Frank's lungs burned as he pushed his aging body to its limits, struggling to keep pace with Ollie. The young Aurian moved with an agility that seemed inhuman, effortlessly weaving between trees and leaping over fallen logs. Frank, on the other hand, felt every impact jarring through his bones as he gasped for air behind the young man. His flopping belly was a jarring reminder of his declining fitness.

The red marble hopped ahead of them, each hop followed by a dim light that beamed from Ollie's eyes, leading them through the twisted landscape of the park. Frank's vision blurred. His breath coming in ragged gasps. He could hear the ghouls gaining on them. Their inhuman wails grew louder with each passing second.

Ollie glanced back. In a fluid motion, he produced two shotguns, from thin air.

"Keep running!" Ollie shouted, spinning to face their pursuers.

The first shotgun roared, but instead of buckshot, they spewed forth a dazzling array of mystical energies that formed multiple runes in the air. A wall of flame erupted behind them, momentarily halting the ghouls' advance, some left singed and dead. Ollie fired again, this time with the second shotgun. A tangle of thorny vines burst from the ground, creating a natural barrier.

Frank's legs felt like lead, his vision narrowing to a pinpoint. He stumbled, nearly falling, but forced himself to keep moving. The world around him began to spin, sounds becoming muffled and distant. His obsession with the case kept him moving forward through the pain.

Ollie continued his barrage, each blast from his shotguns manifesting a new obstacle. With every shot, shells appeared hovering mid air, then insert itself into the empty receiver. Sheets of ice coated the ground, pillars of stone erupted from the earth, and gusts of wind howled through the trees, all serving to slow their relentless pursuers.

But despite Ollie's efforts, the ghouls kept coming. Frank could hear them crashing through the mystical phenomena, their instinct drove them forward with terrifying determination. His heart pounded in his ears, each beat feeling like it might be his last.

As they rounded a bend, Frank's foot caught on an exposed root. He pitched forward, the world tilting sickeningly around him. His vision dimmed, consciousness slipping away as exhaustion and fear finally overwhelmed him.

Frank's world spun as he hit the ground, pain shooting through his body. The ghouls' shrieks pierced the air, growing louder and more frenzied. He struggled to push himself up, his arms shaking with exhaustion.

Ollie whirled around, his eyes widening as he saw Frank sprawled on the ground. In a fluid motion, he pulled a sleek rifle from thin air, its barrel glowing with an eerie blue light. He fired, and a bolt of crackling lightning struck the nearest ghoul, turning it to ash.

But more were coming. Frank watched as Ollie's hands blurred, the rifle disappearing and a pair of revolvers materializing in its place. The revolvers' cylinders swung open, ejecting the spent cartridges as fresh rounds materialized mid-air. The new ammunition, a blend of teal and crimson hues, floated momentarily before sliding into place with uncanny precision.

The first ghoul lunged at Ollie, its twisted form a nightmarish blur of claws and teeth. Ollie's pistols barked in unison, each shot leaving a trail of shimmering light. The ghoul's body jerked and twisted, holes appearing in its flesh that glowed with an inner fire. It collapsed, its form disintegrating into wisps of dark smoke.

But the second ghoul was smarter, more cautious. It darted from side to side, using the trees as cover. Ollie's shots went wide, leaving scorch marks on the bark. He cursed as the revolvers he had disappeared into thin air.

This time, a massive sniper rifle appeared in his hand, its cylinder pulsing with a sickly green light. Ollie lined up his shot meticulously, anticipating the ghoul's next move. The moment before he could center his sights on the creature, it had already ducked behind another barrier. Undeterred, Ollie pulled the trigger regardless.

A blinding green beam of light erupted from the sniper rifle's muzzle, piercing through the rock that the ghoul had used as cover as if it were made of paper. The creature's agonized shriek split the air. For a fraction of a second, the ghoul's twisted form was illuminated in an eerie emerald glow before it began to crumble. Its body disintegrated rapidly, breaking apart into millions of fine, ash-like particles that scattered on the wind.

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Frank's lungs burned as he and Ollie continued their desperate sprint through the twisted landscape. The barriers Ollie had conjured seemed to be holding, the ghouls' inhuman shrieks growing fainter behind them. Up ahead, a shimmering distortion in the air marked their salvation—the exit portal.

Suddenly, a familiar sensation gripped Frank. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and a chill ran down his spine. His instincts, honed by years of detective work, screamed danger.

"Stop!" Frank gasped, grabbing Ollie's arm. "There's danger up ahead."

Ollie skidded to a halt, his eyes scanning the area. "What? I don't see anything."

Frank shook his head, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Trust me. I've got a hunch."

Ollie hesitated, clearly torn between his training and Frank's inexplicable certainty. "But the portal—"

Before he could finish, the branches above them split and broke. A massive form fell from above, landing with earth-shaking force exactly where they would have been had they continued running.

As the dust settled, Frank and Ollie found themselves face to face with a monstrosity that dwarfed the ghouls they'd encountered so far. It stood easily thrice their height, its form a nightmarish amalgamation of twisted limbs and writhing tentacles. Where a face should have been, there was only a cluster of glowing, hate-filled eyes.

Frank felt his blood run cold as he stared at the abomination, his mind struggling to comprehend the nightmare before him. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but his feet remained rooted to the spot. Beside him, Ollie's face had gone pale, his usual confidence replaced by grim determination. The young man's hand trembled slightly as it hovered near his weapon, a stark reminder of the fear that gripped them both in the face of this otherworldly horror.

The creature's eyes fixed on them, radiating malevolent intelligence. It took a lumbering step forward, the ground trembling beneath its weight.

Frank and Ollie exchanged a look, both realizing the gravity of their situation. The portal lay just beyond this new threat, tantalizing in its proximity yet seemingly unreachable.

Frank's eyes widened as he watched Ollie's movements with a mixture of confusion and growing alarm. Ollie's moved with practiced precision, ejecting the spent shell from the sniper rifle with a swift pull of the bolt. A white shell materialized in Ollie's hand, its surface gleaming with an otherworldly sheen.

Time seemed to slow as Ollie smoothly inserted the shell into the empty chamber. The rifle's barrel swung around, and Frank found himself staring down its length. His heart pounded in his chest, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin. The weapon began to emit a soft white glow, casting eerie shadows across Ollie's face.

Frank's mind raced, trying to make sense of this sudden turn of events. Was this some sort of betrayal? No, it wasn't. He knew that he was being monitored by someone from the Path. It was Ollie's job to keep monitor him. Helping him throughout this whole ordeal already meant that he was to be kept alive. He opened his mouth, desperate to say something, anything that might change the course of what was about to happen, yet he didn't. He had a small feeling that there was more to what he was seeing than meets the eye.

But before a single word could leave his lips, Ollie's finger tightened on the trigger. The rifle bucked in his hands, a blinding flash of white light erupting from its muzzle. Frank's world exploded into a sea of brilliant, searing white.

Frank's vision twisted and warped, the world around him becoming a kaleidoscope of distorted shapes and colors. His body felt weightless, as if gravity had suddenly lost its hold on him. He tried to move, to speak, but found himself unable to do either.

Ollie's voice cut through the confusion, sounding distant and echoing. "Wait for me at the exit!"

Before Frank could process the words, he felt himself hurtling through the air at an astonishing speed. The massive ghoul's claws blurred with action, swiping at him, but somehow missing as he floated rapidly towards the exit portal. The creature's roars of frustration faded into the background as Frank's body continued its inexorable journey towards safety.

As he neared the shimmering portal, Frank managed to twist his head just enough to catch a glimpse of Ollie squaring off against the monstrous ghoul. The young man's face was set in grim determination, but Frank could see the desperation in his eyes. Ollie's hands moved in a blur, weapons materializing and disappearing as he unleashed a barrage of shots against the creature.

The ghoul's massive form loomed over Ollie, its claws lashing out with terrifying speed. Ollie dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding each strike, but Frank could see the toll it was taking on him. Sweat poured down Ollie's face, his movements becoming more frantic with each passing second.

As Frank floated further away, the fight began to leave his view. The last thing he saw before the portal engulfed him was Ollie's face, a mixture of fear and resolve etched into his features. Then, in a flash of blinding light, Frank was gone, leaving Ollie alone to face the nightmarish creature.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he emerged from the rift, the familiar world materializing around him. Yet, even as his body relaxed, his mind raced with worry. A heavy sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Frank knew all too well the horrors that Ollie was facing in the rift. The memory of the ghoul's massive form and razor-sharp claws flashed before his eyes, and he shuddered involuntarily. The weight of leaving his young companion behind to face such a nightmarish creature alone pressed down on him, threatening to crush his spirit. But he knew there was nothing he could do should he have stayed and fight. Against such a creature, he wouldn't even know if he could pull the trigger of the rifle that Ollie gave him.