Alza was breathing hard. It took her everything she had in order to reclaim her body, and now she was paying the price. Her limbs felt heavy, and the pounding of her heartbeat reverberated loudly in her ears. She struggled to maintain her balance, swaying unsteadily from side to side.

In contrast, Anzu, though battered, still had a good amount of strength left in him. With fangs bared and lightning crackling through his fur, he charged at Alza. The First Necromancer drew on the last bits of magical power she had left and brought her hands together, conjuring two colossal appendages: one made from earth and the other composed of bone. These massive hands collided with a resounding impact, trapping Anzu. And despite his fierce thrashing and howling, he remained stuck, unable to break free.

However, as Alza maintained her summoned hands, she winced in pain, watching as the veins on her right hand turned an ominous shade of black. Immediately, the skeletal hand she had conjured weakened as it began to fracture. Anzu, sensing an opportunity, attempted to break free, but Alza exerted her will, reinforcing the strength of her skeletal hand, effectively keeping her brother trapped.

Though his mobility was limited, Anzu could still open his jaws. Then, he started gathering energy for another lightning blast. Unable to draw on her own magical power, Alza drew upon the magical essence from her environment. She stomped her foot forcefully against the ground, causing a massive rock to erupt from beneath Anzu, sending her brother colliding with the colosseum's stone walls.

Despite this, Anzu still managed to recover. With pained whimpers, he focused his sights on Alza, and charged towards her again.

As her brother charged at her, Alza grew ever more desperate. She had trouble drawing upon the wellspring of power that was hidden within her body, and far too exhausted to be able to draw energy from nature anymore. This left her with not much choice, she would have to summon her trump card or die trying.

Alza bit her thumb and drew a hint of blood from it. She then clasped her hands together and began to chant, a black coffin slowly rising out of the earth. "Vanquish my foes, Neph-"

But before she could finish her chant, Alza's words were abruptly cut off. She had to react swiftly, leaping to the side as a raven descended from the skies, bursting into a seething black fireball. When she looked up, she cursed her luck as Amuria had returned.

"I’m sorry, Alza. I couldn’t allow you to summon that quite just yet, you would die as you are now if you did." Amuria explained as she gracefully descended to the ground.

Anzu was still charging forward with not a single care in the world. However, a handful of ravens, guided by Amuria's intent, flew towards him and detonated on contact, forcing him back to his base form.

"Amuria…what are you-"

Suddenly, Alza was forced onto her knees as she coughed up blood. Her vision grew hazier by the second. She had long overexerted herself.

"It seems that this is your limit for now, Alza." Amuria said.

Though Alza wished to respond, she felt her body grow weaker and weaker. She slumped to the ground, barely able to move.

Amuria walked over to Alza and knelt down. "What I saw from you earlier was impressive, Alza. Though I’m sure it was only a small sliver of your true strength."

"Amuria…"

"For the longest time, I didn't understand why you decided to betray us, to betray me. But now I see that you are not lost completely."

Alza could only cling to the ground weakly as her vision grew dark. Yet, a sudden surge of soothing energy coursed through her, knitting her wounds and erasing the encroaching corruption in her veins.

"There, that should be enough for you to be able to stay conscious." Amuria said, standing back up again.

Struggling, Alza managed to raise herself to her knees. "Amuria... why?"

"Why? Father wants you back, Alza. And more importantly, I want you back."

Alza forced herself to stand back up. "I’m…not going….back."

"I was afraid you might say that, but I have prepared for such a possibility." Amuria said. A flock of ravens materialized beside her, swirling like a dark whirlwind before dissipating.

Alza's eyes widened as she realized the gravity of the situation. Elysia lay unconscious at Amuria's feet, her head resting before the demoness.

"I'll be taking the oracle with me to Pandemonia. She's alive for now, but if you wish to see her again, you'll have to come and visit," Amuria taunted with a smug grin.

"By the dead gods, Amuria, if you do anything to her, I will-"

Amuria suddenly appeared behind Alza. "You will what exactly? Tell me Alza. Tell me."

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But when Alza turned to face her sister. Amuria had vanished.

"You are too weak as you are now to threaten me, Alza." Amuria said, who was now standing behind Anzu. A flock of ravens soon surrounded Anzu’s form until his body was covered completely. Within seconds, the birds vanished, and Anzu with them.

Alza had hoped to seize the moment to rush toward Elysia, but she was thwarted once again. Before she could reach Elysia, a flock of ravens spirited the elf oracle away,

"If this were the real you, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this to you." Amuria said. "Look how far you have fallen, Alza, it’s honestly pathetic."

Alza turned to meet her sister’s eyes. "The Alza you knew is long gone, Amuria. There is no reason to dwell on the past."

"Perhaps, if you were truly lost, I would agree. But now I know that there is still that spark within you after all. All that is needed is to ignite it."

"If it’s me that you want, I’ll go back with you, Amuria. Just leave Elysia alone."

Amuria wagged a finger at Alza. "Absolutely not. I would only be willing to bring my real sister back home. So if you want to meet your friend again, Alza. You’ll just have to figure out a way to get to her yourself."

With those words, countless ravens manifested from thin air, swarming around Amuria. Alza desperately raised her right hand toward the sky, summoning a gigantic skeletal hand bursting from the earth, reaching out to grapple Amuria. But it was futile; Amuria had already vanished.

The world grew increasingly hazy for Alza by the second. Her strength waned, and she slumped onto her knees. Exhaustion soon overtook her, and Alza succumbed to a deep, dreamless slumber.

***

In the deepest recesses of Pandemonia, Melchio the Sun Knight was struggling to break free from his prison. Stretched all around him was the pale expanse of tormented soul sand, the chilling whispers of countless regrets echoing in the air, clinging to his soul. Sharp, obsidian rocks tore through the landscape, their jagged forms jutting out of the ashen plains, flaming skulls hovered in the air, casting eerie, flickering light upon the sands below.

"Are we close to the exit for this floor yet, Yan?" Melchio asked, shooting a glance towards his sword which he hung in a scabbard by his waist.

"We are very close, master. All that’s left to do is to defeat the warden guarding this floor, and we can climb to the next." The sword replied.

Yan had been the only companion Melchio had for all these years, something the Sun Knight was more than grateful for. It was one of the few things that prevented him from losing his mind.

"Can I ask you a question, Yan?"

"Of course, master, what do you wish to know?"

"Once we get out of this place, do you think that Alza will still be happy to see me?"

"With all due respect, master, this is the 4125th time you’ve asked me this exact question."

"Ah, my apologies then, sorry to bother you."

Though the sword did not have a mouth, Melchio could swear that Yan would have breathed out a sigh if he could. "I worry for you, master, I really do."

Melchio chuckled. "And I appreciate that."

"You should focus more on yourself and how to get out of this place rather than your wife."

"And how many times have you said that exact line to me, Yan?"

"3108."

"See, you’re not that much better than me."

"I suppose I’m not."

The Sun Knight soon neared the end of this particular floor. The air grew thick and oppressive, heavy with the stench of sulfur and rot. The walls were scorched and blackened, as if by a thousand fires. Melchio knew that he was approaching the lair of a powerful demon.

In the distance, Melchio's eyes fell upon a nightmarish sight: a grotesque demon, bound by chains to the ground. It was inert for now, but Melchio knew that once he drew near, the beast would awake.

This demon was a colossal abomination. Gnarled horns spiraled from its misshapen head, and leathery skin clung tightly to its monstrous frame. The chains that ensnared the fiend were thick and unwieldy, a feeble attempt to restrain such a powerful entity.

Melchio's heart pounded in his chest as he approached the demon. He knew that this was a dangerous foe, but he was determined to defeat it and move on to the next floor.

"Looks like that's our ticket to leave this floor," Melchio muttered.

"I am ready as always, master," Yan replied.

With a swift motion, Melchio unsheathed Yan from its scabbard, and the blade ignited in a brilliant, golden blaze. He could feel the sword's potent energy coursing through his veins, empowering him as he charged forward.

The demon's eyes snapped open as it unleashed a deep, guttural roar. It thrashed and writhed against its chains, the ground trembling beneath its frenzied struggles. But just before the demon could break free. Melchio swung Yan with all his might, bringing the radiant blade crashing down upon the demon's head.

Yan cleaved deep into the demon's flesh, drawing forth an agonized howl that echoed through the cursed landscape. Despite the grievous wound, the demon refused to yield. It tried to retaliate with several swipes of its talon-like claws. Yet, Melchio was able to evade each strike with ease.

Eventually, a clear opening emerged. When the demon raised its claws, poised to strike, Melchio ducked beneath the demon’s talons, thrusting Yan deep into its chest. The demon let out a blood curdling screech as Yan's blade pierced its heart. Searing flames burst forth from the wound, spreading into a blazing inferno that devoured the malevolent creature. The demon crumbled into a heap of smoldering ash, obliterated by the relentless flames.

Melchio stood over the demon's ashes, panting heavily. He had won.

"Well done, master." Yan complimented.

"Thank you…how many floors…have we cleared with this?" Melchio asked, his breath still heavy with exhaustion.

"This would be our 990th, master."

Melchio wiped some sweat off of his brow. "That's good to hear, we only have 10 more floors to go."

"When we are free, master, I wish to soar in the skies again if that is alright with you." Yan said.

"You didn't need to ask." Melchio replied with a light chuckle. "Maybe you could help me get to Alza while we're at it."

"About that, master, have you ever wondered what would happen if the seal you placed on her breaks?"

"Which one?"

"With all due respect, master, you know which one I'm talking about."

Melchio sighed. "If Alza ever goes back too far, I'll just have to deal with her as I did long ago."