Zeus phased next to Halsin just in time to catch a crossbow bolt aimed straight for the druid's head. The arrow was burned to ash by Zeus's fire.

"There," Zeus growled, his voice resonating with command, pointing toward a jagged rock rampart a few paces ahead. The duergar responsible for the shot stood there, illuminated by a swirl of multicolored light. The duergar's face contorted in panic as he realized he had been spotted.

"He's mine," Minthara interjected, her eyes gleaming with malice. A dark purple cloud materialized in her hand, swirling ominously before it shot forth like a vengeful specter, chasing the duergar. The dwarf scrambled to flee, but the cloud stalked him like a hungry predator. It enveloped him, and then the screaming started—raw, terrified, primal.

The duergar stumbled, clutching his head, trying to claw away at the invisible horrors that assaulted him. His cries echoed in the hollowed landscape, his mind unraveling from the inside. Minthara watched with a sadistic smirk curling on her lips, her eyes dancing with cruel satisfaction.

Alex, sensing an opening, rushed forward, his blade, Phalar Aluve, humming with power. He delivered a swift, clean strike, ending the duergar’s agony. The cloud, having fed on the duergar’s fears, lazily floated back to Minthara, dissolving into her like mist absorbed by the night.

"What... was that?" Astarion asked, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a slight edge of caution. Though he wasn’t one to shy away from a good scream, this was different—darker, more intimate. Something about Minthara’s abilities felt too invasive.

"To affect the mind of a duergar to such a degree," Alex thought, knowing that a duergar's psyche was naturally strong. Having such an effect on him meant that her power was quite potent.

"That," Minthara said, her voice silky and laced with pride, "is the power of my psionic ability. I call it 'Abyssal Will'—for now. When someone makes contact with the cloud, they experience intense, overwhelming fear. Their worst nightmares flood their mind, and all of it happens simultaneously while the abyssal will erodes their psyche, feeding off their mental strength. When it returns to me, I absorb what it’s taken. Their fear becomes my power, and my mind grows stronger—permanently, though the increase is small ."

"That’s… utterly wicked," Wyll commented. Minthara shot him a sharp look but he continued, "Though I suppose it suits you."

Before anyone else could comment, Zeus cut in, "That duergar was a spy for the Absolute. I saw him wearing a necklace—a skull framed in a triangle. We’ve got to move. They’re advancing on this location."

Karlach, the seasoned warrior, nodded, her eyes scanning the perimeter. "That wasn't the only spy. There's more out here, watching."

Halsin’s expression darkened with urgency. "Another reason to hurry. Let’s move," he commanded, leading the party over a bridge made of gnarled roots that crossed a deep chasm, leading them toward a small, dilapidated shack resting on a secluded patch of land.

The air felt thick with tension as they approached. Zeus sniffed the air, his senses heightened. "I smell fresh blood from that shack," he muttered, causing the party to instinctively draw their weapons, their eyes narrowing with caution.

Gale, looking around at the patches of lavender and wildflowers growing near the shack, commented in disbelief, "The cursed mist has barely dissipated, yet these flowers... it’s as if they've bloomed overnight. "

Suddenly, the eerie silence was broken by a boy’s voice from inside the shack, tinged with disappointment. "She was no fun... All I wanted was to play."

Zeus’ eyes flicked to Halsin, who gave a single, tense nod. They had to go inside.

The tension in the air was palpable as they inched toward the shack. Each creak of the wooden floorboards beneath their feet amplified their caution as they entered the shack.

They spotted a death githyanki woman sprawled on the floor in a poll of blood. Her body covered in bites and clawa marks.

"Come out," Zeus commanded, startling the others as his finger pointed toward one of the shadowy corners of the room.

Slowly, a figure emerged.

The boy appeared before them, stepping out of the darkness. His disappointment hung in the air as he kicked a small rock in frustration. "You’re no fun," he muttered, his tone filled with resentment.

He was no ordinary child. His short, white hair contrasted sharply with his light-orange skin, and his small, curled horns immediately marked him as a Tiefling. His left eye glowed with an eerie, reddish hue, while the right side of his face was marred with something far more sinister—dark, decayed-looking skin creeping down from his forehead to his cheek. The corruption pulsed with a bluish-green light, almost as if it were alive, slowly consuming him.

But it wasn’t just his face. From his neck down, his entire body was covered in a blackened, withered appearance. Tendrils of green energy pulsed through his veins like roots spreading corruption, slithering and pulsing with each heartbeat. His simple clothing did little to hide the grotesque spread of the decay.

The tension in the air was almost unbearable as the boy stood before them, his form twisted, yet still holding the faintest trace of innocence. The boy’s glowing eye—half human, half monstrous—burned with a cruel light as he stared at the group with childish malice.

"That's him," Halsin whispered, his voice barely audible as if saying it any louder would shatter the moment. "Like an echo of Thaniel, remolded by the curse... we need him if we're to put a stop to all of this."

The echo tilted his head, his smile both innocent and sinister, the weight of his words belying his childlike appearance. "Will you play with me?" he asked, his voice light, almost teasing, but dripping with a dark undercurrent.

Zeus’ voice was calm, though his muscles were tense, ready for the inevitable conflict. "I know who you really are," he said, stepping forward. "And where you truly belong. You need to reunite with Thaniel."

For a moment, the boy’s eyes flickered with something—hesitation, perhaps—but it was quickly replaced by a pout of disappointment. "Spoilsport," he muttered under his breath. "I’m not going back. I like it here. I’ve made a family for myself, and I get to play all the time." His voice was defiant, the childish lilt giving way to something more sinister. His gaze darkened, the twisted curse behind his form showing through.

"You don’t belong here," Halsin said firmly, stepping closer, his heart heavy with the burden of what was to come. He knew this was a battle for Thaniel’s soul, but it still felt like confronting a lost child. "This isn’t your home."

The boy's expression twisted into a scowl, his face darkening with fury. His voice, once innocent, became venomous. "Yes, I do! You can't make me do anything!" His voice trembled with childish anger. "I don’t want to play with you anymore!"

And with that, the boy flickered out of existence, disappearing into nothingness. The air grew colder as a portal materialized before them, swirling ominously, crackling with dark energy.

"He’s scarpered," Gale muttered, frustration evident in his tone. "And I suppose it's up to us to find him."

Zeus’ eyes narrowed as his True Sight revealed the boy walking directly towards the portal, now invisible to the rest of the party. Before he moved further ,a tendril of flesh erupted from the Zeus’s back, grabbing the lifeless githyanki corpse nearby. The tendril latched onto it, consuming the dead body in a moment leaving nothing behinde.

Zeus clenched his fists, his mind racing. "Great... the Githyanki are on their way here now," he thought bitterly. This turn of events was going to complicate things even further.

The rest of the party stood in stunned silence, visibly disturbed by the grotesque display of power, but they didn’t question it.

Zeus sighed inwardly but knowing this was a necessary , but it didn’t make it any easier to stomach.

"Tsk," Lae'zel spat, breaking the silence. "That portal is obviously a trap. It could lead us straight into our deaths."

Zeus turned his gaze to her. "The portal leads to the center of the town. Yes, it’s a trap, but we don’t have a choice. We need to retrieve the missing part of Thaniel." He steeled himself, knowing there was no turning back now.

Without another word, Zeus took the first step into the swirling vortex of dark energy. One by one, the rest of the party followed, each of them bracing themselves for whatever lay on the other side.

As Astarion stepped through last, the portal snapped shut behind him with a chilling finality.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath, his eyes scanning the desolate town they now found themselves in. Shadows flickered ominously around them, and in the distance, they could see the monument where the echo of Thaniel stood, protected by a shimmering dome of sickly green and blue energy.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Dozens of corrupted creatures filled the square—shadows, twisted roots writhing with dark energy, monstrous hounds snarling at them, ghasts with rotting flesh, and even a hulking owlbear, its eyes glowing with an unnatural, sickly hue. All of them poised, ready to tear the party apart.

Zeus wasted no time. His hand raised, summoning a radiant aura that enveloped the party, strengthening their resolve, and filling their weapons with holy energy. The undead recoiled, their decayed skin sizzling under the purifying light.

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"Sing," Alex commanded, his sword coming to life with a haunting melody, its song weaving through the air like a battle cry.

Wyll unsheathed his rapier, the blade glowing with a fierce purple light. Karlach’s chest burned brighter, the fiery aura around her growing in intensity as flames licked at her body, ready to incinerate anything in her path.

Astarion summoned his shield, his dagger gleaming wickedly in the light. Shadowheart readied her shield and mace, the fractured mirror floating beside her, glinting ominously. Gale's hands crackled with arcane energy, his stance poised, ready to unleash his magic.

Lae'zel’s psionic short sword flickered into existence in one hand, her flaming greatsword in the other, her eyes burning with ferocity. Halsin gripped his staff, his gaze focused and determined. Minthara stood tall, her mace and shield raised high, ready to strike.

Zeus glanced at them all, a fleeting moment of pride washing over him as they stood united, their courage unwavering.

"Form a defensive formation," he ordered, his voice calm but commanding. "I’ll deal with the echo of Thaniel."

With that, his arm shifted, becoming a gleaming blade, and he charged forward, cutting through the horde of twisted creatures as he made his way toward the boy, toward the monument, and toward the heart of the curse.

Every fiber of Zeus’ being tensed, coiling tight like a spring ready to unleash its full force. And then he did—erupting like a living vortex of flame and fury. His blade-arm swung wide, cutting through the corrupted shadows with ruthless precision. The force of each strike left a trail of molten fire in the air as he cleaved through the horde. The undead creatures sizzled, their twisted bodies disintegrating into ash and smoke as the holy flames consumed them.

The others behind him quickly fell into formation, their backs pressed against one another, creating a circle of steel and magic. The ground beneath their feet pulsed with dark energy, but within their circle, a radiant barrier formed by Zeus’ aura kept the shadows at bay.

"Hold fast!" Alex shouted, his blade singing a battle cry as it danced through the air, its melody growing louder with each strike. He spun, slicing a twisted ghoul in two before thrusting the blade into a snarling hound, its foul breath hot against his face before it was silenced by the edge of his sword.

Wyll stood beside him, his rapier gleamingt as he parried an incoming attack from a rotting ghast. With a swift counter, he drove his blade into the creature's chest, purple light erupting from the wound. "This is our stand!" he shouted, rallying the others.

Karlach, ablaze in her fiery aura, laughed wildly as she swung her battle axe. Each hit sent a shockwave of flame into the surrounding enemies, scorching everything within reach. "Come on then! Is that all you’ve got?" she bellowed, cleaving through two more creatures with one mighty swing. Her chest burned brighter and brighter.

Astarion was a blur, darting in and out of the fray with deadly precision. His dagger gleamed as he plunged it into the neck of a shadow, twisting it violently before dodging the claws of another creature. His shield caught the next attack, deflecting it as he spun and drove his blade through his assailant's heart.

Meanwhile, Shadowheart's shield shone with radiant energy, deflecting blows from the horde while her mace crashed down on a cursed ghast's skull, shattering it in a single blow. "Turn Undead!" she called out, her voice firm, the fractured mirror by her side glowing with divine light that sent pulses of energy into the enemies around them, making all the undead turned in fear as their bodies were set ablaze.

Lae'zel, fought like a whirlwind of blades. Her psionic short sword flickered as she moved, cutting down shadows and roots alike, while her flaming greatsword scorched through the air. Her eyes burned with cold fury .Her strikes were swift, brutal, each one leaving a trail of burning corpses in her wake.

Halsin’s staff crackled with the force of nature itself, the deep, ancient power of the earth responding to his every command. With a mighty slam, roots and vines erupted from the ground, thick as serpents, wrapping around the decaying legs of the undead. They screeched and howled, but it was futile. The ground itself became their executioner, dragging them down into the earth where the crushing force of nature reduced them to bone and dust.

"The land will heal from this curse!" Halsin bellowed, his voice resonating with the raw authority of the natural world. As the last syllable left his lips, his body was enveloped in a shimmering, silvery light, his very essence merging with the primal flames of creation.

In an instant, he transformed—towering over the battlefield as a fire elemental myrmidon, his form burning with an intense heat that warped the air around him. He looked similar to the fire myrmidon Alex had consumed at the Grymforge. His once calm, earthy presence had been replaced by the fierce, untamed rage of elemental fire. His eyes blazed like twin suns, and his entire being pulsed with molten fury. The ground sizzled beneath his feet, leaving smoldering embers where he stepped.

A pair of massive, flaming scimitars appeared in his hands, each blade dripping with liquid fire. With a roar that sent ripples of heat through the battlefield, he surged forward, cutting through the undead like a living inferno. Every swing of his scimitars sent arcs of fire slashing through the air, setting his enemies ablaze before they even felt the sting of his blades. The undead screamed as their bodies were consumed, turning to ash before they hit the ground.

Halsin moved with terrifying grace, swirling through the horde of undead like a fiery tempest. His twin scimitars spun in his hands, striking with precision and power. He was a storm of destruction, burning through his enemies with a relentless, unstoppable fury.

A twisted ghoul lunged at him, claws outstretched, but Halsin's flaming scimitars met it midair, cleaving the creature in two. The ghoul's body ignited instantly, its charred remains falling to the ground in a heap of glowing embers. Another group of shadows tried to swarm him, but with a sweeping motion, Halsin unleashed a wave of fire that reduced them to little more than glowing coals scattered in the wind.

The dark chest plate he now wore gleamed with heat, each strike against him deflecting off the obsidian-like armor, which seemed to hum with the raw energy of the flames that coursed through his body. It absorbed the lethal blows of his enemies as if they were nothing more than a flicker of candlelight, and with each deflection, Halsin retaliated with brutal efficiency, his scimitars cleaving through corrupted flesh and bone with ease.

At one point, a corrupted owlbear lumbered toward him, its massive, decayed form barely recognizable beneath the layers of rot. It roared, raising its colossal paw to strike, but Halsin didn’t falter. Instead, he surged forward, the fire around him flaring even brighter. With a fierce battle cry, he swung his scimitars in a wide arc. The blades connected with the owlbear’s torso, and in an explosion of fire and light, the beast was split in half, its remains burning away into nothingness.

He spun, a whirlwind of flame and fury, cutting through the horde, leaving only destruction in his wake. The radiant heat of his elemental form drove the remaining undead back, their bodies sizzling and blistering in his presence. They were powerless to stop him—Halsin, the embodiment of nature's wrath, was unstoppable.

Minthara fought with a brutal elegance, her mace smashing into her enemies with a thunderous force while her shield held firm.

And Gale—his eyes glowing with arcane energy—stood at the center, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air as spells erupted from his fingertips. Fireballs, arcane missiles, and walls of force appeared in rapid succession, each one decimating clusters of enemies. "Hold your ground!" he shouted, summoning a massive wall of arcane energy that blocked the advancing creatures from overwhelming the group.

In the midst of the chaos, Zeus surged ahead, cutting a blazing path through the remaining creatures, his eyes locked on the boy—the twisted echo of Thaniel—still standing near the monument. Every step brought him closer, the ground beneath him trembling as his power built. The boy turned, his expression one of calm amusement, his decayed face glowing faintly beneath the protective dome of energy.

"You think you can stop me?" the boy sneered, his voice echoing with the twisted remnants of Thaniel’s curse. "I’m not some child you can scold. I am the darkness here. I am the curse!"

Zeus said nothing as he reached the monument, his body blazing with radiant light. With a single, powerful thrust, he drove his blade-arm into the shimmering barrier surrounding the boy. The energy crackled and hissed in protest, but it could not withstand the divine fury Zeus unleashed. The dome shattered in a blinding explosion of light, sending a shockwave through the air that pushed the undead back and momentarily blinded everyone.

The boy's voice trembled with both anger and deep sadness, his small frame shaking as he stared at Alex with tear-filled eyes. "Why couldn't you just leave me alone? Why can't I just stay here, playing? I had everything I've ever wanted, right here, and you've ruined it!" His words were a heartbreaking mixture of defiance and pain, his fists clenched as if he could hold onto the world he had built for himself.

Behind Alex, the battle raged on, the sounds of steel clashing and monstrous howls filling the air. Yet in this moment, Alex's focus was entirely on the boy. The echoes of the boy’s loneliness resonated within him, and Alex couldn’t help but see beyond the corrupted exterior to the child underneath—a lost soul, scared and yearning for something as simple as companionship.

"He’s just a lost kid," Alex thought, his heart heavy. "He just wants someone to be with."

Taking a slow step forward, Alex spoke gently, his voice steady amidst the chaos. "You don’t have to leave," he said, his words soft but firm, cutting through the boy's anger. "All you have to do is lend Thaniel your strength."

The boy’s glowing eyes flickered, a spark of hesitation crossing his face. Alex saw it—the sadness buried beneath the anger, a deep well of hurt that had been left to fester for too long.

"He's nothing to me," the boy spat, though his voice was weaker now, more uncertain. "He left me here, all this time. I had to do everything by myself! Even when it was scary. Even when I was alone. I didn’t give up."

As if to punctuate the boy’s words, a ghoul came barreling toward them, its decaying claws outstretched in a deadly lunge. But before it could reach them a dark spike shot up from the ground, impaling the ghoul mid-leap, its body writhing in its final moments before going limp. Alex didn’t even flinch, his focus still on the boy.

"Nobody’s to blame here," Alex said softly, his tone filled with understanding. "The curse tore you two apart. But now, you have the chance to be reunited."

The boy hesitated, his anger faltering. His eyes shimmered with uncertainty as he glanced away, almost as if he were afraid of what Alex was saying. "But... would he even want me back?" he whispered, the vulnerability in his voice cutting through the tension of the battle. "I’ve changed… a lot."

"Changing is good. That’s what growing up is all about. Together, you and Thaniel will become more than you were before."

The boy blinked, his small, angry façade cracking as the truth of Alex’s words began to seep in. His expression softened, a flicker of hope rising within him. He looked up at Alex with wide, childlike eyes—eyes that were no longer filled with defiance, but with the tentative longing of someone who wanted to believe.

"So I wouldn’t have to make up friends to play with anymore?" the boy asked, his voice small, almost fragile. "I’d have someone real?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, you’d have someone real. And he would want you back, just as much as you want him."

A small, hopeful smile began to form on the boy’s lips. "I’d like that... And he would too, I think." His eyes brightened, the warmth of hope spreading through his fragile heart. "I’ll do it. I want to do it."

With that, the boy’s body began to glow, a swirling, leafy-green energy enveloping him. It lifted him off the ground gently, as if the very earth itself was cradling him in a loving embrace. The corruption that had clung to his body, the dark tendrils of the curse, started to dissolve, vanishing in the purifying light. His small frame floated gracefully in the air, his expression peaceful for the first time since they had met.

Alex watched, with relief and joy as the boy descended back to the ground. When his feet touched the earth again, his eyes opened, now clear and free of the curse. No more darkness, no more corruption—just a bright, innocent smile, wide and full of life.

"Thank you," the boy whispered, his voice light and full of gratitude. "Thank you for playing with me."

From across the battlefield, Karlach’s booming voice broke the silence. "Yay! We did it!" she shouted, her fiery axe cleaving through a corrupted hound as it tried to lunge at her. She grinned ear to ear, her fiery aura burning brightly as she reveled in the victory.

The rest of the group, even in the midst of the ongoing battle, felt the shift in the air. The curse’s hold had been dissipated, and the atmosphere felt lighter, less oppressive. The reunion of Thaniel’s echo with the real Thaniel will mark the beginning of the land’s healing.

For a brief moment, there was peace. And amidst the chaos of battle, that peace felt like the most powerful victory of all.