Alaric’s muscles burned as he cleaved through another writhing tentacle. The massive creature insisted on thrashing about in the murky depths of the lake, sending waves crashing against the shore, instead of just dying like it should already. He was quite pissed, honestly. Had it not been for the lake, he would’ve killed it already. Alaric didn’t want to destroy such a beautiful place.

The beast’s numerous appendages whipped about trying to hit him. But Alaric was no novice. He dodged. And the beast destroying the lake only annoyed him further. Thus he severed its tentacle with each swing of his blade.

“Come on, you overgrown squid.”

Three tentacles shot towards him simultaneously in response.

Alaric ducked beneath the surface. The appendages whistled overhead. He emerged behind them, cutting through all three in a single slash.

The monster roared. It was a sound so grating he scowled. The sound reverberated through the water.

“Okay, let’s just end it.” Aaric prepared for one last blow to end it all.

However, something strange caught his eye. A faint green glow emanated from within the creature’s body, pulsing like a heartbeat. He hesitated.

The reason behind said hesitation was rather simple.

His instincts screamed at him, that something was amiss.

Sure enough, the monster’s remaining tentacles suddenly went limp. Alaric watched in confusion as the massive body began to collapse in on itself. Like a puppet with its strings cut. Then there was a sound—a sharp sound of the creature imploding.

“What in the world...?” Alaric muttered, but before he could say more, the green glow intensified, becoming almost blinding. Alaric shielded his eyes, unable to look away as the creature continued to implode. The water around him began to churn violently.

Then, the world seemed to bend and warp around him. Colors blurred together, and he felt a sensation of weightlessness, as if he were falling through empty space.

As quickly as it began, the strange phenomenon ended.

Alaric blinked, disoriented by the sudden change. He was no longer in the lake, and instead, he stood on solid ground with the outskirts of Holden spread out before him.

“Huh?” he managed, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.

***

Thomas flexed his knuckles, wiping blood—Luther’s, of course—on a handkerchief. Luther Alden. The man was a mess of swollen flesh and crimson streaks, slumped in a chair, rough ropes biting into his wrists and ankles.

Still, he insisted on not revealing anything.

Despite everything, however, a broken chuckle bubbled from Luther’s split lips. Luther’s head lolled up, meeting Thomas’s gaze. A grin spread across his face, revealing gaps where teeth used to be. “It’s too late, isn’t it?” he rasped.

“What’s so funny?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Luther wheezed, his one good eye gleaming with a manic light. “The wheels are already in motion. You can’t stop it now.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Luther’s chuckle turned into a wet cough. “Oh, we certainly will. Sooner than you think.”

Thomas stepped closer, looming over the battered man. “Start talking, Luther. What’s coming?”

“The end,” Luther whispered, his grin widening impossibly. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Suddenly, a blinding green light enveloped both Thomas and Luther. Reality seemed to bend and twist around them. A nauseating sensation of being stretched and compressed simultaneously. And then, in an instant, they found themselves in another place.

Luther crashed to the ground, his bonds somehow gone. He retched violently, his body rebelling against the sudden transportation.

Thomas, though disoriented, managed to keep his footing. As his vision cleared, Thomas noticed Sir Alaric nearby, looking equally dazed.

Their eyes met. Before either could speak, a shout cut through the air.

“Sir Thomas! Sir Alaric!”

***

Theodore watched as Sir Thomas and Sir Alaric entered the room. Their eyes were immediately drawn to Lady Karmichael. The two knights bowed respectfully. She acknowledged the gesture with a regal nod.

“Lady Karmichael,” Alaric greeted. “It’s been some time.”

“Indeed it has, Alaric,” she replied, a hint of amusement in her tone. “I see the years haven’t dulled your edge.”

Thomas cleared his throat. “My lady—”

A distant explosion cut him off. Everyone tensed, hands instinctively moving to weapons. Everyone except Lady Karmichael, whose lips curled into a grin.

“Interesting,” she mused, settling onto the table just slightly aside where Miss Bodyguard’s invisible form should be. “Well then, show an old lady a good show, would you? Don’t worry, it’s relevant.”

The world blurred around him, and suddenly, Theodore was no longer in the room. No one was in the room. Aside from the two women, of course.

When his vision cleared, Theodore found himself standing on soft grass with the added weight of his sword at his hip. Blinking in confusion, he saw Thomas, Roland, and Alaric nearby, all looking equally disoriented.

“What in the blazes?” Thomas muttered, spinning around to take in their new surroundings.

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Theodore sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And this is why no one likes her,” he grumbled. “She does whatever the fuck she wants.”

Alaric raised an eyebrow. “Your aunt?”

“Who else? The one and only,” Theodore confirmed, drawing his sword. “Well, gentlemen, shall we see what’s caught her interest?”

They stood before a large cave entrance, wisps of white smog drifting out. Theodore’s [Arcane Awareness] tingled; the mist was saturated with mana.

Alaric frowned. “This mist... it’s not natural. There’s power here, and lots of it.”

Thomas nodded in agreement. “But where exactly are we? And why did Lady Karmichael send us here of all places?”

Theodore shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. She’s never been one for straightforward explanations.”

Roland had been surveying their surroundings. “Oh,” he said, pointing to a distant silhouette on the horizon. “I believe that’s Holden.”

They all turned to look. Sure enough, the familiar outline of the town was visible in the distance.

“Well, at least we’re not too far from home,” Theodore muttered. Theodore’s gaze returned to the cave entrance, and then the mana-infused mist swirling around. “I suppose we’ll find our answers in there,” he said.

Alaric nodded. “Into the unknown, then. Stay alert, everyone.”

The mist thickened, clinging to them. Theodore felt it—a strange… what to say… he felt a tingling on his skin. It was like when a part of the body sleeps and you feel the ants crawling. It felt like that, but it was more of a tingling sensation. The high concentration of mana did that.

But why? What is happening here?

“My lord,” Roland said quietly, “do you think this has something to do with the magical circle we saw earlier?”

Theodore considered the question. “It’s possible. The timing seems too coincidental to ignore. But it can also be unrelated.”

They paused at the mouth of the cave, peering into the gloom. The white mist seemed to glow faintly, providing a diffuse light.

“Well,” Thomas said, drawing his sword, “shall we?”

Theodore nodded, taking a deep breath. “Stay close. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”

They stepped over rocks and entered the cave. The mist swirled around their feet, seeming almost alive. The air grew considerably cooler, and the sounds from outside became muffled, replaced by an odd and low humming.

Strange. Theodore frowned.

“Anyone else hear that?” Roland asked.

Alaric nodded. “It’s coming from deeper in the cave. Stay on your guard.”

Coming from deeper in the cave? But Theodore heard it from outside.

They trudged on cautiously, and the narrow passageway gave way to a gradually widening one. The mist grew thicker, too, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead.

Theodore’s foot struck something solid. Looking down, he saw a gleam of metal in the mist.

“Hold,” he commanded, crouching to examine the object.

He brushed away the mist, and his hand paused. It was a gauntlet, intricately crafted and humming with magical energy.

“Sir Thomas,” Theodore called, “does this look familiar to you?”

Thomas knelt beside him, his eyes widening in recognition. “By the gods,” he whispered. “That’s elven craftsmanship. How? What’s it doing here?”

Before anyone could respond, a low growl echoed through the cave. They all froze, hands tightening on their weapons.

“That... didn’t sound friendly,” Roland muttered.

The growl came again, louder this time, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps.

“Form up,” Theodore commanded.

They formed a tight circle, backs to each other, as the footsteps grew closer. The mist swirled more violently, obscuring their vision.

Theodore’s heart pounded in his chest. Adrenaline rocketed through his veins. This, he realized, must be what his aunt meant by ‘entertainment.’

She was a crazy woman, alright.

A massive shape burst through the mist. It was unlike anything Theodore had ever seen—a beast with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and most prominently, the tail wasn’t just a tail, it was a snake.

“What in the hell is that?” Thomas said.

“A chimera,” Alaric responded. “But I’ve never seen one like this before.”

It charged, its claws leaving deep gouges in the stone floor.

“Scatter!” Theodore yelled, diving to the side.

The others followed suit, narrowly avoiding the chimera’s initial charge. As it skidded to a halt, Theodore caught a glimpse of something glowing on its flank—a symbol that looked eerily similar to the magical circle they’d seen in the sky.

“The mark!” he shouted to the others. “It looks like the circle!”

The chimera’s lion head let out a deafening bellow that shook the cavern walls. Its eagle wings spread wide, creating gusts of wind that whipped the mist into a frenzy. The snake tail hissed menacingly, its eyes glowing with a golden light Theodore found familiar.

Roland was the first to react. With a crack of thunder, he vanished from sight, only to reappear behind the beast. His blade flashed, aiming for the chimera’s flank, but the creature was quicker than expected. It pivoted with surprising agility, its massive paw swatting Roland aside like a rag doll.

Well, at least that was what should’ve happened.

Roland had already moved by then, and his fist had come crashing down on the creature. The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, causing stalactites to rain down from above.

Roland looked annoyed.

Well, Theodore could understand. Roland couldn’t use full power. Or the cave would collapse.

The chimera stumbled, momentarily stunned by the blow. Alaric seized the opportunity, his form melting into the shadows. He reappeared in flashes, his blade a blur of motion as he struck at the beast from multiple angles. The chimera howled and its blood spattered the floor.

“Get clear!” Theodore shouted.

As his companions leaped back, Theodore unleashed a torrent of flames from his palms. The fire engulfed the chimera. But as the flames died down, the beast emerged, singed but far from defeated. Its eyes now glowed with an intense hatred, fixed squarely on Theodore.

“Well, that didn’t work as planned,” Theodore muttered, reaching for his water pouch.

The chimera lunged, its massive form barreling towards Theodore. Theodore didn’t budge, however. Because just as its jaws were about to close around him, Roland appeared in a flash of lightning, bringing his sword down on the creature in an arc of lightning.

The chimera’s form shuddered under the impact, its roar turning into a pained screech. Thomas, seizing the moment, charged forward. His muscular form blurred as he moved, the air around him distorting with the sheer force of his attack. He brought his fist down with earth-shattering force.

The combined assault from Roland and Thomas proved too much for the beast. Its form began to waver, like a mirage in the desert heat. The chimera’s features started to blur and shift. Its monstrous appearance melted away, revealing a human form lying crumpled on the cavern floor.

Theodore’s eyes widened in recognition. It was Miller, the [Paladin].

Theodore wasn’t shocked, merely surprised. So that’s how it was, he thought to himself.

He was honestly just… disappointed.

Miller stirred, pushing himself up on shaky arms. His eyes, still glazed with the fervor of transformation, locked onto Theodore. A manic grin spread across his face.

“You think you’ve won?” Miller spat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “This... this was merely a distraction from the main event!”

Theodore’s companions exchanged confused glances, but Theodore’s face remained impassive.

Miller continued, his voice rising with each word. “The Night Whispers have been busy, oh so busy. We’ve been cultivating the negative emotions of the people, feeding their fears, their anger, their despair. All for the grand ritual!”

He let out a laugh that echoed through the cavern. “And now, our one and only true God will descend! You cannot stop it. None of you can!”

As Miller spoke, his eyes took on a distant, rapturous look. It was the gaze of a man who believed he had seen heaven itself.

Theodore looked on, his face expressionless as Miller continued his fervent monologue. The man’s skin began to crack again. Golden light liquid seeped out from it. “You hear me, none of yo—”

Theodore brought his sword down in a clean arc. Miller’s words cut off abruptly as his head rolled across the cavern floor.

“You talk too much,” Theodore said flatly, flicking the blood from his blade.

The others stared at him in shock. Thomas opened his mouth to speak, but Theodore was already walking towards the cave entrance.

“Let’s go,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. “Drag him out.”

***

They followed him out of the cavern, Roland studied Theodore’s face. To most, it would appear impassive, unaffected. But Roland had known Theodore long enough to see the subtle signs—the tightness around his eyes, the slight clench of his jaw.

Theodore was pissed.