[Forest of the Bandit Lord]

[Land of the Opal Sun]

The first thing Sam felt was something sharp pressed against his neck. His eyes snapped open and noticed Lucy was pressing the tip of her dagger against his Adam’s apple. “Lucy,” Sam said carefully but the female Nightingale neither responded nor moved a muscle. Then, he heard a crackle behind him followed by a familiar voice, exclaiming:

“Oi, Luce! What the heck are you doing!”

Rupert rushed toward his sister and tugged her arm away from Sam. Shortly after, Lucy shoved her brother away; her head darted right and left as if she was being chased by something.

“Luce, calm down! It’s me!” Rupert called out.

“Stay away!” yelled Lucy as she pointed her dagger toward her own brother.

Realizing what was going on, Sam immediately stepped in by telling the female Nightingale, “Lucy, it’s alright. You’re now in the real world. So, you can lower your weapon.”

“Prove it!”

Sam swiftly removed his mask; he stared directly at Lucy and said, “Look into my eyes. You’ll know I’m speaking the truth.”

After a brief moment of silence, Lucy ended up dropping her arms before discarding her own mask, revealing her sweaty face. “Sorry about that. I just needed to make sure you were real,” the female Nightingale apologized.

“Okay?” said Rupert, still dumbfounded by his sister’s prior behavior. “Can someone tell me what the hell is happening?”

“The Night Terror. That’s what happened,” Lucy exhaled.

“Um, sorry. The Night Terror? THAT Night Terror? And he’s the one who made you two acting…weird?”

“Hold on. You weren’t affected by it?” Sam inquired with a scowl on his face.

“By what, exactly?”

“Huh, interesting. So, the illusion only affects those who were on ground level,” Sam further added.

“What illusion? Look, all I’m asking for was the reason why my sister nearly stabbed you in the throat ‘cause…’cause that ain’t normal.”

“Ain’t normal?” Lucy scoffed as she sheathed her dagger. “You know what else ain’t normal? This entire forest – everything about it is not normal. I don’t know what it is, but it felt like this goddamn place is toying with us.”

GRRR!

The trio froze in their place after hearing a distant rumbling, followed by a gust of cold air that almost knocked all of them off their feet. Sam and Lucy shifted their attentions toward Rupert who shook his head in return, stating that it was not his doing.

Then, they heard some rustling and also faint whispering above their heads. The trio listened closely to the voices though they soon came to find out that whoever or whatever was making those noises was speaking in an unknown language.

“Dude, are you hearing this?” Rupert said softly.

“Yeah…,” Lucy paused as she tried to identify the dialect. “That song-like intonation…it’s not the standard Discordanian. It sounds more…archaic.” Soon after, her eyes lit up before turning her head at Sam. “That is the Lullaby of the Moon – the same language used by the Bandit Lord and his followers.”

“And I’m guessing you can’t interpret what they are saying?”

“Not in real-time, and not without Lizzy’s help,” Lucy sighed, feeling slightly disappointed by her own inadequacy.

“Soooo, what exactly are these voices? I thought the forest’s bandits had disbanded a long time ago.”

“Those are not the forest bandits – at least, not the actual ones,” Sam interjected as he slowly raised his head skyward. “It’s him – it’s the Night Terror. Every strange occurrence that has been happening ever since we first set foot in this place – it was all his doing.”

“You mean…he’s controlling this entire forest?” Lucy countered. “How is that even possible? If the Bandit Lord is that powerful, then why won’t the Inner Circle request help from the Faceless Order?”

“Didn’t Markus say they wanted to keep their states of affairs to themselves? Perhaps that’s why?” Rupert recalled.

“Hm,” Sam grumbled. “I have a feeling that’s not entirely true.”

All of a sudden, the disembodied whispering stopped, allowing the prior lifeless atmosphere to creep back into the forest. However, it did not take long until the pine trees started to move on their own.

“Darn it, what is it now?” Lucy chided.

The trees slowly closed in, forming a tall wall that surrounded the trio. But then, a part of the barricade began to open up, revealing a stony pathway that led into the darkness. Sam and the Nightingales cautiously headed toward the newly-formed entrance; each one of them eyed it anxiously, wondering if it was another trap devised by the Night Terror.

“Who wants to go first?” the elder Nightingale simply asked, causing both Sam and Lucy to glare at him.

ɹɹ********************************************

||| THE PATH OF THE REVENANT: MICHAEL |||

[Meanwhile...]

[The Infirmary, Tower of Nexus]

With a blue clipboard in hand, the bespectacled man quietly scrutinized every paper clamped to it; letting out a few dissatisfied grunts now and then. Shortly after, he took a red pen from his chest pocket and crossed the document.

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

“Another failure. Drats!" he exclaimed before tossing the clipboard onto one of the empty ward beds, producing a loud slapping noise.

Suddenly, he heard the wooden doors behind him swing open, followed by brisk footsteps and a gentle female voice uttering his name, "Dr. Pascal."

The man in the lab coat spun around and was greeted by the sight of an almond-skinned woman in a blue scrub -- her glistening, golden blonde hair tied into a Dutch braid. Her intense canary yellow eyes betrayed her frail, skinny frame which Pascal thought had been a great help in subduing several of his unruly patients.

"Miss Morgana, how may I help you?" Pascal asked, his voice bordered between real concern and sarcasm.

"Well, I would appreciate it if you keep your hands off the beds. They're not exactly easy to replace once broken," Morgana scoffed, her arms crossed together. "Secondly, our patients are fast asleep next door. So, if you're intending to express your frustration out loud, I suggest you do it outside the Infirmary."

"That will be counterproductive to both of us," Pascal swiftly answered before adjusting his glasses. "What's the current situation with Rosier?"

"Stable, despite her constant request to be released from the ward early."

"And the impurities in her blood? Did you take it to the lab for further processing?"

"I did. It won’t be long until we get the results."

"Good," the doctor trotted toward the door, but his assistant briskly blocked his path.

"Not so fast, sir. Our researchers are still determining whether the distillate is safe to be handled or otherwise. The last thing we need is for the Order's top doctor blown to pieces."

"The search for knowledge is not without its risks, Miss Morgana."

"Under different circumstances, I would have agreed with you. But I would rather spend my precious time tending to my patients than picking bits of your brain off the floor just because you ignored my warning."

BANG!

Morgana and Pascal shuddered as the doors burst wide open with Marie storming inside carrying Adam on her back.

"Excuse me for my intrusion, fellas. Is there a vacant bed I can use? He’s getting pretty heavy," said Marie, her voice brimming with a sense of urgency.

"This way," Morgana replied before guiding the two visitors to a nearby ward bed. "Here we go. Lie his head gently," the doctor's assistant ordered while she carefully lifted Adam's legs off the ground.

"Talk to me, Marie," Pascal remarked as he pulled out a set of rubber gloves from his coat pocket and wore them.

"He came through the Rift Gate covered in thick snow; said the Fenrir has broken out of the Prison of the Four Winds."

Pascal and Morgana gave each other a look of disbelief; the latter instantly handed the doctor a pair of trauma shears to confirm their suspicions.

"Wait, don't-," Adam tried to stop the doctor, but his objection came a tad too late. Pascal sliced the white parka in half and removed the entire clothing with his assistant's aid.

"My god," Morgana blurted out, both hands over her mouth.

A large, black spot covered Adam's chest with six fernlike arms that grew from the mark -- akin to a regular snowflake. Pascal grimaced as he also noticed smaller dots surrounding each spike, indicating the infection was nearing its penultimate phase.

"Morgana, please prepare the quarantine room," the doctor meekly instructed.

"Quarantine?! No, I can't ...I have to go back!" Adam complained before trying to sit himself up. But, Marie quickly flicked him in the forehead, causing the man to lay on his back once again with a headache.

"Better do what the doctor says, dear. Cold Spots are not to be taken lightly - even when you are an Accursed."

"But, the Fenrir-!"

"Is not a threat...yet," Marie continued. "The Fanged Avalanche had been inside the Prison of the Four Winds for decades - if he's as smart as people claimed him to be, then that monster will lay low to fully regain his strength before making his next move."

"You don't know that, Miss Marie."

A mysterious, lopsided smile appeared across Marie's face. "Oh, you should know by now to never, ever underestimate your seniors, Mr. Salvia."

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF THE REVENANT |||

**ɹɹ******************************************

[Meanwhile…]

[Inner Forest of the Bandit Lord]

"Come on, guys. The mausoleum is probably just around the corner," Rupert cheerfully stated.

"That's what you've been seeing for the past what? Five minutes?" Lucy retorted, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Besides, we don’t even know if this path even leads to the tomb.”

Amused by the siblings' antics, Sam began to chuckle until he felt a sudden jolt of electricity running along his arms. "Halt," the vermillion-eyed man asserted, stopping both Rupert and Lucy dead in their tracks. The Nightingales then shifted their attention to Sam, wondering why he said that word. "Something...doesn't feel right."

"Are you sure it's not just in your head?" Rupert commented. "I mean, sometimes you can be a bit...unstable?"

"Rupert!' Lucy instantly reprimanded her brother.

"What? It's not like I'm lying, ya know?"

"GET DOWN!" Sam suddenly cried out.

The trio dived to the ground as soon as an arrow of light swooped over them before boring itself into a pine tree, leaving behind a hole with the size of a rubber ball.

"Something in his head. What the hell was that then, huh?" said Lucy sarcastically.

"Take cover!" Sam commanded, prompting the siblings to crawl toward the tall conifers. Then, they leaned quietly against the rough surfaces of the trees, keeping their ears and eyes open.

"What was that? It’s like an arrow or something," Rupert inquired, gazing confusingly at his sister.

"Aria," Lucy simply replied. "She's the only one who wields a bow."

"Well, if she's here, that means Jason and Theo are also in the vicinity," Sam added.

"I see you~," the Opal Sun Princess playfully called out.

A brief second later, the trio heard a screeching, and the pine tree next to Rupert exploded with a thunderous bang. The elder Nightingale grouched as some of the splinters flew toward him, but luckily for the man, his mask protected his face from being punctured by the sharp fragments. “Tch! If only she was Distorted, I would have thrown this sickle at her."

"Calm yourself. Have you already forgotten what Sam told you earlier?" Lucy sternly countered, making her older sibling giggle.

"You want me to calm down? Now, THAT is funny."

Another shrieking and this time, the tree to Lucy's left shattered to pieces. "Got any bright ideas? This is getting rather irritating."

"Just wait for a bit," Sam said nonchalantly.

"Um, for what, exactly?" Lucy probed.

"For this."

Sam rolled sideways as a longsword shot out of the darkness and embedded itself into the spot where his head was. Soon after, a robed figure lunged from the shadows along with his glinting blade which was immediately blocked by Sam's katana.

"Theodorus," mouthed Sam after seeing the Captain of the Royal Guard's gleaming sunglasses. However, he immediately noticed the black veins spread all over the bespectacled man's face and hands - a phenomenon he once saw in the Desert of Ashes.

"Ah, I see. So that’s what happened," the vermillion-eyed man remarked before pushing Theo(?) away.

“Those marks…they’re the same as Lizzy’s,” Lucy remarked with a frown across her face.

“Well, well, well,” said Theo(?), smiling from ear to ear. “It seems the cavalry from the Faceless Order has arrived.”