Chapter 25 – Black Winter Day

Hall panted heavily. He evaded the blow of a two-handed sword, ducked under bone claws swung at his face and thrust his own chipped blade into the revenant’s chest. The shadow hardly twitched.

Steel proved ineffective against the Nephesh-Ra. His soul energy did little more than slow them down. When he poured it into his weapon, it cut deeper, scorching their bones, but that didn’t stop them.

Worse, his strength seeped out of him at an alarming rate. Every time his energy burned ashen flesh and bones, it was consumed by darkness, leaving him weakened.

So, instead of large amounts of soul energy, he only used enough to penetrate the skin and activated ‘Down with the Sickness’. An atrocious screech left the jagged lips of the monster before him when bright light poured from Hall’s sword.

The health bar above his enemy’s head dropped, but his aim lay somewhere else. ‘Down with the Sickness’ could cleanse souls and against a Nephesh-Ra it was a brutal attack that left it stunned for precious moments.

Glowing chains shot from the ground and tied down its limbs. It could easily rip apart a single mana shackle. Once stunned though, Lily could bind it long enough for Hall’s final attack.

He put away his sword and dagger and grabbed hold of the large scythe blade he carried with him. Without hesitation, he rammed the dark metal into the revenant. As if impaling its natural enemy, the scythe devoured the struggling Nephesh in seconds. The high pitched screams soon ceased and silence returned to the maze.

You have leveled up!

Hall sat down, exhausted and bruised. The scythe blade on his lap felt heavy. He leveled up twice since he began fighting in the labyrinth, but the hours he spent battling the Nephesh-Ra took their toll.

The first encounters were brutal and he almost died several times. Their fast strikes ripped his equipment to shreds and their high damage robbed him of potions and food. His chipped blades bore witness to how long it took him to find a strategy against them.

“Damn it! If this goes on, we won’t make it till the end of the day.” Hall slammed his palm against the frozen wall.

The durability of his armor had dropped by half and his sword didn’t fare much better.

“Well, even if you had to fight naked, you’d still have your chains.” Lily sat beside him and giggled at the picture of an exposed Hall swinging his chains.

Hall sighed but smiled when he saw her happy expression. “Sure, but don’t forget it’s really cold down here.”

He refrained from using his chains in the narrow passages of the maze. And because they were fueled by his soul energy, every contact with the Nephesh-Ra drained his strength.

“Harbinger, let her read. Lily, could you continue please?” Moira asked.

What’s with the difference in tone? But he understood her impatience. She could finally grow. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a body yet, so somebody needed to read for her.

Soon after they left the cavern, Lily had begun to read aloud from the ledger they got. Hall had hoped to gain a few points in intelligence. But while he could read the ledger himself, it was different when he only heard the Sorian language.

Especially when Lily read it at ten times the speed he was comfortable with while he fought against enemies around level 60. So his familiar read in silence and Moira with her. At least it allowed them to bond.

Hall scratched the back of his head. Their progress had been rough, his fighting style messy. Most of his skills had little to no effect on the Nephesh-Ra. They knew no fear, the strength of their soul—their unity of body and soul—rivaled his own and they threw themselves at him without regard for their lives.

In the beginning, the battles were few and far between, but as they advanced further into the dreary tunnels, more and more revenants showed up.

By now, he could defeat one with relative ease. More though would push him to the brink of death.

Of course he always kept ‘Velvet Thorns’ up, as well as the buffs—the positive effects—he gained from Lily’s skills. They were most effective during the song, but even after she completed it, he still received a stat increase for several minutes.

A slower progress would be safer, but his foes and allies prepared a battle somewhere on the surface above him. He needed to be as strong as possible when facing off against the king’s forces. And then, there were more personal reasons.

He breathed in deeply, took a sip from his canteen and pushed himself from the ground.

“Enough rest!” Hall put the attribute points he gained into strength and agility and looked over his stats. He really wanted to use the ring he got from Bathory—or rather from her husband.

Looks like I have miles to go before I sleep.

Lily followed him as they pushed through the darkness.

The continuous usage of ‘Soul Meets Body’ and ‘Soul Perception’ kept their mana pool well below full. It was a risk, but a calculated and necessary one.

Hall let his senses reach into the darkness ahead and made sure they wouldn’t be surprised. Because he focused entirely on the enemies ahead, he almost missed the change in the faceless voices that accompanied them. First they intensified, but soon their volume dropped and minutes later they disappeared completely.

Now only silence remained. Even the glowing runes barely gave off any light and the cold became worse with every step they took. Whatever they were approaching, it had driven its claws deep into the labyrinth.

“Something’s coming!” Lily put the ledger away and turned incorporeal again. “It’s not a revenant.”

“Are you sure?” Hall strained his eyes to pierce through the darkness.  “I can’t sense it.”

“I’m sure,” Lily said. “And it’s not good.”

He pulled his sword and infused the chain wrapped around his left arm with energy. It would at least serve him as a shield.

Seconds later he sensed it too. “You’re right, it’s not a revenant, but—“

He didn’t finish. The enemy barely entered his range of perception and the passive effect of ‘Watching over me’ triggered. Time around him slowed down, but he barely managed to cross his blade and chain clad arm in front of him.

Fast…

Without a sound, a figure, tall and covered in thin grey cloth, shot out of the darkness. No, not cloth. Its edges merged with the surroundings. Shadows drifting in and out of existence. Even his ‘Soul Perception’ picked up nothing but a fleeting form of black.

Hall caught little more than a glimpse of it before the figure crashed into him.

-109hp

He put in all his weight, but the impact drove the air from his lungs and almost broke through his defense. Hall grit his teeth and a deafening roar left his throat. His skill ‘Blast Tyrant’ echoed through the dark passages and cracked the thick ice around them. Icicles fell from the ceiling and shattered on his leather armor, causing minor damage.

Hall put his strength into his sword and pushed the monster away with a wide swing. But his blade passed through the figure as if he tried cutting a shadow.

“It’s a specter!” Moira yelled, alarmed. “The ledger contained information on them. Be careful. They are Nephesh-Ra, but between level 70 and 90. Not only are they almost immune to physical damage, they—“

“Damn it, how do I kill them?” Hall screamed back as formless claws ripped through his flesh. His health already dropped below half.

He could take on humans or animals of the specter’s level with ease, but the Nephesh-Ra were different. They rendered many of his attacks useless.

“I don’t know.” She sounded panicked. “Try the scythe?”

Hall blocked another blow. “This thing is way too fast and tears through Lily’s chains as if they were nothing. Damn it, shouldn’t I have better skills for this? Isn’t this the task of the Harbinger of Death? What is Grim thinking?”

His sword pierced the specter’s chest, but even infused with his energy, it dealt no damage. Instead, it only reduced his own strength as the Nephesh-Ra devoured his power. ‘Down with the Sickness’ pushed the monster back for the fraction of second, but it seemed more surprised than wounded.

“Grim wouldn’t allow you to encounter these kind of enemies this early. Souls fused with flesh. Becoming one being. They are way too resistant to attacks directed at the soul and then there’s the level difference. I just… I’ve never seen anything like it.” Moira’s voice became desperate. “And whatever these specters are. Nephesh-Ra, yes, but they don’t even have a body. I don’t—?”

“Get a hold yours—“

A shadow moved in the corner of his eyes. That was all the warning he received before a vicious strike to the side of his head blew him away.

-309hp

You are dizzy:

Impaired vision for 5 seconds

Speed -30% for 5 seconds

“Hall!”

“Hall!”

Two voices screamed in his head as he instinctively raised his arms—sword still in hand—to soften his collision with one of the labyrinth’s frozen walls.

The black flames of his sword cut through the ice and the metal screeched as it dug into the stone beneath. He felt his strength drain through the sword, but the specter charging at him demanded his attention.

Blinding light, emerging from the wall he smashed in, distorted his blurry vision even further. “Why is it so bright?” He grit his teeth at the expected attack. But it never came.

“Look!” Lily grabbed Hall’s arm and steadied his stand. “The light is pushing away the Nephesh-Ra.”

“It’s the runes,” Moira said. “Your soul energy flowed through your sword when you rammed it into to the wall. So that’s how the Nephesh-Tova keep them at bay, they sacrifice their soul and body to protect the Sorian heritage. We can use that.”

“Yeah, sure.” Hall coughed and wrinkled his nose at the metallic taste in his mouth. “No wonder they are dying. This is hard.”

He couldn’t keep pouring his energy into the runes or he wouldn’t be able to go on. But the moment he cut the connection, the specter would attack again.

“Damn it, I’m all out of fresh ideas.” The dark blade of a scythe appeared in his left hand. Its weight drove the tip into the ground and Hall leaned on it to catch his breath while his right arm continued to fuel the rune’s magic. “Lily, let’s try it with your chains, maybe I can reach the enemy.”

When Hall fought the revenants, his familiar shackled them right before him. He left them no chance to escape. The specter stood several meters away though, at the edge of the light Hall created—lurking for his prey. He tried to lure it in by reducing the intensity of the runes, but it didn’t fall for it.

Lily focused her gaze on the specter and blue light emerged from the ground. In that instant, Hall poured all the energy he could muster into his sword and the runes. The Nephesh-Ra tried to get away as the burning light carved into its essence. But Hall aimed for the moment it would be overwhelmed by the purifying runes.

Blue and white chains of mana rose from the ground to tie the specter down. They wouldn’t hold long.

He released the grip of his sword and jumped toward the specter. Darkness returned and only Lily’s chains illuminated his enemy.

He crossed half the distance when the Nephesh-Ra threw himself into the shackles. Its faceless head split open and a wide, toothless mouth—a gaping empty hole—formed. The scream that followed etched itself into Hall’s brain. Shivers ran down his spine and he stumbled, scythe blade pointed forward. Moira cried out in confusion and terror while Lily paled. She winced and tried to back away.

The mana links of her chains tore apart and when Hall almost reached the specter, he fell to his knees. The monster charged at him, the nightmarish scream still in his ears.

“Damn it!” Hall cursed. “Not like this. We stood up to worse. I won’t fall here.”

From deep within he grabbed a hold of his frustration and let it go in a roar that tore through the darkness. His ‘Blast Tyrant’ pulverized the ice surrounding them and turned the falling icicles into harmless shards.

He pushed forward and raised the scythe blade in his hands. For the first time he felt tingling on his skin when he touched the dark metal. As if the blade knew what would come and waited for it—exited, hungry.

This time he didn’t guard, he didn’t block, he didn’t soften the blow. The ferocious collision drove cold claws deep into Hall’s flesh, but he didn’t budge from the spot of the impact.

-989hp

You have resisted Shadow Sickness

Hall breathed heavily, but swallowed the coppery liquid in his mouth where he bit his tongue and a wide grin spread on his face. “Got you.”

The moment before they collided, he had raised his scythe. Though he had taken severe damage, he had driven the blade into the enemy.

Hall’s tired chuckle filled the silence as the specter crumbled to dust. His scythe—The Harvester of Sorrow—devoured it whole.

“Hall, are you alright?” Lily rushed to his side. She still trembled, but concern pushed away the fear in her voice.

“I am, but man, it’d nice if they would drop a bit more than just these soul shards.” Hall scraped the dim crystals from the hard earth and put them into his inventory, adding to the dozens he had collected so far.

“You got lucky there. Really lucky,” Moira said with a worried tone. “Please be more careful.”

“Are you worried about me?” Hall asked with a smile.

“Of course not, I’m worried about our mission.”

He chuckled and pushed himself from the ground. “Alright, replacing the buffs, filling health and mana and off we go.”

Hall sounded enthusiastic, but threw a concerned look at the nicks in the blade of his battered sword.

They marched forward. Day and night had no meaning here, so he thought in real time instead of game time. Hours passed, but the battles remained fierce and more than once Hall had to flee to escape death. Luckily specter’s seemed to be rare and so he leveled up two more times.

Hall stretched his beaten body and ate a handful of dried meat to recover the health he lost in the last fight.

The black flames that danced on the metal of his sword had disappeared after the last battle. Its durability dropped to zero and cracks formed when he forced his soul energy into it. He put it away in his inventory. “Guess this is useless now.”

When an item’s lost all its durability, it became close to worthless. It wouldn’t grant stat bonuses or effects and damage. Its defense would drop to zero as well. And though it could still be equipped and used, doing so came with the risk of the item’s destruction. Even the best craftsmen would have trouble restoring it then.

Hall sighed and pulled his dagger. He hadn’t used it much since they entered the labyrinth because of its length, but he was left with no choice.

“I think we have a problem,” Lily said. She stood close to a wall and inspected the runes.

The dagger wandered back to his belt and Hall stepped closer to his familiar whose hands brushed over rough ice. “Only one?”

“One more then.” She put her index and middle finger on two of the runes. They barely gave off any light now. “These haven’t been changed like the ones before. I think this is the original sequence”

She stretched out her arms and pointed at the opposite wall and at the tunnel before them. “Only one in three sequences have been modified to oppose the Nephesh-Ra. The rest will have little effect. They are for the original threat, whatever it was.”

Hall narrowed his eyes and cursed at the new situation. “I doubt adjusted the runes more often deeper down the maze.”

Lily looked down and shook her head. “No, we can assume the changes will disappear completely and soon after all runes will follow.”

“No wonder they don’t know what’s going on. They stopped looking any deeper,” Moira said. Anger and frustration tinged her words. “Then their invisible walls crumbled and now we have to fix their mistakes. Great.”

“At least these monsters give a lot of experience. Even if they don’t drop any decent items. Oh, and the scythe blade leveled up once.”

They would have to spend much more time in the darkness of the maze. The situation irritated him as much as it did Moira, but they needed to push forward.

He struck down a revenant they encountered a few hundred meters further into the maze. If they faced only one, he could crush it without too many problems. But he fought with care.

Despite the cold, he already stored the cloak he got from Ella—the young blacksmith apprentice from Gelt—in his inventory. Deep tears and dried blood turned his once sturdy leather armor into rags.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Damn, one day and the durability is down to a quarter. Usually only players with heavy armor would directly confront the enemy. Their sturdiness exceeded leather or cloth by far.

Hall could have purchased repair kits, but their high prices deterred him from buying some. Using them on something else than high level equipment seemed liked a waste.

Hall sighed regretfully. He didn’t even know a player who had the repair skill, especially not somebody willing to travel hours to meet him.

“Guess I just have to be careful not to get him.”

“That’s good advice in general.” Lily raised a thumb. “You should write it down so you won’t forget it.”

“Nah, I don’t need to. You guys will remind me anyway.”

In the next hour they met two more specters and three small groups of revenants. The last one attacked them from a small cavity in the wall. As good a place as any to spend the night.

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Before he went to bed, Frank checked up on the current news in the online forums. The discussion about the situation in Roselake split the community. For most people Novus Vita had long surpassed the boundaries of a simple game. It was their second life and many found friends, allies and more among players and NPCs.

If anybody threatened their way of life, it was similar to an attack on their workplace or their family. So people reacted. They argued, they fought and only few held back.

Some wanted things to remain as they were in Bredon. They found a place among the ranks of soldiers, among the merchants or mercenaries. Others couldn’t endure the oppression or the treatment of the people, so they riled under the banner of rebellion.

The volatile situation attracted many viewers from other kingdoms, so blogs and articles covered all angles of the conflict. Yet one figure eluded hobby reporters and headhunters alike—Killchain.

Hall giggled when the name popped up every now and then. That sly merchant. I bet Jorn came up with that.

The clock in the corner of his computer screen reminded him of the time and—after setting his alarm—he went to bed. His mind though still wandered the labyrinth.

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“Well, that was boring.” Frank stretched his tired joints after his classes finally ended.

“What are you complaining for? You spent half the time eating while I didn’t get what the professor said. I swear, if it wasn’t for the Virtual Reality Tutoring Programm, I’d flunk half of our classes.”

Tom, one of Frank’s few friends, continued to curse while they strolled over the campus. Levi kept quiet as usual. He never had trouble with the courses, but didn’t want to rub it under his brother’s nose.

If their roles were reversed, Tom wouldn’t hold back

“So, what’s your role going to be in Roselake? I’ve read a bit since you said you were there. Seems things are getting hotter by the minute. Fighting for the king? The people? Yourself?” Tom’s voice wavered between curiosity and concern.

“Somewhere between resistance and myself I guess. I’m still hoping for a nice quest. My current equipment is a bit… let’s say, overused.” Frank bit in an apple he pulled from his bag.

“You can still eat? How are you not fat?”

“Effective use of time. I’m walking anyway, may as well eat. Although I’m spending a lot of time in Novus Vita. But who isn’t, right?” Frank shrugged. “But can’t forget about other stuff.”

An elbow nudged him in the side and a grinning Tom winked at him. “Other stuff. I get it.”

His brother’s face reddened slightly. “Pervert.”

“Ah come on Levi,” Tom ruffled the smaller boy’s hair. “You’re old enough now. Need to get with the program. Not like you don’t have the offers, with that god damn cute face of yours.”

Tom pinched his brother’s cheek, who blushed even more. “They just think I’m like a doll. It’s annoying.”

“Ah, you hear that Frank? Levi wants to be seen as a real man. Make him your disciple.”

“The first thing I’d teach him is how to kick his brother’s butt.”

They continued their happy exchange of verbal blows until they separated at the campus entrance. All three had somebody waiting for them at home. Even Frank.

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

It had been hours since they last saw runes on the labyrinth walls. Their absence turned every battle against even a single specter into a ferocious struggle for survival.

“You’re getting hit too much. You gained a good deal of experience,” Moira said, “but their level is still far above yours.”

“I know.” Hall wiped his bloody hands on the tattered leather of his armor. “Believe me, I know.” It was him who took the beating after all.

The necessity to carry a torch in the absolute darkness of the maze slowed their progress even further.

“There’s a light up ahead.” Lily stood a few meters ahead him.

Oh god, what is it now.

So far the labyrinth offered little that lead him to believe in a positive development.

“What the hell?” Hall stared wide eyed at the scene before him. “Is this the exit?”

“No, we’re still in the maze, but this place isn’t on the map we received.” Moira hesitated for a moment. “But whatever it is, the source of the Nephesh-Ra is out there.”

The cavern that opened up before them seemed to stretch on for miles. Hall turned his head, but he saw neither walls, nor ceiling. I can’t believe we’re underground.

Thorny vegetation that grew from the hard ground emitted dim light and illuminated the enormous cavern. Some rose tall as buildings, others barely outgrew flowers and grass.

“Gaping won’t get us anywhere, let’s get going.” Hall walked forward and placed his palm on a treelike structure. Cold.

It felt like touching stone. But despite the freezing temperature, no ice coated the surface.

Mist covered the ground and clung to his torn clothes. The sound of cracking rock cut through the eerie silence and Hall turned towards the noise. Several revenants crawled from behind hills of frozen grass and slowly approached them.

“What’s this? Not just rushing in? Interesting.”

Lily looked at Hall and shook her head. “You know, there’s also a lot more of them than usual. I guess you find that interesting too?”

“Little bit. But you forget.” Hall poured his energy in both chains and let them drop to the floor. “We finally have some room.”

He heard Moira’s sigh in his head. “You know, you’re complaining, but in the end you still fight smiling.”

Hall chuckled and greeted the first monster with the roaring of ‘Blast Tyrant’ and the heavy impact of a chain against its skull.

His soul chains dealt brutal blows and as soon as Lily shackled a revenant, Hall finished if off with the blade of his scythe.

It didn’t take too long and Hall stood amidst piles of ash and bone. His body bloody and beaten, panting and out of breath, but a wide grin on his face.

You have leveled up!

That’s level up number six down here. The experience is really not bad.

He avoided the use of his blades during the battle. While the dagger had some durability left, it had suffered almost as much as the sword.

A figure in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It stood outside the range of ‘Soul Perception’ and tried to hide behind a thick, grey vine that grew into the sky.

As if by coincidence, Hall walked toward a spot that would bring him close enough to use his skill to sense it. He sucked in air between his teeth.

“That’s one dark soul, but it’s not a Nephesh-Ra,” Hall whispered.

“Worse.” Moira’s voice trembled slightly. “This thing. It shouldn’t exist. Why is it here?”

Hall swallowed hard. He never heard Moira this shaken up before. “Come on, it’s just one and it’s so small. It’s even hiding.”

“It’s not that. It’s what its presence here means. I might—“

She stopped herself. “No, I need more information before I jump to false conclusions.”

“Tell me already, what is this thing?”

“A Nachtmahr.”

Hall scratched his chin. “Yeah, I’m going to need a bit more.”

“Demons. Feared by all, even their own kind. Abominations that should have been purged from the face of the world.”

“Are they that strong?” The figure still lurked behind cover, but Hall slowed his advance and grabbed the dagger on his belt.

“No,” said Lily. “Their race is physically weak and cowardly. They attack from the shadows if their prey sleeps.”

Hall relaxed slightly. “Then why are they so feared.”

“They possess one ability. Granted by a mad god. It’s a curse for them as much as for the world, because it’s the reason they’ve been hunted to extinction. Or so everybody thought.”

He tensed up again and swallowed hard. “From what I feel, their extermination would be no real loss.”

“No. It’s harsh, but it’s an absolute necessity. Because they can separate a soul from its body. An ability not even you as First Harbinger—or most gods—possess. A soul ripped from its body before death can’t return to its source and is damned to wander the mortal plain until it’s consumed by darkness… or worse.”

A shiver ran down Hall’s spine as he listened to her words. “So, how do I fight it?”

“You are the First Harbinger of Death. One of the very purposes of your class was to eliminate Nachtmahre and you still possess that strength. I beg of you, in the name of Death, in the name of good, even from my own heart, terminate with extreme prejudice. Kill them all.”

“With pleasure.” A frightening grin spread on Hall’s face and even Lily clenched her fists. They turned and rushed toward the enemy. “Let’s go all out.”

With an angry scream the Nachtmahr jumped up and ran from them. But his short legs kept his pace low and the grass—sharp and hard as broken pieces of stone—cut into his feet.

A glowing chain wrapped around his neck and his escape came to a sudden halt.

A gargling sound escaped his strangled throat. Nasty yellow eyes, filled with hatred, stared at Hall who leaned over the naked, grey monster.

Despite his situation the demon grinned viciously, showing broken, black teeth. It raised its hairless arms and a purple mist emerged from them. For an instant Hall felt something pulling at his insides. But it was like a child playing tug-of-war with a mountain. The Nachtmahr’s smile turned into an expression of terror.

“Guess you don’t know who you’re dealing with.” Hall raised his chain-clad fist and let brutal strikes fall upon his enemy. “Well, I’m not going to tell you.”

Event Quest: KadaversternNachtmahr—scourge of the world. Thought extinct, but far from it. You discovered an area where they live. For the sake of the world, destroy them or let them be and see them spread horror and despair.

Warning: Whoever is responsible for their appearance might be watching you and act depending on your choice.

Difficulty: D

Quest requirements:

Interact with a Nachtmahr

Rewards: Unknown

That was some interaction. If his brain wasn’t mush, he wouldn’t forget it for the rest of his life.

Hall collected the soul shard from the corpse and shook his hands to get rid of the thick, black blood. Its stench clung to his fingers, but he burned it away with his soul energy.

He took out another torch from his inventory. Icy cold replaced darkness as a grave problem, but Hall would rather freeze than risk the destruction of the already damaged cloak in his inventory.

Luckily he felt no attachment to the armor he bought for a few gold, but the personal gift meant a lot to him.

“Too bad those plants don’t burn.” Hall shivered and lowered the torch. “A campfire would be nice.”

They followed Moira’s intuition and walked past hills of high rock grass, flowers and trees that looked like they were made of steel and even small streams. Instead of water, they carried a liquid that appeared to be mercury. But its repugnant smell polluted the air and—despite the numbing cold—was present in large parts of the cavern.

Attacks from revenants and specters became more frequent. But for some reason they acted differently than before, less feral. Their blows came slower, their movements seemed almost sluggish, uncoordinated, as if they hadn’t full control over their body.

Hall didn’t mind. He slaughtered them all. His chains blew apart their bodies and his Harvester devoured their darkness. The occasional Nachtmahr they met was ground into dust by his fists and consumed by his scythe to further its growth. It was a massacre.

That makes four levels yesterday and six more today. The monsters here are weaker than in the tunnels, but they give less experience. Still great progress. Grinding may be annoying, but it’s paying off.

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

The following day started out the same way the second one ended. They moved forward, killed whatever stood in their way and continued towards the darkness. Luckily nobody watched them. Hall would feel embarrassed fighting almost naked, only covered by underwear and some remaining rags.

“They are back.” Lily raised a hand, signaling him to hold. Hall threw her a questioning glance. “The voices. Listen closely!”

During the battles, the screams of Nephesh-Ra and Nachtmahre disturbed the silence around them. But even afterwards, they could hear the cracking of the plants, loud as shattering stone. Or the noise of the underground streams.

And because Hall felt the monsters before they attacked, he stopped paying attention to the sounds around them. Only now did he shift his focus.

“There’s something,” Hall said. “It sounds like—“

“It’s crying. They are crying in pain and despair.” Lily clenched her fists in powerless frustration.

“But why now? Why here?” He observed their surroundings.

“I think we’re very close,” Moira said. “Whatever is causing all this, we’ll arrive soon.”

Their relaxed grinding mood disappeared and a heavy, tensed atmosphere spread between them. They hadn’t forgotten the close encounters they suffered in the tunnels of the maze. A death at this point would be a disaster.

Lily stood behind Hall, renewed her ‘Velvet Thorns’ and started to sing. The clear voice, full of sadness and hope, warmed the air around him. He breathed in deeply and walked toward the hill ahead of them.

At its top, he came to a violent halt. He forced himself not to avert his eyes and if he could, he would have stopped his familiar from following him. Moira winced and couldn’t find any words fitting to describe the sight before them. The song on Lily’s lips died and she clung to Hall’s arm, trembling. His warmth protected her, kept her sane.

A tall tree, black as the night, grew in the middle of crater of glass. Not a single leaf adorned the barren branches. Yet it still carried fruit. Corpses of men, women and children hung from thick vines that pierced their skin and flesh. Most barely resembled humans anymore. Revenants!

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Author’s Note:

Hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter :grin:

First of all a quick adjustment:

Nephesh-Tobh will from now on be Nephesh-Tova.

Nephesh is Hebrew and it means soul. In the old testament of the bible there was no concept of an immortal soul separate from the body, so it referred to the unity of body and soul (says google).

Tobh means good, but the correct form is tova because nephesh is female (so is tova).

I have obviously no idea of the Hebrew language, so sorry for the mistake :)

Next I’d give a special thanks to Thomas, David and Jonathan for donating, you guys are awesome!

Also a big thank you to Meisterjohnny who took the time to proofread my old chapters and GunSeraph who wrote half a novel on interesting future developments to discuss it with me :D

Thanks a lot for all the support to everyone out there, it means a lot. ;)

And I’m always open for criticism, questions and ideas, so please don’t hold back

:bye: