“That doesn't tell me anything! Do you have anything to do with the death of my friends?”

“[Those I helped you remember. No, I have nothing to do with their deaths.]”

“Who are you? What are your intentions then?”

“[Finding out who I am should be more or less easy.]”

Jean was tired of his elusive behavior. “Spill it out!”

“[Now is not a good time. How about asking Dih if she wants the fate that awaits her?]”

“Don't try to divert the conversation!”

Actually that was a question Jean didn't yet know if she wanted to ask. It would be a hard blow if Dih pushed her away.

In the end, she resumed her march into the depths, leaving the rat abomination alone only to find another setback. A disgusting, black and green, unknown mass in the distance. It was huge, occupying practically half of the path, and released decomposing gasses that made her dizzy. However, its smell was not the usual corruption of the dungeon. It was familiar. She didn't understand what it was, but she could sense it was related to her somehow.

“[With that material you would be able to create an excellent body for Dih!]”

“Are you kidding?! That's disgusting!”

[New Mission: Obtain the Obag Relic to temporarily leave this dungeon.]

“So that was the reason for the familiar feeling!”

“[It's what's left of the previous Cursed One! He tried to escape with the relic.]”

Jean didn't inquire why he knew he was a Cursed One. She had other, more important questions on her mind. "Who killed him? Narhad?"

“[What! No! Obag killed him for switching to the wrong side.]”

“Side? Are you implying that the relic...?”

“[There are two reasons why a relic merges with an aspirant. But if this one tries to use its power without being accepted... Well... That’s one of the possible outcomes!]”

The idea of returning took hold of her. Even more so when the disgusting mass of corruption seemed to approach her. “What assures me that this one will choose me? I don’t want to end like that!”

The beast roared inside her, calming her. Inciting her to come closer. “But it's disgusting!”

“[Yeah, yeah, … Come on! We don’t have all day!]”

As she approached, something began to glow in the mass of corruption. It was as small as a marble, and it rocketed towards her, merging instantly. This time, fortunately, she didn't lose consciousness.

[The curse continues to modify your whole being. In response to your desires, Flesh of my Flesh now allows you to place the soul in the created body, leaving it free.]

“That's awesome! They will no longer be spawns!”

[You have learned Cursed Graveyard — Level 1. Unique Skill.

You can store corruption in a dimension of your own to feed your curse. This will allow you to temporarily leave Nimireth's dungeon without dying.]

[You have learned Iron Will — Level 1.

It won’t manifest as independent skills, it will be combined with Last Breath. The skill can now maintain active skills such as Cursed Binding or Chameleon even after losing consciousness.]

[Cursed Binding has been upgraded;

⸰ You can re-store the corruption you pass on with Cursed Binding after removing it from your Cursed Graveyard.

⸰ Attribute theft increases proportionally to the amount of corruption transferred.

⸰ Cursed Binding will no longer resort to Hunger for Evil until Cursed Graveyard is overflowing.]

Jean no longer hesitated; she introduced her hands into that dark, disgusting mass, which was absorbed at an astonishing speed. She felt no discomfort or weight of any kind, but she did feel its presence.

The whispers assured her that those reserves of corruption would allow her to stay out of the dungeon for at least three hours fighting as usual. "Only 3 hours?! Are you kidding me?!"

When there was nothing left, she did as Narhad suggested and hurried back to the subterranean lake. She ascended quickly until the light of the great lake shone in the distance. However, when she heard the voice of several individuals, she stopped dead in her tracks. Only after activating Chameleon did she approach again, albeit slowly.

Jean looked for a place to hide and watch. Narhad was nowhere to be seen, but several individuals were. They were only distant silhouettes, but she counted at least 20. She assumed that these were the individuals who had been hiding after her fall. Most trained in pairs of two while a group of three entered the portal.

A few minutes later, the portal vibrated. Someone was returning alone with multiple wounds and his head down. She couldn't see his name from so far away, but he didn't seem to be any of the people who had entered. Where had he come from?

She opened the map again and checked where the arrow of the weaker abomination was pointing. She needed more corruption if she wanted to bring Dih back. Whispers warned her that she had to get Dih's favor first. Resigned, she conjured Soul Collector and wished to speak with her.

“[I wouldn't do that if I were you. You are not safe here.]”

Jean ignored him and spoke with the real whispers. "Wake me up if something goes wrong!"

The right chain became visible and connected to her chest. Her surroundings shifted in an instant. Everything was darkness except for a spotlight in the distance. In it, Dih was sitting on her knees.

As soon as she took a step, Dih jumped to her feet. "Who goes?"

“It's me, Jean!

Dih adopted a defensive stance. "That name means nothing to me! Why can't I see your face? Why is it so blurry?"

That was a hard blow for Jean. They were still at that point.

Dih suddenly stepped back. Jean didn't need to turn around. It was obvious that something was wrong.

“[Look what I have here! A thief stealing souls! What a deja vu!]”

The male voice was deep, vibrant and powerful. The same powerful voice that had deceived her all this time by impersonating the whispers. Jean couldn't help but feel a mixture of hatred and fear. Had he set her up? She didn't know whether to answer or run away, for she remembered how he had warned her not to make an enemy of the Soul Keeper.

“[Don't be afraid! I can't and won't kill or harm you! You are alive after all!]”

Jean decided to turn around slowly. She anticipated finding a monstrous aberration. Something gigantic and skeletal. However, there was only a man in his fifties approaching from the darkness. A powerful white silhouette gave away his position, as did his long white hair. Almost as long as his dark black robe. His eyes glowed with a pale shade of blue. The same as the plane of souls.

She attempted to see his name, but no panel emerged. “Are you the one who’s been deceiving me all this time?”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“[Voila! Wish fulfilled! Now you know who I am!]”

Jean looked at him, perplexed. She didn't know if he was pulling her leg. He noticed it, but he didn't leave her in evidence.

“You called me a thief, but I didn't steal any soul! I convinced Dih to come with me so I could..."

“[No, I wasn't referring to you stealing her soul!]”

"... save her.”

Dih didn't understand anything, but silently watched her potential savior and the being that seemed to be able to do anything there.

“Then, what have I stolen?”

“[I didn't call you a thief, Jean.]”

Jean looked at him in absolute bewilderment. She even looked around in case there was a fourth individual hiding around.

“[I'm talking about you.]”

The beast roared echoed all over that place of infinite darkness. Jean didn't react, Dih did. She cowered in fear as if a colossus was about to appear. "What the hell was that?"

“[Something you'll have to accept in order to get out of here with Jean, girl.]”

“Get out of here? Why?”

“[That's your business! You accepted to follow her because of the desire to look like her, and yet it is she who wants to look like you. Right Jean?]”

"To me?," they both muttered at the same time, looking surprised at each other.

“[You are not even aware that you are dead, am I wrong?]”

“What the…?! Dead!? I thought that … Shit! … Am I really dead?” She turned away to hide the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Annoyed, Jean stepped forward. "Enough of this! Tell me! What have I stolen from you?"

He seemed surprised to see her accept the wishes of her chains as her own. That determination without a hint of doubt brought a smile to his face.

“[Interesting choice, old friend!]”

Jean narrowed her eyes. He had known the one who had failed to fulfill his vengeance against angels and demons. "What was his name?"

“[Let's not stray! Your chain has tried to steal a soul that has been stolen from me many times before.]”

“By whom?”

“[Thitad!]”

“That bitch! ... Wait a minute! Earlier you said they stole and now they tried. Which is it then?"

“[They haven't been able to complete the theft because you don't have enough room in your inventory for more souls. However, your chain continues to grip that soul with tenacity.]”

Puzzled, Jean raised her arms and saw that the end of the left chain was completely invisible. It was hiding the action.

"Now it makes sense! At that moment you... Why did you do it? Do you want me to rescue it from the plane of souls? Why didn't you ask me?"

“[The curse has a life of its own! You expect him to consult you? A simple...]”

Jean interrupted him firmly. "The curse attends to my desire to save others!"

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. “After all you've helped me... I'm so sorry! I will amend my mistake as soon as Dih agrees to come with me!"

Dih took several steps until she got very close to Jean. That gave her a lot of confidence.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. That puzzled both, even though it had a purpose. "OMG! Jean! ... I-Is that you?!" Perplexed, Jean turned to find Dih with tears streaming down her cheeks. "You've come to hell for me?"

Jean smiled and nodded without being able to articulate a word. Dih gave her a tight hug; there was no better way to express her feelings.

“[Touching, but this ain't hell, girls. It's not even close.]”

"A matter of opinion!," muttered Dih, giving him an icy stare.

Jean looked at him gratefully. It had been he who had made it possible for Dih to see her clearly and to understand her situation. Unexpectedly, the man's fingers snapped again.

[Soul Collector you have been forced to upgrade to level 2.]

The left chain began to retract to save the soul, but a third snap of his fingers prevented it. The chain began to elongate against its will until it ended up connected to a point located between his two fingers. A tiny luminescent soul that grew fainter and fainter.

“[Do you understand your situation now?]”

Jean looked dejected at the chain. It showed no sign of wanting to let go of the soul, but why? What was so special about it? "You're going to punish me for this?"

He denied with his head.

“[You said you would make amends, right?]”

[New Mission: Gain Al-Hek's favor so that he fights alongside you.]

The man raised his hand and readied his fingers again without any prior warning. "Wait, wait! I'm defenseless in the real world. I can't...!"

“[Run! You have no time to lose!]”

His fingers snapped again, and darkness enveloped her while the other chain linked with Dih. It didn't work out as they had hoped.

««◊◊◊« »◊◊◊»»

Stepping forward in his dirty boots that reeked of horse, Al-hek hurried down the long hallway of his family's castle, White Rock. A massive structure erected hundreds of years ago on rocks characterized by their abundant white marble deposit and the bones of those who stood against them.

As he passed by, any soldier or servant bowed to him, even if he insisted they not do so. It was useless to try.

"Where is my father?"

"In the great hall, M’lord!"

“Thanks, Lium!”

“With pleasure, M’lord!”

Al-Hek moved forward, overcome by an unusual restlessness in him. It wasn't because of the urgency with which his father had summoned him. It was like an ominous feeling that everything was going to go wrong. A feeling that had been plaguing him for some time. A feeling he had almost gotten used to.

Al-Hek pushed open the door at the end of the hallway. He was surprised that there was no guard, but he didn't care too much about it either. On the way there he had seen more than 60% of the bulk of the troops of the houses loyal to White Rock. It was clear that they were leaving for war.

The great hall was as always, so opulent it made him sick. He hated that place. It represented all the pomp of his father and the inequality he created with his people. It's not that he exploited them with taxes, but he never cared about the famines of his vassals.

A voice rose from a corner of the hall. "Where have you been? I sent you a letter to come back three days ago!"

Al-Hek clenched his fists. "You and I have an agreement, don't we? I'm not your lapdog." His father didn't even flinch at his scorn. "I go where my desires take me and not where the fetid breath coming out of your mouth commands me!"

Al-Hek wasn't careful enough to check if they were alone. The head of a guest emerged from behind the large back of a pompous chair. It was a mistake he knew would cost him dearly.

The guest's throat clearing didn't wait. "I see your youngest son is already a grown man. So much freedom has made him forget his manners when addressing the one who has given him everything."

The look on his father's face was one of genuine disappointment. "Don't be so condescending, Count Vislum! We both know my son is not cut out for the glory of White Rock."

The Count raised his eyebrows and continued to gently swirl his wine glass. His father gave Al-hek a long look and pointed to the servant's door. "Go and finalize the preparations. I'm busy now."

"What did you call me for, father?" Al-Hek's gaze showed very little obedience or respect.

"You will be in charge of the castle until my return. I must attend the King's call."

The Count assumed that the boy must have been in some brothel since his birthday 3 months ago. "This enemy is no joke! It has already annihilated the Eastern Kingdoms."

"I never take anything lighty, My Lord!" Al-Hek didn't even look him in the face, his gaze was focused on his father. "And how long do you estimate you will be out to show off your flamboyant combat regalia."

His father's gaze turned to anger, but he concealed it out of respect for Count Vislum. "Reports indicate that those things outnumber us 3 to 1. We all know that the power of the demons is far superior to ours. We could easily be talking 4 or 5 to one in terms of power. We will go to the castle of His Majesty King Ahmuts tomorrow! The defenses of that fortress will allow us to resist the onslaught. If we hold out for a few months, we will finish them off later.”

Al-Hek's face was a poem. The population had no idea how bad things were. Why hadn't they initiated a mass exodus? "What about our people?! You expect me to defend them without troops?!"

Vislum sneered. "You talk like you know what you're talking about, boy! What's coming will kill us all if we worry about the expendable."

Her father cleared his throat. "We'll have dinner in two hours. Go wash off that horse stench."

"You would be doing us a great favor!", Vislum added with a laugh.

"During dinner you might even regale us with some of your adventures. They say you are ... famous among adventurers."

Al-Hek smiled forcedly and headed towards the service door. Everyone called him the Thief Prince in the Guild. A nickname that got on his nerves. Surely Vislum knew that.

As soon as he closed the door and left them behind, Al-Hek noticed that something was wrong. The stone walls weren't the ones adjoining the great hall. The tapestries and white marble tiles had disappeared. He had grown accustomed to these changes and had learned to surf over them without losing his cool.

It didn't take him long to realize that he was walking to his mother's chambers. He didn't wonder what he was doing there, seeing her was something he longed for, but couldn't get. In the middle of the corridor, after the first turn, footsteps echoed. As soon as he saw his sister-in-law, he feared the worst.

She was ravishingly beautiful, although this time she looked more grief-stricken than usual. Even more so there, where everyone looked down with contempt for her low birth. She wasn't the daughter of a nobleman, just the more beautiful daughter of a fat merchant who supplied her father with anything he desired. Anything that had a price, no matter how questionable it was.

She approached like a dog that had lost its master. “My Lord, is it true what they said about your brother and your father?”

Alhek felt out of place, as if a day had passed with every step he had taken after leaving the last door behind. Suddenly, he recalled the day the news had arrived. His father's army hadn't even reached its destination; they had been ambushed and killed.

"What's going to happen to us now?", she said as she tried to place both her hands on his chest.

Al-Hek pushed her away very roughly; those words and attitude made him sick. She had not approached out of concern for him, all she cared about was the thought of her privileges crumbling at her feet. "I don't know and I don't care, Sofieth! I only care that the enemy is coming, and there are thousands of them!"

“But we'll be safe inside the castle, right?”

"Safe? Thousands of our vassals will die protecting us! Are you going to pick up a sword and help them on the front lines?"

She went pale.

Al-hek kept moving forward without abruptly pushing her away this time. "Lock yourselves in your chambers! Maybe the gods will have mercy on us and the demons will kill us before torturing us for days."

She almost fainted from the shock.

"It always amazes me how important you think you are in comparison to those who serve you and give their lives for you! I bet you would stop breathing if you weren't constantly reminded of it."

“MY LORD! MY LORD, PLEASE WAIT!”

A hastily trained militiaman was running in their direction. His voice trembled like a candle before it was extinguished. He assumed the boy was coming to inform him of the reported sightings, but he wanted to see his mother first.

"M'lord, there are two strange women in the courtyard. They have entered through the sewers. They insist that they are allies and that it’s very easy to enter through the east sewer."

"What do you mean, too easy? Who the hell are those two and how did they break steel bars that even a troll wouldn't bend!"

"They say they killed several demons there, sir. They were the ones who cut the bars."

“If they are adventurers, bring them to me! But before...”

Going to see his mother seemed less urgent now, but he had to go. It might be the last time he would ever do so.

“M’lord!”

“WHAT! … Don't tell me! There's more, right?”

The boy who less than a month ago was planting and plowing the field nodded. “The face of one of the women can't be seen. It's blurred, m’lord. ... Is she a demon disguised?"

Al-Hek couldn't say how he knew, but he blurted it out as if it came from deep experience. "If they came for me again, let them come! I’ll deal with them!"