Memories from a time long gone, passed by. They came and went so quickly, that he could not make sense of them.

That did begin to change.

A particular memory coalesced. This one he immediately recognized. It was a memory he was not too fond of.

A sword found its way through his body. His flesh, muscles, and bone became torn apart as it carved through him. The marble floors became stained red. And the one who was attacking him, raised their hand causing black fire to begin to consume his body whole. He lost sight of his own murderer as the black flames reached his eyes.

Every fiber of his being burned away. It burned so hot, that when the black fire eventually stopped burning, there was nothing left of him anymore, nor was there any pain.

He finally awakened and gasped for air. With a palm pressed to his heart, his heartbeat only quickened.

A dark figure lowered themselves down to him placing their index finger to their lips. Though it was immensely dark wherever they were, he began to recognize this person as Zorge.

Zorge shushed him as Kiran saw shadows motioning by the windows towards their left.

Torches motioned by causing the interior to briefly become lit.

“Find them!” A muffled voice bellowed out from outside.

While the two of them remained as quiet as possible, Kiran’s heart began to slow back down. He felt for the back of his head only to end up feeling a bandage carefully wrapped around it.

“You hit your head pretty good,” Zorge said quietly. He walked back and forth in front of him as he held a hand to his chin. “Frankly, you’re lucky to be alive. I had a thought to run off with the rest of them, but I wasn’t about to just leave you behind.”

“Thanks,” Kiran said with a grimace. The pain that he was reminded of in that memory of his own death, still felt somewhat present somehow. It was much more visceral and real compared to the previous two times he had experienced it. Why he was experiencing it now of all times, was strange to him.

Zorge bent down and lent him a hand. Kiran eyed his pale hand and took hold of it.

As he was brought up with his assistance, he couldn’t help but notice how cold his hand was. It wasn’t as cold as ice or anything like that, but it was unusually cold.

He doesn’t exactly look sick. After helping him get up, Zorge went over to the window. Rain hit up against the windowpane. Compared to earlier, the rain wasn’t coming down quite as ferociously but it still came down quite heavily.

Lightning lit up Zorge’s face. “I don’t know exactly where we are,” he said, “but we’re going to have to find our way back.” He looked away from the window to examine him more closely. “Are you feeling well enough or should you sit back down?”

His sense of balance was a little off. He tried to focus on his stature and keep himself planted firmly on the ground. “I’m still a little woozy, but I should be capable of walking.” I feel like absolute crap. I just had to lose my footing back there. “Did they all manage to get away at least?”

“I believe so. I’m sure they would’ve wanted to go back to get us, but many of them had already gotten to the other side.”

“As long as they all made it out alive, that’s all I can ask for.” He wouldn’t take it personally. They were being swarmed by lots of banespawn and had to get the heck out of there. “I’ll let Lar know that we’re still alive.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Kiran began to focus on forming a link with his companion. “Hey,” he said telepathically.

“Kiran! Y-You’re alive?”

“You sound really happy to hear me.” Zorge looked at him as he and Lar chatted telepathically.

“Of course I am. I was worried sick about you. I tried getting you to respond for over half an hour and you’d never make a response back. I…I assumed—”

“I was just knocked out cold for a bit. Thankfully, Zorge ended up staying behind and carried my sorry butt out of there.”

“Well everyone will be relieved to hear it.”

“I assume you all made it back?”

“Yes.”

He felt immense relief hearing that. “How’s the assault on the second gate going then?”

“The banespawn haven’t relinquished their assault at the gate whatsoever. I fear they might break through in another hour or so if they keep up this pace. The gates are not holding up as well as everyone thought it would.” Damn it all.

“Has everyone in the middle sector begun to evacuate to the upper sector?”

“Yeah.”

If the banespawn did manage to start swarming into the middle sector of the city, they at least could flee to the upper sector. But that would only buy them a bit more time before the banespawn broke through the gate leading into that sector as well.

After they failed to secure the first gate, even if they managed to kill enough of the banespawn gathered here to buy them more time, reinforcements were still coming.

When it came down to it, Lucias might not have a choice but to change into the uncontrollable form that they feared so much. Such power would backfire though so he knew he wouldn’t do it unless absolutely necessary. But Kiran didn’t feel that he would get to avoid having to take on that form. There simply weren’t enough of them to end this subjugation at this point and their efforts thus far were only delaying what Kiran thought was inevitable.

And to think, we still have Noreko to worry about.

“I assume you’ve informed them that we’re alive?” Zorge asked.

Kiran nodded his head.

“Then let us prepare to leave. We’ll have to be careful though. They’ve had numerous groups patrolling this entire area quite thoroughly.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Rather than hang around inside this structure any longer, they went outside in the rain. His wet clothes became completely drenched once again. The rain battered down on him and flowed down the cobbled street they walked up.

He held onto his sword and felt less woozy unlike before. I better get my head checked out once I’m able to. For now, I’ll just have to hope my body isn’t going to quit on me before we’re safe.

Zorge carefully walked ahead of him with his soaked cloak clinging to his back. He held up his hand signaling for him to pause. They took cover behind an abandoned cart as a pair of banespawn holding up torches kept walking down a different street up ahead.

Whilst looking behind them, he saw light getting brighter and brighter forcing them to proceed further up before the incoming patrol spots them.

The more he walked, the more he became aware of his condition. He stumbled a little and felt off-balance once more. He put his arm around a dark aura-infused street lamp at a street corner.

Zorge turned around urging him to keep up. “Give me a second,” he said breathlessly.

His heartbeat quickened, and he felt as if he ought to just give up. The back of his head that hit the ground earlier pounded and he just felt immensely weak compared to before.

Come on body. Don’t give up on me now. Just hang in there until we’re at least on the other side.

He let go of the dark aura-infused street lamp in order to follow Zorge.

His hand gripped the hilt of his sheathed sword. He tried his hardest to keep up but he found himself slowing down. Zorge slowed down a little for him. He didn’t appear eager to do so, but he could only move so quickly.

If I were to use my soul to heal myself somehow. Maybe…maybe that would help? The thought crossed his mind, but he knew if he were to try such a thing, he’d likely only hurt himself further. He also didn’t know how to use his soul to do that. He decided against toying with it even though a part of him wanted to act in a foolish and irresponsible manner.

“Over here,” Zorge muttered, “I believe our way out of here is just over there.”

Kiran examined the street layout and the buildings. He recognized some of the shops and nodded his head.

They began to go down an alleyway and find themselves in a rectangular area that had the backs of four opposing buildings facing towards them.

Something up ahead began to laugh a little and walk towards them from the alley they had been heading towards. As they stepped out, he could see them a bit better with the help of his sight enhancement potion that hadn’t yet worn off.

Kiran pulled out his sword and looked over his shoulder noticing more banespawn from behind as well. This time however, they carried torches revealing their wet skin and faces. These ones were more catlike than the lizard-like ones up ahead.

The one who couldn’t have been more excited to see Kiran tilted their head slightly. “I knew I had smelled your scent around here.” Drexo pulled his war-hammer off of his shoulder and placed the heavy blunt end of it onto the ground as he kept grasping the handle. “Not feeling so good are you?”

Zorge kept a hand in his pocket and remained quiet.

Drexo’s gaze became fixated towards Zorge who hadn’t said a word. “Do I know you?” They began to sniff as more and more banespawn surrounded them from the ground below and on the surrounding sloped rooftops. Drexo began to grin a little as if they realized something. “I thought I recognized your scent as well. Did you get tired of your previous appearance?”

Kiran took a step back from Zorge. He didn’t want to believe what his gut immediately relayed to him, but he could only reach one conclusion: the one who looked like Zorge was in fact Noreko.

Zorge clicked his tongue. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t have?” Drexo said nonchalantly. “Well, that’s too bad. It doesn’t matter anyway. Now that I have what I’ve been looking for, you can keep playing whatever games you’ve been playing. It’s not like he can ruin whatever secret you’ve been trying to hide from them.” Drexo began to approach them. “Now get out of my way and let me finally kill him.”

Zorge—or rather—Noreko moved out of the way. Now I know why his cold hands were so odd to me. I remember his hands being cold when we first met back in Liall. Kiran had held cold hands before. Some people just had colder hands than others. But his were unnaturally cold almost as if he weren’t truly alive the way a warm-blooded human was supposed to be.

With the two of them face to face, Drexo did not delay his approach any further. He launched his war-hammer into the air and sent it hurling for him. Kiran backed away avoiding it. However, as he took one step back, his foot landed awkwardly causing him to fall on his rear end.

Drexo appeared angry. “What is this?”

Kiran got back up and struggled to maintain his stature.

“Can’t fight anymore?” He attacked again causing bits and pieces of the ground to crumble from his war-hammer.

His heart pounded, and he couldn’t tell whether sweat or just rainwater ran down his face. He supposed it didn’t matter.

“I need help,” he said telepathically. “I’m being attacked by Drexo and the banespawn near the home with the hidden tunnel beneath it.”

“I’m on my way!” Lar said.

“Noreko’s here as well,” he said telepathically as he awkwardly avoided another strike. “He looks like Zorge.”

Drexo yelled aloud as his large arms slammed his weapon down at him. “This is utterly pathetic! Where’s your will to fight? All you do is back away!”

His foot slammed up against Kiran’s chest. His body began to go backward and roll along the wet cobbled ground.

Some of the spectating banespawn jumped out of the way as his body settled on the ground near them.

Before he could struggle to get back up, his hand relinquished the sword he had been holding. His body went up as Drexo’s bulky hands held him up into the air.

They began to squeeze causing him to struggle to breathe.

He could see his reflection in their bulging eyes. “How’s it feel to feel the life slipping away from you? I want you to experience the same pain my kin feel when you tear apart their souls.”

His vision started to become dark. His life was truly coming to an end once more.

Drexo kept squeezing him with his large hands. They kept hoisting him up with the rain falling upon them. He kept staring with murderous intent much like the one who murdered him previously, although he still hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of who they were.

Drexo’s eyes widened even further and their squeezing stopped. Kiran began to slip through their large hand and land on the ground below.

Drexo went to one knee and placed both hands on the ground. “W-What is this…” They tried to grab the handle of their war-hammer, but some invisible force motioned through their right hand. Blood spewed out as their newly severed hand settled on the ground.

A frightening pained roar escaped from his lips whilst the other banespawn looked at Noreko’s approach towards their newly injured leader.

“We had a deal,” Noreko said while contorting his fingertips in a strange way. Drexo’s other hand became severed from his body causing him to let out another guttural scream. “You are quite an impatient one. All you had to do was take your time, but instead, you’d rather consume a lovely meal before it has fully cooked.”

His fingers gripped Drexo’s chin. Noreko’s fingernails began to dig into their skin causing blood to trickle down their fingertips.

“There’s a high price to be paid for exposing me.” Drexo’s eyes widened even further. “Your payment shall be your precious soul.”

A strange force began to enter this location. He felt his own soul quiver in fear as the glimmer of light in Drexo’s eyes became drained. A strange energy flowed to Noreko causing every nearby banespawn to cower in fear. Even Kiran, could not make rational sense of what he was beginning to feel, even though he was not the target of this action Noreko directed towards Drexo.

What made matters more strange, was that Drexo did not scream in pain. He just remained there on his knees with those severed hands of his and came to have his very essence removed.

“Let him go!” a banespawn screamed aloud. Their head became immediately severed, as Noreko focused on Drexo and everyone stood in fear that they too would become targeted by this truly malevolent force.