André was terrified of the havoc wreaked by magic. It was always the same. Wherever it appeared, it left only chaos and destruction. No matter how much magic users claimed otherwise, magic had always been the source of evil. If there was one thing, he could agree on with the group of the Esterenos, it was their disdain for it.

The inside of the building was a darker version of the facade. The reception area looked like the aftermath of a bloody battle. Numerous corpses with horrific wounds were intermingled with shattered furniture and walls splattered with red and black. From the ceiling, numerous lamps and cables hung, and the little light that was available came through the door and windows, dodging the black roots with devilish eyes and destroyed furniture that had likely been used to barricade the windows.

No doubt, on days like this, André deeply regretted enlisting in the army. He considered himself a good shooter, had grown fond of some comrades, and being a soldier had its benefits besides the salary. But he wasn't cut out for it. He had only enlisted to impress, or rather, to follow the love of his life. And even then, he hadn’t managed to make her look at him the way he looked at her.

His heart was racing as they moved in formation with flashlights attached to their rifles, lighting the way down the hallway toward the stairwell and elevators. A loud noise from inside one of the rooms on the right side of the hallway caused the group to stop abruptly.

Dragen made a couple of hand signals to the squad members and the soldiers nodded. André positioned himself on one side of the room's door, and Neisa on the other, while the rest positioned themselves alongside them and watched the flanks.

Neisa gave a signal, and André took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do, but his instinct screamed at him not to do it. A few seconds later, Neisa opened the door, and he burst into the room aiming his rifle followed by Burmac.

The room, which had been used as an administrative space, was full of thrown files, bloodstains, and impact marks. At the back, on one of the L-shaped desks, lay the body of a worker with numerous bites and cuts.

A sound similar to an animal eating was heard at the end of the room. Burmac signaled, and André advanced silently through the room while trying to control his emotions. As he was approaching the desks, he felt that one of his boots stepped on something different from the floor material. Unable to help it, he looked down as the glass of a picture frame yielded under his weight. The chewing sound from the back of the room stopped.

André's blood froze. Had whatever was hiding heard him? He prayed it hadn't, and with all the delicacy he could muster, he lifted his foot and stepped back a bit.

Then, from under a desk, a human child about five or six years old emerged. Almost all his body was raw and filled with exaggeratedly large blisters.

"What the hell...?" said Burmac, astonished.

André was paralyzed. The image of a woman clutching her child begging for mercy before being scorched by a mage’s spell flashed through his mind.

"It’s a mutant!" shouted Neisa from behind.

But André did not react. In his mind, he still heard the desperate screams of the mother and her child as the flames tore through their bodies and souls.

Suddenly, he felt someone shove him aside and open fire on the child who was lunging at them. André fell to the ground, and his mind snapped back to reality. It was then that he saw the true appearance of the child; his hands and feet were clawed. His deformed head was all mouth and the eyes were elongated and positioned parallel to it. Blood and chunks of flesh dripped from his mouth.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" shouted Neisa after she had shot the mutant. "That thing was going to devour you!"

"I'm sorry, I don’t know what came over me" lied André, collapsing with tears in his eyes. That nightmare would haunt him for the rest of his days.

Neisa approached him, ran her hand over the nape of his neck, and brought her helmet close to his. André hugged her, and a comforting, warm feeling penetrated through the pain and terror. She was always there to comfort him at his worst moments. She was like the older sister he never had.

Burmac and Bargu seemed to say something, but neither André nor Neisa heard them. In that moment, only the two lifelong friends existed.

"Don’t ever scare me like that again. Got it?"

"Yes…"

***

“Let's keep moving“ said Isen.

Soldier Neisa turned and looked at him furiously.

“Don't you have any empathy, sir?“

Unfortunately, Isen had never been good at guessing others' feelings. During his childhood, the combat mage had made efforts to understand them, but no matter what he did, it only increased the rejection he faced from his relatives and people around him, so over time he had stopped worrying about them to focus more on magic, history, and folklore.

“Watch your words, Neisa“ Dragen said authoritatively. “Remember he is our superior“ The drauo fixed his gaze on the other soldier “And you, you’ve heard the combat mage. Stop your whining and get up. We don’t have all day. “

Neisa's scornful glance shifted from the mage to the drauo corporal. But as she opened her mouth to protest, soldier André stopped her.

“I'm sorry, sir“ he apologized “It won’t happen again.“

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“It better not, human” said the corporal “Whenever you’re ready, Isen.“

“Let’s continue“ said Isen, who before turning around saw how André looked at him with contempt. It was the same look he had often received from his parents and friends.

It didn’t bother him. He was used to it.

The soldiers resumed their march and advanced down the hallway of the central building. The corrupt magic within those walls was so abundant that Isen thought he could actually see it. It was the first time Isen witnessed such a concentrated amount in one place. A part of him, the one that sought to understand the limits of magic, wanted to make use of it, but another, the rational side, told him not to, knowing that doing so would turn him into one of those mutants blinded by madness and hunger. This was one of the reasons why mages usually carried runic pistols in addition to melee weapons. To be able to fight even when they could not use magic.

A few meters ahead, the corridor split into three like a trident. The middle path led to the elevator and staircase hall, and the other two led to more offices. The source of corruption came from below.

As they were reaching the end of the corridor, they heard guttural sounds coming from the lateral hallways. Before the mage did anything, Dragen had already raised his hand and transmitted orders through hand signals. The group split into two and stuck again to the walls. The sound of footsteps joined the grunts that were getting closer. Mage and corporal nodded to each other and stepped out with their weapons ready, followed by a companion.

A grotesque Grok mutant with disproportionately large arms, no eyes, and a kilometer-long tongue that walked like an orangutan, got excited at the sight of the soldiers and began to accelerate. Isen pulled the trigger of his runic pistol, and the creature collapsed headless just a few meters from him. Behind him, Dragen and Neisa had gunned down another human mutant.

***

The soldiers crossed and reached the room where the stairs and elevators were located. In one of the elevators on the right, the doors were slightly ajar with a couple of bodies of former operators trapped by the waist. Their bodies showed numerous bruises and strange holes.

“H..elp“ came a voice from the elevator.

“Did you hear that? “asked Burmac. “I think there's someone alive in there“.

“I didn't hear anything, soldier“Dragen denied.

“Neither did I“ said Neisa.

André said nothing.

“Let's continue. The source of the corruption is coming from below“ said the combat mage, and he entered the area where the stairs were. The corporal, Neisa, and Bargu followed him.

Burmac ignored his superior's order and moved closer to try and see through the gap left by the half-open doors.

“Burmac, didn't you hear the combat mage's order!? “ asked André while watching the rear. “There's nothing there. Come on, let's go. “

“I'm sure I heard someone! “ he answered confidently.

Suddenly, a tentacle as thin as a whip flew out of the gap in the elevator, wrapped around the soldier's neck, and slammed him against the elevator doors.

Burmac panicked and tried to relieve the pressure on his neck while flailing like a baby. Behind him, the sound of drops hitting the floor mixed with a sinister voice asking for help.

“Sh..shit! Something's got Burmac“ said André, scared, over the communicator. No one responded.

“Help... “ Burmac managed to say, having slightly relieved the pressure by inserting his fingers between the tentacle and his neck.

André looked hesitantly from one side to the other while his comrade was being strangled. After a few seconds of uncertainty, the soldier pulled out a knife and approached him, ready to help. However, when he saw two new tentacles ending in sharp tips emerge from the elevator gap, he stepped back.

The new limbs flailed violently and tried to pierce their prey. In some areas like the chest or head, they failed thanks to the protections, but in others that were exposed, they repeatedly pierced the flesh, until the soldier's hands no longer had strength, and the tentacle could strangle him without any opposition.

“I'm sorry, Burmac. I'm so sorry! “ said André, tormented.

The last thing Burmac saw with his swollen, tear-filled eyes was his comrade abandoning him.

André ran downstairs, his heart pounding in his chest and his head filled with negative thoughts. Tears streaked down his cheeks and his teeth clamped against each other. He tried to convince himself that it was Burmac's fault for ignoring the combat mage's order and approaching that damn elevator. But guilt was gnawing at his insides. He hated himself for abandoning a comrade to his fate. He hated himself for being a coward. He hated himself for having been convinced to enlist in the damn army.

He stopped on a step and slammed his helmet against the wall while muttering a curse under his breath. He turned around, leaned against the wall, and looked up. He took a deep breath and searched his memory for a happy memory. It wasn't the first time he had suffered from anxiety. He found one, but it didn't calm him down, so he searched for an even stronger one.

His mind traveled back to that day when he was just a boy. The sky was a grayish sea created by the pollution from the dozens of ceramic factories and workshops that made up the third ring of Catlon. The smell of rust from the swing mixed with the chemical and clay aromas that cut through the air. The swing squeaked as André swung slightly and tears ran down his face.

In the distance, the tricked-out engine of a low-cylinder motorcycle approached. But he didn't care. He didn't mind if some bullies beat him up and robbed him. He just wanted to die.

“Why are you crying, kid? “ a slightly high-pitched, lively voice asked as he felt something soft tap him on the head.

André looked up with tearful eyes. The girl looked like a bully with her earrings, rings, and bold clothes. Her emerald eyes had a mix of mischief and kindness.

“My…parents they…“ André's voice sounded more childish, weak. Even a bit pathetic. “They promised to take me to the amusement park, “ he noticed his heart rate increasing and the tightness in his throat. “But they forgot. Like they always do! “ Tears flowed more forcefully.

“And that's why you're crying?“ the girl tapped him again. “My mom doesn't keep her promises either because she's always working. But I don't cry, you know?“

“But I've been waiting almost a year! “ he replied.

The girl sighed.

“Fine, I'll take you.“

André felt his body calm down. The tears stopped, and a slight fatigue set in.

“Really?“

“Yes, come on, “ said the girl, leaving the swing and sitting on the bike. “Hop on.“

Suddenly, the sadness turned to euphoria, joy, happiness.

“Yessss!“ he exclaimed, and quickly climbed onto the bike. He had never done it before and almost caused them both to fall, but he didn't care if the girl might laugh at him or if they got hurt. He was happy. Finally, his dream was about to come true.

“Be careful, kid! I don't want to die yet,“ she said with a smile. “By the way, I'm Neisa. Nice to meet you.“

That had been the moment he met Neisa, and the happiest of his life. Slowly the anxiety faded away, and before he knew it, André had regained his composure. He returned the happy memory to his mind and continued down the stairs to the basement. As he passed a room, a faint light caught his attention. He approached and entered a square room without furniture. Isen, Neisa, Bargu, and Dragen were on the edge of a huge hole, gazing fascinated into it. André walked towards them, thinking about what he would tell them about what happened to Burmac. But when he reached the edge and looked down to see what his comrades were looking at, he completely forgot about it. About six meters deep, there was a huge crystalline formation of violet and black with numerous cracks as if something had burst out from its inside abruptly. Despite the cracks and the hole it harbored, its unparalleled beauty made everything else seem unimportant.

“By Ibelir… What is that?“ André asked in awe.

“That, soldier, is the source of the corrupt magic,“ the combat mage replied