The intruder dusted himself off like nothing was amiss.

He casually strolled towards the door that the corpses here were guarding just moments ago, though in appearance, it would be more accurately described to be an ornate wall rather than a door. On this door there was but a lone depiction of an angel that wept over the land of the living. The emotions carved into the angel’s face and the attention to detail in each and every tear reflected the struggles of mankind—the hardship to survive to this very day.

He brushed his hands against the angel's face with gentle grace, then stopped and took two steps back, staring blankly into the wall.

The beast sniffed the wall and its master, then turned its head in curiosity, for it could not understand its master's sentiment. It licked his master once then sat down next to him, also staring at the wall.

After a minute, as if by magic, the angel fell a tear; and as that tear touched the floor, the wall rumbled, moving aside and revealing an unlit tunnel path.

Without any hesitation, the intruder descended further down the ever-narrowing entrance. The beast that followed its master however, was far too large to enter. But as it stepped into the tunnel, its size scaled down, and as the tunnel got smaller so did it. Once the beast was fully past the entrance, the door was sealed once more, leaving no essence of anything other than their shallow breaths so far beneath the earth.

Till now, there had always been a man-made well-cut marble that laid their path, but that ended with the seal behind them. They were now surrounded by naturally made formations that had been long preserved and left undisturbed.

The walls of the tunnels were cold and unfeeling. As its paws guided it, it could feel the warmth being absorbed right into the earth that surrounded it, as if each step they took drew them closer and closer to death.

Its master paid it no heed, so nor would it.

It stopped and waited for its master to crawl through the narrowest point they had come across so far, it stopped and wondered why the master had chosen to squeeze through the narrow gap instead of using his abilities to widen the entrance. But little did that matter, it waited for a few seconds and followed suit.

Soon, they came to a wide-open chasm that appeared to be nothing but a dead end—leaving nothing but a vertical drop. In appearance, it was nothing short of the edge of the abyss at the end of the world.

Its master stepped ever closer to the edge and peered down at the endless void that lay ahead. Without even another second of pause, he took the next step and plunged into the abyss. And as for the beast, wherever its master went, it followed.

The master's step was like that of a feather as he landed with the grace of a feline—not a hair out of place. And as for the beast, still in its small form, it landed atop its master's head and then leaped to the floor.

The area in which they landed was of a clear expanse, a pocket in the earth with almost nothing of significance. But that was not the case for its master, who walked to the far end of where they had landed. As he placed his hand on the wall, it reacted to his touch, and another pathway opened.

Its master continued down the path.

How far had they journeyed since that ornate door? That, the beast did not know, for the whole journey seemed rather pointless. The only ones they had encountered so far had been weaklings, not even fit to serve as a snack. Their flesh had been rather tough and without much magical energy—not tasty whatsoever. To be even summoned for such an occasion was nothing short of an annoyance.

But wherever its master goes it would follow, for that was their agreement.

As they traveled down this tunnel which seemed no different than that of which this journey had started, the beast could feel something different in the air—the distasteful essence of their eternal enemy. It licked its lips in anticipation as the scent grew stronger and stronger until it became so strong that the beast could barely contain itself in excitement.

They came to another opening that was nothing but a dead end, except for one major difference, there was a figure that leaned against the wall across from them.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

There was a scent of magical energy coming from him, it was strong but not as strong as the overwhelming scent that came from beyond the wall he lay against.

*************************************************************************************************************

The man that laid against the wall cracked his neck and opened his eyes.

Arbious stood and brushed the thick layer of dust that had collected over a whole year of isolation.

His wave of anger had come and passed, though the timing could have been a bit more fortunate, it was still a joyful occasion.

His job and position, as revered as it may be, was still nothing short of a prison, the guardian of The Well. An eternal position only to be relieved at the passing of the torch—at which one was expected to expire.

Damnation for the rest of his existence, to be so utterly alone and devoid of the joys of the flesh, a torment that no one should ever be forced to endure. Luckily for him, the heavens have blessed him with the means to live in the realm of the mortals despite his entrapped mortal coil.

His unique skill [Life’s Image] creates not a copy but an actual duplicate with which he could share his own conscience. Despite the fact that his body is trapped, he could still live and enjoy everything that life has to offer. He had grown so accustomed to living life in those replicas that his real body felt strange in comparison.

A bit of exercise was certainly in order.

Though there was certainly something far more pressing than this temporary freedom. How did this intruder know not only of this place but to get past the seal that protected it? This place is only known by the inner circle of the church. Could there be a mole in their ranks that revealed this sacred location?

Even so, the seal that was in place was one that not even he could break. Only Lord Ioe and those two eagles of death who act as his left and right hands would have clearance for all restricted areas.

Could one have betrayed the church? Impossible. So then who could this man be?

A question with no answer in mind. Worrying over such details would only bring nothing but headaches.

…

He certainly is taking his time.

So brazenly challenging the church and attacking one of its most sacred places. A death wish was in order, and it must certainly be delivered.

To have come alone is enough of an insult, the floor will be painted with his blood.

But to simply murder his enemy… where would the fun be in that? This execution would be a grand and drawn-out event, only when begged for the sweet release of death would he deliver the final blow and savor the look of despair on his victim as their life slowly bleeds out of them. The very thought of it brought a smile to his face.

As he weighed different methods that he could toy with the enemy, two shadows finally stepped into view. One of a man and one of a beast.

Though surprised to see that the intruder was not alone, Arbious bowed and announced his presence: “Welcome aboard to my humble prison, the name is Arbious, though I’m sure you must be well aware of that fact already.”

… Awkward silence was all he had in return.

“Well I wouldn’t expect barbarians who lack the compassion of our faith to behave in a proper manner now, would I? No of course not, how silly of me. In that case, carry the name Arbious to your grave as the one whom you were slain.”

Arbious drew his saber and waited for the inevitable attack, but the intruder stood there and the beast sat on its hindquarters and licked its paws.

He simply stood there and stared at Arbious, there was no build-up of magical energy and he certainly wasn’t preparing anything physically either.

“What are you playing at? I'm the defender here, shouldn’t you be the one to be charging at me? Or is this your style of provocation?”

…

“Are you really going to stay there and not say a word? I’ve never thought anyone would be foolish enough to defy his holiness, and sure enough he’s an absolute clown.”

Rather than an exchange of words with buffoons such as this, an exchange of the blades would be more appropriate.

Arbious charged in without another moment of hesitation.

In a single flash, his blade cut the intruder over twenty times as he passed through. Nothing but slight flesh wounds to test the waters. As expected there was no reaction from him whatsoever. He couldn't even react to Arbious’s movement, thus he couldn't even dream to block those attacks.

Something was amiss however, as his blade passed through he felt that the tearing of flesh that covered his blade was not blood, but something dark and viscous.

He felt the liquid on his hands and took a whiff, he shuddered.

Arbious turned to face him, but the intruder was still standing there as if nothing had happened.

Could I have been mistaken? No…

It matters not how long it had been, the feel of his blade rending flesh was not one he would soon forget. There was more to this intruder than he had anticipated. Arbious was all grins.

“So tell me, who are you? No, rather what are you?”

But the intruder stood still and offered no words in return.

“Well, I’ll ask the more important question then. How did you know of this place, and more importantly, how did you get past those seals? Even for those within the church, only a select few were privileged to this secret.”

And again he stood silent.

“Well if you won’t share your secrets perhaps I shall bleed them out of you.”

Rather than waiting for the enemy to show their hand, it's better to charge in head first and force their hand instead.

Arbious charged once more.

This time the intruder drew blades of his own and easily caught the attack, the loud reverberation echoed not only in the chamber but in his arm. It felt as if he had struck an immovable object.

The attack was made with the full intention of taking at least an arm, yet it was blocked with ease.

Tch.

He had intended to test the man’s strength and made the attack much more powerful than what his subordinates could handle, any one of them would have been cleaved in two. It seems the intruder had the same in mind, as the intruder replied with a grin of his own.

Given his weapon of choice and the monstrous strength in those tiny arms, it would be absolutely inconceivable for him to be anything other than a close-range combatant as well.

“This is gonna be fun.”