The peak of dawn arrived. A heavenly light touched the window and glazed the long room in a beam of serenity. It was a slow and gradual process, so peaceful that the inhabitants of the bedroom didn't awake from their restful slumber... That was, except for one person who always found themselves to be a bit of an early bird. As he sat up and shuffled back towards the wall to support his upper body, he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Figures... I'm always the first one up when it comes to any of these knuckleheads." Lylas outstretched his arms while turning his gaze around the room to the other beds. He was used to Bif's usual snoring. It seemed to Lylas that oafs like Bif always snored as loudly as possible on purpose. He knew that wasn't true, but it gave reason to the grating volume that drove him nuts sometimes. However, it was doubly annoying combined with the less noisy snore of Rael that seemed to audibly appear when Bif finished his own snorts.

Bif slept in a manner that Lylas always found fitting. Arms and legs kicked out and sprawled with his blanket and pillow somewhere other than under his head or overtop of him. Rael was practically curled into a small ball under her own blanket in the corner of her bed next to the wall. It reminded Lylas of one of those bugs that curled itself into a ball. He glanced over at Ventrix and Olicia. Ventrix slept like a representation of someone sleeping. Perfectly centered, pillow under head, blanket evenly distributed and covering him... Lylas scoffed. Knowing Ventrix, it wasn't some regal thing or noble habits, but rather a habit made from him not wanting to repeatedly make his bed. He was the type to take shortcuts when possible. Olicia was sprawled out, face-down in her pillow with the blanket sitting overtop of her entire body except for the top half of her head.

Lylas was the type of person to believe in some superstitions. He liked to give thoughts and ideas plausibility through whatever sort of reasoning he could come up with. One of those superstitions was that an astute observer could learn more about a person based on their sleeping habits and positions. Regardless of if it had actual weight to it or not, Lylas was a firm believer in it and the methodology to go with it. As he continued to gaze upon all of his resting allies, he smiled, knowing he was in good hands.

But something felt off...

Lylas glanced over at the bed next to Rael's... Avures's bed was empty.

"Huh?" Lylas slid off of the mattress and tip-toed over to the vacant bed. Sure enough, there was no one there... No sign of Avures simply hiding under the covers or anything like that. His things were still at the bedside too...

"Did he ever come back last night? Did anyone even stay up long enough to make sure he came back? Or did Brainiac already hoof it to the site?" Lylas shuffled over to the window and peered out. There were a few lone people meandering about or walking around... "Where's Avures?"

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"Arrested?!" Rael slapped herself on her forehead as she leaned over at the dwarf-man. Her mouth was agape, and her head turned slightly with a raised eyebrow. "For what?!"

"There better be a damn good reason for your town to lock up my subordinate..." Lylas crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as well as puckering his lips to the side. He stood to the other side of Korkolo, opposite of Rael, staring down at him with heavy contempt.

"Why lock up the very individual you need to finish your excavation?" Ventrix placed his hands on his hips, staring off into the distance as they were all gathered around the dig-site.

"I know it looks and sounds bad! But... Allow me to explain." Korkolo put his palms up defensively as he began to feel the heat bearing down on him. Seeing the other five kids all gathered around him gave him mixed feelings. A new game was starting, and it was the kind of game that he hated playing. "There was a murder last night. The body was discovered with Mister Kovar standing over top of it. The act itself was not directly seen, but we had to make an arrest of all suspects in order to sort this out."

"You're crazy or a liar." Rael's brow furrowed as she made a furious look that was rarely seen on her face. She stood straight up and crossed her arms, scowling at Korkolo. "Avures wouldn't just kill someone innocent."

"I don't think Brainiac even has it in him to kill a person." Bif rolled his eyes with a grin on his face, trying to imagine his friend stabbing someone but hesitating and stammering away.

"He handled those bandits a week ago just fine... But at the end of the day, they were kidnappers and killers." Olicia sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. This whole thing felt like a sham to her.

"Look, I personally don't suspect him to be guilty either. However, we have to hold him until we sort these things out. That's how we do things." Korkolo tried his best to maintain his mood and keep himself from lashing out. To him, none of this was ideal... But he needed to just hold out. "I'll try to expedite the process, but I make no promises."

"So, what now then?" Lylas shook his head and shifted himself. "Ya just want us to wait around for a couple of days? A week?... For a job ya asserted would only take a 'lil bit of time."

"Pf-Well... You're all free to take a crack at it yourselves... Who-... You." Korkolo pulled out the same codex that he showed off the night prior and handed it out towards Olicia. "You all signed it too, right? Even if you didn't, I'll make sure you're well-compensated if you manage to solve it all before your friend is freed."

"Me? I-..." Olicia had the book basically shoved into her arms. She cringed, feeling that she was obligated to at least try once or twice to solve this seal.

"You seem like a smart girl. We might've not been able to grasp it, but maybe you can. At least try while I attempt to free your friend."

"Well..." Olicia swiveled her head around at all of her friends. The four of them either shrugged or nodded, not giving her any help in regards to trying to shove this responsibility away from her. She sighed. "Fine. I can try..."

"Great. Now-"

"Excuse me, sir." The Sergeant jogged up onto the scene, stopping and standing at attention for Korkolo. "We seem to have a bit of an issue that needs your attention."

"Amazing... Lovely..." Korkolo slapped himself in the face, slowly dragging his hand down as he tried to fathom what this problem could even be. However, he was thankful towards The Sergeant's conduct which kept the manner vague around the teens. "It seems I have some matters to attend to. I'd appreciate it if you all went down to the site, as I'm quite ashamed of the state of our village right now. I will be back around later to watch over the progress. In the meantime, I'll send someone else down there with you..."

Without even giving another moment to the gathering, Korkolo shuffled away with The Sergeant following closely behind. The five of them all looked at each other and shrugged, beginning their descent into the site...

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"What was that thing you said before, Bitch?" Bif hopped his way down the final step of the path and turned back towards the group. "His shit stinks? That's how I feel right now."

"Right?" Olicia made her way down onto the main floor of the site alongside Bif. Striding over to the center, she plopped down in one of the chairs by the table they had seen before. "I especially don't like that Avures is out of reach because of the sus-activity."

"I'll cleave that short bastard in half if Avures even has so much as a scratch on him!" Rael yanked out one of the chairs at a different table and threw herself onto it, hiking up her legs onto the tabletop and crossing them.

"Yeesh. Talk about scary..." Bif let out a nervous chuckle as he passed by Rael and nearly got paralyzed by her venomous stare. He pulled out a chair of his own beside Olicia and sat down, crossing his arms on the tabletop and laying his head on them.

"Whoa... Easy y'all... Don't rile yourselves up. Trust me, there'll be hell to pay if things go awry." Lylas went over and leaned against the smooth, crystalline wall as he was able to easily keep everyone within his vision.

"Truthfully, it all makes sense. That would be normal procedure in any respectable place with order." Ventrix took a seat off to the side of Rael. However, his words immediately earned her ire.

"It's like you always try to say something that'll piss me off." Rael's eyes shifted over to Ventrix, burning with an intensity that rarely came out of her.

"Relax. I'm not excusing it. Let's not worry about it for right now. We just need to wait and see..." Ventrix smiled, cooling off Rael's red-hot glare the slightest bit as she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Alright... Let's see here..." Olicia opened up the book again to where she had left off during her short read yesterday...

"That said, I can only wonder why someone will want to dig this up. But I will pass on instructions on how to undo the seals in the event it is somehow needed. For starters, I recommend you gather some knowledge on the Golden Ratio. Without knowing how to utilize it, you will never be able to knead bread to appease the bull. Eleven lines, eleven points of activation, and eleven different variations of pacts to create the strongest seals eleven people could make. It truly is a work of art... That is, if you consider a punched and shattered "wall-scribble" art. To be honest, this was all shoddily put together and only functions because of the pacts and imposed restrictions. These two things made everything possible. However, one of these seals will only be possible to undo between the times of "four" and "eight". Specifically, one must shoot for six at least six times. Beyond that, patience is key. Only after untying the previous seals will you be able to begin this eleven hour process of continually tailoring to suit yourself. And honestly, having taken so long to finally mystify and document the seals, I forgot how we did the last couple of them and how to undo them. So, you might just have to beg and plead or destroy it with one-one hits."

"God... This really is nonsense... That is, for someone who's looking at the whole picture and not the pieces." Olicia kept her focus trained on the passage as it appeared. While this was Avures's job to do... Olicia was going to try her hand at this in full. And she would not take failure, especially if she wanted to consider herself an archeologist in the future...

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"You have got to be kidding me..." Korkolo clenched his jaw while his fists trembled. His entire being overflowed with palpable anger that filled the air around him.

"I wish I were." Kataline shook her head and crossed her arms while keeping her gaze down to the ground ahead of them.

"Addle! You've crossed the fucking line now!" Korkolo threw his right arm out to the side as his face swung over to meet Addle.

"Hey, "Mister Primordial"! Don't you think my Mana Signature would be all over them if I fucking did it?! Jackass!" Addle spat on the ground.

"These signatures don't match anyone we know of directly..." Kataline lifted her gaze up to Korkolo.

"It has to be that Woe Cultist..." The Sergeant knelt down and placed his hand on top of one of the many casualties that lay ahead... In fact, it was as if the entire street was lined up with bodies... Corpses lined the path up ahead for several yards, easily totaling over thirty dead bodies...

"Dammit!... Fucking dammit! This can't be happening now!" Korkolo stomped his stubby leg on the ground several times as he turned himself away from the scene. "I thought I could just wait that Kovar brat out and force him to an agreement or something! But this Woe Cultist has their eyes set on me and doesn't intend to let this happen! They're probably spiteful about The General's ambush... We're so close to our final victory..."

"I think it'd be best to do a little cleaning up for now..." Kataline had to break the silence that hung over them, otherwise her absolute joy at watching Korkolo squirm would have shone through.

"Sorry. I only like to eat my own kills." Addle shrugged, beginning to step away from the scene. However, Korkolo grabbed his arm and held him still...

"We're going to fix this right now... As in, there will be no more confusion or distrust or discord as of right now..." Korkolo's nerves hardened to steel as his resolve to see his mission through broke his anger... "It's become clear to me..."

Korkolo turned his head to look at Kataline.

"Avura, you're only here to try and make me look like an ass."

Korkolo spun his gaze around and stared at Addle.

"You, Addle... You're only trying to piss me off at this point."

Korkolo finally shot a glare at The Sergeant.

"And you're only here to catch your runaway..." Korkolo took a deep breath... Allowing silence to set in for a single moment before he continued... "However, we're all going to play nice here and work together... The core of our very mission is rooted in that dig site. And I will be damned if I let this slip out of my grasp!"

Korkolo sauntered forward past Kataline and Addle. The Sergeant peeled away from the pile of corpses ahead as Korkolo's destination became clear. Stopping just in front of the group of bodies, the dwarf-man's entire being began to radiate with a distinct black aura enveloping him. Dark pink bursts of Mana taking the form of wild flames seared around him as he clapped his hands together in an upright position. His demeanor of anger and sternness continued while he slid his hands into form.

Turning and shifting his palms, he rotated his left hand to have his fingertips point to his right and his right hand's fingertips to his left. With his left hand on top and his right on the bottom, he pushed them inward until his wrists were touching. Korkolo held his arms in this position, the Mana within him coalescing in front of him in a dance of wild, untamed fiery energy. The energies came together to form a small orb, no bigger than his own hands put together, with swirls of black, pink, and purple streaks all coming together in the middle. The ball of power remained perfectly calm and still as it hovered out over the piles of bodies.

Taking center stage at the absolute middle of them, Korkolo slid his palms back together while maintaining their orientation. At the same time, he curled his fingers towards his palms. He stopped the moment they met at the center with the tips of the fingers' firmly sitting at the crease between his palms and their appendages. Their final form took the shape of a swirl-like sign as the entirety of his aura shifted down to his hands. A mighty heat overtook the air and created purple luminescent waves. The orb began to rotate at an incredibly slow speed, but ramped up within each moment by doubling its previous pace...

"Zero-Sum: Gravity Annihilation." The very words which bellowed out of Korkolo brought upon the world the entire weight of his temperament and conviction.

The undisturbed flowing of Mana, which had shifted to his hands, reignited all around his body with a passion of a flowing river. In that same moment, the orb glimmered with an insurmountable burst of light which tore into the very fabric of space around it. Escaping from the shape of its own creation and overtaking the place of the radiance which set it free, rays of fuchsia and rouge struck out in a controlled radius originating from the orb. The colors drained out until only a black sphere remained, granting the source of power a state of purity, free from infectious light and life. Then, only a single moment stood where the display of power could be seen for what it was. The essence of life versus death... Magic versus Anti-Magic... A ceaseless dance between the finite existence of a flame and a cold, endless void. The colors sprang into motion, generating a pattern of motion and taking a new shape and color as it continuously circled the humming, black void.

The swirling colors whirred against the endless tirade of droning, pulling eventuality itself in an effort to bring about an ever-marching gehenna. The world itself contorted around this epicenter of power. The winds themselves curved and bowed to the command of growing silence, drawing into Korkolo's display of his will. Even the light itself, shining down upon the ground in the beautiful act of nature, was not spared from his demand of nothingness as the world seemed to dim around the extension of himself.

The vortex of power created an insurmountable pull, threatening to rip apart the fabric of reality around it and drag all inwards. It was only a small, mere fraction of Korkolo's intent... But those in the immediate vicinity found themselves at risk of being swallowed.

"Anything that holds a trace of Mana... Will be devoured by my Zero-Sum if it is within its range." Korkolo puffed out his chest and tilted his chin up. He pulled his arms behind his back and clasped his hands together. Neither the tone behind his words nor his gaze wavered or shifted.

The ground rumbled in the small radius in which Korkolo's Zero-Sum was present. It was a soft, negligible vibration... But one that clearly had the ability to spiral out of control and unearth the very village they were all present in. This was most represented by the next few moments...

At first, one of the corpses sitting atop of the pile had its arm lifted up by the force of the black hole. The lifeless way it had been suspended in air created an interesting spectacle as the edges of its fingertips cracked and peeled away. Skin, blood, bone, and muscle all gave way to the supreme power that aimed to draw it in. Like grains of sand telling the passage of time in an hourglass, bits of flesh chipped off and departed towards the vacuum of the void. These chunks of body orbited the epicenter, breaking apart into smaller pieces until they became a blend of diversely colored particles, all subject to the infinity consuming them. With each passing moment, each grain of sand falling inwards towards its prophetic conclusion, the force of his projected power increased. In only a number of moments, the might of the void overcame the weight that resisted its pull and began to disassemble and dine upon the rest of the corpse. It wasn't much longer until that entire body had been eradicated entirely, and then followed a second one... A third body…

The three of them bore witness to a destructive power that dwarfed their own... As the tirade of primordial destruction and disintegration carried on, Kataline found herself wanting to take her leave from the situation. She had never seen Korkolo manifest his frustration in such a way, and it had made her tremble to her very core that this man had the ability to annihilate her. She took a single step back... But her feet slid on the ground forwards, essentially undoing the first bit of progress she tried to make in leaving. Her eyes widened with the vision of the black hole stretching out before her. Another strong tug... This time, she didn't slide, but her legs were pulled out from under her as she ended up on her butt.

The Sergeant was so awe-stricken that he almost hadn't noticed Kataline's current state. He immediately went to turn away, but had his own legs pulled out from under him by the sheer force of the gravitational pull. On his stomach and thinking fast, The Sergeant reached back and retrieved his staff. The grating sound of being pulled against the hard dirt echoed out as he knew he was in the maw of ruination. Without another moment to spare, The Sergeant slammed the staff into the ground with it taking its full size after making contact. The weapon was planted firmly into the dirt below him like a post. The Sergeant held on for dear life with both arms wrapped around the pole.

Addle had nearly instantly began to slide against his will towards the void. Without putting too much thought into it, he lowered his hips as his arms began to heat up. In one swift move, his supercharged limbs punched through the solid ground and acted as anchors, keeping him held down to the ground. This was not a moment too soon as another set of bodies were eaten by Korkolo's Zero-Sum, and the suction power ramped up to levels that would have gotten him killed.

With no option at her disposal to keep her safe from obliteration, Kataline instinctively made a grab for the nearest thing and held on using all the will she could muster up, wrapping her arms around it and clasping her hands together...

"Humans will spend most of their lives trying to discern their purpose. A wasted effort of time, money, and will. They seek truth, but allow biases and experiences to dissuade them from the answer in front of them. As a result, they will never achieve their purpose. The mortal folly." Korkolo observed as greater numbers of bodies all were ripped apart by the vortex he summoned. With a newly added weight at his right ankle, Korkolo lifted the front half of his foot up, pressing down onto Kataline's clasped hands.

One by one without moments of pause, corpses were disassembled and added to the void. The three of them clung to their destinies as they could with their hearts racing. Soon enough, all the deceased were swallowed up by the black hole... But it didn't end there... Branches, leaves, and small shrubs were uprooted from the ground some distance away and were ripped apart as methodically as the dead bodies...

"I do not have such an issue. I reached enlightenment... The truth. The vision of Uya in the manifestation of our lord. I do not consider myself mortal... For Ozix is my sovereign, and I serve as one of his eternal envoys. While others struggle to ascertain themselves and what they truly want, I am on the path of certainty. I am Ozix's will of destruction brought down onto the world to herald his return. I deserve nothing short of damnation if I fail... And if I do fail, understand that it shall be the three of you who experience my wrath first-hand..." Korkolo pulled in a great breath of air into his lungs as he capped off his speech, allowing himself a moment to sooth his temperament...

Korkolo closed his eyes and bowed his head. The rushing of wind and tearing of space and time ceased. The world around them grew quiet once more as the roars of the void came to a halt with the vortex collapsing in on itself and shrinking into nothingness... As quickly as the black hole had been summoned... It vanished.

Addle blinked in rapid succession as he yanked his arms out of the ground and sat there where the bodies and void had just been. The Sergeant gasped and fought for air while his heart had finally slowed down. He climbed back up to his feet and pried his staff out from the ground. Korkolo lifted his foot off of Kataline's hands, allowing her to untangle herself from around his leg and stand up on her own two feet...

"Now. Here's how this is going to work. Sergeant, you may continue to hunt down your nemesis. Addle... Avura... The two of you will be keeping an eye on the five Lancers at the dig site. Do not let them leave that area until night. Do not allow them to leave the bunkhouse..." Korkolo kept his hands and arms behind his back as he began to stroll away from the scene...

"And what will you do?" Kataline took a deep breath and released, understanding that own goal might have just gotten harder to reach.

"I'm going to speak with our friend."

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A fog of uncertainty and confusion hung over Avures's head as light thoughts and notions of consciousness began to stir in his brain. Synapses fired, and information relayed... Avures's eyes remained closed initially, but upon the realization that his head and body were laying on a hard, cold surface, his vision opened up to his surroundings. Strands of his hair sat in front of eyes as he laid on his side. He wasn't able to discern anything around him…

It was then that his last few moments before passing out flooded back to him... Avures jerked himself onto his feet and stumbled forward in one swift motion. However, he didn't notice the rattling sound around him as he tried to take another step forward and found himself almost yanked backwards... The reality of everything around started to slowly seep into his perception... His eyes shifted downward as he brought his hands up to his face.

They were black and blue with the dust and dirt of this place all over his skin. But, most importantly, there were tight, chain-bound shackles overtop of his wrists... He didn't even need to see the faint red glow of a candle somewhere along the wall ahead to have the realization of his situation dawn upon him. In fact... Avures was well aware of what was going on...

"No... No... No. No-No-No-No-No!..." Avures threw his right arm forward against the restraining force of his shackles. The binding forces of his imprisonment easily resisted his physical strength, holding back his arm according to the length of the chains and withstanding the tension.

"Dammit! No!" Avures attempted to throw his entire body and all his force forward against the might of the chains... But he was met with an equal force holding him backwards which stopped any hopes of him breaking free. However, he then stepped backwards and focused... Circulating his Mana, he brought together form and shape to-... The Mana within his being was drained out the moment he attempted to conjure it forth from out of his body... "Why?..."

Avures took this sudden stop in his panic to take in his surroundings. The candlelight, which provided the only source of vision, was at the end of a walkway in front of him. This walkway was blocked by dark, metal bars... Avures knew by the shackles that he was in some sort of holding cell... But the exact location... He did know. It was that building from his vision... He gazed down at his body. He was still wearing his outfit, but his sword had been removed from his sheath and his bag taken.

Shackles were binding his ankles and wrists. Not only that, they were around his upper arms, thighs, waist, and chest... The intent was clear. It was all based in some sort of Anti-Magic... To keep him from being able to cast by preventing his Mana from leaving his core area to a Focal Point.

Past his own cell, there was another one mirrored to his own. And, based on his previous vision, there was a short staircase to the right of his cell...

"This can't be happening..." Avures dropped to his knees, losing the will to stand on his own two feet as his gaze stared endlessly ahead. "I should have just kept my cool... Why did I let myself panic like that? If I just stayed calm, I could have gotten us out in the morning... I'm such a moron!... I need to see if-"

Avures concentrated as he could while bemoaning his incompetence. He made the worst move he possibly could have at the moment. Though it was entirely unlucky to have run into those two people, Avures regretted not just taking a different route or playing coy to the whole situation. However, those thoughts were pushed back as he needed to focus. Honing in, Avures mustered up his senses and attempted to find a Mana Signature close to him... Any signature...

"No... There's no way. Nothing at all?..." Avures's hands trembled as their fingers spread out and he covered his face. His chest quivered while his breaths became more frantic and uncontrolled. "No... Please... No-I-...Dammit!"

Avures's head felt a rush of heat as he bowed over onto his forearms and hands. He pressed his forehead into the freezing cold, stone ground. Sliding his palms over to his head, he grabbed at clumps of his hair and squeezed at the roots atop his head. The tension and pressure created heaps of pain, but it wasn't enough to quell the intense remorse and emotional anguish that crept up inside him. Despite his intentions and dreams... The worst had come to pass.

"They're all dead... Everyone is dead... Because of me. Because I'm so fucking useless!" Avures elevated his back to a slight degree, raising his face... And then slammed his head down to the ground with a mighty thud as the sensation of static filled his head. But he wasn't done.

"All of this training and time spent!" Avures lifted his head again and threw his face to the ground, his forehead hitting the stone once more.

"For nothing!" Another thud rang out as Avures repeated the motion of self-harm.

"I couldn't protect the only people I care about!" The bout of frustration continued as he slammed his head yet again into the ground.

"I can't share a future with anyone now!" One final time he bashed his head into the floor. The resulting noise echoed for the last time. He kept his head to the ground, the stinging agony and ringing pains nothing compared to the hopelessness and defeat he felt now.

"Why am I alive?..." Despite the fact that he did care about his friends... Despite the fact that he was extremely frustrated and mad at himself... Despite it all... His tear ducts were dry, his head was hot but his face remained cold. And his own voice, both in thought and reality, had no indication of true feelings, only a louder volume. In the end, it seemed as if he only loudly proclaimed self-hatred. "What's the point of me being alive? I've lost everything... And yet it's as if I never had anything to lose."

Avures allowed the coldness of the floor to take hold of him as he slumped over onto his side. The only thing that made sense to him was that it was his fault. Over and over again... It repeated like a mantra through his head. If only he had been more hands on with the process... If only he had done something different... But because they were without him, they died... And they were without him because he allowed his own paranoia to clutch his peace of mind... And that, in turn, pushed him into a bad decision. It was over...

Nothing that was to come next would be amenable. That man was going to come down the stairs... Taunt Avures... And then Rael was going to cleave him in half... And then he'd have to gaze upon the nightmarish reality that awaited him outside.

"Bif... Lylas... Olicia... Ventrix..." Avures brought his knees inward and wrapped his arms around his chest. The bitter-cold numbness that the ground brought on to him was nothing compared to the horrors that stood outside the building. Avures knew that he would have to live the future he foresaw...

He gave up.

There was no hope. There was no light. He felt nothing. What was to come next had no bearing on him... Yet, it created a slight amount of spitefulness deep within. He lifted his hand with what little will he could and began mindlessly moving his index finger against the ground for what seemed like hours...

And even as the encroachment of steps echoed throughout the halls of his containment, Avures did not feel hopeful.

"Mister Kovar... You better be awake. There's much to discuss..." The dwarf-like stature of Korkolo peered around the edge of the wall beyond Avures's cell. He strutted out with his hands behind his back. His head was turned to the side, peering through the bars watching Avures's finger drag across the ground.

"... I don't remember him saying that." Avures stopped moving his finger.

"I'll take that as you're listening... It was a moment of bad luck for the both of us that you happened to stumble upon that scene. Though I suppose it didn't happen because you wanted to go on a leisurely stroll. So, when exactly did you figure it out?" Korkolo stopped directly in front of Avures outside of his cell.

"I already knew. I just didn't piece it together until I reevaluated this place." Avures didn't bother looking at him to address him, remaining on the floor staring over at the wall.

"And I imagine that information came from your right hand... Yes?" Korkolo watched as Avures stirred. The boy lifted his head and body until he sat with his legs crossed. "Seems that stirred you up. I must be on the right track."

"How did you know that?" Avures refused to look at him, even after addressing him by sitting up. He just stared at the floor as he spoke.

"How could I not know that? Your left hand sees the past. A gift from your dearly departed sister, I'm sure. And your right hand looks similar... The mark of the one who got away." Korkolo's lips stretched out into a grin as he jutted his chin a little higher. Avures finally met his gaze with his typical look, only with hints of contempt. "You already knew what we were. But it might surprise you to know that I was there for that entire ordeal."

"..." Avures was only able to think about the visions of the past. The horrible slaughter that happened in Belva... The image of his parents and sister dying while he was only an infant... Even in spite of him giving up earlier, Avures's urge to lash out grew..

"The screams your mother and sister cried out still lull me to sleep to this very day..." Korkolo brought his left hand to his chin and stroked his beard while he closed his eyes, reminiscing about the past. "Of course, I didn't get to kill them myself... But I did watch after a brief scuffle with that wench you would call your mother."

Avures kept his vision locked onto Korkolo's eyes while he lifted himself to his feet. The entire feeling of emptiness and remorse left his body. Instead, Avures's vessel became host to an overwhelming, furious heat. There was nothing left for him. And that made his will reignite with a new goal. As he finally stood straight up, slightly staggered forward and to his right... Avures's tone remained quiet, but spoke with sincerity. "I'll kill you."

"Oh? Will you now?" Korkolo couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's threat with his current arrangement. Yet, there was something within Avures's eyes that caused Korkolo's gut to feel uneasy. Those piercing, emerald eyes... "That same intense glare you have does remind me of her too... All with the plainness of that man with her... Ah, but there's no need for you to join them so soon. The one who got away can get away again..."

"..."

"Avures. All you need to do... Is solve the seals. Solve the seals, and give me the artifact. Do that, and I will allow you and your friends to leave unharmed."

"Eh-?..." Avures broke his glare with a surprised expression. Though the fire still burned on in his heart and called for Korkolo's death... His words gave life to the hopes of his friends still being alive. Was his vision wrong? "They're... Unharmed?"

"Of course. There's no point in breaking the illusion I've created here. Especially when we captured you before you could alert them... They remain in the dig site as we speak awaiting for me to bring you back under the pretense that you're being held under investigation. If you agree to do as I say, I'll release you and you will get me that artifact. Then, you and your friends may leave."

"How am I supposed to believe any of that? What reason do I have to believe a single word you say?" Avures turned his head the other way.

At this point, he knew something was amiss. Whether through intentional lies by Korkolo, or genuine speech on the matter... Things hadn't seemed to progress in the way Avures saw them in his vision. He was inclined to believe Korkolo was being truthful. Not in the sense that everything would be okay, but the subtext of his own words declaring that they didn't have the artifact in their grasp.

Which almost certainly meant... That nothing horrible had come to pass yet.

"There is no reason. And I'm not in a position where I need to grant you one either..." Korkolo sighed and rolled his eyes, lowering his face a little to be parallel with Avures's face. "You're currently held by Manacite chains attached to the wall-bricks made from Calcianite. You're no threat to anyone in that state. And even if you could muster up Mana, these materials are just one of many that can block Mana-Sensing."

Avures knew that much was true. There was no reason for Korkolo to play his game. However, there was an unknown variable in this. Avures wasn't sure if Korkolo was bluffing or not on a few details.

Korkolo spoke as if time was on his side... And by Avures's own visions... It was. But did he know that? Calling back to that vision, Avures remembered him saying that he got what he wanted from his friends... That meant, ultimately, someone solved and undid the seals without Avures.

"This has to mean that... That all of them are okay... For now." Avures tried not to let the relief show on his face. It felt like the chains had all just come off of him... Whatever was to happen had not passed yet. "Yet... It doesn't seem as if me knowing any of this will solve the issue at hand. Like I can't change the future no matter what..."

"So... Mister Kovar, what do you say?"

Life was cruel and ironic. Despite having a choice in front of him, it was all an illusion. Avures knew that if he denied the chance, someone else would simply release the seals on the artifact. If he accepted the offer and used the opportunity of being freed to fight back, with or without his friends, there was a high chance of them all dying with the sheer number of cultists here. If he accepted the offer and retrieved the artifact, there was a chance that Korkolo would simply go back on his word and they would die. And even if they were to go free, according to Korkolo's own statements from that future, everything would be in place for Ozix's return... All choices led to demise.

There was no one else here to help him. No Rael to be at his side for this. No Bif to inspire confidence. No Olicia to be a voice of reason. No Lylas to show him the way. And no Ventrix to assure him. Zen wasn't there to get them out of this mess or guide Avures. George wasn't here to put an end to this cultist. There was no one who could help him escape this fate...

Only one choice had the chance to help them escape the inevitable...

Yet, something rose to the surface within Avures. It wasn't fear of what might happen. It wasn't uncertainty. It was not pride or anger either. The overwhelming feeling that began to encompass his entire being was resolve. Sheer, unmitigated resolve to refute the presented outcomes in front of him.

Though it was hard exactly for Avures to discern what exactly triggered this feeling. Was it purely foreign and external factors? Or was it something bellowing deep within him, crying out for justice? Avures had a desired future to make... And the taunts of Korkolo only seemed to exaggerate the pressure and power of Avures's own will.

He knew not his own family, only knowing what was shown to him through relics and souls of another time. But he knew how they met their demise. The sinful and cold hands of Ozix Cultists... That of which sought to kill his family and take his sister's body. From the way the figure appeared in stature and their voice, it wasn't Korkolo. But if he wanted to take credit for being there, Avures wouldn't hesitate to put him on his hit-list. Avura gave her life to try and stop the violence, but she also gave it to stop them in their tracks too. And Avures would be damned if he didn't lay down his own life against those very same people. He owed it to her and himself.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Avures knew taking this gamble on trying to carve his own path placed his friends directly in the line of danger... But he had a plan forming in his head. If death was the result of both options, then he was going to make his own option without care for the result.

"I refuse." Avures's deadpan glare returned as his pupils locked onto Korkolo.

"Huh?" Korkolo tilted his head, taking on a confused expression. "Look. If I don't get what I want from you, I'll start killing your friends one by one."

"And I'll double-down. The fact is that you need me. So you're going to play nice and leave them alone. And then maybe... Maybe, I'll undo the seals." Avures bent down and lowered himself to a sitting position once more. He leaned forward as he sat criss-cross and grabbed at the shackles over his ankles. "You're not in a position to make me believe your offer. But you're also not in a position to force me to do this."

"You fucking brat!..." Korkolo's eye twitched, nearly bulging out of his skull as an immediate pillar of anger rose to the surface within him. "I get it. He's betting on me losing my patience... Just like Addle and Avura... And he's right... As long as I rely on him to unseal that artifact, I have no true power to hold over him. The only thing that could break this stalemate is Meius showing up... But I know how that will end."

"Good grief, Korkolo. I can't trust you to do anything right..." The vision of Meius in Korkolo's imagination shook his head with his palm over his face...

"Fine. If you want to play this game... I can wait." Korkolo pulled himself away from the bars of Avures's cell, refusing to play this game. "But I promise you that I will kill you once this is over..."

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A lot of the early stages in my life are a blur. Much like the original details of how I looked, how I dressed, how I acted... It was all lost to time for me. Gazing into a mirror, I became unrecognizable to my own eyes. But that was self-inflicted.

However, despite that, I remember everything around me that led up to this point. I grew up in a mountainous region to the southeastern-most area of Palmenae. A location with some of the highest peaks in the world. It was a warmer climate despite the elevation, and had lush, beautiful fauna that grew off the sides of these needle-like mountains. Vines and moss hung down from the tops which were adorned with pink and blue flowers. A soft mist often enveloped the view from below, leaving only the plants themselves and their intricate patterns to be admired.

It was in this area that I lived. Particularly, a monastery that sat on one of the larger peaks which existed at the edge of a small city. To a foreigner from faraway lands, it seemed like one of many monasteries to exist here without too much importance over the rest. Palmenae is often noted for the deep religious and spiritual roots it had in the old times, thus many sites established in different places. However, the one I grew up at was legendary for the great warriors who originated from it. It was tradition in the city that unwanted children or those with great potential were sent to the monastery at a young age. From there, they either joined the brotherhood entirely, or were trained to become a strong warrior who would watch over the city. In a way, it fostered a deep sense of community and responsibility.

I was one of the former. Though, as it turned out, I was also one of the latter. I breezed through combat lessons and took to weapons and magic with ease. I also took quite an interest in theology. When it came time for me to return to the city, I refused. Well, refused was the right word but I simply wanted to find the answers to life. Theology had begun to dominate my interests above all else.

Many of the monks within had names, but simply called each other "brother" or "master". I never had a name, at least not that I could remember. So, I was simply called "Brother". My personal master often joked that I was specifically called that because of my personality. I was the kind of blunt person who liked direct answers. It was highly ironic for someone of my interests to be like this considering theology is often just riddles or interpretations. I simply wanted the right ones.

So, my master often said I'm called "Brother" because I liked direct answers. And nothing was more direct than that.

Though my personality in that way never ceased to annoy him. I just wanted answers. And it was in that obsession of wanting to see everything for what it was that I cursed myself.

I had been a studious warrior, and was intrigued by the idea of Pacts and imposed restrictions. Things that granted powers and abilities according to the user's desire if they were willing to make the sacrifices.

I had made the preparations to undergo a Pact, but had been warned against it by my master and other brothers. Small Pacts were commonplace, often used to get an edge. But what I wanted was more... And as they said it, life-changing Pacts are curses.

So, I had given it up, and returned to studying, training, and occasionally helping to protect the city... That was, until one, fateful day...

I returned to my home city from a trip full of studies on the fauna and possible religious sites containing old crypts and other things. It was really just a hodgepodge of different areas I made notes of to research later. But nothing was able to prepare me for what I came home to. Notably, when I finally decided to return home, I gazed at the skies to see plumes of black smoke reaching for the heavens. I had immediately begun sprinting back to the city.

As I grew closer to the city, I was able to spot the flames which spouted off the smoke. Burning bright all over the city, a slew of fires and the echoing sounds of screams and cries filled my ear to create a horrid reality I wanted out of. I had finally made it back... Corpses lined the streets. Innocent people... Brothers I recognized... And those who looked to be the assailants. Cloaked individuals whose garb was gray with pink trim…

I had read and heard about them before, but I thought they were just fringe groups with no real presence. But there was no mistaking it. The Cult of Woe had razed my city, and were no meager fringe group. I rushed inside with my staff at the ready and sought to give aid and relief to those still fighting.

I managed to help out a handful of brothers, but most of them were either fatally wounded with toxins I couldn't deal with or severe wounds I couldn't stitch. Worst of all, there was nowhere for them to go back to as I was able to spot the monastery on fire from down in the streets.

I continued to help as I could, but despite what cultists I culled... I hardly put a dent in their numbers. Before long, they had suddenly just pulled out.

They simply left a burning city. People dead or dying in the streets. Homes and lives were both destroyed with no regard. And they weren't going to answer for it. I was sickened beyond belief.

And it was there that the seeds of my hatred rooted into the ground…

The monastery was gone, and those who lived in it were dead. I was no one's brother anymore, so I had nothing to lose.

After taking some time to bury the dead and pay my respects, I followed through on the innermost desire of my heart. Revenge. But first, I was going to undergo my Pact.

It was simple... Simple in the way that I had one direct course of action to take. If I hadn't been focused on wanting direct answers before, the razing of my home heightened that focus to a degree that consumed my every waking thought. And in that way, the Pact I intended to undertake originally grew more enticing. I wanted to see everything for what it really was. I wanted to get my answers in that way. And so, I willfully blinded myself. I gouged my eyes out in one of the most gruesome and grueling moments of my life. And in exchange, I was able to see the world for what it was...

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"I wasn't aware of that little man having such raw power." The Sergeant brushed the dirt off of his outfit and armor.

"Korkolo is a Primordial User. A true "one in a million" occurrence..." Kataline ducked her face down and to the side. But a grin crept on her face as her eyes wandered back up towards The Sergeant's face. "It might seem like playing with fire, but we shouldn't stop now."

"Speak for yourselves. I'm not having that short asshole blame me again." Addle began to peel away from the three of them, not bothering to turn back as he gave out his final words to them. "I'm not gonna snitch... And I ain't gonna stop you two either. But when things eventually go to hell, I will murder anyone who gets in my way of decapitating the blondie."

"Fine by me..." The Sergeant crossed his arms as Addle finally departed, heading straight for the dig site alone... "But as far as our deal goes... I'm not seeing the benefit anymore."

"No-no. See... Korkolo can only be self-destructive here. What you saw there wasn't a display of power, but one of weakness..." Kataline continued to side-eye The Sergeant with her sly grin.

"Was it now? Go ahead. Elaborate. I'll hear you out."

"It's simple. Korkolo has anger issues, and everything here is a carefully constructed facade. The "paperwork" you saw him fill out wasn't some pure administrative thing. Those were actual orders being given individually to every cultist here for the facade. Do you know why?" Kataline looked him dead in the face.

"Individual orders?..."

"The numbers within our outfit are all husks without meaning. They serve a singular purpose, and that is to be a body. They are to be an engine of death and destruction."

"They don't scream. They don't cry out. They might as well have been considered a dead soul before I ripped away the essence of life from them."

The answer dawned on The Sergeant within a few moments. It was as if every single moment he tried to forsake his cynicism, he was reminded of it in full. It was his curse...

"Oh. I get it. He wouldn't be able to create this illusion of a town otherwise. It would simply be too uncanny." The Sergeant sighed, lowering his arms as he decided to indulge Kataline's reasoning once more.

"With cultists being killed here, it basically wastes all the time he spent planning out this fake village in anticipation of these Lancers. And it now forces him to play cleanup and compensate for the dent in his plans. This is something that, without fail, will push him to the edge." Kataline bore a full smile, tilting her head away from him and walking around him with great exaggerated steps. "He didn't do that to be assertive, he did it to mitigate his own fear and anger."

"That sort of power could instantly tear someone apart with a mere graze. You're insane if you think I want to risk my life for your goals. Especially when my priority is on you."

"Well then. I guess you won't be getting that information from me. It's a shame too... I even set you up for success when Korkolo was busy throwing a fit." Kataline stopped in front of him and shrugged.

"What?" The Sergeant watched her with great care.

"When he was playing clean-up... I dosed him with a sedative... Right when I was wrapped around his leg." Kataline's grin gave her a coy appearance as she held up a needle pinched in between her index finger and thumb. "My body doesn't only just produce deadly toxins... But just about any kind of combination I want or need besides full-on Anti-Magic mixtures."

"How long is this nap going to be?..."

"Who knows?... Probably an hour or two... If you're fast, you could take out every single cultist here... I'll give you signal when I make the sedative put him to sleep... Do this, and I'll tell you exactly what I promised..."

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In willfully blinding myself by removing my eyes, I completed my end of the Pact...

In a world where intangible forces constantly battle and war over the control of balance, it is those who utilize the concepts of give and take to create imbalances that rise above the monotony of reality to change its course. Whether it be through Mana or Flow alike, it is the spirit and creativity of one's being that dictates their power.

Pacts and Soul-Cycles are one of the many ways one can gain more power outside of training and life-or-death experiences.

Pacts are ritualistic deals made with the forces of Mana and Flow. They are sacrificial in nature, and transactional in practice. There are four parts to a Pact: Price, Condition, Prize, and Punishment. The price and prize are weighed against each other and against both the condition and punishment separately. However, they are also weighed against the condition and punishment as a pair as well. This is because the weight of the prize cannot outweigh the other three components put together.

Pacts are comparable to Shades with the ability to create any sort of effect the user desires. However, they differ in a few notable ways. Shades need to be molded by the user, and thus, the user needs to be able to understand how to shape Flow into the outcome they desire. Pacts are absolute, and can grant abilities outside of the purview and understanding of those who undertake them. Pacts are also constantly active unlike Shades where the user needs to willingly use it. And finally, Shades, as their cost, simply eat away at the user's body and soul through the ravaging properties of utilizing Flow. But, the cost of a Pact is as absolute and open-ended as the abilities that can be granted.

On the other hand, Soul-Cycles are based on the states of the soul, the weight of their emotions, and the certainty of their thoughts. Soul-Cycles constantly shift and change within people. The more aligned and steady one is among those three bases, the more powerful they become. Soul-Cycles often can occur when one's ideals undergo a change, or when someone truly sticks to their resolve. However, where it is most seen is when one finds themselves knocking at death's door. Those who are about to die are said to be able to peer into the swirling energies of the world around them. This can result in one's magnitude of power shifting dramatically and/or in a metamorphosis of their abilities altogether. This can happen in a beneficial or detrimental manner.

Essentially, it is all based in the synchrony of one's true self and is mostly noticeable at its extremes.

My Pact was simple. In exchange for my sight, I wished to view the world down to its basic components and energies. No longer did the world look the same to me. The vibrancy of life and beauty of living things was stripped away from me. What took its place was a cold, concrete vision of all things that transformed me into a different person...

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It was time. Kataline's signal was made apparent to The Sergeant. He had spotted Korkolo heading back to that same office building as usual. If he were to stay there knocked out for even one hour, The Sergeant knew he could easily wipe out this village of cultists. And it all started here...

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Despite there being nothing in the eye-sockets of my face, I was still able to perceive visual stimuli... Only, it was a crude re-imaging of the world that existed around me. I had accepted that my life would be without one of its vital senses. In doing so, I hoped that I could get answers as to why humans behave in certain ways. Why animals have certain habits. And why some objects or magics function in specific ways. Then maybe I could have used that knowledge to make sense of this world and create peace...

The vision I now had showed geometric outlines. Objects or people with life were colored in with a mess of vibrant colors, all representing different states of being along with the spiritual and metaphysical makeup of their existence. All living creatures were displayed with delicate and intricate arrangements of shapes, each pattern representing a part of their personality or line of thought. Objects devoid of sizable life merely had outlines with opaque, plain colors which granted me the ability to perceive around them if they were without Anti-Magic properties.

I had gotten the ability I wanted. But it was ironic. At first... There was a great amount of beauty to behold in the vast, unlimited amount of formulaic combinations within the shapes and colors that made each person seem like an enigma. However, the mystique of life had vanished entirely, removing the mystery from it all and, subsequently, diminishing the value of what I could see...

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The Sergeant peered around, turning his head from left to right. Beyond the walls of each building sat motionless cutouts of humans... Things that were, by all standards, human. But, to him, they were nothing but affronts to the natural order. And despite his disdain to both cultists and the repetitive aspect of the natural order, The Sergeant always continued to respect that concept. Something he couldn't see... Something with a mystery still…

A convenience to the kickoff of his murder spree was the lack of second-floor houses. It made his first decisive action a true message to those who deserved his ire. As he brought out his staff in his right hand, The Sergeant summoned forth his bounds of Mana and compressed it into his weapon... Holding it out straight to the left side towards the street, a dead-end that reached the trees, The Sergeant lengthened his tool until it reached the very edge of the village. With his right arm crossed to his left side, and his will set in stone... He followed through on his will.

With his might and magic gathered, The Sergeant swung his right arm and extended staff back towards his right side in a mere moment without any sort of struggle or weakened balance.

In that moment, his hardened and empowered staff cleaved through several buildings all at once. The physical object itself passed through walls and furniture without any resistance, but tore through the flesh and bones of the inhabitants inside. It was as if the length of the staff ignored lifeless objects, and only became tangible when striking out at a cultist. When it did so, the aura surrounding the staff shredded the doll-like people without difficulty. The staff had essentially been turned from a blunt weapon to a cutting one by his own Wind Element.

Meeting no resistance from his use of the Quantum Tunneling technique, The Sergeant had effectively cleared out half the cultists in an immediate strike. A bystander might have been able to walk past several windows for different buildings and seen how each splatter of blood and each body were all decorating the interiors at the same angle. And yet, despite his first outward strike being a decisive one for fulfilling his deal, he felt nothing...

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This power had given me several benefits outside of what I had originally envisioned. For starters, I became incredibly gifted at espionage and spying. Though, I never became great at hiding myself. Rather, nothing could hide from me unless it was intentionally made invisible. And even then, I was still able to pick out things like that.

It also made me a natural ace at certain magic types. Particularly, this was Time, Manipulation, Enhancement, and Utility. Even though I never became a true master in any one of those types, I had a lot of tricks at my disposal which I learned because of my Pact. The most notable trick was my usage of Quantum Tunneling. Being able to see things down to their basic components allowed me to manipulate any arrangement of energies that I could get my hands on. In that way, I was able to perfectly utilize the Quantum Tunneling technique where others couldn't. The way I saw things made me a natural at using that technique at will and allowed me to truly project my power. I was also able to rearrange things like residual Mana to eliminate traces of myself or create red-herrings if I was in a pinch.

However... Despite the benefits to my skills, it was all superficial compared to what it cursed me with...

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"Those that weren't caught in my initial wipe-out instantly knew what was going on..." The Sergeant had the palm of his hand grasped over top of a cultist's head, his fingers pressing down into their skull. A thin, translucent tether was sticking out of The Sergeant's body and connecting to the cultist...

Network: An Enchantment/Utility technique. It takes the shape of a simple tether between the caster and their target which can be living or nonliving. From there, it forms a basic connection between the two of them with the basic function of being able to transmit small portions of Mana or Flow from the caster to the recipient. However, that is just the basics, and like most Utility techniques, can be altered by other Types and Elements heavily.

For example, The Sergeant utilizes this technique by applying his other Types of Time and Manipulation alongside his Wind Element. This allows him to transfer greater quantities of Mana or Flow, and allows him to identify any magical effects the target is under. Along with this, he can tap into their perception of their surroundings as well...

"They have individual souls, but might as well be a hive-mind..." The Sergeant clenched his hand, pressuring the skull of the cultist until it burst open. Brains and blood stained his hands and splattered over the ground beneath him. He scoffed as he stood straight up and got moving on ahead, dashing over several other bodies he already made quick work of. His destination was to make it to the outskirts of the town. Fighting in the forest was a much more clean way to do this, at least in his mind. "Of course they'd function like that... Worthless roaches."

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I began to take notice of things. Between humans and any amount of living creatures, certain patterns became quite visible to me that began to wear me down. It was something that I found to be an oddity at first, but one that let me predict outcomes. In my early days past that event, I had done quiet work. I tracked, stalked, and eliminated small groups of cultists, both Woe and Ozix alike. I beat and threatened individuals who were assisting their efforts or selling out people to them. And between everything I did, within all these actions involving these evil beings, I noticed one particular trend. A train of thought attributed to a few choice words.

Greed. Malice. Deceit. Selfishness.

As my hunts began to expand, I witnessed these traits more and more. I was always a one-man operation, but I got gutsier, braver, and more experienced. But despite how I changed in terms of combat and methodology, they remained the same. It was like crushing a squirming cockroach under foot. The leaders would sacrifice each other to save themselves. They begged, pleaded for mercy only to draw a knife the moment you would turn away. I could have one at the edge of my magic, their life coming to an end, and they would scramble to try and kill the nearest thing. These formed into predictable and soul-draining patterns. Every hunt began to blend together, old ones I reminisced about and new ones alike...

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"If I assume that half of their outfit was wiped out in that initial attack... Knowing that the sheer force of that blow would kill any unprepared target, and assuming they were spread out across the town evenly..." The Sergeant rounded around the trunk of a tree roughly three times as wide as him, his pursuers closing in with a silent war-cry carried by their thunderous steps.

Reversing his direction by wrapping around the trunk, The Sergeant swung himself into an oncoming horde. He crashed down into the closest person feet first. Pinning them down onto the ground by his force and weight, The Sergeant stood overtop of them. He twirled his staff around in his right hand behind his back as the rest of the cultists moved to engage. With a simple swipe of his left hand, razor-winds sliced open the throat of the person below them. All resistance went limp as the open wound seeped out the essence of life, depleting their strength.

The Sergeant gave no more thought to the limp body beneath him as he leapt forward towards the crowd...

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Eventually, it was getting to be so mind-numbing, so heart-crushing to deal with the same thing every time that I split off and did other work. I ended up hunting bandits, outlaws, and other criminals alike as a mercenary. Despite all the favors and work I had done, I never had the funds to outright get a trial for a Lancer's license to become one. And I never felt the need to take out money for one either. The difference between Lancers and mercenaries was that the former had special privileges among the law and worked for a higher premium. Mercenaries, however, got shunted because of that. The Lancers are a government instituted private force, by all technicalities, and mercenaries are lumped together as any sell-sword who don't identify as that with a license or other provisions. I'm sure one could understand the gist of it. Basically, it meant that mercenaries often did the same work for way less pay and prestige.

However, that made no difference to me. I just had to get away from targeting cultists as it began to take its toll on my mind. But I found myself surprised, so disgustingly so, that I found the same routines within these criminals. But the difference was that they were conscious. They were able to appeal to human emotion. "I only stole to help my daughter. I never had a chance in life." It was all the same, and they would attempt to kill you should their sympathy have reached your heart and you gave them the benefit of the doubt. The sensations of dread and disappointment returned. In a sickly, ironic fashion, I had managed to take a break from one profession and find myself with the same problems in an adjacent job. And it wasn't just them either...

Other mercenaries, Lancers, and even those who often put out these jobs had the same habits and pitfalls of these monsters. The only difference was... They wore a mask…

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The length of a blade sliced through the air towards the back of The Sergeant. At the same time, a downward swing was coming down with a heavy heave towards his head from the front of him. Around all sides were encroaching enemies...

The Sergeant lowered his center of balance, bending at his knees and dropping low as he shifted around his grip on his staff. The horizontal swing at his backside narrowly missed, but the assaulter from the front still had a clear shot at him. With his weapon at his side, the length pointed downwards and forward... The back end of his pole shot out with an incredible speed, driving into the throat of the assailant behind him and crushing his windpipe. The cultist grabbed at his throat as he tried to suck air into his lungs, but fell over backwards. Without another moment wasted, The Sergeant tilted his staff upwards and used its newfound size to thrust into the gut of the cultist ahead of him with expert levels of finesse.

The cultist at his front lost the momentum and power in his swing as the air was forced out of his body. His sword faltered to the side, and The Sergeant came back up to his stance as he reared back his finishing blow. With a quick, left-upward swing, the jaw of the cultist shattered and came loose... A thump onto the ground, and The Sergeant took in his situation once more...

Surrounded on all sides... It wasn't new to him... But it was never quite to this degree. Regardless, he was determined. Still though, it was as if every battle with them was a replay of the last. Old tricks, new battles, and the same, ever-present lack of humanity...

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The first signs of my cynicism were long ago, but they reached a feverish pinch in no time when I tried to escape it. Everything was the same. Someone selling someone else out... Someone needlessly wishing the worst on others to fulfill their ego... Someone trying to project their power onto the world by killing... When I killed one, it was like two more reared their heads at me after having deceived me in the first place. It began to feel like a fruitless effort. Because as I fought against the infinite pit of human sin, I realized that I was no different than them. I was merely extending the cycle of depravity. I had lied, killed cultists when they turned their backs, and did everything I could to exact my vengeance. I had done right by ridding the world of them, even if it was only a small amount in comparison to the Cult Hunter guilds... But I proved myself to be no different in my actions in accordance to what I deemed to be depraved.

What my Pact had allowed me to see in other people, it revealed the same in myself. I was able to predict and analyze when these people felt a certain way by observing the changes in energy in them. It always ended up being the same shapes and arrangements, the ones that signaled a betrayal of basic decency and any sort of kindness. And when I was able to look in a mirror, I saw it plainly in myself.

For a while, I gave up in myself and turned to God in the hopes that I could find some silver-lining to it all. But I had forsaken myself long ago, and ruined my chances of redemption when I cursed his creation. Still, I continued to hold out hope...

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Dodging underneath a swing, avoiding the brush of a dagger, parrying the onslaught of a club... The Sergeant dashed around the battlefield with the vigor and experience of a veteran. Despite being in constant, close brushes with death... Never once did his confidence or ability waver.

He swung his staff upward and hit a man in the jaw, causing them to become discombobulated, their balance shifting uncontrollably... At the same time, an enemy closed their distance on him and thrust with a long-sword towards his back shoulder. The tip of the blade reached his armor and pierced straight through... Or rather, passed through with no resistance. There was no apparent wound on The Sergeant, no spilling of blood or slicing of flesh...

The tip of the sword exited out the front of his torso, bringing along with it the entire length of the blade and even the assailant's arm as they lost their own balance due to a lack of feedback. Air swirled around The Sergeant's left hand, gaining a visible form as it sharpened. Bringing his left arm up, he sliced down at the man's sword arm, severing his hand from his wrist in a single swoop. The cultist who had phased through him doubled over in agony, tripping over to the ground past and through him as they silently held their stumped arm.

The Sergeant swiped the man's severed hand in mid-air and thrust it along, with the sword it was still latched onto, into the discombobulated cultist's chest. The target ahead of him collapsed into a heap in front of him, and The Sergeant stomped on the neck of the fallen man, crushing his throat without a second thought.

In the distance, The Sergeant spotted three cultists huddling together with a great bundle of Mana created by the three of them...

Despite the fact that everyone has Mana inside them, and that Magic can help one reach unimaginable heights of power... It pays to remember that few ever learn how to properly utilize it outside of basic Enchantment usage. Even among cultists, only a small percentage of them can use Magic...

However, a horde of more cultists ditching their villager outfits and throwing up their hoods stood between The Sergeant and the casters. He was outnumbered... But it didn't matter.

He dashed forward, holding his staff out in front of him with the end pointing at the ground ahead. The group readied for his approach, not wishing to take a head-on charge after seeing the way he used Quantum Tunneling.

The staff became visually wrapped by several powerful winds as it sat in his grasp. Just as The Sergeant was about to reach his striking range against the group... He thrust the pole forward and into the ground. Poking in between cultists while burrowed into the ground, the staff extended in both directions slightly while he raised the angle it was stabbed into the ground with. In one fluid motion, The Sergeant leapt upwards, using his staff as a vehicle to vault himself over the horde of cultists.

As he soared overhead, the group attempted to pursue him to his landing location... But as they tried to give chase, they found themselves running in place. The aura of winds around the staff extended outwards from its planted location and created a cyclone with tremendous force. All movement of the robed individuals was essentially halted as they couldn't inch away from the sheer draw of its power.

The three mages among the cult gazed on as he drew closer to landing near them. Deciding not to hold off any longer, they forged the bundle of Mana into a jagged, spearhead-shape forged of Ice and Lightning Elements. Bolts of yellow swirled and crackled around the rough edges of blue ice. The structure of the formation was as big as a human, and the point aimed directly towards The Sergeant... Considering he was mid-air, the cultists believed that he couldn't dodge... Or rather, they convinced themselves to believe that as it was their only hope.

Though any one person with battle experience knew exactly how that would end...

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Then, purpose came riding into town. I prayed for a purpose. I prayed for a reason. And I prayed to understand why things were this way. And in one fell swoop, the answers came to me in the form of someone seeking my help.

A man who simply called himself "The General".

I had heard of him before. A legendary tactician and warrior who earned their reputation by leading an efficient and punitive campaign overseas against other nations. They even backed colonial efforts by the king and gave Palmenae a reputation of having a powerful projection force despite its demilitarized nature. However, when those times of conflict were over, he was relieved of duty and forsaken by the kingdom. This was in tandem with the final shifts of power to the Lancer institution.

At first, I thought he was here to begin a campaign of revenge against the king by razing small towns. His violent and decisive nature earned him that reputation. But to my surprise, he had somehow heard of my exploits from those who remembered me. He asked for me to join him and a few others on an undertaking that would shape history as we know it. Though I had initially declined, he remained persistent. In that way, he opened up to me about how he felt... And I found myself surprised to have found someone who understands the world in a similar way.

If I were going to keep fighting against the endless waves of people who have thrown away their compassion... If I were going to delve deeper into my own depraved cynicism... It would be at the side of the only person who seemed to understand it. And I would be glad to live and die at his whim for even a small speck of purpose in this endless battle...

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The Sergeant knelt over at the side of one of the cultists. It was the last part of his job. The last body to adjust the energies on so the killer was obscured, just like he had done for all the rest. However, his soul cried out in anger with each one he had done this for. For each one of them wore their robes or some sign of affiliation underneath the guise of ordinary townsfolk. It was abhorrent, and disgusted him to no end. Yet, he understood that he was a monster too. A machine of change that had to do this in order to achieve his goals and the goals of his superior.

"This information better be worth the effort..." The Sergeant sighed, his chest still rising and heaving with exhaustion as he rose to his feet again. Nearly each inch within this area of the forest was covered in dried blood, sprawled bodies strewn about.

He tilted his head as he turned back towards the town... The visible outline of a short, stubby person was clearly making its way to his location. It was time for him to head back to the village... But something caught his immediate attention. Examining the energies far from his own position, he was able to identify the distant position of Kataline. More importantly, it appeared that she was leaving the grounds of the village along with someone else...

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Olicia dabbed the tip of her finger with the tiniest bit of saliva from her tongue as she flipped through another page of the old tome. She sat straight up with her full attention on the book and the problem at hand. However, a constant, loud snoring occasionally stole her patience and focus as Bif remained with his head buried in his arms beside her. It slightly irritated her, making her have to reread some sections after she was interrupted. Across the room, Rael was in a similar state. Her legs were still resting on the table with her leaned back in the chair. Her eyes remained shut and seemed to give the notion that she was in a light slumber.

Meanwhile, Lylas and Ventrix appeared to be involved in a game of chess. Ventrix had vacated the table Rael sat at for another to sit with Lylas. It was a mostly silent game with only the occasional clacking of game pieces against the board making any apparent sound. Both of them seemed to be in deep thought as they examined the board. Ventrix had taken three pawns, a knight, and a bishop. Meanwhile, Lylas had taken both rooks, and a bishop. The stalemate of thoughts was eventually broken when Ventrix eventually grabbed hold of his queen and moved it to knock out one of Lylas's own rooks. Lylas soured for a moment as he pulled his defeated piece off the board... But found that he wasn't too worried about the state of it all.

"I never took you for someone who likes chess." Ventrix cast his gaze up at his friend while keeping his tone to a minimum.

"I don't like chess." Lylas rolled his eyes, resting his face on his chin while taking a deep breath. The admission caught Ventrix by surprise as his facial expression turned to confusion. "Grandpa Cynthis made me play a lot with him. He used to say that ya can tell a lot about someone by the way they play or know chess. Plus, it builds leadership skills."

"Hm. That seems more suited to "Strategican" than chess..." Ventrix rubbed his chin.

"Ya think? Grandpa didn't like that game. It was chess or nothing."

"Chess is more methodical... With actual moves and strategies which can be rehearsed. I'm not sure what exactly you can glean from your opponent in this game."

"Hm. Think so?" Lylas shifted his gaze and locked onto Ventrix's own glare... Ventrix's face, his deterministic view put himself at odds of Lylas's belief. Even so, Lylas held true to his words as he lifted his head and corrected his posture. Moving his right arm over the board, he smiled as he began to point out the details of the game. "Your setup is a dead giveaway of intent. If the name of the game is to place me in check, ya aim to do so by attacking my pieces, not by outmaneuvering, outsmarting, or placing pressure on me."

"And I can say that you play by using a classical strategy of setting up trap moves. Using the cohesion of pawns and special pieces to turn the board into a danger zone. It's not revolutionary or individually unique." Ventrix leaned away from the board, tossing his glare off to the side.

"Right. But strategies are a giveaway of personal thought. Ya put things in place to reserve future actions. Ya make sacrifices to take things into your own hands..." Lylas was able to read into Ventrix's attitude, seeing the light disdain of the current conversation. He knew he pressed some sort of button and he felt guilty for it. "Well... Ya play better than Brainiac does at the very least. He's good at open-ended games like Strategican. He gets all methodical and defensive in both... But in chess if ya force him to make a move with unrelenting pressure in a game with restrictions, he crumbles."

"Hmph... That does sound like him... At least a little bit." Ventrix gave off a soft grin as he sighed. He sat back up, ready to play again. But he had a sort of off-putting feeling. He turned his head back and glanced over at Rael. She was staring straight at him with a single eye peeled open. However, she broke off this contest with a simple huff as she shut her eye once again.

"I can't deny it myself..." Lylas crossed his arms as he examined the chess board. Though it seemed to be a more mindless gaze as he ran the word he wanted to say through his head. "Something's off and I don't like it either."

"You would think that they might realize he's innocent and released-..." Ventrix had been in the middle of his thought when the echoes of footsteps caught his attention. The room was entirely silent, taking notice of the approaching footsteps.

Olicia, Rael, Lylas, and Ventrix all locked onto the stairway of the dig-site, awaiting the origin of the noise. It didn't remain a mystery for long as Addle strolled down the stairway with a nonchalant and carefree attitude. He hummed a discordant and unrecognizable tune, scanning the room without any thought about or of the current people in it. He stopped after the last step and firmly kept himself placed in front of the steps as he pointlessly gazed ahead.

"Oh. It's that guy." Lylas tilted his head to the side while glaring at the man now standing in the entryway of the room. Addle continued to hum without a single care.

The room remained devoid of any remarks or words as the tune continued. But, all four of them maintained their glares at him. With his hands behind his back, Addle looked ahead pointlessly, shifting back and forth off of the tips of his toes in place. Lylas peered around the room at everyone else with the most subtlety he could. Bif was still asleep... Not surprising. Olicia just appeared to be baffled. Ventrix seemed off-put by the guy, no doubt because of the way he stared him down upon entry to the town. And Rael looked as if she were clenching her jaw.

"Where is he?" Rael's eye twitched as she clenched her fist out of view of everyone else.

"Hm? What was that?" Addle froze in place, ceasing his humming. He put his hand up to his ear and leaned forward with a mocking pose. "Sorry. I try to tune out whatever stupid bitches say to me."

"Excuse me?!" Rael swung her legs out off the table and jumped up onto her feet. She stormed forward with a venomous and seething expression. "Are you trying to make me angry?!"

"Pf. Maybe." Addle bent back to standing straight once more as his smile took more of a sly appearance.

"Rael! Calm down, please..." Ventrix scurried out of his chair and stepped between her and Addle, holding his arms out.

"Are you kidding me? He's gonna stand there and say that shit and you're gonna tell me not to get mad?!" Rael swung her arm around, pointing back and forth at herself and Adle.

"Eh?" Bif yawned, lifting his head up while slowly blinking his eyes to restore his vision from a groggy state. However, Olicia shushed him as soon as she noticed. Lylas continued to watch the events unfold, keeping a hand on the first knife in his coat.

"Look. Whatever this guy's problem is shouldn't concern us. Don't let him provoke you. We don't want to end up with Avures in a cell." Ventrix bowed his head with a defeated sigh, not sure of what else to even say to cool down Rael.

"But this is crazy! Avures won't even go out of his way to kill a fly that's bothering him! It's hard to imagine he'd spare the effort to kill a random person in a town he's never been to!" Rael flailed her arms around some more. Each time she shifted and happened to catch Addle's gaze, it only served to infuriate her further.

"Oh. That's who you meant." Addle rolled his eyes, smiling nearly ear to ear. At the same time he spoke again, another set of footsteps echoed down the stairway behind him. "Right... The murderer."

"The mur-..." Rael's expression somehow turned even more sour as she contemplated the words she just heard. She knew and believed in her heart that such a thing wasn't true. She knew it was ludicrous for this man to even say that, yet it angered her far beyond how it should have been for something she knew was false. It was the idea of it that irked her. "Get out of my way, Ventrix."

"Rael! Be better than this!" Ventrix tried placing his hands on her shoulders, but she wasn't having it as she swiped his arms away.

"Rael. Stop." Lylas stood up from his seat, walking over to her and placing his hand on her shoulder from behind. Rael, respecting Lylas's command more than Ventrix's plea, didn't brush him away but still refused to stand down.

"Yeah. Actually, can you get out of the way? I'll get to you later." Addle crossed his arms and giggled to himself as Ventrix took a baffled expression, darting his glance between Rael and Addle.

"Addle." The footsteps stopped beside the tall, blonde man and nudged him. Addle shot a glance back, seeing that Kataline had finally joined him. Kataline had decided not to obscure her identity for easy recognition.

"Psh. Alright. I'll stop." Addle waltzed off to the side and leaned against the crystalline wall.

"I want to go see Avures and talk to him." Rael's rage subsided by the smallest margin, giving her some composure after Addle backed off. However, it appeared that her attitude was still affected by the riling up he had given her.

"Can't do that. No-siree." Addle wagged his finger back and forth. Rael shot him the nastiest glare she had ever given anyone before, but then Kataline loudly coughed to draw her attention to herself.

"Mister Dunis wishes for you all to stay down here during this affair. Details are still being sorted out and all..." Kataline bowed her head... There were no complaints among the five of them, knowing that Korkolo appeared distraught over the village. However, she lifted her head back up to Rael's glare. "So, visiting your friend is completely out of the picture... But, I understand it's pretty dusty and cramped down here. You can go for a walk up there as long as I accompany you."

"A walk, huh?" Rael crossed her arms and huffed, casting her gaze to the side as she tried to calm herself down further.

"Oo... I could go for a walk." Bif outstretched his arms as he slowly stood up.

"No. Not you. You look like you stink." Kataline made an exaggerated gesture, pressing down on her nostrils and whiffing her other hand around her nose.

"He does... Honestly..." Rael sighed and shook her head, finally coming down from her heights of rage.

"Wow. Okay. Fuck you too then." Bif plopped back down in his seat and crossed his arms. Olicia let out the tiniest giggle. Bif immediately shot his gaze to his left at her. "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing..." Olicia decided to return her attention to the codex.

"So... Do you-?..." Kataline looked back and forth between Rael and the stairs.

"Sure. I could use a short walk." Rael stepped forward to the edge of the room with Kataline. With a few more nods and waves, Kataline led the way out of the dig site while the others remained inside...

Bif, in a total loss of what to do, started peering into the codex as Olicia read it. Though he was hardly able to parse what exactly the guy who wrote it was talking about, Bif was freshly awake and unable to fall back asleep. So, this was his best option to keep occupied. Ventrix eased himself back into his chair from earlier along with Lylas. The two of them exchanged some concerned, yet confused glances. Not another word was spoken among them.

But Ventrix, by mistake, happened to turn his attention back towards Addle...

Addle's total attention was fixated back on him. Like he appeared when they first arrived in town, Addle's focus laid upon Ventrix with an unbridled intent of violence. The switch-up in tone and appearance was so sudden that Ventrix was hardly even able to process it at first glance. He already had the idea and notion that something was off about this village... But now Ventrix knew whatever was going on was surely anything but the truth of where their genuine interest lay. However, he just had no way to pinpoint what the actual truth of the matter was. But, he understood well that they were all trapped with Avures being held by them. The moment he would be freed, they could leave…

Ventrix averted Addle's gaze, glancing over at Bif and Olicia. The two of them were still reading the book together... Ventrix was unsure of what the next move would be... He looked back over to where Lylas was, hoping he'd have an answer. But Ventrix was stunned to find that Lylas was no longer sitting there. In fact, he wasn't present anywhere in the room...

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"See? Isn't this refreshing?" Kataline held her arms out as she strutted ahead of Rael.

"Hm. I guess." Rael refused to look her in the eyes, feeling more patronized than guarded by Kataline's presence. The taste of sunlight on her skin paired with a cool breeze surely made her feel better... But the streets were vacant. Rael swore she saw people out and about yesterday... Yet, there was no one here... It wasn't so much that she needed the social aspect of being outside, but it was too eerie without it.

"I see... Well, there's a small pond outside of town past the forest. Wanna go look?" Kataline turned back towards Rael with a bright and cheery smile on her face. The smile seemed to place this joyful attitude in direct competition to the gloom brought on by her large, visible facial scar and her dead emerald eyes.

"Ah... There might be fishies..." Rael's downtrodden and cautious mood flipped around at the prospect of seeing big or small fish swim around. Kataline instantly caught on to this and knew she had her hooked. "Sure. Let's go."

"Great. It's that-a-way." Kataline waved her arm around for a moment before picking a completely random direction. After all, whether or not there was actually a pond around here didn't matter. Her true objective was about to be completed and no one was going to stop her...