POV Aron Brightcloud

The staircase was surprisingly deep. Walking down, time passed. The walls and steps never changed, the only alteration came in form of torches, each ten to twenty steps, giving us light. This made for a monotonous journey.

At last we had reached the end. Bones slipped back into his ghostly state. I told him to go check out the surroundings. We took some time and made us a picture of the new area. Forearmed with knowledge, I led Anna to a nearby ledge. It gave us an overview over the cave below. Bones joined us. Finished with his recon, he had slipped back into his skeletal frame.

As usual for boss rooms, the cave’s size was considerable. Giving the monster below enough space and instilled a certain awe into possible trespassers. Further to the side, another staircase lead down. It would bring us to the bottom of it and functioned as the entrance to the boss-room.

We had a perfect view from the ledge. Making it the best spot to prepare our plan of action.

“What do you think Anna, how should we proceed?”

My new friend went down on one knee and studied the soon to be battle area.

“We have four goblin-guards between the goblin chieftain and the room entrance. Naturally it would be best if we could kill them before we begin the Boss-fight.”

“Presumptuous”

I agreed with her observation.

“Yes, although I think we won’t be able to pull it off. Something tells me the boss won’t simply wait until we have killed its subordinates.”

“Scandalous”

Anna nodded “No, we will have to plan with them coming at us all together. Anything else would be careless.”

“An abomination”

“Yes, only with detailed planning will we come out on top. I have underestimated the dungeon. I fought the first boss would be easier.”

“Six, why could something have six of it, that is not right!”

Anna’s face scrunched up in thought. ”Maybe we could station Bones downstairs at the stair-entrance and we keep firing from above here?”

“Everybody knows, four is perfection! Four is godhood! Six is blasphemy, how could something have six?!”

“That could work, but I think I would have to support Bones at the entrance. He won’t be able to hold the entrance alone. Especially against that Chieftain. He has the same height as me, clad in his black armor he would be a worthy opponent with only that much already. Yet he has six arms. I had more than enough problems with the one we fought outside. And that one only had four.”

“No, this cannot stand! This is a perversion of all that is right! It must be obliterated, fully and completely! Only four can remain!”

“Did you hear that? I thought I heard a whisper” I looked at Anna hoping for an answer. I could have sworn there had been something.

“No, I didn-” “It shall be so! Only complete obliteration can give absolution to such an erroneous monstrosity.” “I heard something! Yes, you are right! It came from your left side!”

Left? That was where Bones- oh no… We both turned to the little troublemaker.

The flames in his eye-sockets had turned darker, reaching a sort of bluish black. The fire had grown, enveloping his head. A crown was forming itself.

“Six is chaos, six is death, six shall be purged from the earth!”

Power broke out of his body, his entire presence changed. A slight sucking force pulled at our bodies, the black fire devouring even space itself.

I and Anna instinctively stepped back from my little brother.

The flames had taken over most of him, his whole skeletal frame burned with them.

“Oh god, a world-devourer…” Anna’s whispered words registered only with much troubles as my entire focus was on my little brother.

Before we could decide what to do, he suddenly accelerated towards the ledge. In no time Bones had reached it and flung himself out into the air, plunging with breakneck speed toward the boss.

The goblin-guards somehow noticed the incoming skeletal fire-bolt and tried to intercept the apostle of death.

Differently, the chieftain possessed a greater survival instinct and stepped back. Deciding to take a look and see approach instead of participating in the contest of pure strength.

The first two goblin guards formed a mini shield-wall together. Hunkering down behind their perceived protection, planning to let Bones crash against their defense. They were the first to die. Bones crashed into them, yet instead of being pushed back or even endure him, they simply vanished. Burned, or better said, eaten out of existence by the black flames that surrounded the skeletal grim reaper.

I was still processing the sudden disappearance of the first two guards when the other two joined them. They had closed in on Bones and had simply stopped existing from one second to another. There was no fire or explosion, they were simply gone.

Understandingly, the chieftain wanted nothing to do with this instant ticket to hell and ran away as quickly as he could.

Bones still in his dark crown version muttered while he followed the panicking goblin.

“Six is chaos, six is death, six shall be purged from the earth!”

The sentence had changed to a mantra, spoken like a spell.

Then the four armed skeleton suddenly enlarged his head and upper body to an enormous degree and elongated both of them, instantly reaching the fleeing prey. With one big bite it ate the chieftain, swallowing him whole. Finished with his mission, Bones reverted back. His bone-structure shrunk, the fire vanished.

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A second later, the Bones we knew and loved had returned. He gazed up at us with a confused look, then crashed to the side, having fallen unconscious.

Anna and I sprinted down. Reaching him as quickly as we could. We checked his condition. At first worried, we were interrupted by his snoring.

“Chrchchchchchc…”

Our worry changed instantly to incredulity. We both looked at each other and laughed, although Anna’s seamed a bit forced. Only after some time did we stop and processed the unbelievable event, we had just witnessed.

My happiness suddenly vanished as I realized the meaning of what had happened.

Coldness flooded me, not factoring in the stupidity of how this mess had even come to be. It felt more like a bad comedy than anything else as I looked at it, knowing the harsh truth. Bones’s behavior had been so typically Bones for not being him at the same time, it was hard to keep serious about it. Yet the situation was anything but.

This event could never be allowed to be known outside. I replayed Anna’s words in my mind, the feelings that had flown out during that careless second.

My brother must be protected. I raised my head. Anna chose that moment to look at me as well. Mine an emotionless mask and hers filled with the realization that she had seen something forbidden.

“Contract!” She immediately shouted, looking at me pleadingly.

I relaxed myself. “Definitely.” I smiled at my first new friend in this academy. I didn’t want to kill her, she deserved my gratitude. Had she not helped me repeatedly until now? It would be only fair to return it.

She quickly took out a new contract scroll, preparing to sign the sheet of paper.

“What was that about a world-devourer?” I inquired while I moved in her direction.

“At first I misidentified him as one. Seeing his further behavior, I realized that Bones had to be a variant of a space-wraith. I am sorry if I worried you.”

She gave me an apologetic look. I nodded in answer. As long as we found out the truth.

“This secret is very important to me. Can we heighten the penalization in the contract?” I asked further.

Anna nodded understandingly “Naturally we can. But fear not, I won’t tell anyone either-way. You are my friend.”

She smiled at me. Her entire body radiated sincerity.

I smiled as well. I knew now what I had to do. I stepped closer, fumbling for a quill in my garments.

In one fluid motion, I stepped into her space. My hidden dagger slipped through her ribs into her heart, only coming to a stop when the crossguard hit her flesh.

The utterly shocked Fenrix jumped backwards, coming to land on the ground out of my reach. She immediately spun up a lightning-bolt, planning to revenge her beloved master. She couldn’t finish it. Fenrix got enveloped by the former caring legs of Olivia, only this time they didn’t posses any tenderness.

The eternal hunter neutralized her former playmate in an instant, methodically breaking any resistance the panicking fox threw at her. Wrapped up into a tight bundle, Olivia turned her prey to the side. Her mandibles quickly found the neck and delivered her potent poison directly into the carotid artery, stopping the fight once and for all.

‘Olivia, you know what you have to do. Don’t leave any traces behind.’

I felt my familiar’s assent through our bond. She wouldn’t throw away a perfectly fine opportunity for nourishment.

I turned back to my former friend.

Anna lay on the ground next to my feet, looking up at me. Her eyes full of fear, her lives-blood flowing out of the wound I had inflicted on her. She tried to speak, but only a whisper came over her lips.

“A-Aron, p-lease..”

“Why Anna? Why couldn’t you be a bit less driven? I am so sorry…”

I had felt the truth from the words she had spoken. My innate gift unearthing it from the lies she had spouted. Anna wouldn’t have kept the secret. She had a clear set of rules that let her protect the weak but they wouldn’t allow her to step back here. Anna would have rather destroyed half of her core or more, than keeping a world devourer a secret. I couldn’t allow her to do that.

I caressed her cheek sadly. I hadn’t wanted this. She was a good person. Yet my little brother was too important. He had found me when I had been at my lowest, had given me a part of his soul and had entrusted his entire being to me. I would protect him.

Bones and I were now so closely connected that I doubted a save removal was possible. Not that this made a difference, I would have protected him either-way. The fusion of our souls had brought with it an understanding and trust that couldn’t be described to people that hadn’t experienced it by themselves. Even though we hadn’t known each other for long we were closer than many a brother to their kin.

With one last shudder of her body, Anna’s soul left. She had died, the one Person in the Academy that had shown me warmth and support was gone.

Olivia had used the time to take care of Fenrix. She had done it cleanly and completely. No traces had been left behind.

Everybody that had witnessed the event had died. Bones was safe.

The emotions I had developed since I had arrived in this world crashed against my logic walls. I had done something unspeakable. A part wanted to shout in self-hate, yet my calculating and logical thought-processes mercilessly crushed them. I would not dwell on this. I had still things to take care of.

Bones was still sleeping. Good. He didn’t need to see what would come now. Normally I never put him into the familiar ring, but this time was an exception. I didn’t want to burden him with the knowledge of what had happened and still needed to be done.

I mechanically stepped over to Anna and picked her up. Slowly I carried her through the boss-room, arriving at the exit. Behind it, a portal-chamber had been built. Walking through it, I would arrive in the next level.

Not glancing back once, I crossed the threshold. One second I stood in a cave, the next I had forest around me, Moonlight shone down on us, highlighting my deceased friend’s face. Her skin had lost the once vibrant color. The muscles still relaxed, making her look as if she was sleeping.

My emotions tried to overcome me once more. I buried them even deeper. Emotionless, I walked further, searching for the things I knew had to be here.

And they were. The familiar forms of forest-wolves greeted me. Six of them had taken up my scent and slowly stalked closer. I wordlessly threw Anna at them and stepped back.

At first they were wary, but when I didn’t do anything but watch, they tore into my friend with abandon, ripping whole chunks out of her. I waited patiently, completely submerging myself in my hunter persona. I didn’t want to feel the pain.

The deeper I went, the more emotions fell off of me. Leaving only precision, logic and the cold knowledge that I had made the strategical right decision.

Set parameters. Install time limit, calculate vessel integrity. Integrate additional skills.

Execute.

Two hours later, I stood above my fallen companion. My body completely bathed in blood, my armor in tatters. The whole area around us littered with dead wolves. I checked myself. My body had reached an acceptable level of injury. Emotionless I picked up my now mostly eaten friend and carried her back towards the entrance point.

Nobody would be able to pinpoint the real reason for her death. Her heart had been ripped out of the ribcage, destroying the only possible evidence.

Accompanied by a blinding light, I vanished through the portal, arriving in the academy.

As it so happened, my entire class stood together. Teacher Monrose and the other students must have arrived not long ago. The before happy chatter took an instant turn for the worse when we came through.

Silence spread as everyone looked at mine and dead Anna’s gory sight. I had plastered a look of utter dread onto my face. I stumbled two steps before I relinquished the control of my overburdened body, falling forward, Anna’s body too heavy to handle.

The silence only interrupted by an outburst of utter misery, so complete and desperate, it would have broken my heart had I not submerged it in “ice”.

“No! Anna! No!”

I felt two hands carelessly pushing me to the side. Jane had arrived. She grabbed the half eaten body of her sister in an embrace, crying desolately.

Not long later, teacher Monrose followed. He stepped closer to me. I caught the words life-threatening and hurry, but I couldn’t be certain. I had brought my body close to its breaking-point; it needed to look like a tragic accident.

I drifted in and out of unconsciousness. At one point I floated through the corridors the next moment I lay in a bed, mostly healed. The moonlight shone into my chamber, highlighting the surroundings enough to make me certain of my location. I lay in a sickbed in the medical wing of the academy.

Going through the past events, I tried to phase together where I had gone wrong. Could I have circumvented the awful event that had led to Anna’s death?

Even after having turned into a grim reaper of death, Bones had been his usual comical self. I repeated his mantra.

“Six is chaos, six is death, six shall be purged from the earth?”

What stupid creature hated the number six? Especially combined with arms?!

At last my erected walls burst and I broke. All the pushed back emotions flooded my mind as I emerged from my callous subroutines. I cried and laughed in alternation, lamenting the disastrous events. I had killed the one person who had believed and trusted me.