Around me, the others were no longer idle—Devon was sharpening his sword by the fire. Selene was crouched near the edge of the clearing, inspecting one of the rune wards she'd set the night before. Mason stretched with an audible groan, while Fi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and started digging through her inventory for something edible.

Ethan, still wrapped in his bedroll, sat cross-legged, staring quietly into the remnants of the fire.

“Morning,” I said softly, sitting up and stretching my arms overhead.

He glanced at me and smiled faintly. “Morning, Kiera.”

“Rested?” Devon asked, his sharp gaze flickering toward Ethan.

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, thanks. It’s been a while since I felt safe enough to actually sleep in-game.”

Devon grunted in response, his eyes narrowing slightly before returning to his sword.

I stood, dusting off my armor before walking over to Selene. “Are we good to move?”

She glanced up at me, amber eyes sharp but calm. “The wards held through the night. No signs of patrols or wandering mobs. We should head out before the sun rises too high. Open daylight leaves us exposed.”

I nodded, pulling up my HUD map. Our next waypoint blinked faintly on the screen, pulling us deeper into the forest and closer to what looked like another dungeon marker.

“Alright, everyone,” Selene called out. “Pack up. We move in ten.”

The forest stretched endlessly before us as we trudged through uneven terrain. The morning sun filtered through gaps in the leaves, dappling the ground in golden patches. Ethan walked close to me, sometimes trailing behind, sometimes at my side.

“So, Kiera,” he said after a while, breaking the silence between us. “How long have you been playing Eidolon Nexus?”

I hesitated, glancing over at him. “Not long. A few weeks, maybe? I kind of got dragged into it by Devon.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk forming on his lips. “And now you’re taming hellhounds and leading parties through corrupted zones. That’s… impressive.”

I blushed faintly, scratching the back of my neck. “I wouldn’t call it impressive. More like… chaotic improvisation.”

“Still,” Ethan said, his voice soft. “You’ve got guts.”

Devon, walking a few steps ahead, turned his head slightly as if he’d been listening in. Selene’s sharp amber eyes flickered briefly toward Ethan before returning to the path ahead.

Mason broke the tension with a booming voice. “Alright, someone tell me why all these forests have to look the same! I swear, if I see another tree, I might just—”

“Punch it?” Fi offered, grinning.

Mason chuckled. “Exactly!”

The group shared a brief laugh, the tension easing once more.

We came to a split in the path—a narrow trail leading up a steep ridge to the left and a darker, winding route descending into the shadows of a dense thicket on the right.

“Which way?” I asked, pulling up my HUD map. The path to the left seemed longer, winding over the ridge, but the path to the right was shorter… and marked with faint red warnings.

Selene stepped closer, studying the map. “The ridge path is safer but slower. The thicket path… we’d need to be ready for anything.”

“Red warnings usually mean high-level mobs,” Devon added, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

“Or worse,” Mason muttered.

Fi tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Do we want long and difficult or dangerous and fast?”

I looked at the group, feeling the weight of leadership pressing against my chest. Ethan’s eyes met mine briefly, his expression unreadable.

After a moment, I exhaled and pointed to the left. “We take the ridge path. We’ve had enough surprises for one week.”

Selene gave a faint nod of approval, and Devon took a quiet breath.

The ridge trail was narrow and uneven, bordered by steep drops on one side and towering rock walls on the other. Fi walked beside me, occasionally kicking pebbles off the edge and watching them disappear into the abyss below.

“Do you think there’s any player down there who’s just… stuck forever?” she asked her voice light but tinged with curiosity.

Mason, walking just behind her, snorted. “Fi, if you fall, I’m not jumping after you. Just so we’re clear.”

“Noted!” she chirped back.

The ridge path had been long and unforgiving. My feet ached from uneven stone steps, my HP had dipped from minor environmental hazards, and tension still lingered thick in the air despite the picturesque view of the sprawling forest below. Selene walked up front, sharp eyes scanning every shadow, while Devon stayed close behind me like some kind of overprotective shadow. Mason and Fi trailed in the back, exchanging quiet banter every now and then. Ethan remained somewhere in the middle, occasionally glancing at me but mainly keeping to himself.

Fi let out an exaggerated groan. “If I see one more rock, I swear I’m gonna—”

“Let me guess,” Mason said with a grin, swinging his hammer over his shoulder. “Punch it?”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Har, har, I was going to say ‘throw it at Devon,’ but sure,” Fi replied with a mischievous grin. Devon rolled his eyes, walking a few paces ahead.

We had barely passed the ridge and descended into a calmer forest clearing when faint shouting cut through the serene silence.

The path widened into a fork ahead, and a faint sound caught our attention—raised voices echoing through the trees.

"What's going on over there?" I asked, slowing my steps.

Selene’s amber eyes narrowed as she scanned the path ahead. “Sounds like an argument.”

The ridge had been exhausting, and the uneven path carved through ancient stones made every step feel like a gamble. The air carried an eerie stillness when we finally descended into the forest clearing. Shadows clung to the tree trunks like stubborn stains, and the distant scent of something… sweet lingered—honey, cinnamon, and something sharp underneath, like spoiled fruit.

Ahead, a crooked little shack leaned precariously against gnarled tree roots. Smoke coiled lazily from its chimney, and faint lantern light glowed behind dusty windows.

We heard the voices before we saw them.

“You witch! Give us back our children!”

Two men—one tall and wiry, the other broad and barrel-chested—loomed over a frail old woman clutching a worn shawl to her chest. She quivered, hands trembling as the men yelled accusations at her.

“Please!” the old woman stammered. “You’re mistaken. I’ve done nothing wrong!”

Their names flickered above their heads:

* [NPC: Edwin – Desperate Father]

* [NPC: Gerald – Grief-Stricken Uncle]

* [NPC: Agatha – Frail Herbalist]

My HUD pinged with a new quest marker:

[QUEST OBJECTIVE: Investigate the Disappearance of Edwin and Gerald’s Children]

* Option 1: Side with Edwin and Gerald and confront Agatha.

* Option 2: Side with Agatha and search the forest for clues.

* Option 3: [CLASS-SPECIFIC OPTION: SUCCUBUS DEMON LORD] (Exclusive Dialogue Available)

The third option glitched faintly on my HUD, tendrils of shadow curling at its edges. I selected it without hesitation.

[CLASS-SPECIFIC DIALOGUE INITIATED]

[Kiera]: (Smoothly, with charm) Tell me, Agatha… what are you hiding?

The air shifted, and my voice took on the edge of velvet smoothness—something otherworldly, laced with charm and poison. Agatha froze, her pale eyes darting toward me, her lips trembling.

For a moment, her name tag flickered:

[NPC: Agatha – ???]

Her smile cracked at the edges. “I… I’m just an old woman. I would never harm a child…”

But her lie shimmered in the air around her. A passive skill appeared on my HUD:

[Shadow Insight (Passive)]: Grants the ability to perceive hidden truths or sense deception in NPCs and players. (Class-Specific Skill)

“She’s lying,” I said flatly, cutting through the tension.

Edwin and Gerald froze. Selene’s amber eyes narrowed, her hands inching toward her daggers. Devon stepped forward, his sword glinting under the faint light of the shack.

Agatha straightened slowly. Her frail form seemed to stretch, shadows bleeding from her feet and crawling up her spine like twisted veins. Her crooked grin widened into something sharp and unnatural.

“Oh dear… adventurers always ask too many questions…”

[BOSS FIGHT INITIATED: Shadow Hag Agatha (Level 30)]

The ground cracked as tendrils of blackened shadow burst forth from Agatha’s feet. Her crooked form twisted and stretched unnaturally as her shawl melted into a writhing cloak of smoke and shadow. Her crooked smile hung on her skeletal face like a mask as her hollow eyes glowed faintly red.

Devon charged in first. Agatha flicked her wrist, and a wave of shadow pushed him back, forcing him to dig his heels into the soft earth. Selene vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind Agatha with her daggers aimed at her spine, only for black tendrils to burst upward, blocking her attack.

Mason let out a roar. His hammer raised high as he swung onto one of Agatha’s shadow limbs, shattering it with a deafening crack. Fi darted backward, and her sword's enchanted energy flew through the air, striking Agatha’s chest and forcing her to stumble backward slightly.

I called forth my Dire Hellhound summon with a sharp command. The ground split open in a fiery circle, and the massive, crimson beast leaped, its molten eyes locked onto Agatha. It lunged forward, shadow fangs snapping at her tendrils as it tore one free from the ground.

“Keep her busy!” Selene shouted, her voice sharp over the chaos. “Mason, break the tethers! Fi, focus her weak points!”

Agatha shrieked, her voice warping into something guttural and twisted. Her clawed hands reached toward me, and I barely dodged in time.

“Crimson Kiss!” I shouted, launching the charm-based spell. A streak of crimson light hit Agatha square in the face, forcing her to recoil as her shadowy limbs twitched and faltered briefly. My HP ticked upward from the siphoned energy.

The Dire Hellhound lunged again, sinking its jaws into one of Agatha’s main shadow tethers. Devon rushed forward, his sword glowing faintly as he slammed it into another anchor point. Selene’s blades sliced effortlessly through smaller tendrils sprouting from the ground.

“This hag’s getting real old!” she quipped before slicing directly at Agatha’s head.

The impact caused Agatha’s form to destabilize, her limbs jittering like a glitching animation.

[BOSS HP: 25%]

Agatha screamed, shadows exploding outward in every direction. Mason raised his hammer to shield himself while Devon barely dodged the blast. Selene, however, was thrown backward into a tree, letting out a sharp cry of pain.

The Dire Hellhound snarled, shadows curling around its molten body as it lunged for Agatha’s throat.

I seized the opening.

“Essence Feast!”

Shadowy tendrils burst from beneath me, wrapping around Agatha’s form and siphoning dark energy. Her HP plummeted rapidly, and my own health ticked upward as the shadows glowed brighter.

The Dire Hellhound clamped its jaws around Agatha’s neck, pinning her to the ground as Devon stepped forward, sword raised. The blade pierced her chest. Agatha’s scream reverberated through the clearing as her form shattered into shards of black mist, evaporating into nothingness.

[BOSS DEFEATED: Shadow Hag Agatha]

[REWARDS: Rare Drops x2, Gold x2000, EXP +15,000]

[QUEST UPDATED: Speak with Edwin and Gerald]

We stood there, panting in the eerie silence that followed. The Dire Hellhound let out one final snarl before turning to me, its molten eyes locking onto mine before dispersing into a cloud of crimson mist.

The two NPC men stumbled forward, wide-eyed and trembling.

“Is… is it over?” Edwin stammered.

“It’s over,” I said softly.

Ethan approached me. His brow furrowed in thought. “That… wasn’t a normal boss fight, was it?”

“Well, uh, yes and no?” I said.

The forest grew silent again, save for the distant chirping of crickets.

“Let’s wrap up the quest,” Selene said quietly, her amber eyes flickering to me.

The aftermath of the fight left the clearing shrouded in an eerie stillness. Edwin and Gerald clutched each other, their faces pale, muttering thanks and apologies. The charred remains of Agatha's twisted form had crumbled into dark ash, already scattering in the faint breeze.

“Let’s finish up here and get moving,” Selene said.

We turned in the quest to Edwin and Gerald, receiving our modest rewards—gold coins, a few potions, and an enchanted trinket labeled [Hag’s Charmstone]—which Fi pocketed before I could even blink. Two small NPC children seemingly appeared from nowhere by their side.

We continued on to the main path.

I drifted back alongside Ethan to make sure he was okay. He had remained relatively quiet after the fight, his brows furrowed as if lost in thought.

“That was… intense,” he said, his voice softer than usual.

“Welcome to life in the frontlines,” I replied faintly. “You okay?”

He hesitated before nodding. “Yeah. Just… that thing wasn’t normal. I’ve done low-level quests before, but nothing like that.”

“Stick around long enough, and you’ll realize that nothing about our adventures is normal,” Fi said from up ahead, flashing a grin over her shoulder. Mason gave a low chuckle as he adjusted the massive hammer resting on his back.