Struggling to catch her breath, Lorelei sprinted through the temple hallways. From the moment they left the gardens, diving under the old vaults, an eerie quiet surrounded them. The crackling and hissing of the lanterns hanging at equal intervals from the walls reminded her of the snapping of twigs under the sneaking step of a predator. With each sizzle of the wicks, her chest tightened as dread grew inside her.

Lorelei threw a glance over her shoulder. Right next to her, Rish was running with furrowed brows and gaze fixated straight ahead. Little pearls of sweat rimmed her temples, hinting that controlling someone else’s body wasn’t as easy as she had previously claimed. Several paces behind, Castor supported Neli into an unsteady jog as the old woman had decidedly refused to stay and rest. The usually golden-brown hew of the Marzbanati’s face was now ashen, black circles rimming her eyes. Despite the obvious pain she was in, there was an unshakable determination in her gaze, deterring anyone from even attempting to reason with her.

The sight added to the weight in Lorelei’s chest. She should have looked for some priests to take care of the injured first instead of blindly running off towards… probably death and devastation. Alas, they hadn’t met a single being on their way, be it living or undead, and randomly searching the temple was currently a suicidal notion. But there was more. The moment the black column had erupted over the temple, the holy powers in her body had begun to stir restlessly. Something was pulling her towards the cathedral ruins and she felt like a hound on the hunt. There was only one problem - she had no idea how to deal with whatever awaited her at their destination, but judging by the chaos and slews of cursed priests, it was well outside the scope of her abilities.

Deep in thought, Lorelei almost ran past their target, but Rish’s eloquent cursing made her stop abruptly. Only a glance was enough to understand the Binshi’s reaction.

The side entrance to the cathedral was blocked by an unknown sticky wall. Pustule-like bubbles rose on its surface and burst, releasing soot and the stench of decaying flesh in the stuffy air. The second they stepped closer, several searching coils of miasma shot from the wall, their tips blindly swaying around like the hungry tentacles of a deep sea monster.

Rish stretched her arm, barring Lorelei’s path.

“This time, you do stay back.”

“But my holy power could-”

“Do you know how to consciously control it?”

“No, but-”

“Do you know the price you have to pay for using it?”

“I don’t think-”

“Then this is not your power, Lorelei. It’s just some power. And I’m not going to risk your life yet again!”

Lorelei opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t say a word. Her friend had a point.

Next to her, Rish pulled the snake sword Neli had used and ran the tip of her index finger over the edge. Using the fresh blood instead of ink, the young shaman drew a long row of sigils along the blade. With every character, the silver shimmer around the weapon intensified, until it glowed like a little moon. Rish then took a step towards the barred entrance, her eyes shining the same color as the sword.

“Careful not to cut a limb or two,” rasped Neli.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” retorted the young warrior, her voice chiming strangely like a distant crystal bell.

A flick of her wrist was enough to send the blade flying towards its target. It cut through the gooey tar-like barrier as if it were made of butter, sending putrid droplets flying in all directions. Several groups of tentacles made weak attempts to reach the shaman and hinder her, but she evaded and sliced them off with seemingly little effort. Several more quick movements and a large, dripping hole was carved into the black wall.

“I… don’t like this,” huffed Rish and wiped her forehead with a trembling hand, the light in her eyes dimming together with the blood sigils.

“Did it strain you too much?” Lorelei hurried to support her friend, but the Binshi gave her a sign to stay back.

“No.” Rish’s eyes squinted as she peered through the hole. “It was too easy.”

All of a sudden, an inhuman roar filled the air, followed by a howl of pure agony. The sound shook Lorelei to her very core. The first voice, as distorted and unnatural as it sounded, was still painfully familiar. Her body shot into motion even before her mind could formulate a clear thought. She dove past Rish, who was a second too late to catch her, and sped toward the breach.

Her heels abruptly dug into a full stop only a step into the ravaged nave.

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The formerly bright and colorful cathedral hall now looked more like a cavernous ruin. No, it was almost like the descriptions in the ancient texts talking about the Nether Realms, guarded by Father Norn. Tar black stalagmites of half-liquid substance dripped and oozed from the walls and the broken ceiling, turning into pungent, corrosive puddles that ate at the damaged mosaics on the floor. An enormous sinister web, as if spun by one of the creatures of Primordial Evil, spanned the whole nave, trapping the tormented body of Bishop Petronius in its center. But the most horrific thing was the two blurred figures clashing again and again, hunting each other amongst the ruins with mindless growls and viciousness not inherent even to the wildest beasts. Blood splatters, both red and black, cloaked them. Claws and steel bit into flesh, tore, maimed, and ripped apart.

The breath stuck into Lorelei’s chest as she eyed in horror Noah’s body. She recognized those red-black shimmering scales and that mad, merciless mask in place of the familiar features. Before her stood not Noah but an empty husk, controlled by Nerodris - wildly swinging a broken sword with a soulless smile and savoring each pained howl of his opponent. Her lips muttered an exclamation that didn’t reach her ears as her whole being was focused on the grotesque scene before her.

In a blink, two pairs of cruel eyes pinned onto her. What Lorelei saw in them was only death. The next moment, a chorus scream accompanied the lightning attack of several black tentacles.

A hidden, wild part of her had anticipated this. But expecting an attack and evading it were two different things. And with death flying towards you, time begins to behave strangely. Lorelei could see the unnaturally sharp tips of the tentacles, their obsidian surface reflecting the sparse light as they sliced through the air toward her chest. There was also the silver glint of a ribbon-like blade, its snaking trajectory briefly missing her shoulder as it cleaved the tendrils a hand-span away from their target. At the same moment, Rish’s arm wrapped around her and the two women lunged at a nearby column, their bodies hitting hard the cold marble.

The collision expelled all the air from Lorelei’s lungs. Her shoulder burned in pain. A salty taste in her mouth indicated that she had bit the inside of her cheek. Yet she was alive.

“T-thanks!” she rasped.

“You sure are suicidal!” hissed Rish and her face twisted. “Can you move that thing a bit to the side?”

Just then, Lorelei realized that she was still clinging to the golden staff and its shaft was caught between their bodies and pressing against the Binshi’s chest. She hurriedly changed position.

“Did it cause you pain?”

“No, it’s still dormant. But I don’t like it either way.”

Another set of howls and mad roars interrupted them. The two dared to peek from behind their cover and saw a frenzied Noah pummeling the vapir with his bare hands. Black blood smeared all over his face with every hit, but his insane smile only grew wider. For a moment, Lorelei thought she had glimpsed several translucent monstrous snakes, coiling around his neck and torso, their tongues shooting in and out as they hissed in his ears.

The next moment, Rish’s palm covered her eyes.

“Don’t look.” Her friend’s voice trembled, almost completely drowned in the clamor. “That isn’t him!”

But even without sight, Lorelei could still hear the carnage. The scraping of nails against metal. The crunching of bones. The muddled thuds of flesh hitting flesh. She wretched, but her stomach was empty and only bitter and sour bile rose up her throat. Using the staff as a crutch, she propped herself up, for her knees had long gone soft. Every screech of the vapir, accompanied by Noah’s screams and, to her utter horror, jubilant laughs, reverberated inside her chest.

As the minutes passed, the sounds of the fight diminished. Finally, Rish judged it safe enough to remove her hand. With tears blurring her eyes, Lorelei stared into the now quiet nave. A lone figure stood amidst the rubble. Around it, the black cobweb was slowly melting like snow under the spring sun, and in his feet, an unidentifiable dark mass trembled in a final attempt to cling to life. A stomp of Noah’s foot and all motion was gone.

Clumsily rubbing her eyes and smearing tears and grime all over her face, Lorelei didn’t know what to do. Terror stifled her voice and froze her step, and, for the first time, she realized that she was afraid of Noah. Next to her, Rish’s twisted face indicated that she was no less shaken.

A movement close by attracted Lorelei’s attention. She stiffened, expecting another attack, but then saw the battered figure of Duncan, leaning on Lucas’ shoulder. When their gazes met, the old knight shook his head, giving her a sign to remain still. As quietly as possible, the two men hobbled towards them. A rustling of steps from the opposite direction announced the sneak attempts of Castor and Neli. Soon, all six of them gathered.

“Don’t let down your guard,” whispered Duncan the moment he leaned on the column. “It isn’t over.”

“The vapir is dying,” replied Rish in kind, her eyebrows locking together. “So you must mean His Highness.”

“What did he do?” hissed Neli and pierced the old knight with a deadly glare.

“He summoned Nerodris’ essence.”

“No!” the Marzbanati’s voice rose up but she lowered it almost immediately. “You allowed him to do this!?”

“It’s not like I could stop him-”

“And how do we stop him now!? Last time, Yanosh barely managed to subdue him!” The old woman looked over to Rish who flinched.

“I have no idea what’s happening, but you sure do know that I can’t measure up to a kush-turgan, right?”

“Maybe if we pound some sense into him…. Nah, no chance.”

“Uhm, pardon the interruption,” said Castor, his eyes peeled at something in the distance, “but the Duke is coming this way.”

Five heads turned in perfect unison. Indeed, with a slow, dragging step, Noah walked towards them, his body slightly swaying.

“You all stay back and protect the Duchess.” Duncan grimaced and stepped from behind the column, followed by Neli. “We’ll try to reason with him.”

“You think this would work?” asked Lucas, positioning his body between Lorelei and the approaching Noah.

“Pray it does.” Neli squared her shoulders without turning back. “Or else, we are all walking corpses.”