero, spoke with a clearly masculine voice, "Hello, Mistress. I await your commands."