The bulbous eyes of the two masked mages peered down at the Crimsonmane lass lying on her back, the Nightmare Snare around her neck, and her body convulsing on the ground. Once again, Orb was in the grip of the magic-sealing glove, trapped without a fight as the Mothman clenched his mechanical seal hand. He glimpsed at his partner, the Deer-Man. Its head was a mere mask yet again, with a pair of lifeless, round eyes. No more time should be spent basking in this small victory. The world outside was still in upheaval, and anyone who entered the building was bound to come as an enemy.

So they turned around. At the sound of the Mothman clearing his throat, a swarm of insects appeared, creating a sort of teleportation spell. Just as the black crowd filled half the bodies of the two masked magi, Alicia emerged from nowhere and hurled a rock at the Mothman's knee! The mage kneeled, and Alicia leapt to her feet, lunging at his towering body as she threw at him her own Nightmare Snare. The formation of insects crumbled. The master collapsed. His turn to suffer a bout of apoplexy.

The Deer-Man's black eyes failed to turn lifelessly round when he saw the Crimsonmane lass struggling to keep her balance on two feet. A petty lass should not have recovered this quickly. But then he realised her tartan robes offered a fleeting glow before the dissolved into fireflies.

Gone was the timid smile of the furry snout. The gasp reared back its unnatural serrations and the shrill roar. Alicia, behind her gasping breath, was no longer impressed. She was only concerned about Orb lying far away near the door. The Deer-Man also turned his head towards the Arcane orb, and he grinned.

Alicia reached into her brown satchel, pulled out a small vial of purple liquid, and quickly chugged it down. Before long, her body was back upright and fit, the trembling in her legs hardened, and the rhythm of her breathing was steady.

"Though I've only made a few test batches. That's a scunner. I guess I have to test it at this crucial time," Alicia said. "I hope you're weaker than expected so that my work will succeed! It has to work, otherwise, Mama will be disappointed."

Weaker, she said. Alicia's gaze flashed a challenge. With a peak of fury and howls, the Deer-Man's legs raced against the air, claws wide open to yank the girl with supernatural force before swallowing her head whole. The girl's body started dragging forward, her heartbeat racing wild abandon, but she kept her strong demeanour. All because she had commandeered yet another set of nosy tools: a slingshot and several small leaf packets.

Alicia yielded to the urge: tugging the rubber band and hurtling tiny missiles towards the Deer-Man!

The shots were bullseyes (or so it seemed). Thick mustard smoke bloomed almost the entire surroundings as the leaf bullets hit the mage's rough cloth and burst into pieces. Alicia succumbed to the gravity again. The deer's steps faltered. His nose snorted out the clouds loudly as he steadied his wobbly body.

It was not that he wanted to give in. He still insisted on stretching out his arms, daring the girl to pass him in order to get Orb.

"Xixin flower, isn’t it?" The Deer-Man kept on coughing. The mustard gas had created a pungent sensation on his olfactory nerves. "I must say, clever call."

A slight gas managed to burrow its way into Alicia's skin and orifices, but somehow, she was undaunted by fatigue. "I thought you had been attacked with xixin bullets before?" she asked as she rose once more. "When you were leading the raiders as Boko Rombeng?"

"Boko Rombeng..." The deer's muzzle shook with vapour and a giggle. "I took his skin after he was executed. Poor man. His elastic limbs were useless when he was nailed to the wooden poles. He pissed himself while the executioners were aiming at his heart with their daggers in his supine state."

It was only fitting that the deer-headed shaman did not laugh. But he had completely forgotten that his life force was merging with the free air, resulting in the shaman slipping.

"Feeling tired already?" Alicia asked, her head tilted. "Ye seemed pure excited when ye told me about Boko Rombeng's misfortune."

"He's a robber. Power-hungry, treasure-hungry, woman-hungry. Disgusting. Don't you share my disgust?"

Alicia's eyebrows dipped sharply. Her teeth chattered behind her momentarily linked lips. What she was about to say made her chest tight, and her head hot.

"Of course, it's disgusting. But what about you...? What about them? Do ye have stories to tell of their torture?"

A fierce laugh was muffled behind the long-necked deer mask. "Aren't you the one who understands best, Crimsonmane...?"

"Ye killed my friends..."

"Oh, how sad! Unfortunately, I wasn't the main cause of all the misfortune that befell you..., or the hundreds of Pulomas families."

Alicia shook her head. "That trick of yours. Won't work for me anymore."

"Wow," the Deer-Man was stunned, evident from the way his body jerked back. "And here I thought I was the most callous one around. Adolescents these days have no conscience, huh? To think that I enjoyed my time slaughtering Roma's agents and druid elders and skinning countless people and animals in every corner of the world of thaumaturgy!"

"Yer lying! Cursed being! I ken ye enjoyed it!" Alicia had already drawn three xixin flower bullets in her catapult. “I willnae hesitate to shoot ye again until yer life force runs out!”

The voice behind the Deer Man's mask suddenly screamed, "Alicia, stop!"

Alicia froze. That voice. That voice was feminine, not at all like the gruff voice she had been hearing.

"You're having a laugh now, eh—"

"No, please!" the feminine voice pleaded again. "Okay. I'll admit it. You want a reason, don't you? You want honesty, don't you? We'll have a good talk. I just need to take off this bloody mask...."

The mage was never to be trusted. Yet, Alicia could not help but shudder. Her bones ached. All because that haunting mask was about to be detached at last. Regardless of how quivering the lass' breath was, her myopic eyes were alert, and her hands remained faithful on the catapult.

"Relax, Alicia," said the deer. "No more tricks. I promise."

After a slight shake of the head, the deer mask was finally pulled off, slowly revealing the face of the cursed human being who had committed so many heinous deeds.

Half of the face was revealed, and Alicia's eyes narrowed in curiosity.

The whole face was revealed, and her eyes widened.

A young woman with tan skin, almost the same age as Alicia. Her hair was short, her face round, her eyebrows thick.

"You're..."

"That's right. It's me, Alicia..." the suspect said faintly.

"K-Kiran..."

"Yes."

"No," Alicia was skeptical. "No, yer not Kiran. I know for a fact that Kiran is gone–"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"And yet, here I am..." Kiran spread her hands. "The person you thought was Kiran in the morgue is someone else. This is really me... Now, can we talk?"

"You presumptuously used her skin, ye bloody mongrel—"

"Okay! Fine... It's okay. Just listen to me. Forgive me if I accuse you of being the culprit of all my bad deeds. In the end, I can't blame you. Arcane might is indeed powerful. It's tantalizing too—"

"You're implying as if Orb is Khaos..."

"No, I'm not. Orb's Arcane and Khaos are different. Arcane is indeed powerful. Too powerful, making humans lulled by its immense might, forgetting everything and only aiming to rule the world with that might alone. That cursed essence...," Kiran clucked his tongue, "prevents what we should be... Our true nature..."

Alicia was like a worm in heat. Already hating her, she was unwilling to spare any patience for the Deer-headed Witch. "What kind of nonsense is that?" she sneered. "What nature?"

Kiran tried to crawl slowly. She took one step with her hands before looking up into the gobsmacked expression of the red-haired girl.

"The true nature of you and me, Alicia. To be something greater."

"Liar. Forever a liar. I'll pass ye by!" Alicia began to walk around Kiran.

However, Kiran immediately raised her fist, her five fingers spread wide. "Stop!" she snarled. "Don't take the Arcane. Do you think we're going to kill a lot of people just to control an Arcane source like the Eternal Empire? Don't be stupid, we're not Romans, we're not Crimsonmanes! We want to free the world from the restraints of that evil might. Arcane must be destroyed!"

"And let Khaos engulf the earth in darkness?"

"You really don't know anything, do you? We never craved a life of dull darkness," Kiran explained. "That is the propaganda of the Arcane wielders who have been intoxicated with power. I and many others have seen the truth. Khaos promises a better life for everyone... So perfect, that we know no death. We know no boundaries. We were willing to leave what was once ours, to become the opposition alongside the 'Primordial Opposition', in order to experience that promise. This, Alicia... is better than eternal life."

"This is what the mages have always feared of Khaos's deception."

"There is no deception. I'm not crazy."

"Even better than being rich and spending the rest of your life drinking sajêng, that dream of yours?"

"It's bigger than that mundane wish. I'm willing to go without sajêng for the rest of my life to fulfill Khaos' will..."

Kiran struggled to rise to her feet, though her knees were already pressed against the cool stone floor. Through her hazy vision, Alicia and the room beyond seemed to waver and blur. Seizing the moment, Alicia began to stride quickly past her former friend before Kiran almost pounced on her again due to her still overly quick crawl.

The girl dressed in black scrambled on her hands and knees, her fingers gripping the ground with urgency. "Please, Alicia! What do I have to do to make you trust me?"

The bespectacled lass simply shook her head, dragging her feet backwards with small steps. Her left hand had already slipped into the bag. "There's nothing to prove. You're not Kiran."

"I've deceived a lot with guises, I understand, but it doesn't change the fact—"

"No, you really aren't Kiran," Alicia interrupted firmly. "Because Kiran dinnae like sajêng."

The imposter's face grew tense at the mention of the drink.

"Kiran once tried sajêng secretly and cursed the drink,” Alicia explained. “A life of seeking knowledge to get rich and enjoy sajêng for life... is Cempaka's strange dream."

With one last remark, Alicia almost surprised the deer witch. "You don't have to hide behind other people's skin anymore, Aunt Penelope..."

Hearing Alicia's statement, the imposter was momentarily stunned. Her gaze dropped to the wet floor. But then she let out a faint giggle, and her hands grew heavy. Looking up at Alicia, who remained unaffected by the effects of the mana drain, was like trying to lift a boulder with her neck.

"You have nothing to say? Except laugh?" Alicia sneered again. "In my dream, all the Crimsonmane family who practised Wizardry wore red robes. But you sure were dressed in something else."

"You are sure a smart lady, Alicia...," Kiran retorted with a smile. No, not Kiran anymore. The deer-headed skin-mimicking witch, her own aunt, Penelope Crimsonmane. Her face had altered. "I'd argue you're smarter than Ailsa, but you are sure her daughter, after all."

"I heard it was Aunt Florence. But if you disguised as her..."

"You don't really read the news, huh? Well, of course, you were not in Camelot when that happened. That wretched being was found drowned in one of Alasdair's wine barrels." Penelope chortled as if reliving a comedy show. "And... and... and to my surprise, Father still had time to savour that barrel. I guess skinless-human-infused wine does provide a certain kick and unique funkiness!"

Penelope's image in Alicia's eyes had been tarnished. But it was not like the Crimsonmane clan as a whole left any meaningful impression on her other than the mockeries and assassination attempts. The lass decided not to respond to this one.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you...?" Penelope changed the subject. "Seeing your kin in a hapless state like this? Pretending to be in good health amidst the puffs of mana-draining smoke?"

"At least my time in Ki Semar's greenhouse wasnae in vain. Mama said the lóng jú huā leaves were a gift from the dragon of Chixian Shenzou, the antithesis of xixin huā, the antidote to mana drain." Alicia was already rushing at the witch's right side. Her pace quickened. "Even with the right potion, it can prevent drastically reducing mana usage when performing magic—perhaps that could be a consideration for switching from Protos particles. You need to rest for thirty minutes. In the meantime, please excuse me..."

How could the deer mage let a bookish girl circle her so easily? Kiran immediately pulled her mask back over her head. Her body then swelled, her form returning to a deer monster with curves and thick fur. Her thick, sharp claws pawed the wall until it split open, startling Alicia who ran and slipped as well.

"I bet your mum never told you about the deer-headed witch who is immune to magic effects at a certain level and for a certain duration!" The deer monster giggled, then flung her claws at the girl again. Alicia crawled quickly, running to the end of the wall. One could not tell what was going through her mind to stop her steps at a dead end and turn around as if nothing had happened. Her heart was already pounding, sweat pouring down her face, lips twitching against the horror. The Deer-Woman looked at the prey caught in the trap, opened her jaws wide, and lunged at the little horse!

Alicia's left hand reached for another peculiar contraption from her waistbag. A small bamboo tube, covered in rubber with a trigger cord attached at the bottom. With a swift tug of the cord, a dense white liquid spurted from the tube and coated the Deer-Woman as she leapt into the air. The frothy substance spread quickly and hardened, enclosing the once nimble creature in a solid block of foam. The Deer Monster, now immobilised, collapsed to the concrete floor. A frustrated, curse-laden screech erupted from her throat.

"What the fuck is this shit again?" Penelope screamed.

"The Riot Foam Launcher. My own invention, from Mama's knowledge and Ki Semar’s greenhouse! Ubar gum, yao grass, gypsum, cloves, tobacco, xixin flower, and ammonium sulfate—ah, later! I have to get Orb first!" exclaimed Alicia as she scrambled to her feet to the door where the sealing box lay.

The yellow mist began to clear, and Alicia was so close to the sealing box that she could almost reach out and touch it when a hand pulled her by the leg, causing her to fall again for the umpteenth time! She turned her head to see the Mothman on his knees, his chest rising and falling to catch his breath, as the insects gathered around him. Nightmare Snare was still draped around his neck, but it was soon discarded somewhere in the confusion. Meanwhile, the sealed box containing Orb was snatched away by the swarm from the other side.

"No, no! Ye have to give me Orb!" Alicia cried out in desperation, her voice raw with emotion. But the Mothman simply slammed the girl shut. Again, her glasses broke.

The Mothman's endurance, both physical and mental, must have been tried by all seasons and many moons. A mage worthy of praise, not to mention fear. He did not even need the aid of a magical cloak from a loved one to guide him out of a nightmarish spell!

The Deer-Woman, too, managed to break free from the sticky foam after a series of thunderous roars.

"Wench!" the Mothman fumed, his guttural screech nearly deafening Alicia's ears. "Hnnnnggggg how dare you put that fucking necklace around my neck!" Thousands of black insects took to the air, forming a pair of tentacles behind his back. "I'll give you nightmares hnnngggg straight to the Gates of Hades!"

Suddenly, another savage animal screech from outside pierced the air. Two orange projectiles shaped as lion's heads soared through the door, knocking the insect mage's face backwards!

Before long, another figure darted through the housing complex. Furious, the Deer Monster spurred her leg muscles, uniting with the wind, with the aim of capturing the lad. The lad landed on the deer's chest, then with a tight embrace and a well-earned lift, he spun around, flinging the Bipedal Deer's body forward!

"What is wrong with you?" the lad grumbled instead. "You literally own the strongest power source in the world of thaumaturgy, yet those puny ass mages are still around!"

Alicia's ruby eyes widened instantly, shining with a twinkle along with her smile.

She ran to the man and hugged him. []