Chapter 4
Crashing was the sound of fire spreading in the peaceful town of Riverfork like wildfire in a forest, consuming each house and building with the anger of a feral beast. Horrendous were the screams of the citizens, who, without warning, had their lives forever changed by the despicable actions of beings whom they had never met before. It was terrifying to see their loved ones being taken away from them by the fire only to rise again, bones melting, flesh burning, and crawling back to their feet as undead.
A scene forever imprinted in their minds. But the nightmares soon to come would have to wait because their lives were still in danger.
"Mama!" A tiny little child exclaimed, breathing heavily, while her mother held him tight, carrying him with the only goal of taking him away from the fire.
"Close your eyes, sweetie! Don't open them!" The mother hissed, not wanting her child to witness such a scene. And he did obey her. The child buried his head on her mother's neck, hugging her, trying not to look around him and ignore the screams that forcibly made their way into his ears.
The alley was filled with burned bodies. The smell, the sight. It was hard to think which one was the worst.
"Don't look—! Keep them closed!" She muttered again, wishing that it wasn't her, the one with her eyes opened.
The mother ran with all her might towards the main street, her only hope of escaping the chaos of Riverfork by the main gate. However, she was met with a horrific sight upon reaching the town's main street. A view that made the poor mother simply choke in fright. The main roadway was filled with impaled, upside-down bodies with no eyes, tongues, or souls.
Their faces were so bloated, purple, and mutilated that she couldn't identify them. Not even by looking at their attire. It could be anyone: the merchants, travellers, or her neighbours. But honestly, it didn't matter. The sight offered nothing but despair to her.
"Mama? What is it?" The small boy shivered, still keeping his eyes tight shut, but he felt the trembling body of his mother.
The mother wanted to reply with something to calm her son and herself. But no words came out of her mouth. However, soon, that wasn't needed, as she let out a big scream when an undead grabbed her ankle. Soon, she fell backwards as her son began to wail in fear, as the undead kept clutching her ankle.
The mother was petrified. She couldn't move out of fear. The undead was slowly crawling towards her, moaning loudly, showing those putrid teeth in his mouth. And to add to the poor woman's fear. She saw more undead approaching her. Some wear the town's armour, meaning her husband may already be dead as well.
"Mama!" The boy yelled as her mother hugged him tightly, since that was the only thing she could do. She hoped that at least their deaths would be faster than those of the poor, who were impaled by the demons. It was a gloomy predicament for any mother. She couldn't bear the thought of her child suffering.
Yet the end didn't arrive for her and the child, but an arrow did, striking the undead's head—an impact so fast that it made the head burst open.
Quickly jumping above the mother and her child was an elf, or more specifically, a greenish-short-haired half-elf, who glared at the undead in front of her with a calculated gaze as she stood before mother and child. Protecting them with her body.
"Two, four, six, under their neck, shoulder, and legs," the half-elf girl whispered. She crouched down as if she were a predator while holding her bow with one hand. "[Penetrating edge] [Quickdraw] [Backstrengh] [Arms-strenght] [Lock-sight]."
The half-elf's body soon became tense as her muscles expanded slightly by the enchantments that allowed her to bypass any physical limitations in her body. It looked painful, especially how visible the arteries where Mana resided became. It was of a dim blue colour, and for Lynas, like many, it felt like a dose of powerful adrenaline rushing inside her.
A feeling of power fueled by the Mana in her body.
But the half-elf maintained her bow in a perfect position, perhaps even elegantly. It was clear that she was unafraid of the undead. Her cold hazel eyes showed no emotion or hesitation. "Liels, Arlai, Em, So," Lynas muttered in High Elven as she perfectly held her bow until she released the arrow, allowing it to fly directly into the undead's leg.
The point of the arrow was shining in a faint greenish manner. When it impacted the undead's legs, it decimated the bone, leaving him without any form to walk and on the ground. But still, the undead kept slowly crawling towards her.
Yet, the half-elf worries were no longer in him but in the other undead, who were all ambling towards her. The half-elf wasted no time in dealing with the rest. Her timing was impeccable with every arrow she plucked. The rhythmic nocking and letting go of her bowstring showcased that she had decades of experience with her weapon of choice. The half-elf could shoot off three arrows in a second, each finding its mark on a different undead, with deadly precision. Lynas took a deep breath, flexing her shoulder for a bit in order to avoid soreness.
The speed at which she was able to release three arrows in a second was not natural. It was the Mana empowering her body to surpass its usual limitations. But, of course, it would hurt her later on. Bones and muscles would ache once the Mana flow returns back to normal. But the half-elf was used to that discomfort.
"Alex!" She yelled, noticing a group of undead approaching her from the other side of the roadside.
"[Flames]" Alex's spell engulfed the undead, who began to melt away, leaving behind only a scorched body. Alex hissed at the sight around him but focused on what was in front of him first. "Lynas, are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," Lynas muttered, a bit annoyed. "Casters, one spell, and all done."
"It's not the time," Alex muttered something angry and turned to face the mother and her child. "Are you hurt? Can you stand?"
"Y-yes! I can stand!" The mother replied quickly. "Thank you! Thank you!"
"No need to thank me," Alex said, glancing around them and noticing the absolute carnage engulfing the town. This was not a bandit attack. It couldn't be, especially with the foul smell of Necromancy in the air. "Riverfork is surrounded by fire, and there are a lot of undead and ghouls there."
"Ghouls?! Here?! How?!" The poor woman gasped, holding her sobbing child to her chest.
Alex wasn't sure how to answer that. "I can't say, but I know a powerful Necromancer is here. And if he can command Ghouls, then I don't doubt he is powerful enough to cast Tier Six magic."
"Tier six?" Lynas muttered worriedly. "Great. That's what we need now. So, what do we do now? We can't just leave, you know that. There are people still fighting somewhere in the town!"
Alex hissed mentally. He knew Lynas was right. They couldn't just leave. But what could they do? What sort of action could two adventurers take to help the town?
"I know," Alex began to think carefully. "The only way to stop Ghouls and the undead, especially if they are summoned, It's to kill the Necromancer."
"That sounds easy enough," Lynas mumbled while looking around. No undead were in their area, but that could change at any minute. Nevertheless, Lynas felt something odd in the air around them. A sensation of danger told her to be on guard. "We can't stay here. I feel like we are being—!"
"Watched?~" A sharp pain flooded Lynas's back. A truly horrible sensation of hurt invaded her as the knife was shoved right into her ribs.
"Lynas!" Alex yelled before pointing his staff at the strange, hooded woman. "[Nether Bolt]" A silver bolt struck the wall behind Lynas as the hooded woman evaded without difficulty by jumping away. Lynas fell to her knees, hissing in pain.
"Shit!" She groaned before noticing a strange black liquid leaking from her ribs. The black thickness allowed her to recognise immediately what sort of liquid it was. "Quasith Poison!" Lynas hissed, knowing that a normal health potion would have no effect on curing her.
Her body began to shut down, almost freezing her. Lynas bit her tongue, trying to fight the sensation of numbness. But she knew it was a losing fight.
"My~ my~! I did not expect someone to identify it so quickly," the woman hummed as she landed on her feet a few metres away, surprised to see the half-elf girl still conscious and fighting the cursed venom. Still, soon, that smirk on her face twisted into something more evil. "I am not surprised you're still conscious. You people with the Elven blood are hard to kill. Even if they are half-blood. But still, you've been at the Hellfront, haven't you?~ That's why you recognised it."
Lynas did not reply. She simply glared at the hooded woman, with eyes filled with rage.
"Yeah, that's the face I expected to see," the sadistic woman chuckled at Lynas's fierce expression. "That is the expression they all make to us."
The woman removed her hood, revealing two horns pointing to the sky. Ugly things for humans to see, but more hideous was the set of red eyes with nothing but darkness around them. The malice was palpable in them. The cruelty almost poured out of them. If not, then her sharp teeth and reddish skin would make it more visible to anyone who stared at her.
"Demon," Alex hissed as the demon scratched her pinkish hair.
"My~ I did not expect to see two adventurers here of all places. That does change things, don't you think, Orthod?"
Lynas and Alex soon heard a yell and saw another demon seizing the mother and child by the hair and the neck, respectively. He wasn't bothered by their screams. This individual, like the last, had ruddy skin and red eyes. Unfortunately, he was missing one of his horns. And he had unruly, dark hair. Still, both of those demons' expressions showed no empathy for human life but a sick pleasure in bringing them pain.
"Enough, Glasiel," Orthod hissed, hating the child's screams and wailing already. "We don't have time to waste with these lesser beings."
Orthod stated, noticing the adventurers' ranks on their necklaces. "Beginners," he scoffed.
"You're so annoying," Glasiel whined loudly as she played with her dagger in a childlike way. "Lezael should break the temples' defences soon enough. Harvesting power for the Oclura Stone should not take long."
The Oclura Stone?! Impossible! Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. The demons managed to obtain one of the four Stones of Seltura, the cursed objects that almost brought the world to heel two hundred years ago. With the Oclura Stone, they can destroy the Holy Kingdom's defences at the Hellfront!
"You have a big mouth, Glasiel," Orthod hissed, clutching his hands, making the child cry in pain and gasp for air since his small and fragile throat was slowly being crushed.
"Don't worry, it's not like they are going to live~," Glasiel chuckled before looking at Alex maliciously. "You're adorable for a human. A shame, really."
The wizard cast a quick glance at Lynas, who was surprisingly still awake, albeit only just. However, no one could argue that Lynas's obstinacy could prove to be a benefit on occasion. The half-elf girl and Alex were aware that they had to make a choice. Lynas was weakened by the powerful poison, and rescuing the mother and kid from demons while fighting them simultaneously would be impossible for him.
Alex's last resource was a scroll. An escape route. But if he does it. He would leave either Lynas or the mother and child alone or all of them. Shit! Alex hissed, not knowing what to do.
"Alex," Lynas whispered, her voice murmuring, but how she stared at him let Alex know she understood.
"I—!"
"You think too much~!" Glasiel boasted happily before attacking Alex. The wizard knew that if she cut him, he would end the same way as Lynas. That's why he quickly distanced himself.
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"[Wave of wind]" Alex's spell pushed Glasiel away, who seemed quite amused by the whole thing. However, as a member of the demon race, Glasiel could recognise the skill of a magic user with just one glance. She saw the speed and concentration with which the human wizard carried himself.
"[Nether Bolts] [Nine Guidance Lights]"
Glasiel was pursued by nine bolts of pure energy that seemed to follow her like guided missiles. Glasiel was fast and agile, moving with the smoothness of a snake to evade each impact of the spell. The demon recognised the stance and movements of the staff that kept the magic from breaking. She had witnessed it before, a long time ago. Orthod also recognised the technique. It was an Imperial technique. It was very unusual to see it in Equidaeria, of all places.
"[Electric Volt]," Alex cast, moving the staff and pointing at Glasiel. The demon girl noticed the attack was faster than she thought. Glasiel realised that the human could control the speed of his casting far better than an average magic caster would.
He has a talent. Glasiel thought while she whistled teasingly as Alex's spell almost hit her. She barely escaped what could be a painful attack.
"End this now, Glasiel," Orthod stated angrily. "Before I do."
"You're truly the worst companion a girl can have," Glasiel scoffed as she evaded the last bolt of energy by jumping high above the ground, landing perfectly on top of a stake where an impaled body was hanging. "It was fun, human. A shame, truly. [Darkness Gyser]"
"Alex, run!" Lynas used all her strength to speak in a whisper. Her skin was white, and shadowy veins in her body were starting to appear. Her blood was progressively becoming infected with the poison, and her organs were beginning to shut down. Lynas cursed herself. She should've not let her guard down so easily. Alex was right. I behaved like a teenage girl. I should not have acted so carelessly! Lynas didn't want to die there. But more importantly, Lynas did not wanted to be the reason why Alex would be killed, too. But it was now out of her control.
"[All seeing sight]," Alex cast, his eyes glowing, hoping to see where the demon was, but without luck. He couldn't detect her. What sort of spell is that?! He clutched the scroll inside his cloak, fear slowly gripping his soul.
"[Wave of Win—!"
A sudden, sharp pain came from his stomach. Alex glanced down and saw the demon's dagger slowly penetrating inside him. Flooding him with that deadly and dark poison.
"You're adorable from up close," Glasiel whispered, appearing once again, loving the sight of horror in Alex's face.
Alex's body slammed on the ground, already sensing the Quasith Poison flooding his body. His nerves were boiling. He could feel how everything inside him was burning.
"Arghh!" Alex's scream was a beautiful song for Glasiel, who chuckled.
"Quite painful, eh?" Glasiel sat on top of Alex, smirking with pleasure at Alex's suffering. "Quasith's poison is our race secret—a venom so powerful and so deadly that it could even kill an adult Orc in three minutes. But since you're a human, it should be a minute."
Alex's body was twitching in pain, and the only thing he could think of was the scroll. He should've just left. He couldn't die there. Alex had a goal and an objective. He needed to become strong enough to save his mother and sister. Nothing mattered. But now he would die there, in a town so far away from home.
Mother! Alice—! Alex tried to grip his dear life with all his will, but he was slowly fading. To think that the last thing he would see would be the satisfaction smirk of a demon.
"I shall give you mercy and end you now," Glasiel smiled. "Only because you're adorable."
Glasiel aimed her dagger and was about to cut Alex's throat. But before she could even swing down. Her body froze in place when she heard a sudden voice.
"Enough."
The voice crept into both Glasiel and Orthod's souls. Both demons could feel it in their bodies—a shiver, a sensation of pure intimidation that was hard for them to understand fully. The feeling was so strenuous to them that it made Glasiel forget about Alex and Orthod about the humans. Near death's door, Alex saw a woman with snowy white hair and golden eyes approaching them.
Who was it? Where did she come from? It didn't matter; Alex wanted to yell for her to leave, to escape, but he had no strength to speak.
"Oh, another adventurer~?" Glasiel spoke, but instead of the taunting voice of before. The demon girl had a very tense one. Her hand was shaking, and Glasiel wasn't sure why exactly.
"No," the woman replied. Her voice was soothing yet cold at the same time—a gentle tone that held so much authority that it made Glasiel confused. "You two are demons. Great, it's a good opportunity."
"Who are you? How did you pass the undead and ghouls?" Orthod asked, dropping the mother and child from his hold and focusing solely on that strange person before him.
"Mm? I am Avnas, and about that low-level undead, I simply just walked," the woman replied almost amusingly.
"Walked?" Glasiel sneered, feeling as if she was taunting them. She stood still, holding her dagger tightly in her hand, almost hissingly like a wild animal. "You walked here? Are you mocking us?"
"[Foul Soul's Annihilation Aura] A passive skill capable of instant killing low-level undead monsters. Very useful in this situation," Avnas stated, describing her ability without truly caring much.
Glasiel struggled to grasp the concept of that particular ability. In fact, she found it difficult to believe that such a skill even existed, as it struck her as almost unbelievable and too extraordinary to be true.
"Uh?! Are you daft?!" Glasiel mocked, almost stunned at the ability itself. "There's no such skill!"
"I see," the white-haired woman replied, almost unbothered by Glasiel's aggressive tone. "Maybe you're right. It doesn't exist... here, at least."
Avnas noticed Alex and Lynas lying on the ground, with one in worse condition than the other but still alive. Avnas was uncertain of their identities, but she believed that portraying herself as a rescuer would be the most beneficial approach for future plans.
Humans seemed to be in an eternal war with demons. It's better if I don't add myself to a conflict I don't know about, at least until I know more.
"I was able to save some people already," Avnas muttered to herself, ignoring the two demons glaring at her. "But I am detecting another demon nearby, near the temple. Interesting; he wasn't there when I left. I do hope they hold."
Orthod growled loudly, not believing the gall of the strange woman to simply ignore them in such a way. He didn't like the aura around her. Or anything about her. Yet, instead of listening to his instincts, Orthod decided to do the opposite.
"I don't know who you are! Or what you are!" With a slow and deliberate pace, Orthod made his way towards Avnas. His hand rose in the air, and instantly, a warhammer made of pure fire materialised in his grip. The flames that engulfed the weapon burned with a scorching red intensity, filling the air with a searing heat. Yet, despite the intimidating display of power from Orthod, Avnas remained calm and serene, gazing up at the towering demon with an unwavering stare. Almost as if she were measuring him in a way.
"But your arrogance shall be your death, human! [Inferno Hammer]"
Avnas raised an eyebrow, feeling annoyed and insulted at being called human. It sounded like a slur to her, which confused her at first. Avnas wasn't that detached from her humanity to feel that she wasn't one still, but again, she pushed those feelings away.
Orthod stood in front of Avnas before slamming the fire warhammer down with fury. A massive burst of fire engulfed the white-haired woman. The sheer shockwave showcases the strength of Orthod's magic prowess. The impact was of the scale of a small explosion, shattering the windows and blowing away bodies and burned debris.
Glasiel expected to see what she had a thousand times on the Hellfront—a melted pile of bones. Nothing but ashes. Yet, that wasn't the case.
"Using fire to harm a demon, who does that?"
Orthod's eyes widened in disbelief as he gazed upon the two golden orbs that seemed to stare right through him. They were unlike anything he had ever seen before, emanating an otherworldly glow that left him feeling uneasy. He then saw how the flames engulfing her did not harm her but instead slowly caressed her body before fading away. Orthod's thoughts were muddled with everything happening. Avnas, for her part, held his hand tightly as she sneered at him with a look of utter disdain. Despite the chaos unfolding around them, she seemed to exude a sense of calm and control, as if she were the one in charge. Orthod felt a chill run down his spine as he realised that he was entirely at her mercy.
"How?! It's impossible!" Orthod muttered as Avnas scoffed while raising her hand up.
"You're weak," Avnas replied hissingly. "There's nothing worse than a weak demon. [Dark Singularity]"
Avnas's hand suddenly produced a blue orb. One that appeared like a tiny black hole and emitted lightning bolts that subtly warped space-time around it. And as it made contact with Orthod's body. The demon's body began contorting itself as if a vacuum were absorbing his body. Half of Orthod's body disappeared with the singularity, leaving behind a pile of mushy meat.
"Uhm? The spell didn't do that before. Still, I killed him just like that? No stats? Or passive skills? No counter-spells? Health bar? Buffs? Nothing?" Avnas muttered to herself, not believing one spell could kill a demon in one shot. Still, she was a bit stunned and noticed that she should've been utterly terrified of everything going on. A normal person should be scared of the undead, demons, or ghouls. It was only natural, right? Avnas, after all, had never seen such a thing before. Yet, she felt absolutely nothing but irritation that such low creatures would dare to raise their filthy hands on her. How dare they?!
However, there was something else that was bothering Avnas, and it was a sudden lack of emotion or empathy that made her feel uncomfortable. When Avnas saw the impaled bodies of the people of Riverfork, those innocent people who were murdered in such a cruel way, she stared with delight at the horrific scene before her, feeling quite amused by the execution method.
And that reaction, that glee and joy for such a thing, bothered Avnas a great deal.
This is really not a game anymore. These aren't NPCs but real people—actual living, breathing beings. No one deserves to die in such a way.
Avnas thought, really not liking that sensation of joy for watching people die so cruelly.
"I really don't want to lose it all," Avnas mumbled before hearing a loud scream.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!" Glasiel screamed, filled with fury and horror. She had no idea what just happened. Orthod was dead. This strange woman killed him with one spell. It was not possible. They were Demon Knights, the defenders of their Hellfront and the Hellgate, their race's first line of defence. They couldn't die in such a pathetic way. Glasiel simply refused to believe what was happening.
Glasiel attacked Avnas with all she could. "[Twin Dagger] [Execution Edge] [Poison Edge] [Dance of Death]"
Each attack and each skill simply bounced off of Avnas. Glasiel's dagger couldn't penetrate Avnas's skin, not even scratch it. The white-haired woman just stood there, watching the relentless attack from the demon knight.
"I see," Avnas started humming softly as she watched Glasiel move around at lightning speed while aiming her dagger at Avnas's throat. The attack only ricocheted back as if Glasiel's dagger had struck a hard stone.
Glasiel hissed desperately before beginning to aim her dagger at Avnas's stomach. "[Hundred Cuts]" Glasiel's attack was utterly fast. A hundred stabs in a second—an attack that would've destroyed anyone else. But Avnas was not everyone else.
"So, you're attacking but also combining your skills while doing so. Like doing combos? Interesting. Even though this is not a game, the mechanism is quite alike."
Avnas stared down at Glasiel, who just looked at her dagger. It was broken.
"This is—!" Glasiel whispered, feeling like she was in a nightmare or under an illusion.
"My turn," Avnas's voice brought a sudden sense of panic into Glasiel. It was as if Avnas's presence made Glasiel's whole being utterly terrified. There was something strange about the white-haired woman. Glasiel knew it. A sort of authority and power over her, and the way those golden eyes peered down on her as if she were nothing made Glasiel's mind snap.
"I—!" Glasiel tried to speak but was cut short.
"[Arcane Chains] [Dimensional Prison: Crystal]"
Soon, Glasiel's body was surrounded by chains made of blue light, clutching her tightly before a strange circle underneath her appeared. Glasiel's scream was suddenly cut off as she vanished inside a tiny crystal that fell directly into Avnas's hand.
"Uh, strange, this used to stun players or seize creatures. But it's just like I thought: my abilities are different here."
Avnas decided to capture the demon called Glasiel. The reason was that she wanted to know more about this world, especially the demon race. Hopefully, her gamble would prove helpful for her soon. If not, well, she could use Glasiel to test a bit more than just her skills.
"I do hope she is still alive there," Avnas whispered as she looked at the tiny little crystal, shaking it for entertainment purposes.
A couple of bodies brought Avnas's attention, and she saw the two adventurers on the ground, unmoving, not responding.
"Ah, of course. I almost forgot."
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Alex's sight was clouded in darkness before a light came barging in. Softly, a hand touched his forehead, and words echoed in the distance.
"Thankfully, it did work. Good to know."
Alex's eyes opened, and he met two golden eyes staring at him with contenpt at seeing him awake—a delightful face, two golden eyes, and an angelic presence.
"So beautiful," Alex muttered, watching the woman before him, who had a perplexed look on her face.
"Uh, thank you?" Avnas replied, muttering a bit embarrassed, still having trouble taking compliments. Am I that beautiful? Avnas mumbled to herself.
Alex then came to himself after hearing the voice again. He remembered everything that had occurred: the demons, the undead, the ghouls, and the white-haired woman. He struggled to get to his feet. His limbs felt heavy and numb. Alex made clumsy attempts to move his arms. But he couldn't.
"Lynas—!" Alex gasped before feeling the half-elf girl's hands help him get back to his feet.
"I am here, Alex!" Lynas muttered. "We are fine! We are alive!"
"How?!" Alex grumbled, still muddled in his mind. "The demons! The poison—!"
Lynas wanted to say something but truly couldn't come up with anything to say. She was as confused as Alex.
Lynas recalled the white-haired woman approaching them and facing the demons, but that's all. Her memories were blurred after watching the demon prepare to attack the woman. There was a hole in her memory, only darkness for her to remember. But something did happen, and the demons were no longer there. Yet, the question did not bring confidence to Lynas, only anxiousness.
"As if I had died," Lynas whispered, shivering at the thought of her death.
"It's a good thing you didn't then," Avnas stated as the scroll in her hand vanished without Lynas and Alex noticing it. "You should be fine now. Also, the mother and her son are hiding in the building behind you. I assured them that it should be safe. But they should keep their heads down for a while."
Avnas said before turning back and walking away.
"Wait!" Alex yelled as Avnas glanced back. "What happened?! With the demons?! What did you do?!"
"I killed one of them. The other one is not going to be a problem anymore," Avnas replied nonchalantly, trying to keep things brief.
"You dealt with them?" Alex muttered, slowly standing up. "How?! They were not only demons but powerful demon knights!"
"Demon Knight? I see. Good to know," Avnas was now more curious about that specific title. "Still, don't worry yourself with this. Stay here. You should rest."
"Where are you going?!" Lynas now yelled, watching the white-haired woman walk away.
"There is another demon I need to deal with. It shouldn't take long."
Avnas paid no attention to the stares of Alex and Lynas as she commented about dealing with another demon knight as if it were a simple walk in the park.
Alex needed to see this. He had to witness this individual's power at all costs. Suppose this woman could take two demon knights at the same time. She must be above Tier 6, without a doubt. That's why he followed her, even though he was still stumbling while he walked.
"Alex!" Lynas yelled as she followed him. "What are you doing?!"
"Lynas, I have to see it! I must see it!"
Lynas was unsure what had caused his sudden desire to learn more about the mysterious woman. Lynas was also quite intrigued but needed to figure out where this fixation would lead them.
Hopefully, it will not lead to a path both were unprepared to take. Or maybe the moment they decided to follow Avnas, their destiny was already decided.
Only time will tell.