Darkness. An inky, suffocating void pressing in from all sides. Dot blinked, trying to bring the world into focus, but there was nothing to see. Just an endless black emptiness.
He was moving, he realized. Swaying and bouncing, his body jostling against rough fabric. A cart, maybe? He couldn't be sure. His thoughts felt slow, sluggish, like they were moving through dense sludge.
What happened? Where am I?
He tried to move, to sit up and take stock of his surroundings. But his limbs wouldn't cooperate. They felt heavy as if weighted down by invisible chains. Even his tongue seemed glued to the roof of his mouth, refusing to shape itself around the words bubbling up in his throat.
P-paralyzed. I’m paralyzed!
Panic seized him then, a cold fist clenching around his heart. He remembered now, in jagged, bleeding flashes. The woman in the shop. One minute she'd been all smiles and flattery, cooing over what a clever, handsome boy he was. The next, her face had twisted into something inhuman and she'd hissed some words that made his muscles seize up.
Stupid, stupid! I shouldn't have let her get so close. Dot cursed his naivete. He'd thought she was pretty, with her milky skin and gleaming black hair. Those emerald eyes sparkling, he had thought he was in love!
But then she'd changed. Her face twisting, her eyes going hard and cold. He'd tried to fight, to flee, but his body betrayed him, going stiff and rigid under her touch.
She did this. Some kind of skill. [Paralysis], maybe? Or something worse...Big brother Kiel would know, Dot thought miserably. Kiel knew everything about skills and classes. He'd be able to figure it out in a heartbeat.
But Kiel's not here. He doesn't even know I'm gone.
Despair welled up, thick and choking. He was alone, helpless, a fly caught in a spider's web. What did this woman want with him? Why had she taken him?
The movement stopped abruptly, jerking Dot from his spiraling thoughts. He tensed, straining his senses for any clue as to what was happening. Muffled footsteps, the creak of wood, the clink of metal on stone...
Light assaulted his eyes as the sack was ripped away. Dot blinked rapidly, squinting against the sudden glare. A room swam into hazy focus. Strange symbols were etched into the floor, twisting and writhing in the flickering light.
What is this place? Some kind of...ritual chamber?
Dread pooled in his stomach as understanding crashed over him. Those markings, the eerie atmosphere, the tangible sense of wrongness in the air...
This was blood magic. Forbidden sorcery of the darkest kind. Kiel had told him stories about this. And from the looks of things, Dot was about to become its latest sacrifice.
The woman loomed over him, her face split in a manic grin. She looked like a caricature of the demure beauty from the shop, her eyes fever-bright, her hair a wild tangle. She hummed tunelessly as she worked, sketching strange-looking glyphs across the stone in glistening red.
"W-wait," Dot croaked, fighting to push the words past numb lips. "Y-you don't want to do this. I'm nobody, I swear. J-just let me go, and I won't tell anyone, I p-promise."
She ignored him, lost in her mad scribbling. Dot's mind raced, terror and desperation warring for control. He had to get through to her somehow, make her see reason.
"L-look, there's gotta be somebody better for this than me. I'm all skin and bones! No meat on me at all. You need a big, strapping sacrifice, right? I can help you find one, if you just--"
"Hush, dear." The woman straightened, fixing him with a chiding look. "The voices were very clear. It has to be you. Only you will do for this working."
Dot gaped at her. "V-voices? What voices?"
She laughed, a jagged, unhinged sound. "The voices from the Otherside, silly boy. The ones that whisper secrets in my ear. They told me all about you. How special you are."
She tapped her temple, her smile widening. "[Ghostly Communion], I call it. My little trick for peeking beyond the veil. It's how I know you're the one I need."
Dot shook his head frantically, cold sweat breaking out across his brow. This was insane. This whole thing was insane. He had to make her understand...
"Why m-me?" he asked. "What's so special about me?"
The woman paused, cocking her head as if listening to some unheard voice. When her gaze slid back to Dot, her eyes...they burned with a fevered intensity, boring into his soul.
"You're special," she breathed. "So very special. I'll [Sacrifice] your soul, spill your precious blood...and gain such power. Power to find others like you."
Dot's mind reeled. Special? Him?
"I...I don't understand..."
The woman frowned, leaning back on her heels. "Dear me. You've forgotten, haven't you? I should've realized, you're so young still..."
"F-forgotten what? What're you talking about?"
She shook her head, rocking back to her feet. "No matter. It will all come back in time. For now...it's time to begin."
Dot's blood turned to ice. This is it. She's gonna kill me. Kiel, I'm sorry, I shoulda been more careful...
A shadow detached from the far wall, creeping forward on silent feet. Dot's eyes widened. A figure in dark robes, a glint of steel at his hip...
The stranger raised a finger to his lips. Shh. An [Inquisitor], Dot realized. Like the ones Kiel warned me about.
The woman continued her chant, lost in her madness. The [Inquisitor] edged closer, drawing his sword inch by painstaking inch.
He's gonna try and take her out, Dot thought wildly. But she's a Level 7 and he looks so young, he doesn't stand a chance!
The [Inquisitor] lunged, his blade flashing for the woman's throat. "[Decapitating Strike]!" he roared, the skill name echoing from the stone.
But the woman moved like liquid shadow, whirling away in a blur. The sword hissed through empty air, clanging against the altar.
"Naughty, naughty," the woman tutted. "Sneaking up on a lady? Didn't your mother teach you manners?"
The [Inquisitor] snarled, settling into a fighter's crouch. Sweat poured down his face, his sword arm trembling.
He's not at her level, Dot realized sickly. He's dead. We're both dead.
The woman smiled, cold and cruel. "The little voices told me you were coming. Sooo kind of them to warn me. Now...I'll have two sacrifices for my ritual."
She raised her hands, power crackling between her fingers. "[Sacrificial Bindings]!"
Glowing chains erupted from the floor, snaring the [Inquisitor]'s limbs. He cried out in shock and pain, struggling against his bonds.
"D-damn you, witch!" he spat. "The Covenant will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
"Let them try," the woman purred. "With the power I'll gain tonight, no one will stand against me. Not even your precious Covenant."
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She turned back to Dot, her eyes alight with madness. "Now, my dear...where were we?"
Dot tried to scream as she loomed over him, the ritual knife flashing in her hands. But the paralysis strengthened its hold over him, leaving him mute and helpless, a mouse before a swooping hawk.
Kiel...I'm sorry...
The woman's chant rose to a fever pitch, eldritch syllables that seared the mind and soul. Dot felt something tearing inside him, a deep and primal agony beyond mere flesh.
He looked up in that final moment, memorizing these last mad seconds. The woman's look of madness. The [Inquisitor]'s helpless rage. The guttering light of candles, the pulsing glow of blood-red sigils.
It can't end like this. It can't, it ca-
***
Kiel raced through the alleys of the Narthic Quarter, his heart pounding in time with his footsteps. Ulric strode ahead, his eyes fixed on some unseen point, following the link to his apprentice.
"Keep up, Kavi," Ulric growled over his shoulder. "We're close now."
It's Kiel, you pompous ass. Kiel bit back the retort, not bothering to correct the man. No point in arguing. Not when Dot's life hung in the balance.
They turned a corner and Ulric pulled up short, his hand falling to his sword hilt. "There," he said, jutting his chin at a crumbling stone building. "That's where Vian's marker led."
Kiel peered at the structure, trying to sense any hint of magic or danger. But the building seemed perfectly ordinary, just another ruin in this forgotten corner of the city, nothing he hadn’t seen before.
"Are you certain?" he asked, unable to keep the doubt from his voice. "It looks abandoned."
Ulric shot him a withering look. "Of course I'm certain, boy. I've been tracking dark mages and heretics since before you were suckling at your mother's teat."
Kiel frowned but didn’t reply, the old man wasn’t wrong, he was the expert here.
"Listen lad, I was already almost certain the [Heretic] was a Level 7 [Sacrificer]. Now, I'm sure of it."
"W-what makes you so certain?"
Ulric gestured to the buildings around them, the crumbling stonework and faded sigils. "Look around you. This whole area reeks of blood magic. The glyphs, the atmosphere...it's a [Sacrificer]'s paradise."
He shook his head grimly. "A [Ghoul] would've left more obvious signs. Corpses, entrails. They're not exactly subtle. And a [Ghost]?" He barked a harsh laugh. "Even I wouldn't be sent after one of those alone."
Kiel nodded slowly, absorbing the information. It made sense, in a grim sort of way. A [Sacrificer] was bad enough, but at least they were flesh and blood. Something that could be fought, even if the odds were stacked against them.
Suddenly, Ulric's eyes widened. He motioned sharply for Kiel to be silent and raced ahead, his hand on his sword hilt.
Kiel blinked, confused, but then it hit him. A blast of mana, so strong he could feel it even without using skills. It washed over him like a tidal wave, setting his teeth on edge and his blood buzzing.
By the Light...what was that?
He hurried after Ulric, his gut clenching with dread. Whatever they were walking into, it was big. Bigger than anything he'd faced before.
They burst into a large chamber, and Kiel's heart nearly stopped. Ulric was already moving, his sword flashing as he attacked a wild-eyed woman standing over a prone figure.
Vian, Kiel realized dimly. The young Inquisitor was sprawled on the floor, his face ashen, his limbs twitching feebly.
But it was the smaller shape next to him that drew Kiel's eye. A shape he knew as well as his own reflection.
"Dot!"
The boy's head snapped up, his eyes widening. Relief and terror warred on his face, and Kiel's heart clenched.
He didn't want me to come. He's afraid for me. But he hoped...he hoped I'd save him.
Kiel darted forward, dodging around the battling Inquisitor and [Sacrificer]. He skidded to his knees beside Dot, his hands hovering uncertainly.
"Are you alright?" he asked urgently. "Are you hurt?"
Dot shook his head jerkily. "I...I can't…move," he croaked. "That…old hag…paralyzed me."
Kiel's eyes narrowed. [Paralysis], huh? He focused his senses, reaching out with [Skill Sense]. It was one of his most basic abilities as a [Skill Trainer], the power to analyze and understand Skills.
The matrix of the Skill unfurled before him, glowing lines of power wrapping around Dot's small form. Kiel studied it intently, his mind racing.
A low-level [Paralysis], likely around Level 6. Temporary, thank the Light. It should wear off on its own soon.
But soon might not be good enough. The battle still raged behind them, Ulric's grunts of effort and the [Sacrificer]'s mad laughter a jarring counterpoint. They needed to move, and fast.
Kiel gritted his teeth, considering his options. His [Extract] Skill could pull skills from status windows, but it didn’t work on skill effects at his current level. And he didn't have any other Skills that could directly counter [Paralysis]. As for the antidote for the Paralytic Potion, it was engineered specially for that potion, perhaps it would work against the [Hold Person] skill, but it wouldn’t work in this situation.
Which left the crude method. The dangerous method.
"Dot," Kiel said quietly. "I'm sorry. This...this is going to hurt."
The boy blinked up at him, confusion and fear in his eyes. "What're you gonna do?"
In answer, Kiel placed his hands on Dot's slim shoulders and closed his eyes. He reached deep within himself, to the well of power that was his mana.
Please. Please let this work.
He pushed, sending a surge of raw mana into Dot's paralyzed form. He tried to control it, to keep the flow steady and not overwhelming, but it was like trying to direct a river with his bare hands.
MP: 45/48
Dot screamed. It was a sound Kiel would never forget. The boy's back arched, his body convulsing as the foreign mana ripped through him.
MP: 41/48
For an unAwakened child to be flooded with mana like this...it was agony. It was like being burned and electrocuted and frozen all at once, every nerve ending shrieking in protest.
MP: 37/48
Kiel held on, hating himself, hating this whole Light-forsaken situation. Just a little more. Just a little more and it'll break...
MP: 35/48
And then, as suddenly as it began, it was over. Dot slumped bonelessly, panting and shaking. But when Kiel tried to move his arm, it responded. The [Paralysis] was gone.
"I...I Awakened..." Dot's eyes were huge, almost feverishly bright as they fixed on Kiel.
Kiel shook his head wearily. "No, Dot. That was just - "
"My treasure!" The [Sacrificer]'s shriek cut him off. She was staring at them, her face a mask of rage and madness. "You stay away from him!"
Ulric took advantage of her distraction, his blade scoring a long cut down her arm. But she barely seemed to notice, her eyes locked on Dot with terrifying intensity.
Kiel didn't hesitate. He grabbed Dot's hand, hauling the boy to his feet. "Time to go!"
They ran, pelting headlong for the door. Dot stumbled, his legs still weak and shaky, but Kiel pulled him along relentlessly.
Behind them, the sounds of combat continued, steel ringing against steel, the crackle of mana. Kiel didn't look back. Couldn't look back.
Let Ulric handle her. She's the Inquisition's problem now.
He knew it was cold. Ruthless, even. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Not with Dot's hand clutched in his, the boy's breath coming in ragged gasps as they fled.
I won't risk it. That [Sacrificer] is way above my level...taking her on would be suicide.
They burst out into the night air, the cool wind a blessed relief after the suffocating atmosphere of the ritual chamber. Dot bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he gulped air.
Kiel watched him warily, his mind whirling. The [Sacrificer]'s words echoed in his head, bouncing around his skull like demented birds.
My treasure. She called Dot her treasure. But why? He's just a kid, an unAwakened street rat. What could a Level 7 [Heretic] possibly want with him?
It didn't make sense. None of this made sense. But one thing was crystal clear.
I need to get him out of here. Get him somewhere safe. And then...then I need answers.
He reached out, clasping Dot's shoulder. The boy looked up at him, his face streaked with sweat and grime, his eyes wide and lost.
"It's okay," Kiel said, trying to inject a certainty he didn't feel into his words. "It's going to be okay. I've got you."
Dot nodded shakily, leaning into Kiel's touch like it was the only solid thing in the world. "I knew you'd come," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I knew you'd save me."
Kiel's throat tightened. He pulled the boy closer, wrapping his arms around those thin, trembling shoulders. Dot clung to him, his face buried in Kiel's chest.
"I was so scared," the boy mumbled, his words muffled. "I thought...I thought she was going to..." A hitching sob, a shudder that ran through his whole frame.
Kiel squeezed his eyes shut, holding on tighter. "I know, buddy. I know. But it's over now. She can't hurt you anymore."
For now, at least. Until we figure out why she wanted you in the first place.
But he couldn't say that. Not now, with Dot shaking apart in his arms. The kid needed comfort, not more fear.
So Kiel just held him, letting the boy cry himself out. Letting him feel safe, even if it was a lie.
He doesn't have anyone else. No parents, no siblings. I'm all he's got.
The thought sat heavy in his chest, a weight of responsibility and guilt. He hadn't been there. Hadn't protected Dot when it mattered most. Some brother he was.
But he'd make it right. He had to.
Dot's sobs slowly eased, fading into hitching breaths and the occasional sniffle. He pulled back a little, rubbing at his eyes with a grimy fist.
"S-sorry," he mumbled, his gaze skittering away. "I'm not...I didn't mean to..."
"Hey." Kiel chucked him gently under the chin, making the boy look up. "None of that. You've got nothing to apologize for, you hear me?"
Dot bit his lip, his eyes welling again. "B-but I...I was weak. I let her take me. I couldn't fight back..."
"Dot, listen to me." Kiel gripped the boy's shoulders, giving him a little shake. The boy didn’t like showing weakness, it was the street rat in him. "You are not weak. That woman, she's...she's strong, okay? Really strong. Like, Inquisitor-level strong. There was nothing you could've done."
The boy was unAwakened, and that wasn't his fault. It wasn't anything to be ashamed of.
Dot sniffed, dragging a sleeve across his nose. "Y-you really think so? You don't think...you don't think I'm useless?"
"Never," he said fiercely. "You hear me, Dot? You are not useless. Not now, not ever."
Dot looked up at him, his eyes shining with tears. "Promise?" he asked, his voice very small.
Kiel held out his fist, "Promise."
A wobbly smile tugged at Dot's lips. He bumped his knuckles against Kiel's. "You and me, we're a team," he whispered. "We look out for each other. No matter what."
"That's right," Kiel nodded. "Brothers, like I've always said. And brothers stick together. Brothers protect each other."
He clenched his fist, holding Dot's gaze. "I've got your back, buddy. Whatever happens."
"And I've got yours," Dot said, bumping their fists together again. "Always."