Chapter 21:

We sat across from each other at the kitchen table, the silence lingering between us.

Axel was eyeing me, perhaps waiting for me to speak, but I remained resolute in letting him reveal what he had learned first, so I kept my lips sealed.

He was still a Champion, and I’d be a fool to tell him anything that could render me useless to him - or worse, anything he could use against me.

“This silence is killing me.” He finally said, his fingers suddenly drumming on the table, replicating a familiar melody I’d heard plenty of times in the streets of the capital, though I couldn’t recall its name.

I remained silent, and with a sigh he continued. “There was a demon here, wasn’t there?”

His question caught me off guard, and it probably showed in my expression, as a smug smile stretched across his face.

“I can tell by the smell...This whole village reeks of it.” He added.

“The...smell?” I asked hesitantly, not understanding what he meant. I hadn’t noticed any strange smell in all the thirty-three days I’d been in Vedem. The only awful-smelling place had been Vorlexia’s throne room beneath the infirmary, but that was a different kind of stench.

He nodded. “Hellspawns, and demons in particular, have this strange, distinctive smell. It’s a bit like...” he trailed off, deep in thought.

I tried to complete his line of thought based on things I’d heard in the past. “Sulfur?”

His expression shifted to one of disgust before he replied. “What? No. You really need to stop believing in rumours. First mineral refinement, now this...”

I rolled my eyes at his comment. “Then what do demons smell like?”

He shook his head and raised his hands in a conceding manner.

“I’m really not sure how to describe it.” He said. “But once you’ve hunted down enough of them, like I have, you learn to recognize them by their smell whether you like it or not.”

His words made me reflect on everything I knew about Axel Bane.

In this generation, he was the second hero chosen as Morthryga’s Champion, after Alaric Belton, of course. Not much was known about his past, except that he was a powerful fire mage, which eventually earned him his title - ‘The Dragon’. He was also, supposedly, a heroic adventurer who had saved many lives. News of his heroic deeds spread far and wide, and bards composed songs about him and his quests. He became a Champion, and for a time, he was widely considered the most beloved hero in the kingdom. Ever.

Then Leon Valter joined the Champions, and ever since that moment, Axel Bane’s popularity in the kingdom had been steadily declining.

“Did you hunt down a lot of demons?” I asked, trying to learn more about him - and perhaps hellspawns as well - while subtly shifting the focus of the conversation to him, hoping it would make him more comfortable speaking.

His gaze lingered on the wall beside me before it suddenly softened as he spoke. “I did.”

I followed his line of sight, trying to see what had caught his attention, but all I saw were the wooden tiles that made up the wall.

“I understand why you’re hesitant and don’t trust me.” He said suddenly, shifting his gaze from the wall to meet mine. “And I know that simply telling you to trust me won’t change anything, so I won’t even try. But...I want you to know that I want you to trust me.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.” I admitted.

He smiled softly. “Maybe you’re right, but I still want to try.”

“It’s a bit late to play the hero now.” I said, annoyed. “Let’s just exchange information and be done with it.”

“We will.” He chuckled. “But we’re in this for the long run, pal, and I need to build some trust with you.”

“The long run?” I asked, confused.

“Yes.” He nodded. “The things I’ve learned so far – which, by the way, isn’t much, since that bastard Alaric is so secretive - suggest we might have a mighty task ahead of us. The both of us. Three, if you include your friend.”

I instinctively glanced at Ren.

His words piqued my curiosity, but before I could respond, he continued. “To answer your earlier question – yes, I’ve hunted down a lot of demons in my lifetime. So much that even the hellspawns themselves gave me a nickname in their demonic language: ‘Gar'an’. It roughly translates to ‘hunter’.” He said in his sorry attempt to gain my trust. “Before I became a Champion, most of my quests involved hunting all kinds of hellspawns, including demons. I’m from the far-western area of the kingdom, generally known as the Viloros Valley, which used to be the Kingdom of Illen. It’s a region where many demonic breaches used to appear, so it was only natural for me to do something about it.”

I shook my head at his words. There were too many things I didn’t understand from what he’d said. I recalled the Viloros Mountains from the directions Belferon had given me when we first met...Weren’t they, and by extension Viloros Valley, supposed to be in the south of the kingdom?

I had already assumed Belferon lied to me. The mental map I’d created in my mind turned out to be as good as a child’s drawing of an imaginary kingdom. I wondered if any of the places he mentioned even existed, or if he had just fabricated them all on the spot?

Some of them were probably real. It would have been too risky for him to lie about everything. On the off chance that I actually knew some of the surrounding areas, I would’ve easily caught him in his lies. That’s why I believe he started with some truths before shifting to mild inaccuracies, and then to blatant lies as he gained confidence in my obvious lack of geographical knowledge.

Based on this logic, Genehof and Seros were probably real places, while the rest might still exist...Just not in the directions or distances he’d claimed. Or I could be wrong again, and they might be nothing more than the product of the old man’s imagination. I couldn’t be sure for now.

“You’re awake?” Axel asked, and I realized I dozed off.

“You mentioned the kingdom of Illen?” I inquired, as I had never heard the name before.

Axel nodded. “Yes. It’s not something that’s widely discussed in the capital - or the rest of the kingdom, for that matter - so I don’t blame you for not knowing. But the entire western region of Morthryga was once a kingdom called Illen. It stretched from the city of Benat in the northwest to Galis and the Viloros Valley and Mountains. Illen was a thriving, independent kingdom until about four centuries ago, when its leaders of the time decided to join the Morthrygan kingdom and sell away our independence.”

I reflected on how he phrased that last sentence. It almost felt like he didn’t consider himself Morthrygan. He must have sensed my thoughts because he spoke again before I could say a word on the matter.

“I am from Illen, yes. Proudly so.” He said, grinning. “That doesn’t mean I’m not loyal to the people of Morthryga, but the people of Illen will always consider themselves Illenists first and foremost. We’ve never lost our sense of belonging.”

“Sounds like you chose the wrong occupation, then.” I said, surprised. “Defending the people of a kingdom you don’t consider your own.”

He hissed at my words. “My people are part of this kingdom now, whether I like it or not, so I’m defending them too. Besides, you don’t have to belong to a specific kingdom to be a decent human being and do what’s right.”

Except he wasn’t the type to do what’s right, at least not from my brief experience with him. Despite that, I decided not to comment. I still needed to learn what he knew.

“Will you tell me about the demon that was here?” he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt. It might even make him more forthcoming about what he’d learned. Besides, it’s not like I considered Vorlexia an ally - I trusted her even less than I trusted him.

I nodded. “There was a demon here. An archdemon, even. She was – “

He jumped up from his chair, cutting me off before I could finish. “An archdemon? Are you sure? Who?” he asked, his voice urgent.

His wild reaction startled me, and he noticed my expression, quickly calming himself and sitting back down. “I’m sorry, but please understand, while all hellspawns are troublesome, archdemons are especially dangerous. They are not to be trifled with.” He paused. “Demonic breaches started appearing twenty-five years ago, but the last recorded archdemon sighting was almost five centuries ago. In the last demonic war.”

I nodded slowly at his words, understanding why he reacted the way he did.

“So, what is her name?” he asked, his expression serious. His laid-back personality was nowhere to be seen.

“Her name is Vorlexia.” I answered truthfully.

He seemed to be deep in thought, as if recalling something. “Insatiable Hunger? Are you sure? From what I know, it was believed she’d been taken down by her own kind.”

“That’s how she presented herself.” I said, instinctively recalling the unpleasant memories of her death-induced chamber.

“Well? Tell me more.” he asked after a brief pause.

I shook my head. “Tell me what you’ve learned first.”

Axel chuckled. “And here I thought we were building some trust.”

“Was anything you said supposed to make me trust you?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded. “Well, I thought explaining what I fight for and where I’m from would be the first steps toward creating some level of understanding between us.”

I rolled my eyes. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. “Learning where you’re from hardly changes anything. Especially since I’ve never even heard of Illen.” I said bluntly. “And hellspawns are enemies of mankind. Hunting them down doesn’t make you anymore different or heroic than others who do the same. I bet Alaric Belton and the Stormbringer have killed their fair share too. It doesn’t mean I’ll ever trust or forgive them.”

He looked disappointed. “That’s a fair point. I can’t argue with that...It’s just that...” he paused and sighed. “Never mind.”

“Can you finally tell me what you’ve learned?” I asked impatiently. Ren still needed help, and since Axel had already admitted he wasn’t versed in healing magic, he was just wasting our time at this point.

“Sure.” He answered, his tone turning serious. “First of all, let me calm you down a bit. Officially, you and your friend over there haven’t been announced as wanted criminals. At least not yet.”

“How’s that possible?” I asked, confused.

He continued. “Alaric has a lot of influence over our king, and that’s putting it mildly. Anyway, it’s clear he doesn’t want anyone knowing what you stole, or that you stole from that treasury at all. Which is both reassuring and worrying.”

“Worrying?” I asked, my anxiety rising.

Axel nodded. “Because it doesn’t mean he won’t send someone after you. Well, other people beside me, I mean. And since it’s not official, he could hire some very shady individuals, and those will be a lot harder for me to keep track of.”

“He doesn’t trust you?” I asked, though I could already guess the answer.

“Alaric Belton only trusts Alaric Belton.” He replied simply. “But don’t worry, for now, you’re in the clear, and I’ll keep my eyes and ears open in case I hear anything regarding your safety. Worst case, you still have the amethyst I gave you.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced that I had nothing to worry about. In addition to the Champions and the archdemons set on finding me and the calcite, now I had to worry about potential bounty hunters as well...

Axel continued. “Regarding the calcite itself, I’ll start by telling you the wildest thing I’ve learned so far.” He paused, making eye contact with me before continuing. “It was the only possession in the treasury that didn’t belong to the kingdom or the king.”

My mind raced at his words. “What? Then who did it belong to?”

Axel smiled, clearly proud of his revelation. “To Alaric himself.”

“Is that really so strange?” I wondered aloud. “As the leader of the Champions, maybe the king just agreed to keep it safe for him.”

“It’s not that.” Axel shook his head. “It’s the fact that Alaric Belton had something he decided to store in the kingdom’s treasury instead of his own estate. The man owns a giant estate in Willox with a personal vault, yet only a few months ago, he chose to move the calcite from there to the royal treasury. Now, why would he do that all of a sudden?”

I began to see where he was going with this. “Is the kingdom’s treasury special in any way?” I asked, intrigued.

“Well, it’s heavily guarded. Usually.” He rolled his eyes before continuing. “When Colonel Borges doesn’t decide to take matters into his own hands...”

I shrugged, recalling the officer who had trembled under Alaric Belton’s intimidating presence.

“It’s also sealed with a powerful sealing rune.” Axel added, rolling his eyes again. “A great rune that you lot somehow managed to break. How did you even do it? I thought that sealing rune was supposed to be unbreakable.”

I sighed, realizing that what Elandor had done was just as unbelievable as it had seemed at the time. I wasn’t sure how he did it - none of us were. And I guess we’d never know.

“It was Elandor.” I replied.

“Oh, he was your leader, right?” Axel’s expression almost looked apologetic, but I wasn’t buying it.

I just nodded.

“Well, back to the calcite.” Axel quickly changed the subject, likely realizing the conversation was heading in a direction he didn’t want to explore. “Supposedly, when the great hero Sepharion fought Demon King Pascal in the demonic war four-hundred and ninety years ago, he used the calcite to defeat him once and for all, claiming he had destroyed Hell in the process. The calcite was not recorded in the history books, as only Sepharion and his party members knew about it, but I have reasons to believe that’s the truth.”

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I analyzed his words carefully. “If it wasn’t recorded in history, how do you know about it?”

“That’s a good question.” He nodded. “A question I’m not going to answer. Can’t reveal my sources.”

I didn’t know much about the last demonic war, since it happened so long ago, but I recalled faintly that it was a great conflict. All of humanity’s kingdoms had joined forces to fight Hell, and after a long, grueling war - which lasted fourteen years and costed many human lives - humanity finally prevailed. The victory had sparked a golden age of cooperation and rapid growth. But as the decades passed, new grudges appeared and old ones resurfaced, and humanity once again became divided.

As for Hell, things had been quiet until about twenty-five years ago, when demonic breaches began to appear. Some believed that Sepharion failed, and that another demonic war was inevitable, but regardless, most brushed those concerns aside, trying to live in the moment. No one alive had witnessed that great war, so people preferred to turn a blind eye to the possibility. To them, the breaches were just mild inconveniences. So what if Hell wasn’t actually destroyed? There had been many demonic wars before the last one too. Hell and Demon King Pascal always found a way to return and challenge humanity. Anyone could leave their house in the morning and end up dead due to some tragic circumstance. Does it really matter whether they’re accidently trampled by horses or kidnapped to Hell?

Many times I wondered if this mindset was shared by the citizens of other kingdoms, or if it was just a Morthrygan mentality.

I recalled what Vorlexia had told me barely an hour ago - that the calcite was supposed to be Alaric’s insurance against her brethren. Did that mean without the calcite, hellspawns would become even more aggressive? Had we made a mistake by stealing it?

“Do you know what the stone does, at least?” I asked, unsure how I felt about him hiding his sources.

“Outside of the general idea that it’s likely a weapon of sorts against Hell-dwellers? No.” He replied.

I sighed. “Then can you learn what it does?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Alaric won’t reveal anything to me, and if I ask too many questions, he’ll start getting suspicious. Trust me when I say this - we don’t want that.”

I was disappointed by his answer. Each time I recalled Alaric’s presence in the treasury, a shiver ran down my spine and to my knees. But I was just...me. And Axel Bane? He was supposed to be someone who could rival Alaric Belton in strength. How could he be so afraid of him?

“Anything else you’ve learned?” I asked.

He chuckled. “What about you? Or is this a one-sided conversation now?”

“You’re the one who wanted to build trust, right?” I said, trying to use his earlier words to gain the upper hand.

He smiled. “And you’re the one who said it was too late for building trust. Yet now you make it sound like I might still have a chance.”

He was right. I had been too hasty in my words earlier. I should’ve been more open-minded - at least on the outside.

“I can still change my mind.” I said, trying to salvage the situation.

“You’re clearly not versed in the art of manipulation.” He said calmly, before smiling. “But props to you for trying.”

“Manipulation or not, you need me far more than I need you.” I bluffed, hoping I was right and that he’d comply and reveal more.

“I don’t really need you.” He said, still smiling. “I can just take the calcite and be done with it.”

I decided to keep the fact that the calcite was now bounded to me by magic a secret for now. “Then why didn’t you take it in the first place?” I asked. “Back then, the prospect of Alaric catching you with the stone had you mighty worried.”

His smile shifted slightly at my words. He was still smiling, but now it looked different - an annoyed smile.

“I was. I am.” He admitted, to my surprise. “Only an idiot wouldn’t be afraid of Alaric Belton. The man is a mystery. Beyond his incredible power, he doesn’t care about fame, gold, women, or anything at all, really. Human lives least of all.”

His admission of fear caught me off guard - I had expected him to deny it. He seemed far too prideful to admit being afraid of anyone. Meanwhile, I noticed by the sound that the rain outside had stopped.

“Aren’t you a Champion yourself?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter.” He replied sharply. “There’s a clear difference in our strength. At least for now.”

“For now?”

“Yes.” He said. “He’s fifteen years older, so it makes sense he has far more minerals and battle experience. But I’m certain I’ll catch up to him eventually.”

“What about the Stormbringer?” I asked, trying to understand the power balance between the three. If Axel was truly on our side, I wanted to know if he could at least protect us from the dangerous and unpredictable Leon Valter.

“Leon?” He rolled his eyes, looking even more annoyed. “What about him?”

“Who’s stronger between the two of you?”

Axel looked thoughtful. “He’s way too young and inexperienced. Yet, as much as I hate the guy, I have to admit his growth potential is terrifying. I believe he’s the most talented mage I’ve ever seen. Even more than Alaric.”

“Does that mean he’s stronger?”

“No.” He answered simply. “For now, at least.”

“Again with the ‘for now’?” I asked, feeling like he was dodging giving me a concrete answer.

“Strength. Magic. Both are very dynamic concepts in our world.” He explained calmly. “The balance of power can always shift. Nothing is truly static.”

That was probably his very indirect way of saying he wasn’t sure who was stronger.

“Your answers are dodgy.” I said.

He shrugged. “Yet they are the truth. Perhaps one day, even you will be able to overpower Leon and exact revenge.”

“I’m not looking for revenge.” I said immediately.

He looked surprised. “I thought that after he struck down two of your friends, you’d be yearning to crush him.”

His words struck a chord. I hadn’t thought much about it until now, but the mere memory of the Stormbringer made my skin crawl with anger. I wanted to take him down for what he did to Elandor and Will, and indirectly to Ren. But what would it accomplish? Would it bring them back? No. Right now, I just wanted to respect Elandor’s wishes and survive. Either way, me overpowering the Stormbringer? Yeah, right.

“Even if I did.” I sighed. “I’ll never be able to match him. Not someone like me.”

Axe raised an eyebrow. “Your upbringing doesn’t define you, if that’s what you’re worried about. Leon himself was just a traveling orphan before Alaric recruited him.”

“I don’t care about his past.” I said, dismissive of the idea. “He’s younger than me, yet he’s already strong enough to be a Champion. There’s no way I could ever be as strong as him.”

“For now.” He said with a smile, pausing to see if I’d react the same as before to those words. “If it’s potential you’re worried about, then trust me – you’ve got plenty.”

Another person telling me I have potential? I was already sick of it. First Elandor, then Vorlexia, and now Axel Bane? Just leave me alone with this “potential” nonsense. I don’t want to fight. I just want to live.

“Sure...” I muttered under my breath.

“I’m serious.” He pressed. “What I saw from you in the treasury confirmed it.”

I raised a surprised eyebrow, confused. “What did you see?”

He looked bewildered by my question. “The tourmaline, of course. Did you think it was an easy stone to use? If so, I’m even more impressed.”

What was he talking about? I had just put the ring on and ordered it to teleport us to the hill. It didn’t feel like it required anything special from me.

My confused expression must have shown, because he continued. “You’re clearly lacking in magical knowledge, so let me put this as simply as I can: magical minerals can be classified in many ways - their abilities, the category of their magic, their stone family, and more. They can also be classified by difficulty of use. And trust me when I say that black tourmaline is one of the toughest stones to wield. It requires immense mana control from the user. Especially if you’re teleporting other people with you. The fact that you used effortlessly, to the point you didn’t even feel – “

He stopped abruptly, and before I could process what he had said, he jumped from his chair, positioning himself in front of me and Ren with his back to us.

“Stay behind me!” Axel urged as he conjured a familiar apatite barrier over us.

His warning had me on edge, and before I could say anything, a massive fiery projectile, the size of half the house, hurtled toward us with a deafening whistle. It ripped through the house like a hot knife through butter, sending burning splinters of wood flying everywhere.

I instinctively shielded Ren with my body, bracing for the worst. But as the sound of destruction faded, I raised my head, realizing Axel’s barrier had held strong. It had deflected the projectile, preventing it from obliterating us.

“What in the world...” I whispered, more to myself than anyone else.

“Hellspawns.” Axel muttered through clenched teeth.

I surveyed the devastation around us. Lida’s house was practically gone – completely demolished by the impact. Only the kitchen table and chairs, protected by Axel’s barrier, remained standing. Beyond her house, neighboring homes were in ruins as well, engulfed by the spreading fire.

My eyes widened as I caught sight of a horde of hellspawns in the distance. There were at least fifty of them, accompanied by ten hellhounds.

At their helm stood an archdemon, his arms crossed behind his back. His azure skin and horns, similar to Vorlexia’s, made him stand out from the rest.

Beside him stood, what I assumed, a demon - short, rotund, and red-skinned - positioned near what appeared to be a formidable turret. Urgently, the demon called out to the archdemon. “The turret is ready for another barrage, Commander Adar!”

“Halt!” the archdemon shouted, and his horde instantly obeyed, standing at the ready.

“That’s strange.” Axel muttered.

“What is?” I asked, my worry rising. The size of the horde was making me uneasy. Typically, a demonic breach only brought about five hellspawns on average. Seeing a horde ten times the size, with hellhounds and an archdemon leading them, was beyond terrifying.

“Another archdemon...” Axel replied, his tone laced with confusion. “Now way they tracked me down...”

His words made me think of Vorlexia. They weren’t here for Axel – they were here for me. I already knew her reasons for leaving the calcite in my possession. It wasn’t far-fetched to assume she had already directed these demonic forces toward me, clearing her path in Hell.

Axel shut down the apatite barrier and looked at me. “Looks like I’ll have to deal with them first.” He said, pointing behind me. “Take your friend and run to the woods in that direction. I’ll catch up with you once I’m done here, and then we’ll continue our talk.”

“What’s in that direction?” I asked, uncertain.

“Around two days from here is a village called Lind.” He said quickly before patting me on the back. “But don’t worry, I’ll find you a lot earlier than that.”

I didn’t trust him, but the situation was dire. I couldn’t defend us against a small demonic army led by an archdemon.

I lifted Ren in my arms and began making my way toward the woods. I wasn’t sure yet if I’d go to Lind as Axel had instructed, but right now, getting as far away from here as possible was all that mattered.

The piercing whistle of another projectile stopped me in my tracks. I turned just in time to see Axel leap from the remains of Lida’s house, using the shattered rooftops of neighboring homes to propel himself into the air. The massive fireball, launched from the hellspawns’ turret, hurtled toward us as Axel met it in mid-air. Instead of being smashed by it, he stopped its advance with a mere flick of his hand, then sent it hurtling back toward the demon horde. He landed gracefully, as though the feat had cost him nothing.

The fireball flew back toward the horde, but before it could strike, the archdemon leaped forward and intercepted it with his hand. The massive projectile shrank rapidly until it was no more than a small, flame-engulfed rock in his palm.

The fat, red-skinned demon beside him gazed in awe and bowed deeply. “All hail Commander Adar! We are not worthy!”

He glanced nervously at the horde behind him, who had not bowed as he did, and hastily signaled for them to do the same. They followed suit quickly.

The archdemon – Adar, I assumed - stood tall, radiating pride, before casually tossing the now hand-sized fireball back at Axel.

The Champion remained unfazed, quickly unsheathing his upper sword, a blue-colored blade. With a swift motion, he sliced the projectile cleanly in half, the pieces crashing harmlessly to the ground on either side of him.

“Luca.” Axel suddenly called out, his tone sharp. “What are you still doing here?”

I snapped back to reality. Without another moment’s hesitation, I turned and headed toward the forest behind us, carrying Ren in tow.

As I hurried away, a sharp whistle pierced the air, followed by a booming command from the archdemon. “Hellhounds! Bring me that calcite!”

The sudden thumps of the hellhounds in the distance jolted me, and I quickened my pace.

Behind me, Axel shouted. “Don’t worry! Just keep going.”

I rushed through the main square, feeling the gaze of Vitara’s statue on my back, as if it were watching me.

A loud crash from behind made me turn. A hellhound was tearing toward us with incredible speed. It was slightly larger than me, its body pitch-black. If not for its bright white fangs, it could have been easily mistaken for a shadow on a bright sunny day.

The beast closed the distance alarmingly fast, and I was unsure what to do. I had no weapons, and none of my mineral rings were of the offensive kind.

Where was Axel? He told me not to worry. But now...Had he abandoned us? I knew he couldn’t be trusted. He must have already left us behind.

With no time to dwell on that, I lowered Ren to the ground behind me and stood at the ready. If the hellhound was going to lunge, I would have to face it bare-handed. There was no other option. My heart pounded with fear as the it drew closer. I planted my feet firmly, bracing myself for the inevitable clash.

The hellhound lunged at me, but then something unexpected happened.

It was as if the creature slammed into an invisible wall right in front of me. I squinted, reaching my hand forward, but there was nothing there.

The hellhound lay crumpled on the ground, its body seemingly shattered by the collision. It cried out in pain, its bones clearly broken. If it weren’t trying to tear me apart moment ago, I might have even felt sorry for it.

“I’ll put you out of your misery.” a soft female voice said beside me.

Startled, I turned to see a young woman with long blond hair, wearing a white dress. But what stood out most was that she wasn’t human – or at least, not entirely. I could see her, but I could also see through her. She was there and not there all at the same time.

She knelt beside the wounded hellhound, and a needle-like blade appeared in her right hand, glowing with an ethereal blue hue. With a sad expression, she gently pushed the needle into the hellhound’s neck. The creature whimpered once before falling silent, its body going limp.

I locked eyes with her, and she seemed startled.

“Wh-Who are you?” I stammered, unsure of what kind of answer to expect.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Wait. You can see me?”

I nodded hesitantly.

“What? How? Well, this is...” she shook her head in disbelief before her face lit up with joy. “Amazing!”

Her sudden burst of happiness was a sharp contrast to the sadness she showed just moments before. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person could switch their emotions so quickly.

“Oh, just wait until Axel hears about this! He’ll be so happy!” she exclaimed, her joyful demeanor intact as she skipped back and forth.

“Axel?” I asked, confused.

“Yes, dummy.” She replied, grinning. “You didn’t actually think he left you alone, did you?”

I did, but I didn’t mention it.

“Who are you?” I asked again, hoping for an answer this time.

“I’m Annabel.” She said, flashing a genuine smile. “I’m Axel’s – “

She didn’t get to finish her sentence, as the air was suddenly torn apart by the sound of a massive explosion. In the distance, a towering pillar of fire erupted from the direction of the jailhouse.

“Okay! Okay! We’ll do the introductions later! No need to get so angry about it, eef...” she rolled her eyes before turning back to me, grinning. “Let’s get you both out of here first. Chop, chop! Grab Ren and keep moving to the forest. I’ll cover you from any hellhounds Axel might miss.”

As the battle raged behind us, with another explosion shaking the air, I decided to comply with the strange woman’s request. I hoisted Ren over my shoulder and continued toward the woods.

It wasn’t long before another hellhound found us, but Annabel quickly dispatched it using her needle-like knives as throwing daggers.

Meanwhile, the explosions grew louder with each step we took. We were already deep in the woods, surrounded by trees on all sides, but it felt like the battle in Vedem was closing in on us.

Annabel led the way, and without thinking much, I followed her, believing she would continue keeping us safe.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, her face twisted in fear. “Oh, no.”

“What?” I asked, curious of her expression.

“Axel’s going to blow the entire village up.”

“Blow the entire village up?” I repeated, confused.

I knew he was a Champion, but was he really powerful enough to do something like that?

“You two need to get out of the woods, quickly.” Annabel said.

“Get out?” I asked. “We just got in. He’s the one who told me to run to the forest.”

“I know! He didn’t say why...” She sounded frustrated, though not at me. “Anyway, I can shield you from the explosion, but if the woods catch fire, you two will be in serious danger.”

“What about you?” I asked, concerned despite the situation.

She looked surprised. “Look at me. Do you think physical damage is a problem for a spirit? Now let’s move!”

Spirit? She must be crazy if she thought I’d believe in ghosts. I would’ve argued about it, but the looming threat of a forest fire kept my mouth shut. I followed her quickly, running for about ten minutes until we reached a narrow road, all the while the explosions in Vedem intensified with each second.

With the forest behind us, and vast fields stretching ahead, Annabel stopped and exhaled sharply. “I think you’ll be safe here.”

I lowered Ren gently to the ground and collapsed beside her, breathing heavily. As the adrenaline slowly faded, the pain from my earlier injuries made itself known, and I couldn’t help but lay flat on the ground.

Annabel approached and looked down at me with a worried expression. “Are you okay, Luca?”

I didn’t answer. Something else had caught my eye.

Up in the sky, a colossal, luminous object was descending toward Vedem. Its brilliance was mesmerizing, illuminating the early morning sky with an otherworldly radiance.

As it drew nearer, I realized what it was - a mass of pure fire. But it wasn’t ordinary fire. The flames were white.

They danced and swirled with an intense energy, emitting a blinding white light and warmth. I was captivated by its sheer magnitude, unable to tear my gaze away from the mesmerizing display.

Annabel raised her arms, and I assumed she was summoning another barrier, preparing to shield us from the inevitable.

“Don’t stare at the comet too long.” She said with a hint of pride. “You might go blind.”

Heedless of her warning, I kept my eyes fixed on the white fire sphere as it descended, unstoppable, reaching its target - Vedem.

With a deafening roar, it struck the earth, unleashing an explosion of sound and fury that reverberated through the air.

The shockwave rippled outward, and the trees swayed violently in our direction. The explosion sent a torrent of wind tearing through the forest, rattling branches and dislodging leaves. Annabel’s invisible barrier held firm against the onslaught of wind and splinters, while I instinctively covered mine, and Ren's, ears from the overwhelming noise.

Amidst the chaos, birds took flight in a panicked frenzy, their startled cries mixing with the sounds of destruction. Not far from us, I saw animals darting out of the forest, desperately seeking cover from the devastation that had overtaken their once peaceful home.

The impact shook the ground beneath me, tremors rippling through the earth. I stared in awe as the sphere transformed into a blinding pillar of light, seemingly reaching the skies themselves, consuming the village entirely. Its brilliance was eventually too much to bear, and for the first time since it appeared, I averted my gaze.

When the sound of the explosion finally subsided, I slowly raised my head again.

In the distance, beyond the woods, Vedem was no more.