A tsunami of black ooze washed over the sand and swept away half of Thuren's soldiers. Kasella emerged from the wave and seemingly directed it towards Thuren like it was a part of her. "I'll drown this world in darkness before I let you take me back!" Kasella screamed. Thuren, who was at that moment Suma, smiled and the two infants he cradled in his arms giggled. Kasella recognized that it wasn't Thuren looking at her and that triggered the corruption. She grabbed her head and screamed in agony as the sea of black ooze soaked back into her body. She landed in the sand calm, her eyes glazed over in a daze. "Bring her home!" Thuren called out to his lieutenant. The lieutenant approached a seemingly barely conscious Kasella and in a movement almost too quick to perceive Kasella decapitated him. His head hit the ground, then his body, and that signaled the remainder of Thuren's soldiers to charge. Kasella in a daze effortlessly and sloppily sliced through the soldiers with her bare hands, the whole time Thuren stood with a sinister grin on his face. "This isn't good. The longer she stays near him the more unstable she will grow. It's going to be bad for all of Hyunda if this continues." Lucian told Sahn as they watched Kasella's drunken rampage from the tower. "What do you mean? I thought you were blind." Sahn replied. Lucian sighed, "I've told you time and again I view things in a different light. And I can see some dark wrongness spilling out from within your friend." Sahn clenched his fist and prepared to launch himself into the fray. "Wait!" Lucian ordered. "I have an idea, get her to the top of the tower." Sahn stopped himself from asking why and simply nodded then he jumped through the newly formed door in front of him. Kasella collapsed screaming into the fetal position as dozens of tendrils made out of the ooze lashed out from her body, slashing any who got close enough in two. Thuren saw this and placed the babies down allowing the black ooze to bubble up from the sand and swallow them safely. He then approached Kasella holding his palm out to her and began forcefully suppressing the tendrils. Kasella screamed as the tendrils sunk back into her body and black tears ran down her face. "Give him back." She whimpered through the pain. Thuren crouched down and lifted her head by her hair so that they were face to face. "No." He answered with a smug chuckle. Sahn appeared beside them already mid kick and connected his foot with Thuren's face sending him skipping across the sand like a pebble across a lake. Sahn turned to Kasella and scooped her up in his arms. "We gotta get you out of here." He told her while sprinting across the sand. Thuren stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth, the corruption already beginning to heal his broken nose. He clenched his fist as if he were squeezing Kasella in his hand, Kasella screamed and a bloom of ooze exploded from her body launching Sahn away from her. Sahn slid to a stop and made his recovery but Thuren appeared in front of him before he could make his way back to Kasella. "I've been tired of you since the moment you appeared in that room." Thuren's arm was covered in the ooze hardened into the shape of a blade. He thrust it toward Sahn who easily countered it catching Thuren by surprise and grabbing him by his face. "I'll be back for you later." Sahn warned him before slamming Thuren by his head into the sand and quickly phasing his hand in and out of the astral plane so he could explode a handful of not-air into Thuren's chest. The force embedded Thuren into the bottom of a giant crater and launched Sahn back in Kasella's direction. He made it to her, picked her up and dashed toward the tower. When they got near the tower a series of steps protruded out of it and spiraled up to the top. Sahn hopped on the stairs and carried Kasella to the top skipping groups of steps at a time. "She's my way ooouuuuttt!" A loud voice boomed from the crater followed by a gigantic hand made out of the ooze. A second hand shot out of the crater then a huge ooze blob creature almost as tall as the tower emerged out of the hole. Although unconscious, Kasella shuddered in pain at the creature's appearance. "Don't worry we're almost there." Sahn whispered to her. The creature's arm stretched out to grab them but a barrier around the tower shocked and repelled the beast's hand causing it to bellow in pain. With the tower running interference, Sahn made it to the top to find Lucian already up there in front of a ring that detached itself from the larger ring. "Alright place her in here." Lucian directed. "What is it?" Sahn asked, hesitant to agree. "It's a door to another world. She'll be safe from him there." Sahn thought for a second but was reminded of the urgency when the creature slammed into the barrier again. He then gently placed Kasella into the ring and she vanished. "NOOOOOOoooooo!" The creature yelled as it shrunk back down into Thuren. "I'll just go after her after I get rid of you two fools." Threatened Thuren. Sahn then smashed the ring into pieces. "No!" Yelled Lucian, "We won't be able to get her back!" Sahn was quiet, upset at himself for his rash decision but relieved that she could finally get away from Thuren. "It's better than her being here with him." Sahn replied while looking down at Thuren. Sahn clenched his fist and jumped off the tower so he could stand face to face with Thuren. The two former friends stared each other down amongst the aftermath of the battle. Thuren's soldiers and puddles of black ooze lay strewn across the desert. "It seems I require a new army. Until next time." Thuren bowed and sank into a puddle of ooze. Sahn let him go this time but for the first time he understood what Kasella meant. That wasn't Thuren Bahn.

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