Ada didn't seem convinced. Havel moved away from the wall, moving closer to his companions. “And I will rush to get you if something happens. You are under my command, Purple. I don't let my companions die on missions,” he approached Cragar's son, "The first monster, the first strange sensation, you name it. Do you understand me?"

The two met their gazes, after which Shirei nodded.

“Great, how do we proceed? How do we get them to capture you?”

Ada thought for a moment, then a flash of inspiration crossed her gray eyes. “A psychotic episode,” she said. “He'll pretend to have a mental breakdown. He will scream and become agitated. It will be enough to get the doctors' attention."

Havel nodded approvingly. “Good idea. You and I can be nearby, ready to intervene if necessary.”

“No,” Shirei replied firmly. “You must stay away. If they see us together, they might suspect something. You must continue to play your roles as patients."

Ada opened her mouth to protest, but Havel cut her off. “Rather, son of Cragar, can you act?”

The boy didn't answer, but looked away. Ada rolled her eyes and thought: Let's hope so.

Shirei headed towards the main corridor, while Ada and Havel followed after a few minutes.

Cragar's son continued walking for a while, looking for the most precise moment to carry out his charade.

Once he had chosen his stage, Shirei took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Finally, with a heart-rending cry that echoed through the hospital, he began his performance.

His screams immediately attracted the attention of the hospital staff, although the boy was aware of his terrible theatrical skills. If something went wrong, he knew where to blame it.

The corridor quickly filled with medical personnel. The demigod, trying to perfectly play the role of a patient in the throes of a psychotic break, writhed on the ground and opened his violet eyes.

“The shadows! The shadows are coming! Don't let them get me!”

Despite his act, Shirei suspected he still had the same calm expression on his face.

Two burly nurses instantly grabbed him by the arms, trying to immobilize him. The demigod pretended to struggle against their grip, but took the opportunity to evaluate the strength of possible enemies.

“They are muscular, too much to be simple nurses.”

"Doctor!" called one of them. “We need help here!”

A tall man in a white coat made his way through the crowd of onlookers that had formed. His cold eyes surveyed Shirei with clinical interest.

“Bring him down,” he ordered in a flat voice. “This patient needs… yes, special care is needed.”

The nurses began to drag him towards the stairs at the end of the corridor. Shirei continued to struggle weakly, but internally he prepared herself for what lay ahead. He glanced at Ada and Havel, still across the hall.

I apologize.

After all, he had deceived them.

He didn't think the Equinox Flowers were stupid, but Shirei knew the situation would distract them. It was human nature to eliminate lesser information when under pressure, a trait Shirei mysteriously lacked. The anchor was interfering with his powers, making it impossible for him to use his powers or send Reno to warn them.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

In fact, Havel would have been a better choice.

The demigod, however, had realized the understanding between the two and, recognizing that he was not made for teamwork, had placed himself in that situation of his own free will.

He let himself be dragged towards the ground floor, through the corridors and, finally, through the doors that led to the basement. The gap closed with an ominous hiss, and Shirei felt the floor shift beneath his feet as they descended into the depths of the hospital. The air grew colder and more humid as they descended, and a strange smell filled his nostrils.

When the doors opened, Shirei had to contain his surprise.

The basement looked nothing like the rest of the hospital, more like the interior of an ancient Greek temple, with black columns rising from the tiled floor and golden ornaments glimmering in the dim light.

The nurses dragged him along the vast space interspersed with columns, passing closed doors from which disturbing sounds came: moans, muffled screams and a bestial growl that Shirei recognized instantly.

Monsters of the rift.

Finally, they stopped in front of a stone altar, stained with what looked like dried blood. Around the altar, figures in white coats moved with mechanical precision, preparing instruments and vials. An amphora was placed behind them, it contained a luminescent golden liquid. It wasn't difficult to understand what it was about.

Ichor.

“A new guinea pig… prepare him for sanctification” ordered the doctor.

Shirei was dragged towards the altar, they laid him on the cold stone against his will, but this allowed him to get a closer look at the golden liquid. He had to wait longer before making a move. There were twelve of them, he could have easily overpowered them, but he couldn't let them escape. He needed to keep them all at close range, at least at first.

A doctor approached with a syringe filled with the glowing liquid. “Don't be afraid,” he said in a monotone voice. “Soon you will be sanctified. You will become part of something bigger. You will obtain the grace to become a Lichi warrior.”

At that moment, Shirei understood. They were injecting the ichor of a goddess into patients, a process that would cause demigods to fall back into his divine path, but which transformed humans into monstrous creatures.

Rakion created a rift line here for this reason. The triggering event is the birth of the monsters and the ichor is the anchor.

The doctor came closer and looked him in the eyes with a smile. His smug expression instantly disappeared when he recognized the purple hue of his irises. Slowly, he began to step back, dropping the syringe filled with divine blood.

“N-no… who did you bring here…”

In one swift motion, Shirei rolled off the altar, catching the doctors by surprise. In the chaos that followed, he managed to dodge attempts to capture him. He could have taken advantage of the confusion to throw himself against the door and escape, but that wasn't his goal.

He advanced among the doctors, knocking them down one after the other. Only after being halved did the men understand that it would be wiser to flee. An option that Cragar's son would have eliminated in the following three minutes.

Why did I do it?

He wondered, looking at the broken legs of the twelve doctors. He tried to remember the scenes of the previous few seconds, but found only emptiness in his mind. He didn't remember stopping the men from escaping, but the shocked screams testified otherwise.

He didn't have time to rack his brains about that situation. The demigod swallowed his pity for his enemies and reached the doctor who had recognized him.

"Do you know who I am?”

The man wore a mask of pain on his face, but quickly replaced it with fear. “Y-yes. I had not been informed. I didn't know… there was a new one of you.”

“What do you do in this place?”

“We create Phasmaphiles with the blood of the divine Lichi. We analyze and note the differences between male and female specimens.”

Phasmaphiles, so that is their name.

Shirei took note of the information and continued her interrogation, “Why are you doing this?”

The doctor remained silent.

"Answer.”

More silence. The demigod approached only to find that the man had passed out from shock. He made sure he was alive, then decided the time had come to reach the Equinox Flowers.

Without the tenebrae, I will need Havel and Ada to carry the amphora.

Cautiously, Shirei reached the dungeon doors and exited, only to be confronted by the two demigods.

“Thank the gods,” Ada whispered, relief evident in her gray eyes. “We were about to come looking for you.”

It was then that a fist flew in the direction of Cragar's son. Shirei dodged easily, but Havel pushed him into the wall.

“Did you think we wouldn't remember? Huh?”

Shirei nodded in the affirmative, later finding himself forced to avoid a second punch.

“Why did you lie? We stayed here waiting for you before we remembered that the anchor inhibited your powers!”

Ada took the blond by the arm and pushed him away.

“This isn't the place for this, let's move.”

Havel snorted, but let himself be guided to a small room on the first floor. Once safely inside, Shirei dropped to the ground, ignoring the Equinox Flower leader's furious glare.

“Tell us everything,” Havel said, his voice a mix of anger and concern.