Almost 9 years later...



Erilus Praxi swung the wooden practice sword around. A sharp clang resounded as it hit the stout wooden pillar that served as his practice target.

“Not good enough,” Erilus muttered. He swung again, striking a clean downwards strike at the top of the pillar then quickly followed up with a backhand slash. But the boy’s foot caught a root, and the wooden edge flew wildly off target. The boy muttered something unintelligible.

He had been doing this for days, wandering into the heart of the forest to train himself as a swordsman. He had made a practice sword himself, whittling down a huge wooden plank to a thin sliver of brown, and had repeated drills endlessly on the fallen log he had turned upright. Erilus often watched soldiers at the castle grounds drilling; sharp pricks of light gleaming off their polished steel armor. He had often dreamed of joining them, a knight in shining armor, fighting off whatever evil dared roam the land. But, as of now, he still had a long way to go.

There was not much time to practice, between household chores and helping with his father’s shop. His father was a craftsman, making trinkets and tools to sell in a nearby market. Erilus often made the journey there by himself, as his father was mostly too busy crafting to actually vend the goods himself. And so, most days were tied up at the market, and most evenings working in the house. That only left a few days a week, when his father took a break from his work, that Erilus could actually practice his swordplay.

The boy looked up at the wooden pillar again, a glint of determination in his eyes. He repeated the drill, overhand cut, lunge, downward strike, backhand slash, and lunge again. Then he took a step back and sighed, dusting off his shirt. He looked up.

The sun had just barely touched the horizon line, suspended just over the forest like a giant red eye watching over a sea of green. Erilus lifted his sword and tipped it against his shoulder. It was time to head back.

The boy moved swiftly through the trees, weaving through the winding dirt paths that he had carved out through his numerous expeditions. Anyone else would have probably gotten lost, but Erilus knew this path like the back of his hand.

Finally, the foliage broke into a golden meadow. A hill loomed over in the distance. Erilus knew that a paved road ran, just over the hill. Turn right, and one would reach the nearby city. Turn left, and one would have to journey for a day and a half to reach Giror, the city of magicians. Erilus had always turned right, venturing into the nearby city to sell his father’s wares. Not once had he ever thought about turning left. His life was here, with his father, and with his dream of knighthood close by.

Erilus’s house stood over to the left of the pasture, effectively on the outskirts of the city. It was a simple wooden house, with two floors; the bottom for crafting, and the top for lodging. A vegetable garden lay off to the side of the house, providing free nutrition for the family, and saving them some money. His dad had always been somewhat of an economist.

As Erilus walked in the direction of his house, he immediately detected something strange in the air. He looked up. A thin column of smoke trailed up into the sky. That was definitely strange. His house didn’t have a fireplace or a chimney. Why would there be smoke…?

Then, realization hit the boy like an arc of lightning. Erilus raced towards his house, gripping his wooden sword tightly. As he neared, his fears came to light.

The house was burning. Fire ate greedily at the wooden walls of the house, consuming everything that he had once possessed. The billowing clouds of red and yellow danced as it spread, as if mocking the owner of what it was turning to ash. Erilus clenched his teeth, eyes narrowing. He redoubled his pace.

Upon reaching the house, Erilus realized that the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as he had first thought. The fire burned lightly against the rain-soaked wooden walls of the house. Larger tongues of red flared up from inside, eating its way through the furniture, but leaving the general structure intact. That was good. It meant that if he could levy some help and put out the fire quickly, the damage to the house could be minimized…

Wait.

Where was his father?

Erilus searched the area frantically. His father almost never left the house, leaving the work of fetching supplies from the city to Erilus most of the time. But there was no way he would still be inside in the middle of a raging fire. So then where was he?

A rough shout came from the back of the house. Erilus slowly edged over, readying his wooden sword. The wood at the back wasn’t burning at all, giving him sufficient cover at the corner of the house. Erilus leaned closer, the sour smell of damp wood mixing with the bitter scent of smoke in his nostrils. Then, as he peeked behind the house, he froze.

His father was present, along with two other men. His father knelt down on the ground near the house with the other men surrounding him, clutching wooden batons. Blood ran down his father’s mouth and forehead, obvious results of a beating from the two men. But that wasn’t what had surprised Erilus.

A monstrous creature, dripping filthy black liquid from its body, stood close by, as if overseeing the two men beating down his father. The creature’s head resembled a lizard’s in a way, sharp and triangular with slits for nostrils and glowing yellow eyes. A line of white vertebrae ran down from the creature’s head, across its body, ending at its tail in a spiked point, like a spine only half-submerged in flesh. Its body was massive compared to the rest of it. Bulging black flesh joined by half-protruding bones made most of the creature. Thin tubes of black flesh ran out from the its back into the other parts of its body, like veins weaving through the outside of the body instead of staying inside where they belonged. The creature’s legs and tail again held a lizard-like resemblance, with curved claws coming out from its three-pronged foot. The arms, perhaps, were its most terrifying feature, little more than bent sticks of black flesh and bone, sharpened to points at the end. Long, curved ends of black flesh, tipped with white bone, sprayed out of the entire limb, an eerie resemblance to a multi-bladed scythe. Every part of the creature dripped some kind of black, oily fluid, and where the black drops touched, the grass wilted in growing circles around it.

Erilus quickly averted his eyes upon seeing the creature. It made him almost want to vomit. Just what was that unearthly beast? A layer of frost slowly crept up his chest, rendering him almost unable to breathe. Erilus glanced at the creature again and a spear of pain stabbed him through the stomach. He quickly rammed himself back up against the wall, breathing heavily.

Fear was not an uncommon feeling to Erilus. He had experienced it many times through his journeys in the forest. Almost slipping on a ledge had begotten a pulse of pain through his chest. A close encounter with a bear had left him cold and sweaty. But none of those experiences, nothing in his life compared to this.

A quick glance over to the creature shot another wave of pain through Erilus. So instead, he focused on his father, gripping his wooden sword tighter as one of the men beat him again.

“Where is it?” one of the men grunted.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Erilus’s father said, although somewhat muffled due to multiple swollen wounds on his face.

“Don’t play dumb with us,” the man growled. “We were well informed that you were the one to receive the amulet. Now give it to us.”

“You people decide to burn down my house before asking for something of mine?” his father said. He just shook his head. “Awful planning, just awful.”

Erilus smirked, silently cheering his father on, but winced as the man smacked his father across the face.

The other man looked back to the creature. “It doesn’t seem like he knows anything. Shall we kill him?”

“No,” the creature said, with a voice so dark Erilus could have sworn it was a devil speaking. “We will bring him with us. He will talk when he meets the lord.”

“You hear that, vermin?” the other man said, kicking Erilus’s father. “You get to meet the lord. Show some gratitude.”

Erilus’s father was silent. The two men hoisted his up to his feet, and dragged him along, heading west along the road. The creature followed silently.

Erilus’s father turned back for a brief second, and Erilus caught his eyes. Erilus’s eyes watered. He wanted to run in and save his father, but… the creature was nearby, and just looking at it could nearly paralyze him in fear. His father seemed to understand. He smiled, and nodded at Erilus. Then he mouthed a word of farewell, and was promptly pushed along. Erilus watched his father drift farther and farther away until he had vanished into the horizon. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

Erilus looked back to the house. The fire had stopped burning. The water-soaked wood had effectively neutralized it, giving it no more fuel to feed upon. Erilus slowly trudged into the ruined house.

The lower level had been completely decimated by the flame, the once exquisitely crafted furniture charred into utter deformity. His father’s timeless work and effort; desecrated in a matter of minutes by those cretins. Erilus bit back a sob. He poked through some of the ashes with his wooden sword, but found nothing worth keeping.

The upper levels had not suffered as much. The sheets and mattresses of the two beds had been burned beyond recognition, but at least the wooden furniture stood relatively untouched. Erilus pulled open the drawer of his nightstand, where he kept his secret stash of coins that he had saved up over the years. One day, he had hoped to use the money to apply for an apprenticeship with a swordsmaster, but that didn’t seem likely in the near future. Erilus pocketed the small bag of coins and moved on.

His father’s room was a mess, as usual, but also relatively untouched by the flame. Discarded tools lay scattered on the floor, with a huge workbench taking up most of the space. A small mattress and sheets were squished into the corner, as if sleeping took lesser priority to work. His father’s latest work sat on the workbench, an ornamental sword sheath, made from reddish-brown, rowan wood, and filigreed with silver swirl patterns; truly a masterpiece.

Erilus took the sword sheath, testing the weight of it with his hand. A leather strap was attached to the sheath on one end, but dangled freely on the other. His father had probably been putting the finishing touches on the sheath before connecting the other end of the leather. Erilus tied the leather around the sheath, and stuck it in his belt. Erilus tied the leather around the sheath, and stuck it in his belt. As he eyed his father’s workbench one last time, something caught his eyes.

There was a cabinet under the bench, one which he had never noticed before. It must have been built only recently. Erilus opened the cabinet, and his eyes widened.

A masterfully crafted sword lay inside, its razor sharp double-edge, and ornate hilt gleaming in the daylight. A note lay by it. Erilus picked up the note. It read:

To Erilus,

Happy Birthday! I’ve noticed you’ve begun to take on a passion for swordplay these past few weeks, so I’ve taken the time, and bought you a proper sword from a local blacksmith. I’ve also taken the time to finish crafting a sheath for your sword, one that will doubtlessly make all the other boys at your age envious just at a glance. I hope you enjoy your present, and once again, happy birthday!

- Your loving Father


Erilus was speechless. He read the note over several times, just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Then, with a smile, wiping the tears dripping down his face, Erilus grasped the sword. His birthday was to be in a week. His father had probably planned on giving him the present then. Erilus took the sword, weighing it in his hand. There was a small bag tied to the hilt, probably a good luck charm of sorts. Erilus sheathed the sword, murmuring a silent prayer of thanks to his father. Then the boy exited the house.

Erilus walked up to the road leading to the city in the east, money jingling lightly in his pocket, and sheathed sword securely fastened to his belt. As he reached the road, he looked to his right, where the nearby city would be. Dark storm clouds gathered on the horizon, like an immense shadow, preparing the swallow the city in its darkness. To the west, the sun slowly dipped into the horizon. Night would fall soon. Erilus needed to decide quickly.

On one hand, he could venture into the nearby city he knew so well, and perhaps find some work there. He could pay for sufficient lodgings, and maybe, if he was lucky, attract the attention of a knight and become an apprentice. It would be what he had always dreamed of.

On the other hand, he could travel west, heading for the city of Giror. It would take a day at least, probably more considering there was a storm on its way. There was also no guarantee of food or shelter along the way, and there would most definitely be no knights in a city of magic… but his father had been taken in that direction, and there would be no roads leading in any other direction until Giror. And, in a city of magicians, there were bound to be people that could easily help him rescue his father, and maybe know a thing or two about that creature that had kidnapped him.

Erilus nodded. It was the right choice. He may not have the chance to pursue his dream again, but he needed his father back. He still hadn’t thanked him yet for the present.

The boy took several deep breaths, steadying his nerves. Then, for the first time in his life, Erilus turned left.
***

Mescri glanced backwards. The guards were still coming. They just didn’t give up, did they?

The girl smirked, and took a sharp turn down one of the narrow alleyways of Giror. The guards followed, panting vehemently under their heavy plate armor.

It was ironic, really. Giror was famous for being a city filled with magicians, yet when it came to the city’s defenses, only ordinary people were allowed to serve as soldiers.

Mescri just shook her head, easily outpacing the gasping men following behind her. The girl whispered a few words and the physical augmentation magic around her increased. Then, with blinding speed, Mescri dashed into a nearby alley, muttering the incantation for an invisibility spell as she ran.

The platoon stormed past, uttering curses under their breath. They quickly glanced in Mescri’s direction, and headed on, straight ahead. The girl stifled a giggle. This really was too easy.

Free of the guards’ obstinate chase, Mescri released the invisibility spell and walked back out into the open street. The walls of the alleys, although impending and tightly packed, made Mescri actually feel more secure. She knew this city inside and out, and the walls only allowed her to hide more easily within the twisting labyrinth of stone.

The sunshine was the first to greet her as Mescri walked out into the open. As usual, the streets bustled with activity. Horse-drawn carriages ran down the golden, cobblestone roads. Venders had stalls set up all over the city, proclaiming to various passerby’s that their “magical” items, be it trinkets, or wands, or books, were most certainly genuine. Mescri always got a good laugh out of that.

Pedestrians treaded with confidence and purpose on the sides of the lanes, accompanied by the occasional guard, dressed in silver plate-armor, bearing the insignia of the city, a circle crossed with a diamond and a line running down the center. It represented the enlightened state of the city, with the three most basic geometric patterns laid out in such a simple form.

The sound of conversation droned through the air, as people talked optimistically about whatever gossip or “magical” topic they could dig up. This was the city of magic after all. Everyone felt at ease here, surrounded by magicians of the highest caliber. Even The Corruptor, on his conquest almost nine years ago, had failed to take the city of Giror. He had laid siege to the city for four days and nights, but the sheer might of the magicians held him back. Then, he had supposedly given up on taking the city, and left without a trace. With a history like that, there was little reason not to be at ease in Giror. The Corruptor was universally agreed upon by the seven kingdoms as the most powerful entity that had ever existed in the world. If he couldn’t take the city, nobody could.

Mescri smiled as she passed by a vender selling “magic” potions, allegedly able to give the drinker bursts of great strength and agility.

As a magician herself, Mescri knew that performing magic was no simple task. One could not simply imbue magic into a drink and sell it. Magic required three things to work.

Firstly, a source of power. Most magicians simply used their physical energy as power; however, some devices existed that could generate power without needing a physical body, but, as Mescri heard among rumors, such devices commanded a high price.

Secondly, something to focus the power. An incantation would usually do the trick. Runes were also a popular method. Anything that could give the magic direction as to the form it would take once physically manifested, would also work. However, “magic” potions would obviously fail. Even if a magician imbued magical power into a drink, one would need their own incantation or set of runes for the power to actually take form.

Thirdly, an aptitude for magic. Think of it as having a special talent of sorts. Without having actual talent, a person would never be able to perform magic, no matter how hard they tried. This, again, would be the reason most “magical” products failed to function.

Sure, there were a few magical products that worked. Magical power imbued into rocks with runes engraved on them worked relatively well. Sometimes amulets with protection runes carved into them could serve as a temporary shield against harm. However, with so many defective imitations existing, the buyer took a huge risk upon purchasing magical items.

“There she is!” shouted a voice.

The girl glanced back. A platoon of silver-armored guards ran at her, shouting orders to one another. Mescri sighed. Why didn’t they just give up?

But, as Mescri began uttering the incantation for a teleportation spell, a hand clasped itself firmly on her shoulder.

“That will be enough,” a deep, old voice said.

The guards faltered, and stopped. Then, nodding to each other, the men disbanded, spreading slowly into the streets of the city.

Mescri rolled her eyes. “You caught me again, master.”

The hand removed itself from her shoulder. Mescri turned around and faced her master.

He was a magician named Gaeln, one of the more famous magicians around Giror. His power was supposedly legendary, driving off several armies of the Infected in The Corruptor’s siege on the city. He looked like a classical kind of magician, those told in fairy tales. A long white beard, and white hair streaked down his head and face. He wore a simple tunic and breeches, although with many belts hanging various rune-engraved rocks strapped to him.

“Why is it that every time I assign you to clean out the studio, you end up making mischief across the city?” Gaeln said exasperatedly.

“Cleaning is boring,” Mescri said. “Why can’t we do exciting stuff more often?”

“Cleaning is a part of developing responsibility,” Gaeln said with a stern voice. “And responsibility, young lady, is something you clearly lack. Come now, let us go back.”

Gaeln made a gesture and one of the runes tied to his belt glowed. A second later, the two stood back in the studio.

Gaeln’s studio took up the largest room in his house, perpetually cluttered with misplaced papers, vials of multicolored liquids, and obliquely shaped rocks with carving tools lying to the side. Three long wooden desks ran the length of the room, with various cabinets and bookshelves lining the sides. Brightly shining orbs floated near the ceiling of the studio, providing adequate lighting for every hour of the day.

The other rooms of the house were much better organized, mostly due to Mescri’s assigned cleaning chores. Her bedroom, in particular, was always kept in top condition.

The old magician dusted off a pile of papers, probably some old, half-forgotten spell he had misplaced. He glanced at Mescri, watching intently from across the room, and made a dismissive gesture with his hands.

Clearly, she wasn’t needed.

Mescri rolled her eyes as she exited the studio. Why bother bringing her back just to tell her off?

The girl sighed. She glanced at one of the many grandfather clocks quietly ticking away in the corridor. It was getting late. She should probably head to her room and call it a day.

As Mescri walked up the wooden staircase, she took a quick glance out of a window and frowned. Dark storm clouds were on the horizon. They would probably reach Giror by tomorrow afternoon, meaning no more sneaking outside.

“Oh well, maybe then that old man will actually teach me something,” Mescri muttered to herself as she headed upstairs.

The next day, Mescri awoke early in the morning, just as the sun’s first rays peeked over the horizon. The girl yawned, and uttered a quiet incantation. A second later, she jumped out of bed, fully dressed. She glanced out the window, eyeing the approaching storm clouds with concern. If it started to rain early, she would be cooped up indoors again, with nothing to do but cleaning.

“Hey, master, I’m going out!” Mescri called. Then she recited a teleportation spell, and arrived at the house entrance.

The streets looked a lot emptier in the morning, Mescri thought as she strolled down one of the usually crowded lanes of Giror. The usual carriage-roads lay desolate, and the usual streets stands abandoned. Of course, the guards still roamed the city, dotting the streets in ones and twos, supposedly keeping the peace.

One of the guards approached Mescri. She pretended not to notice and kept walking.

“Hey, you!” the guard shouted.

Mescri rolled her eyes, but turned back anyways. “What do you want now?”

“Did Gaeln give you permission to leave the house?”

“I told him I was leaving and he didn’t stop me,” Mescri said. The guard scowled.

“I’m keeping an eye on you,” the guard said. Mescri shrugged and kept walking.

After about thirty minutes of walking, with suspicious eyes glancing in her direction at every turn, Mescri finally found what she was looking for.

In Giror, there only a few methods existed to obtain real magical items. The main way was to purchase them in city-certified magic item stores. However, for most of them, you needed a magician’s license from the city to actually buy something, and, as an apprentice, Mescri didn’t have a license. So, she would have to bend the rules a little to obtain some interesting magical stuff.

Mescri walked into the shop. A few lanterns hanging from the ceiling cast a soft, dim glow around the room. Shelves lined the walls, displaying all sorts of random rune engravings. A single black cloaked man stood behind the counter at the far end of the store. Mescri walked over to him.

“I want three spell scrolls, and make them useful ones, not the cheap transformation ones you gave me last time,” Mescri said.

The man nodded silently and walked back into the shop interior. He came back a minute later, clutching three pieces of rolled up parchment.

“These should satisfy your interests,” the man said.

Mescri took the scrolls and glanced over them. She pulled a bag of coins from her pocket. The man snatched up the bag and nodded. Mescri took another look at the scrolls, and walked out of the shop.

Yes, buying illegal magic items was bad. Yes, it had gotten her into some trouble with the city’s guards in the past. But, with Gaeln barely teaching her anything most of the time, Mescri needed a way to quench her boredom.

A guard glanced at Mescri as she walked by.

“Halt!” the guard said. Mescri froze.

“Where did you get those scrolls?” the guard asked.

“Gaeln sent me out on an errand,” Mescri lied. “He wanted me to pick these up for him before the storm arrived.”

“Gaeln would never be so irresponsible as to leave such a task to you,” the guard said. He held out a hand. “Give them here.”

Mescri thought about it for a second. Then she ran.

A rough shout followed by clanking footsteps rang in her ears. It was like yesterday all over again. Mescri smirked. Well, at least Gaeln didn’t know where she was.

The girl muttered an incantation, and her speed instantly doubled. She rounded the corner, easily outpacing the guards chasing after her. After another moment of running, Mescri glanced back. Only the silent gray cobblestone street met her gaze. The guards seemed to have lost her.

“Heh, that wasn’t too tough,” Mescri said to herself.

Suddenly, a huge smacking noise resounded as Mescri ran straight into another person. The recoil threw her off balance, sending her sprawling into the road.

“Ugh…” Mescri mumbled, getting back up to her feet.

“Sorry,” a voice said. “You were running really fast so I didn’t see you coming.”

Mescri looked up. A boy stood in front of her, about her age, maybe a little younger. He wore padded leather clothing, and a sheathed sword at his side, essentially light battle-armor. His dark brown hair fell just short of his eyes, which shone a bright green color.

“It’s fine,” Mescri said. Technically, she should have been the one apologizing, since she had used magic to augment her speed. But, with all of that pseudo-armor the boy was wearing, the collision would have barely bruised him.

Mescri eyed the boy’s attire with suspicion. “Are you looking for a fight or something?”

“What?” the boy said. “No, I’m carrying this sword because I’m travelling. That’s all.”

The boy fiddled with his sheathed sword. Mescri glanced at it curiously. The sheath looked very impressive, wood filigreed with silver leaf etched into swirling patterns. It looked like something only master craftsmen made.

“Where did you get that?” Mescri asked, pointing at the sheath.

“Oh… umm… my father is a craftsman, and he gave this to me for my birthday,” the boy said with a twinge of loneliness to his voice.

“Ah, I see,” Mescri said. The boy looked sad. Something must have happened to his father. Maybe he was dead?

“Oh, you wouldn’t have happened to see a creature pass by this city, have you?” the boy asked.

“A creature?” Mescri said. “What kind of creature?”

“Well, it looks like a giant lizard standing on two legs, with black skin, and lots of bones sticking out of it,” the boy said.

Mescri thought for a moment. The description sounded familiar. Where had she heard of that creature before…?

“Wait,” Mescri said suddenly. She looked at the boy. “You mean an Infected?”

“An Infected?” the boy said. “What’s that?”

“You don’t know what an Infected is?” Mescri said. “Don’t you know what happened when The Corruptor nearly took over the world nine years ago?”

“I’ve heard some stories about it,” the boy said. “But I’ve never heard of an Infected before.”

“The Infected are The Corruptor’s minions,” Mescri said. “He makes them by doing who knows what to people. Nobody’s ever seen one since here since The Corruptor tried to take this city nine years ago.”

“An Infected…” the boy said thoughtfully. “Well, alright. Thanks anyway-”

“There she is!” a voice suddenly shouted. Mescri glanced back. About fifteen armed guards ran at her in hot pursuit.

Mescri sighed. “They just don’t give up.”

“Are those people after you?” the boy asked.

“Yeah.”

“What did you do?”

“Apparently I’m in possession of some magic items, and they want to confiscate them.”

The boy frowned. “That doesn’t sound right. I mean, aren’t you a magician?”

“Magician in training,” Mescri corrected him. “Anyways, it’s been nice meeting you…”

“Erilus,” the boy said. “I’m Erilus Praxi.”

“Right, I’m Mescri Dronan,” Mescri said. “It’s been nice meeting you Erilus, but I’m going to have to go now-”

“Don’t let her get away!” another voice shouted. Mescri looked behind Erilus, spotting another ten guards running her way. They had her surrounded.

“Oh great,” Mescri muttered.

“What will they do if they catch you?” Erilus asked, glancing between the two groups of quickly advancing guards.

“Probably throw me in jail for a week,” Mescri said.

Erilus frowned again. “That’s a bit harsh.”

“Giror takes its magic very seriously,” Mescri said. She looked between the two groups of guards, about two hundred meters and closing. She could always fight them, and it wasn’t as if they actually had a chance of defeating her. But then Gaeln would probably get angry, and sentence her to a month of cleaning or something. Mescri sighed. A week in jail, or a month of cleaning…

“Hey, Mescri,” Erilus said. “If you get away, they won’t throw you in jail, right?”

“I guess if I can get back to my master’s house, they can’t really do anything,” Mescri said.

Erilus nodded. “Good. I’ll hold them off. You run away.”

“What are you…?” Mescri started, but the boy had already drawn his sword. Then, without a word, he rushed at the incoming group of guards.

The guards, taken by surprise, faltered in their step, giving Erilus the necessary time to close in, fast. The boy slashed upward at the lead guard, forcing him back into the others, and causing the group to stumble. Building momentum, Erilus proceeded with a series of rapid overhead cuts and jabs. The guards fell back, but quickly regrouped a good distance away. They fanned out, probing at Erilus’s defenses with the spears they always carried.

“What are you waiting for?!” Erilus shouted back at Mescri, who just stared at the boy in half-surprise, half-awe. Why was this boy helping her? They had just met each other, and this boy was already risking a possible incarceration just to help her escape?

And what was with this boy’s swordsmanship? His technique looked a little sloppy and unrefined, but he delivered his strokes with such speed and accuracy that it would have been difficult for anyone unfamiliar with swordplay not to mistake him for an apprentice to a master knight.

“Hey, are you even listening?!” Erilus shouted again. Mescri snapped back to attention. Right, she just needed to escape right now. Wondering about Erilus could come later.

Mescri muttered an incantation under her breath. Then she dashed away with blinding speed. With Erilus keeping the guards busy, several holes opened up in the guards’ formation, one of which Mescri easily sped through.

The girl quickly glanced back. The guards had surrounded Erilus now, and the boy had been forced to give ground. The other platoon would catch up soon.

Mescri shook her head. She had barely gotten out of the last predicament. No way was she going to risk getting caught again.

But, as she watched Erilus desperately fending off the advancing guards, she felt a pang of guilt rise up in her chest. The boy had just risked his life to save her, a random stranger. How could she abandon him now?

“I’m so going to regret this,” Mescri muttered to herself. She pulled out a rune-etched stone from her pocket and threw it at the guards. A huge gust of wind suddenly flooded into the street, blowing the men off their feet and into the still-advancing platoon. The soldiers fell like silver dominoes.

Erilus just looked on, evidently dazed.

“Hey, Erilus, come on!” Mescri shouted. The boy glanced in her direction and seemed to understand. He sheathed his sword and dashed in her direction. When the boy had come level with her, Mescri began running.

Sharp clicks resounded as the guards ran in hot pursuit. Mescri let her eyes dart ahead, recalling from memory the shortest path back to Gaeln’s house. The girl took a sharp turn to the right, nearly losing Erilus in the process. When the boy finally came back on track, the guards were only a few meters behind him.

Mescri threw another rune at the advancing soldiers and a wall of stone erupted from the ground, effectively halting their advance.

A few words of vulgarity echoed from behind the wall, but Mescri just ignored them. She glanced at Erilus: doubled over and panting.

“How do you run so fast?” Erilus asked between breaths.

“Magic,” Mescri said. Erilus gave her a doubtful look. “No seriously, magic.”

“There’s magic for running too?” Erilus panted.

“There’s magic for everything,” Mescri said. She took a quick survey of the area. No guards as far as she could see, and the ones from behind the wall had probably moved on to find another way to capture her. Of course, she was fairly infamous around the city.

Erilus straightened up. “So, where to next?”

“Well, since you just helped me escape, the guards will probably come looking for you too,” Mescri said. “You would be better off leaving the city now.”

“Alright then,” Erilus said. “Thanks for the information.”

“Don’t mention it,” Mescri said.

“You fools,” said a voice.

Before Mescri could comprehend what was happening, a suddenly daze overcame her. She made out a faint silhouette of a white haired man that distinctly resembled Gaeln. Then she blacked out.

Erilus’s eyelids flickered open. He suppressed the urge to yawn and pushed himself up.

Then suddenly his memories flooded back. Erilus gave a jolt, quickly scrambling to his feet. “Mescri!”

“What are you being so loud for?” asked Mescri.

Erilus glanced wildly around, finally fixing his gaze on Mescri, leaning against a nearby wall. “Sorry, I just thought…”

“I’m fine,” Mescri said. She glanced to the side. “But it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere anytime soon.”

“What do you…?” Erilus started, but as he followed Mescri’s gaze, his heart sank. They were inside a prison cell.

A few lanterns hanging from the corridor illuminated the cell in a dim, flickering light. Dull, gray stone made up the majority of the walls and floor of the cell, with the occasional crack or dent dotting the otherwise smooth surface. Of course, an array of bars was also set in place, along with a locked door built into them.

Erilus quickly checked his belongings. Surprisingly, nothing had been taken. He looked back at Mescri.

"Did we get caught or something?" Erilus asked.

"Yeah, Giror's guard patrol got us after a certain magician put us both to sleep," Mescri said. "I swear, when I get out of here, I am going to kill him."

"They're going to let us out?" Erilus asked hopefully.

"Probably after a few days," Mescri said. "We didn't commit a huge crime, so they'll let us out after some inspection and whatnot."

"A few days..." Erilus muttered. His father would be long gone by then, dragged away by those men, and the Infected. Just when he had finally figured out what had abducted his father... He couldn't afford to wait a few days. He needed to get out now.

"Mescri, is there any way to get out of the cell?" Erilus asked. "Like, could you break the bars?"

Mescri shook her head. “These cells are designed to withstand very powerful magic. You’d have to hit these bars with the force of a cyclone to break them."

“I see…” Erilus said. “Then can’t you use your magic and unlock the door or something?”

“I would, but like I said, there are some pretty heavy enchantments in place,” Mescri said. “I’d have to work out some complex countermagic before even trying to use magic on it.”

“And how long would that take?” Erilus asked.

“With my current level of magical education?” Mescri said. “Probably a few years.”

“Ugh… then how are we supposed to get out of here?!”

“It would defeat the purpose of a prison cell if there were an easy way out,” Mescri said.

Erilus fell to the floor, hanging his head. What was he going to do? His father could be on the other side of the country by the time he got out. What was he going to do? There had to be a way to break out... What to do? What to do?!

“There has to be a way out,” Erilus said slowly.

“Nope,” Mescri said. “If there were, I wouldn’t end up in here all the time.”

“Out…” a faint voice called.

Erilus froze. He turned around slowly.

A boy sat in the corner of the cell, barely visible through the dark veil of shadow that surrounded him. The boy looked about the same age as Erilus, but much thinner, almost to the point of emaciation. His pitch dark hair and black attire effectively camouflaged him within the darkness. Erilus could barely make out most of the boy’s features. The only things that he could really see were the boy’s eyes, a pair of pale yellow lights amid a sea of darkness.

“Oh look, there’s actually someone here this time,” Mescri said. “They must be running low on prison cells.”

“Who’s he?” Erilus asked, turning back to Mescri.

The girl shrugged. “Ask him yourself.”

Erilus walked over to the boy and knelt down beside him. The boy didn’t seem to notice him.

“Hey, who are you?” Erilus asked.

The boy slowly looked up. His face looked drained, as if he had been carrying a boulder twice his weight his entire life. “I am… Sidlin.”

“Sidlin?” Erilus repeated. He looked at Mescri.

“No idea,” Mescri said with another shrug.

“Okay…” Erilus said. He turned back to Sidlin, who had cast his gaze back down again.

“So… Sidlin,” Erilus said. “Why are you in here?”

“Here?” Sidlin repeated.

“Yeah, why are you in this cell?”

Sidlin looked up and glanced around, as if he had just realized where he was. “Oh. This is a cell…”

Erilus gave the boy a blank stare. Mescri snickered.

“Well, he’s obviously an idiot,” Mescri said with a suppressed giggle.

“I would attempt to correct you on your misuse of language,” Sidlin said without looking up. “But such efforts would be wasted on a lower species.”

Mescri blinked. “Did that kid just insult me?”

“Don’t mind her, Sidlin,” Erilus continued. “So, you’ve been inside this cell for a long time, right?”

Sidlin nodded slowly.

“Then do you know of any way to get out?” Erilus asked. “Anything at all?”

“No. There is no way out,” Sidlin said.

“Told you so,” Mescri said.

Erilus scowled. "Ugh... there has to be a way out of this cell. There has to!"

“Out of this cell?” Sidlin repeated. “Out of this cell… that is easy.”

Suddenly, Sidlin’s hand shot forward in a sweeping gesture. No loud explosion, or obvious flash of light occured, but suddenly the bars completely collapsed.

Metal fragments immediately scattered all over the floor, leaving an enormous gaping hole right in the middle of the bars. Erilus just stared.

“Out of this cell,” Sidlin said, lowering his hand.

“What the hell?” Mescri muttered to herself. She glanced at Sidlin again. “What spell was that?”

“Spell?” Sidlin asked.

“Yeah, what magic did you just use?”

Sidlin shook his head. “Not magic. Linking.”

“What?”

“Wow,” Erilus interrupted. “Whatever you did, Sidlin, you have my thanks.”

“You are welcome,” Sidlin said.

Erilus pushed himself up to his feet. Finally, he could continue to search for his father. He would have to thank Sidlin more properly later.

Erilus strode towards the hole. Mescri grabbed his arm.

“What?” Erilus said.

“That kid just broke through a level three security cell with enchantments designed specifically to neutralize any form of magic, with magic,” Mescri said. “We can’t just leave him here.”

Erilus frowned. "He's not coming?"

Mescri gestured at the boy clad in black, still sitting in the corner of the cell.

“There is no way out,” Sidlin muttered without looking up. “Still no way out…”

“Sidlin,” Erilus said.

The boy looked up.

“Do you want to come with us?”

“Come… with you?” Sidlin repeated.

“Yes, come with us,” Erilus said. “At the very least, we should treat you to a meal. You look like you’ve been living on starvation rations.”

Sidlin blinked. “A meal… I suppose that would help.”

The boy stood slowly and brushed off his clothing. “Lead the way.”
***

The guard yawned, straightening his armor lazily.

He looked down from the city walls, glancing past the cobblestone road and the long, grassy plains that stretched endlessly beyond, into the faint green hue of the forests that lay just out of sight.

Just another morning in Giror, filled with listless patrol duty; patrolling didn’t really have a point anymore. All of the greatest magicians in the world were gathered in Giror. Nobody would be stupid enough to actually attack the city.

And yet, just as he thought this, a shadow caught his eye on the horizon. Someone was approaching the city.

The guard leaned over against the wall, trying to get a better look. The shadowy figure seemed to be alone, and no carriage or horse seemed to be following him. The guard took a step back. Well, just one person couldn’t really threaten the city.

“You are mistaken,” whispered a voice.

The guard spun around instantly, gripping his spear tightly, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Who goes there?”

“Take a look. The Infected are coming.”

The guard glanced around his post, but still saw nothing. He hesitated for a moment. Then he peered over the wall. His mouth dropped wide open.

Thousands of shadowy figures had emerged from the forest. The fields surrounding Giror teemed with darkness, slowly eating away at the golden grass like an all-consuming shadow, stretching across the land.

“I-Infected!” the guard gasped. He turned toward the next guard tower. “Infec-”

Suddenly, a sharp, black spike rammed out of the guard’s chest. The guard just stared at the claw-like thing sticking out of his plate armor, now dripping blood. Then his eyes rolled up and he fell.

The shadow above him seemed to grin. “Now let Giror fall.”
***

“Here’s a good place,” Mescri said.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Erilus asked. “Aren’t you still a wanted criminal?”

“Of course not,” Mescri scoffed. “The guards personally hate me because I go around using magic everywhere without a permit. Nobody else really cares.”

After Sidlin had broken them out of prison, the group had stalked out of the underground cells, and into the prison’s lobby area. A legion of guards crowded around in the lobby, chattering amongst themselves like little children gossiping. Then, Mescri cast a sleep spell, and a colossal thud resounded.

Mescri had offered to take them to a nearby inn for some food afterwards. Erilus accepted, of course, but he would be leaving right after. He now had a clue of where his father might be, and he didn’t intend to let the opportunity slip by.

“A permit?” Erilus repeated.

“Yeah, you need a permit to use magic in this city,” Mescri said.

“But isn’t this city filled with magicians?”

“That’s kind of the point. If a ton of powerful magicians were all in one city, you’d need a way to make sure they don’t wreak havoc around the place.”

“Hmm… I guess you’re right.”

Mescri rolled her eyes. “Are you two coming in or what?”

She pointed to the inn, a squat, wooden building with a chimney blowing smoke out of it. Erilus glanced back at Sidlin. The shadowy boy was looking down at the road with an expression of astute focus, as if he was trying to count the specks of dust gathered on one of the cobblestones.

“Hey, Sidlin,” Erilus said. The boy looked up.

“Are you coming?” Erilus said.

“Over two hundred life forms in the vicinity,” Sidlin murmured. “None are applicable hosts.”

“Sidlin,” Erilus said.

“Yes?” Sidlin looked up.

“Are you coming?”

“Yes.”

The group entered the inn.

Mescri did most of the talking, asking the innkeeper for a meal, paying him, getting them to a table, and ordering their food. Meanwhile, Erilus thought about what would happen when he finally found his father. Would the creature be there with him? How would he kill it? Did the thing even have a weakness?

Erilus sighed and took a look around the inn. Round wooden tables stood all around the first floor, a key part of the inn’s meal service. A long wooden counter ran the length of the room with a variety of bottles stacked on the shelves behind it. Only a few people were present, most of them sitting in groups, or alone, at one of the tables, eating the steamy broth the inn served for its meals. Lamps hung from the ceiling over every table, giving the place a warm, yellow glow.

A few minutes later, one of the waitresses brought the group their meal. Erilus muttered a word of thanks, and she left. He picked up his spoon and began to eat.

“What… is this…?” Sidlin said.

Erilus looked over the boy. Sidlin gave the broth a blank stare, as if it were a bowl filled with shark teeth.

“It’s a broth,” Erilus said. “You’re supposed to eat it.”

Sidlin gave Erilus a doubtful look. “How do I eat it?”

“And he calls me a lower species,” Mescri chuckled.

“Just put it in your mouth and swallow it,” Erilus said, ignoring Mescri’s comment.

Sidlin shook his head. “It will not work.”

“Of course it will,” Erilus assured him. “Just try it.”

Sidlin gave Erilus another doubtful look. He turned back to the bowl and let out a sigh. Sidlin slowly raised his hand and placed it over his bowl, casting a thin shadow over it. The lamp hanging over their table flickered. Then Sidlin withdrew his hand and shook his head.

“It did not work,” Sidlin said.

“You didn’t even touch it,” Mescri said.

“There is no need to touch what I eat,” Sidlin said.

“This kid is hopeless,” Mescri said, turning to Erilus.

“You wanted him to come with us,” Erilus said.

“And were you just going to leave him there?” Mescri shot back.

“Well, no...”

“Exactly,” Mescri looked back at Sidlin. “Hey, Sidlin, how exactly did you break out of the cell?”

Sidlin just gave Mescri a blank look. “How…?”

“Yeah, how did you break those bars? They were layered with anti-magic enchantments. How did you break them?”

“Link to twelfth gate, apply trans-temporal degradation,” Sidlin said.

“… what kind of magic is that?”

Sidlin shook his head. “Magic is applicable only to the second gate. Further manifestation must be attributed to linking.”

“Okay… let me rephrase that,” Mescri said slowly. “How would you teach someone with absolutely no knowledge of magic how to do what you did in the cell?”

“Link to twelfth gate, apply trans-temporal degradation,” Sidlin repeated.

“Yes, but what does that mean?” Mescri said impatiently.

“I do not understand the nature of your question,” Sidlin said.

“Ugh, hopeless,” Mescri said, flinging both hands in the air. She scowled and returned to eating her broth.

The next few minutes passed in silence as Erilus and Mescri ate, and Sidlin stared blankly at his bowl. Finally, Erilus pushed himself up from his seat.

“Nice meeting you, Mescri, and you too Sidlin,” Erilus said. “But I’ve got somewhere to be, and I can’t be late.”

“Good luck on whatever you’re doing,” Mescri said, putting up a hand in farewell.

“Goodbye,” Erilus said. He took a last glance at the pair before turning towards the door.

“The shadow will eat you,” Sidlin said.

“What?”

Suddenly, a crashing resounded throughout the inn. Erilus whipped his head towards the door, but quickly shielded his face as a cascade of splinters came raining down. He lowered his hands. Erilus gasped, taking an involuntary step back.

A giant lizard-like creature covered in oozing black flesh loomed at the doorway. The creature sniffed the air, and the bone splinters jutting out of its arms trembled. It turned its hideous, triangular head at Erilus, flashing malignant green eyes.

Several screams tore through the air as the other people in the inn dashed to the nearest exit. The Infected didn't seem to notice.

“It’s here,” the Infected hissed, flicking its forked tongue out. “The energy is definitely coming from here.”

Erilus quickly drew his sword, taking a defensive stance. The Infected let out a sound similar to bricks grinding against one another.

“Is that supposed to scare me, human?” the Infected said. “Tell me, where is the possessor of that energy?”

Erilus gritted his teeth, and dashed forward, raising his sword for an overhead slash. The Infected widened its eyes. Then it promptly burst into flames. Erilus skidded to a halt, nearly stumbling into the fire himself. He glanced back. Mescri had a hand raised, fire slowly fading from it.

“What the hell?” Mescri said, quickly joining Erilus at the doorway. “An Infected? Here? Nine years after The Corruptor was sealed?”

Erilus let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He glanced back to the Infected, now a smoldering pile of ash. “This one looked different than the one I saw. There must be more of them.”

“Impossible,” Mescri said. “The Corruptor was the only one who could turn people into Infected, and he’s gone.”

“The shadows are spreading,” Sidlin said, trudging slowly behind Mescri.

“What do you mean, Sidlin?” Erilus asked.

“The shadows are spreading,” Sidlin repeated.

Erilus just put a palm to his forehead and sighed. Mescri snickered.

“Told you he’s useless,” Mescri said. She glanced out the hole the Infected had torn through the wall. “We should go to my master, Gaeln’s house. He’ll know what’s going on.”

“That is a bad idea,” Sidlin said.

“Look, Sidlin,” Mescri said, staring the boy in the eye. “My master Gaeln may be picky, but he’s one of the most distinguished magicians in Giror. All you’ve accomplished is destroying one magically reinforced prison cell, which, while I admit is impressive, Gaeln has accomplished much, much more than you will ever have in your lifetime. So either quit your whining, or get lost.”

Sidlin blinked. He bowed his head. “Very well. I will have no concern over your deaths in any circumstance.”

“Umm, Mescri, I think you might want to listen to Sidlin this time,” Erilus said. “He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.”

“He’s just an idiot who got lucky once,” Mescri said dismissively. “Come on, Gaeln’s house is close. We should hurry up and find out what the hell is going on around here.”

“Well, alright…” Erilus said. Mescri nodded and headed out the doorway.

It wasn’t that Erilus doubted Mescri. If Gaeln was Mescri’s master, he was sure to be an incredible magician. But… the way Sidlin talked about the plan… it almost made him feel like they were walking into a giant death trap.

“Sidlin,” Erilus said, turning back to the boy.

Sidlin looked up.

Erilus paused for a second. “You know something we don’t, right?”

“You humans remain ignorant,” Sidlin said.

“I figured,” Erilus said with a sigh. “Listen, don’t give any thought to what Mescri says. She’s a good person at heart.”

Sidlin shook his head. “The girl is arrogant, but clear-sighted. You are the one who remains ignorant.”

Sidlin took a step forward, slowly following in Mescri’s footsteps. Erilus just stared at the floor where Sidlin had stood. He was being ignorant? How was he being ignorant? Wasn’t Mescri the one always not accepting Sidlin?

Erilus shook his head. He glanced towards Mescri and Sidlin’s rapidly shrinking forms. Then he quickly set out after them.

Gaeln's house looked like it had been ravaged.

As the house came into view, Erilus immediately regreted following Mescri. Several enormous holes had been smashed through the walls of the house, leaving wooden rubble scattered all over the street, while a black tar-like liquid dripped down from the triangular pediment.

"Oh no," Mescri gasped as they neared the building.

"Sidlin was right," Erilus breathed. "Coming here was a bad idea."

Suddnly, Mescri broke into a run, dashing towards the house's entrance.

"Wait, Mescri!" Erilus called as the girl disappeared into the building.

"Ugh..." Erilus muttered. What should he do? Obviously, he should save Mescri, but the house was just screaming DEATH TRAP in his face. And then there was Sidlin's warning...

"Sidlin!" Erilus said, turning back. The boy stood a little to the side, bright yellow eyes fixed on the house.

"Sidlin!" Erilus said again. The boy glanced his way.

"We've got to get Mescri out," Erilus said. "Can't you do something to help?"

"I will have no concern over your deaths in any circumstance," Sidlin said, returning his gaze to the rotting building.

Erilus opened his mouth to argue, but realized it would be pointless with Sidlin. He could probably stare at the house all day, ignoring every word spoken to him.

He would have to do it alone then.

"Mescri!" Erilus yelled, venturing closer to the ruined building. He peered into one of the holes in the wall, noting the black liquid running down the edges. A chill ran down his spine. The Infected usually had the same kind of liquid dripping from their blackened skin. This wasn't looking too good.

Erilus entered the building, treading carefully along the wooden floor. Small orbs of light hung in the air at regular intervals, providing just enough light to see a few meters ahead. Erilus gripped the hilt of his sword, steadying his trembling hand, and advanced further into the house.

Only the sound of his own creaking footsteps met his ears. Otherwide, a shroud of silence blanketed over the building. He couldn't even hear a shuffling sound. No sign of Mescri either. Erilus kept going.

He reached the end of the corridor soon, with two doorways branching out on either side. Erilus briefly considered calling out for Mescri again.

"Mescri! Are you here?!" Erilus shouted. He flinched involuntarily.

Silence.

No Infected suddenly charging at him, no scream of agony, no reply from Mescri. Just silence.

"Erilus..." a voice suddenly said.

Erilus jumped, nearly crashing into one of the walls. He looked back the way he came, and saw Sidlin standing there, looking a little bored.

"Oh, it was you, Sidlin," Erilus said, heaving a breath of relief.

"I'm hungry," Sidlin said.

"You didn't eat back at the inn."

Sidlin shook his head. "The material given was incompatible. I require a solid form of energy."

Sidlin glanced up at one of the glowing orbs, looking at it as if he had just noticed it was there. He reached out a hand, and the orb suddenly flickered out.

"Incompatible," Sidlin said, and the orb flickered on.

"Uh... I don't follow," Erilus said. "Maybe Mescri could help?"

Sidlin paused for a moment. "The human girl does possess knowledge of the limited energy fluctuations in this dimension."

"Alright, so do you know where she is?" Erilus asked.

Sidlin slowly gazed up, facing the ceiling. Then he frowned. "She is being eaten."

"What?"

A sudden crashing sound echoed above them. Then a scream. Mescri's voice.

"Sidlin, where is she?!" Erilus demanded.

Sidlin took a step back, then made a vertical sweeping gesture. Then suddenly, a cascade of wooden splinters rained down on the corridor as the ceiling disintegrated. A second later, a hideous, black crab-like creature dripping black ichor crashed down. Another second and Mescri fell down next to it.

"Mescri!" Erilus exclaimed, rushing to her side.

"Ugh... that stupid Infected," Mescri muttered, eyes fluttering open. "Absorbed my magic..."

The black crab roared, a sound between crackling thunder and a crashing building. Then it turned around and lunged at the boy clad in black.

"Sidlin, watch out!" Erilus cried.

Sidlin sidestepped effortlessly, letting the crab sail down the corridor. Then he gestured and the ceiling above the crab collapsed, burying it in wooden rubble. The boy lowered his hand, clutching his stomach.

"I'm hungry," Sidlin said. His stomach groaned in agreement.

"How the hell...?" Mescri muttered, rising to her feet. She stared at the pile of wood the Infected was trapped under. "... why didn't I think of that?!"

"We should move," Erilus said. "There might be more Infected coming."

Erilus quickly ushered Mescri into a nearby doorway. Mescri glanced around a little and muttered somethin unintelligible.

"We'll head upstairs," Mescri said. "I still need to get some stuff from my room."

"Alright, you go on ahead," Erilus said. "But if you see an Infected, run away."

"Fine, fine," Mescri said, and disappeared into the murky shadows.

Sidlin slowly made his way toward them. Another growl from his stomach.

"I'm starving," Sidlin said. "If I do not recieve a solid form of compatible energy, my host body will disintegrate in less than sixteen minutes."

"Mescri will help out once we get to safety," Erilus promised. He lent the boy his shoulder and the two made their way up the nearby staircase. It felt strange, touching Sidlin, the boy always wrapped in darkness. He felt warm, but not the nice, compassionate kind of warmth. This warmth was that of a fire, the sudden heat of putting your hand too close to a conflagaration.

Except, it didn't really feel all that hot. Actually, now that he thought about it, Sidlin's body heat was fading, like a candle reaching its last inch of wax.

"Sidlin, are you all right?" Erilus asked.

"No... I'm starving..." Sidlin said. "This host body... will not last... much longer..."

"Just hang in there for another minute," Erilus said.

At the top of the staircase, Erilus quickly glanced around, almost missing Mescri waving from a room to his left. The second floor didn't have nearly as many floating lights as the first floor. It would be difficult sensing an Infected's approach here...

Regardless, Erilus quickly ran over to Mescri, pulling Sidlin along.

The room they entered looked relatively generic, with a bed and nightstand, and several bookshelves all placed neatly around. Four glowing orbs floated in the corners of the room, giving it much more light than the rest of the house. Erilus didn't see any Infected, which both relieved him and agitated him. The Infected had clearly attacked the house, as he had just seen. So then where were they?

Mescri closed the door gently, and muttered an incantation over it. She brushed off her hands, and turned to the boys.

"I just need a few things from my room," Mescri said. "Then we can get out of here."

"What about your master, Gaeln?" Erilus asked.

Mescri frowned. "He would've seen an attack coming from miles away. He's probably fled the city by now."

"Well, alright," Erilus said. "Oh, and I think Sidlin is hurt."

Mescri eyed the dark boy suspiciously. Sidlin feebly raised his gaze to meet hers.

"I'm hungry," Sidlin said.

"Your fault for not eating back in the inn," Mescri said.

Sidlin shook his head. "I require a solid form of compatible energy."

"What do you mean by 'compatible'? I mean, most magics use solid forms of energy, but the 'compatible' part sounds difficult."

"I do not understand your meaning," Sidlin said.

Mescri sighed. She glanced at Erilus and pointed to a shelf stacked with slabs of carved stones in the corner of her room. "There are lots of runes over there. See if Sidlin finds one of them 'compatible'."

"Alright," Erilus nodded. "Come on, Sidlin."

While Mescri turned to rummage through her belongings, Erilus and Sidlin approached the rune shelf. Erilus grabbed a rock at random and showed it to Sidlin.

The boy put his hand over the rock, and the engravings glowed, a bright yellow color. Sidlin withdrew his hand and shook his head. "Incompatible."

Over the next few minutes, Erilus repeated the pattern of handing Sidlin a rune, Sidlin inspecting it, shaking his head, and saying "Incompatible". He must have gone through at least twenty runes this way before Mescri finally exclaimed "Finished!" from the other side of the room.

"We couldn't find a compatible rune," Erilus said.

"Doesn't matter now," Mescri said dismissively. "We have to get out of here."

"But, Sidlin..."

"Is going to die anyways if the Infected find us," Mescri said. "Now, come on, we have to get out-"

Suddenly, a colossal crashing resounded as the wall behind Mescri splintered into pieces. As Mescri whipped around, Erilus's eyes widened.

Three Infected stood before them, tar-like black ichor dripping from their withered flesh. They all looked somewhat humanoid, resembling the Infected that had taken Erilus's father, but with about half as many jagged blades protruding from their limbs.

"The energy," one of the Infected rasped. "It's here."

Erilus immediately drew his sword, raising it in a defensive stand. Mescri backed up a few steps, muttering something under her breath.

Then, Mescri threw up both hands and a bolt of lightning streaked across the room, impaling one of the Infected in the chest. The Infected screamed, and instantly disintegrated. The other two Infected backed away cautiously.

"Get out of here!" Mescri shouted, pointing her hand at the black, withered creatures. "Or I'll kill all of you!"

"I wonder about that," a third voice chimed. Another Infected appeared through the dark haze, dragging a body in its claws.

Mescri gasped.

The Infected seemed to grin, and tossed the broken body of Gaeln into the room.

"This one didn't put up much of a fight," the Infected said.

"Master Gaeln!" Mescri cried, rushing over to the old man.

"Mescri..." Gaeln whispered feebly, eyes flickering open. "Run... away..."

The man reached into his pocket, pulling out a small pouch. He raised his arm as if trying to pass the pouch to Mescri, but collapsed halfway through.

"No! Master Gaeln!" Mescri exclaimed. She shook the old man, but he did not wake. Then, for the first time since Erilus had seen her, the girl cried.

"Gaeln! Wake up!" Mescri shook the magician again, tears running down her face. "Don't die! Not here! Wake up!"

Erilus looked back at the Infected, gritting his teeth. "You creatures are sick."

The Infected's grin seemed to widen. "It will be a pleasure killing you, boy."

"Mescri," Erilus said, not looking away from the Infected. "I'll handle the one that can't stop talking. You think you can take the two at the sides?"

Mescri rose slowly to her feet, choking back a sob. She wiped her face against her sleeve. "Screw that. I'm killing all of them."

The girl thrust out her hand, and a storm of lightning erupted. The light instantly engulfed the three Infected, forcing Erilus to shield his eyes. Then, as the light faded, Erilus looked back.

His eyes widened.

Seven Infected stood before them, a grin etched on each of their faces.

"Foolish children," the seven Infected chorused. "Our lord has designed us with the capacity to absorb any magic you may cast, and multiply based on the magic absorbed. You stand no chance of defeating us."

Mescri fell to her knees. "No... no... it can't be... not this again..."

Erilus swore under his breath. He charged at the Infected, but a single swipe threw him off his feet. He struggled back up, breathing heavily.

The Infected seemed to grin again. "It will be a pleasure killing all of you this ti-"

"Compatible."

Erilus blinked.

Sidlin stood right in front of him, pressing a hand against the closest Infected. The boy extended his arm, and his hand slowly plunged into the Infected's flesh.

The creature roared, tearing its claws at Sidlin. The boy just ignored them, razor sharp edges bouncing off his clothing.

"Compatible energy found," Sidlin said. He grimaced. "Although this is very dilute, and does not taste very good. But beggars cannot be choosers, I suppose."

"Idiotic little boy, do you intend to destroy yourself?!" the Infected screeched.

"Shadows should not talk back to those who cast them," Sidlin replied. The Infected roared again before dissipating into black smoke. The smoke spun around Sidlin a few times before disappearing into his clothing. Sidlin breathed out.

"More," Sidlin said. Six black tendrils shot out from the boy's clothing, impaling the six remaining Infected. The Infected screeched as the boy slowly absorbed them.

Erilus turned his gaze away, putting on a disgusted face.

"I am satisfied," Sidlin finally said. Erilus looked back up.

A black, hooded cloak now draped over the boy, covering his previously tattered clothing, now mended and new-looking. Sidlin flashed a glance his way, yellow eyes glowing even more fiercely than before.

"Sidlin, are you... all right?" Erilus asked uncertainly.

"Shadows do not taste very good," Sidlin said. "But my host body has stabilized, so I suppose it is fine now."

"Um... forgive me for asking, but what exactly are you?" Erilus said.

"Clarify your question," Sidlin said.

"Well, you can use magic even beyond Mescri's comprehension," Erilu started.

"Linking," Sidlin corrected.

"Yes, that. And you... absorbed the Infected like they were food."

"Disgusting food," Sidlin said.

"Right... so a normal human wouldn't be able to do all of those things," Erilus said. "So, I'm just wondering how you can do them."

Sidlin frowned. "I am not a human. I am a-"

Suddenly, Mescri screamed. Both boys turned to her.

"What's wrong, Mescri?" Erilus asked.

"H-he's d-d-dead..." Mescri sobbed. "Gaeln... is dead..."

Erilus stared blankly. He felt like a wound in his chest had just been reopened, like he was looking at a reflection of himself losing his father all over again. Instinctively, Erilus walked over to Mescri and put an arm around her. Mescri made no move to stop him.

Sidlin sat down beside them, looking at Mescri with a mixture of curiousity and concern. Then he looked at Gaeln's body, pausing to take the small pouch from the man's outstretched hand.

"Here," the boy clad in black handed the pouch to Mescri. "I believe he wanted you to have this."

Mescri took the pouch wordlessly. Then her crying redoubled.

Erilus shot a glance at Sidlin, who just stared back. Then he sighed.

"It'll be all right," Erilus murmured. "We'll be here with you. Until the very end."

The shadow was staring. It was staring straight at her, staring into her soul, and at the fear that lay beneath.

"Mommy, it's scary," the girl whimpered.

"What is it, honey?"

"The shadow is scaring me..."

"Don't worry about it, Glea. Shadows can't hurt people."

A sharp click resounded as the light from the lamp on her nightstand faded. Then, a dull thud as the door to her room closed.

Glea pulled her blanket over her head. She shut her eyes tightly and whispered under her breath. "Shadows can't hurt people. Shadows can't hurt people. Shadows can't hurt people..."

-Are you still going on about that?

"Eek!" Glea cried, burying her head further underneath her covers. "I-I'm not scared of you. Y-you're j-just a shadow. You can't h-hurt me."

-Calm down. I'm not trying to hurt you.

"Y-you're not?" Glea said, peeking out from under her blanket. A black silhouette stood by her bed, turning its blank face towards her. In the silver light of the full moon just outside the window, the shadow looked incredibly solid, almost like a real person. Glea ducked back under her blanket, whispering to herself. "Shadows can't hurt people. Shadows can't hurt people..."

The shadow always came at night. Every night it stood there, at her bedside, always waiting for something. Sometimes the shadow spoke, telling her about things that had happened in the distant past, in a place far, far away. Sometimes the shadow just stood there, as if mourning for someone long lost to the depths of time. Glea had no idea how long that shadow had been there. Only that one day it had appeared, and since then it had never moved.

Nobody else could see the shadow. Glea had found that out after making her mommy sleep with her. Repeatedly she had pointed at the shadow, pulling on her mommy's arm, telling her that it was real. Then her mommy had simply walked through the dark figure standing next to her bed, and she had had her realization.

"Why me...?" Glea whimpered. "Why is it only me...?"

-I'm still surprised you even have a high enough dimensional viscosity to see me. People like you come by once in a millennium.

"No... stop it... stop talking..." Glea moaned. "Don't talk to me... please..."

-Are you afraid when I speak?

Glea cowered under her covers. "Yes..."

-Why?

"Shadows shouldn't talk," Glea said. "It's not normal."

A slight breathing sound reached Glea's ears, as if the shadow were sighing.

-Yes, you're right. Shadows shouldn't talk. I apologize for scaring you.

Glea waited for a few minutes under her blanket in silence. Then she threw her covers off.

The shadow still stood in the exact same position.

"Umm..." Glea said uncertainly. The shadow didn't move.

"Are... are you okay...?" Glea asked.

-I'm fine.

Glea cowered. The shadow turned its head to face her.

-I thought you didn't want me to speak.

"No... it's just... well..." Glea said, pulling her blanket back up.

-Out with it.

"You just... sounded really sad," Glea said.

-Is that all?

"Yeah..."

The shadow turned its head back to its original position.

-There is no way out.

"Huh?"

-I've been stranded on this world for so long. Nobody ever comes here anymore. Perhaps they've forgotten about me. Perhaps it would be better if I were forgotten...

"Don't say that!" Glea exclaimed. "People shouldn't ever be forgotten!"

-I'm not a person.

"Well... shadows shouldn't be forgotten either!" Glea said.

-It's useless to believe that. As long as I remain here, those outside will always forget.

"Then I won't forget you," Glea said resolutely. "You can count on it."

The shadow turned its head at her. Glea cowered instinctively, but quickly recovered. She extended a hand.

"I'm Glea Hart," Glea said. "What's your name?"

-... You can call me Shade.

The shadow extended a limb and touched Glea's hand. She trembled, but held her hand steady. It felt strange, actually touching the shadow, like putting her hand against a smooth, oily substance solid enough to move on its own.

"It's nice to meet you, Shade," Glea said with a smile.

-We met a while back.

"Well... it's nice to know your name at least," Glea said.

-I suppose so.

Glea released the shadow's hand, and a moment of silence passed between the two.

"Umm... it's past my bedtime now, so..." Glea said nervously.

-Sleep well.

"Oh... yeah, okay," Glea said, and lay back on her bed. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. Then she sat back up.

"Hey, Shade," Glea said.

-Yes?

"Before you said that there's no way out, right?"

-Yes.

"But... you can move fine on your own. So can't you just walk outside like normal?"

-That's not what I was referring to. Of course I could exit this building with ease, but leaving this place would take a miracle.

"Hmm... okay... well, my mommy tells me that sometimes God grants people miracles if they behave well," Glea said. "So if you behave well, Shade, I'm sure you'll be able to leave soon."

-... I'm not even going to bother trying to correct you.

"Correct me on what?" Glea said, just as a snarling sound ripped through the air. She flinched. "W-what was that...?"

-It... sounds like one of Corr's constructs. But then... why would he attack this place? There's nothing of significance for miles around.

"What? What's a core?" Glea asked nervously.

Then suddenly, the door exploded.

Wooden splinters flew, scattered across the room. Glea pulled up her blankets, shaking uncontrollably. The shadow turned its head toward the doorway.

"Sh-Shade... what g-going on...?" Glea stammered.

-This could be bad.

Another snarling sound came from the doorway. Then an enormous, black wolf-like creature dripping black liquid from its flesh, semi-covered in black fur.

"The energy..." the creature growled as it sniffed the air. "The energy is here..."

Glea's eyes widened. She stumbled out of bed, clutching her blanket, and backed up to the corner of her room. "Sh-Shade... w-what is t-that...?"

-Hmm... if it were just one, I could make it, but three would be difficult to handle in my current state.

The wolf creature turned its head at Glea, red eyes glowing amidst the silver moonlight. Glea yelped, pushing herself against the wall. Her eyes watered as she hugged her blanket tighter.

Then suddenly, a black beam stabbed it through the head. The beam slowly retracted, merging back into the shadow still standing at the side of the bed. The wolf creature slumped over, black liquid pooling underneath it. Glea trembled, falling to her knees. She sniffled, wiping away the tears flowing from her eyes.

-Wow... that was much easier than expected. Corr's creations must have seriously fallen these past years.

"Shade?" Glea glanced over at her bed.

The shadow approached her slowly, gliding over the floor as if it were a ghost, unaffected by gravity.

-I take it that you're okay.

Glea let out a whimper. Then she burst into tears, hugging the shadow's waist. "I was so scared! I thought I was going to die!"

-There there now.

The girl cried for another minute before letting go of the shadow, wiping her tears off on her blanket.

-There are still two left. They're searching the house, but probably won't find us for a while.

"W-what should we do?" Glea sniffled.

-Glea... I'm not sure if you realize this, but the rest of your family is probably dead.

Glea's eyes widened. She hung her head, tears running freely down her face. Then she screamed, a piercing cry that let out all of the rage, sadness, and despair in her heart. When she ran out of breath, she inhaled deeply and screamed again. And again. And a fourth time. Then she stopped, taking deep breaths in between sobs.

-If the remaining two didn't lack hearing and smell, we'd both be getting killed right now.

The girl sniffled, wiping her face against her blanket. "Mommy... daddy... Shade, are they really gone?"

-Would you like me to check?

"No... it's okay... I'm fine now," the girl's voice cracked. Then she burst into tears again, a sharp pain building in her chest. Images of her mommy and daddy lying on the floor, bloody wounds gouged into them, popped up into her head. Each time a new position, fresh blood, and a face displaying sheer terror. And each time she imagined, Glea cried even harder. She remembered vomiting at one point, but it blurred past, just another fragment of her despair.

-They're getting closer. We may actually be in danger.

Glea sniffled again, wiping away her tears for the sixth time now. Her blanket was already half-drenched from all of her crying.

"I'm okay..." Glea managed to say. "Let's go-"

Her voice cracked again. Then she started sobbing uncontrollably. The pain in her chest redoubled itself.

Suddenly, an arm wound itself over her shoulder. Glea looked up. The shadow had crouched down beside her, a dark limb extended from its black silhouette.

-Is this how people should normally behave? I'm no good at comforting humans.

Glea managed to giggle. She hugged the shadow around the shoulders, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "Yes, this is how you comfort other people."

-Good to hear.

The shadow released her, and Glea managed to stand, still clutching her blanket tightly.

-We should leave now. Out through the window if possible.

Glea nodded. "Okay.

-Ah, but before that...

"What?"

-Moving this body is... somewhat tedious. If you could lend me yours, I would appreciate it.

The girl blinked. "Lend you... my body?"

-Don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything. I'm just going to use you as my host for a while. Think of it like me becoming your shadow, your actual shadow.

"Oh... well, okay..." Glea said. "But... will it hurt?"

-Probably not. Are you ready?

Glea nodded, trembling slightly. The shadow touched her on the forehead. Then it vanished.

The girl blinked. Suddenly, a strange sensation overcame her, like something big was pushing its way inside her head. The feeling didn't hurt, but it did make her feel a little dizzy. Then the pressure disappeared.

"... Shade?" Glea asked uncertainly.

-I'm here. Let's go.

"O-okay," Glea said, still unsure of what was happening. She climbed up on her bed, unlocking the large, single window in her room. Then she pushed herself up, and jumped out.

A forest bathed in silver greeted her eyes as Glea ran down the single dirt path that led out from her house. She had heard low clicking noises coming from her house, probably the other two things Shade had been talking about. Just thinking about it sent her running faster, away. Her blanket was still tightly pressed against her chest.

-We should be out of range now.

"Okay," Glea said, slowing down to a walking pace. She panted heavily, sweat dripping down from her face. "Where should we go?"

-There's something I want to check. Corr's creations suddenly attacking out of nowhere... the remote location of the attack... and how weak that construct was... It just doesn't add up.

"Umm... okay..."

-But first, we'll need traveling supplies. Head towards the nearest population center.

"Alright..." Glea said. Somehow, Shade's words had sent a flutter through her heart. She was going on an adventure! An actual adventure! Like the stories her mommy used to tell her...

A sharp pain pierced her chest again, but Glea endured it. She would move on from this, Shade was depending on her after all. With that in mind, the girl broke into a run, down the narrow forest path.

Two days.

The grand city of Giror, pride of the kingdom, gathering place of the greatest magicians on the continent, had fallen in just two days.

Erilus had not witnessed the endless waves of Infected swarming the city like cockroaches to a cake. He had not seen the effortless slaughter of the great magicians that had once protected the city from any and all harm. He had not heard the shouts of the soldiers as they tried to evacuate as many of the citizens as possible, holding off the horde of Infected in a hopelessly outmatched battle. But when the masses of refugees had marched down the road by which Erilus and his party had made camp, he could already see it. The destruction engraved upon their faces.

Half a day later, as an enormous column of smoke arose in the direction of the city, Erilus knew for certain. Giror was no more.

"It's a good thing we got out of there early," Erilus said, turning to the rest of his group.

In the initial chaos gripping the city on the first day of the attack, Erilus had come across a supply store in their rush to escape. Several Infected had been tearing down the store at the time, but with a swift gesture from Sidlin, they quickly fell to the ground as dust.

Erilus had looted the store, essentially, taking great care not to look at the bodies of the store owners he had found on the second floor. In the end, he had secured several pieces of useful equipment, a week's worth of dried food, and two sets of clothing for himself and Mescri. He had offered to find clothing for Sidlin as well, but the boy had declined.

The next few hours had been a mad dash to get as far away from the city as possible. Mescri had looked completely dazed the entire time. Of course, if his father had been murdered right before his eyes, Erilus probably would have been the same.

The group had gone down one of the roads heading east of the city, and had made a camp a few miles away on the grassland there.

Erilus looked over the campsite, checking to make sure everything was in order. The tent stood in the same place as always, its bindings secure. The campfire had burned down to a small ember, a pile of charred sticks surrounded by a circle of stones Erilus had found. A silver pot and utensils lay to the side. Erilus had tried cooking the night before, but since they didn't have very much fresh water, they ended up just eating cold jerky on bread.

"Sidlin, how's Mescri doing?" Erilus asked, poking the fire with a fresh stick.

"She appears to be brooding," Sidlin said.

Erilus glanced up the boy clad in black. Sidlin stared back with his curious, golden eyes.

"That new cloak really suits you," Erilus said.

"Thanks," Sidlin replied. He looked at the tent. "The girl is coming out."

"Stop calling me 'the girl'," Mescri said as she emerged from the tent.

Mescri looked no worse for wear. She had changed into one of the new sets of clothing Erilus had secured, a white blouse with a brown leather vest, a set of breeches, and a pair of brown boots. Her dusty black hair looked a little tangled, but otherwise she appeared to be fine.

"Hello Mescri," Erilus said with a wave. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mescri said. She grimaced. "But that food you made yesterday was awful. I mean, dried meat on bread? Is that really the best you can do?"

Erilus laughed. "Good to see you're well enough to insult my cooking too."

"Erilus," Sidlin said. "I have investigated the situation with the Infected this morning."

Erilus turned to face Sidlin, putting on a serious expression. "What did you find?"

"The refugees did not appear to know anything of use," Sidlin said.

"I see," Erilus said, face falling slightly.

"However, I met a soldier who claimed to have seen an Infected and two other men pulling a third man in chains across the street in the chaos," Sidlin continued. "They appeared to be heading Northeast at the time."

"Ah, that's good news then! We're already headed in the right direction!" Erilus exclaimed.

"I still don't see why you're in such a hurry to find this Infected," Mescri said. "Do you have a grudge against it or something?"

"It kidnapped my father," Erilus said flatly. "I'm going to get him back."

Mescri's eyes widened for a second. Then she looked away. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Erilus said. He turned back to Sidlin. "Anything else you found?"

Sidlin shook his head.

"Okay, thanks Sidlin," Erilus said. "I'm heading northeast then. You two can keep the tent and the clothing. I'll get my own supplies in the next town."

"Wait, hold up," Mescri said, rising to her feet. "If you're thinking of going alone, you're out of your mind."

"Well, the two of you have already done so much for me... it would be unfair to ask you to come," Erilus said.

"Screw that," Mescri said. "You couldn't even take out one Infected. What makes you think you stand a chance without me or Sidlin around?"

"Well, I... uh..."

"Your cooking skills aren't even worth a donkey's rear end," Mescri continued. "Your attitude is too optimistic, you're way too naive for your own good, and you don't even know where the heck you're going."

"Ah... okay... I see your point," Erilus said.

"That's why Sidlin and I are coming with you," Mescri said. She looked at the boy dressed in black. "Isn't that right, Sidlin?"

"The girl has many valid points," Sidlin said.

"Exactly," Mescri said, turning back to Erilus. Erilus sighed.

"Well, I won't stop you if you want to come," Erilus said.

"No," Mescri said, flicking the boy on the forehead. "What you say is 'thank you so much for coming with me',"

"Ow, that hurt!" Erilus cried. Mescri gave Erilus a look.

"Thank you so much for coming with me!" Erilus blurted out.

"That's more like it," Mescri said. She clapped her hands twice. "Okay, let's pack up, people. Time to get moving."

Mescri ducked into the tent. Erilus let out a breath.

"Mescri can get pretty scary, huh, Sidlin?" Erilus said.

"You are too easily frightened," Sidlin said.

"Oh be quiet, you," Erilus said.

About ten minutes later, with all of the camping equipment packed up into oversized backpacks, the group set off along the dusty, worn road.

"We'll head northeast to the city of Hirule," Mescri said. "I have some unfinished business there... regarding Gaeln. Since Hirule is one of the only major cities in the Northeast, the Infected you're after, Erilus, should be heading around there if Sidlin's information was correct. We can restock supplies in the towns on the way."

Erilus nodded. He glanced briefly at the column of smoke still billowing in Giror's direction. "What about the attack on the city? Should we report it or something?"

"The soldiers have most likely already taken care of that," Mescri said. "The Infected attacking by themselves aren't too much of a threat if the kingdom is prepared. It was The Corruptor himself who really gave the kingdom issues nine years ago. As long as he's still sealed, the Infected won't stand a chance against the royal army, no matter how many of them there are."

Mescri frowned. "However, it still bothers me that the Infected could appear at all. The Corruptor was the only one who could turn people into them. Even when the most powerful black magicians failed when they tried to copy him..."

"Well, it's no use worrying about that now," Erilus said. "It's like you said, right? The Infected don't stand a chance as long as the kingdom is prepared."

Mescri nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's right."

"The shadows appear weaker now," Sidlin said. He frowned, glancing upward. "Just what do you think you're doing, Corr?"

"What?" Mescri asked.

Sidlin shook his head. "Nothing you need be concerned with."

Mescri just rolled her eyes and continued walking.

Slowly the seconds trickled into minutes, and the minutes soon became hours. As the day progressed, Erilus thought more and more about the Infecteds' attack on Giror. The most impregnable city in the kingdom had just fallen. Was it really going to be all right? Even with what Mescri had said... did they really stand a chance?

Then there was the other problem. The Infected could only come from one person, The Corruptor. Even Erilus had heard stories of him, the legendary black magician who could kill with a single touch, who could annihilate cities in a matter of hours, who had raised an army of Infected that had taken the eight kingdoms three years to completely exterminate. If the Infected were appearing now, what did that mean for The Corruptor...?

"Hey, Mescri," Erilus said. "Do you think The Corruptor is back?"

"No," Mescri said flatly. "The astral binding seal The Corruptor was imprisoned in is a magic of enormous magnitude. If it were to break, half the continent would feel the magic expelled from it."

"I see," Erilus said. Then suddenly an idea occurred to him. "But, if the seal were broken not all at once, like, slowly over time, would everyone still feel it? Or does magic not work like that?"

Mescri gave Erilus a strange look. Then she turned back to face ahead. "I have no idea. I'm not even sure it's possible to break an astral seal slowly. But at the very least, the people living near the seal should be able to feel it breaking. If it was breaking at all."

"Okay," Erilus said. "Thanks."

"We are approaching a large population of humans," Sidlin announced suddenly. "Approximately four hundred and seve- sixty."

"There's a town ahead," Mescri summarized. She glanced up at the sun, just a few inches from touching the horizon. "We should stop here for the night."

"Okay," Erilus nodded. He glanced at Sidlin, who held a dark, pensive expression. "Is something wrong, Sidlin?"

"Four hundred and fifty eight..." Sidlin muttered. "Four hundred and fifty five... Four hundred and... urgh, stop dying already..."

"Sidlin?"

"Yes?"

"Is something wrong?"

Sidlin looked at the horizon. He sighed with relief. "Four hundred and fifty one. Good. Everything is fine now."

Erilus gave the dark cloaked boy a curious look, but didn't question him further. A few minutes later, the town came into view.

“We’re… finally here…” Glea panted.

-An estimated seven hundred and fifty humans reside in the vicinity.

“That’s good, right?”

-Perhaps.

It had taken Glea two days to walk to the nearest town from her house. Her father was a hunter, and her mother usually stayed indoors, so they rarely journeyed to town. Only when her father stacked up countless quilts of animal hides and fur, did he take one of their horses to ride into town. Then, often a few days later, he would return, bringing a new pot, a wall clock, or maybe a small wooden toy especially for Glea. What she liked most though, were the stories her father told her about the city. Stories about swashbuckling heroes, grand magicians, and sly merchants, all of whom he had met on his previous journey. And now, she was really here, in the place where all of those fantastic tales had taken root.

Glea rushed forward eagerly, glancing up in awe at every wooden house she passed, and looking over the new faces of all the people who passed by. The other people regarded her with strange, questioning faces, like they were looking at some foreign creature from across the ocean.

The cobblestone road felt cold and dry under her feet, as Glea wished for the fourth time that she had shoes. The journey through the forest had already left her with countless splinters and scratches across the soles of her feet. If only she hadn’t been in such a rush to leave.

Glea tugged at her blanket, now draped over her like a makeshift robe. She glanced up at the overcast sky, now darkening in the fading light. Her stomach rumbled.

“Shade, I’m hungry,” Glea said.

-Don’t look at me. I’m only a shadow.

“Ugh… I need something to eat….” Glea muttered to herself, clutching her stomach.

“Hey, little girl,” a voice said suddenly. Glea turned around, facing a middle-aged man with a long, scraggly beard and bloodshot red eyes. The air suddenly reeked of some nasty scent. She backed away a little.

“Where are your parents?” the man asked, moving closer to her.

“Umm… Shade, what do I do?” Glea whispered.

-The human harbors mild hostile intent. To be safe, we should terminate him.

“No!” Glea cried. “We can’t kill him!”

The man stopped, suddenly looking confused. “What did you just say, girl? Did you just say you were going to kill me?!”

-I will apply countermeasures in fifteen seconds.

“No, wait!” Glea said.

“How about I kill you?!” the man snarled, lunging forward.

“Stop!” another voice shouted.

Glea glanced back, into the face of a boy slightly older than she was. The boy had dark brown hair, and was dressed in silver armor, emblazoned with the crest of the kingdom. He ran up to the man, holding up a gloved hand.

“It’s a crime to assault a child,” the boy declared.

“And just who the hell are you?” the man said.

“Othello Hedith, royal enforcement division apprentice knight,” the boy said. The man’s eyes widened as he backed away slowly. Then he turned around and broke into a run. The boy looked around, waving lightly, and the people who had paused to stare turned back to the road and kept walking along.

“Whew, that was close,” Othello said, turning to Glea. He held out a hand. “Hello, I’m Othello, as you can probably tell. What’s your name?”

“Uh… I’m Glea Hart,” Glea said uncertainly. She took the boy’s hand, her own shaking uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry about that man from earlier,” Othello said. “Drunks are becoming more of a common sight in towns and villages these days.”

“Oh… okay,” Glea said. The boy released her hand. “So why are you here?”

“The royal enforcement division has received word of high numbers of Infected moving in the north from Giror. My master’s squad was assigned to patrol the border of the estimated contamination area, so here I am,” Othello said. “What are you doing here?”

“Umm… I’m here to… buy travel supplies,” Glea said, recalling what Shade had told her. Her stomach growled. “Do you have any food?”

Othello raised an eyebrow. “Come with me.”

The boy led Glea into a nearby building, where several men wearing silver armor with the same crest as Othello’s sat at round wooden tables, eating plates piled high with meat and vegetables. He pulled up a chair by an empty table, and gestured for Glea to sit. The girl plopped down gratefully, and Othello sat on the opposite side. A few minutes later, a waitress delivered two plates of food on the table. Glea wolfed her portion down, while Othello just watched curiously.

“So, Glea, why do you need travel supplies?” Othello asked.

“My friend says he needs to check on something somewhere far away,” Glea said, between bites.

“And who is your friend?” Othello asked.

“His name is Shade,” Glea said, wiping her mouth. “He’s a shadow.”

“A shadow?” Othello repeated.

-It may not be the best idea to explain my existence to this human.

“But he helped us,” Glea argued.

-I would rather not reveal myself to more humans than necessary.

“Who are you talking to?” Othello asked.

“Oh, umm… Shade, could you…?” Glea asked, glancing at the shadow cast behind her.

-Creating a new body would take a massive amount of energy, possibly consuming your life force in the process.

“Is that your friend?” asked Othello, looking over her shoulder.

Glea nodded. “He’s a shadow, so he doesn’t talk very much, and I think only I can hear him, but he’s really nice when you get to know him.”

Othello nodded slowly. “I see. Well, Glea, it was nice meeting you.”

“It was nice meeting you too, Othello,” Glea said with a smile. “And thanks for the food!”

“No problem,” Othello said, just as another voice shouted.

“Infected sighted!”

Othello stood slowly, hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. “That’s my cue.”

The men in silver armor around the room immediately rushed outside, grabbing silver-tipped spears, and large metal shields. Othello quickly followed, running behind a bald man with a large mustache. Glea watched them leave, a look of concern gradually blooming over her face.

“Shade, what’s an Infected?” Glea asked.

-Humans typically call Corr’s creations “Infected”, although I have no idea why.

“Wait… are those the things that attacked us at my house?” Glea asked.

-If you want to know, you can always go outside and see for yourself.

“But… won’t it be dangerous?” Glea asked.

-I’m here, aren’t I?

“Oh… that’s right!” Glea said. She jumped up from her chair and dashed out the door.

Outside, chaos ensued. People ran screaming all over the road, with countless more streaming out from the nearby buildings. Several of the armored men from earlier lay in twisted positions on the ground with red liquid pooling underneath them. The other men stood surrounding a giant lizard-like creature with a triangular pointed head and scythe-like arms. The creature dripped black ichor, staining the ground with darkness. The men brandished their spears at it, holding their shield up over their heads. Glea covered her mouth, trying not to vomit.

-Hmm… this one seems about Phage level, but it shouldn’t be too much trouble.

“Ugh… I feel sick….” Glea murmured. She glanced back at the battle between the creature and the soldiers. One of the soldiers dashed forward, spear in hand. The creature lashed out with a scythe-hand, slashing the spear in half. The soldier raised his shield, but another slash cut the metal sheet in half like a knife through a large block of butter. Glea ran before she could catch a glimpse of the man’s dying face.

The girl dashed behind a nearby building, breathing heavily, her heart pounding.

“Shade….” Glea whispered. “I’m scared….”

-I’m here with you.

“What should I do…?” Glea asked softly.

-Salvage whatever supplies you can, then run away. I’m not sure I can handle multiple constructs in my current condition.

“Okay,” Glea nodded. She ran out from behind the building, and entered another one nearby. The place looked deserted, with the people already long gone. Shelves of traveling supplies stood behind a countertop, everything from backpacks, to dried food, to utility knives. Glea grabbed a bunch of things, stuffed them into a backpack, and slung it over her shoulder. Then she turned to the outside, quickly hiding as a large, black praying-mantis creature dripping black liquid passed by. Finally, Glea dashed out the door and onto the road.

“Which way do we go?” Glea asked.

-First we get a good distance away from this population center. I will direct your actions from there. You also might want to put on some shoes.

“Oh, right,” Glea said, stopping briefly behind a building to slip some new shoes from her backpack into place. A sudden scream rang through the air, followed by a few rough shouts. Glea paused.

“Was that Othello?” Glea asked.

-The vocal patterns sound similar.

“Where is he?”

-Back the way we came from.

Glea glanced down the road behind her, and broke into a run. Another scream resounded, closer this time. Glea redoubled her pace.

As she turned the corner, Glea’s eyes widened. Othello and the bald man with the mustache stood facing the lizard-like creature from before. All across the street, the bodies of the soldiers lay still, each with its own pool of blood growing beneath them. Othello had his sword out, along with a circular, wooden shield. The bald man gripped a spear with both hands, slowly circling around the creature. Both had several scratches on their armor, along with a few long gashes through the silver. The bald man suddenly made a lunge at the creature with his spear, but the creature jumped over him, stabbing the man through the chest on its way down.

“Master!” Othello cried, backing up as the creature advanced on him.

“Othello!” Glea exclaimed. She glanced back at her shadow. “We have to save him!”

-Risking your life to save a boy you just met seems quite pretentious.

“Help me, please!” Glea begged.

-… I’m going to have to use your arm.

“Okay,” Glea said, extending her right hand. A black shadow burst into existence over her hand, growing in size until her arm was wrapped in a shroud of darkness. Glea blinked, flexing her shadowy right hand. “Wow….”

Suddenly, her arm lunged forward, pointing itself at the creature. A long, slender black spike shot out from her palm, impaling the creature in the head from over fifty meters away. The creature emitted a high pitched shriek, collapsed, and lay still. The black spike pulled back.

Othello turned back, eyes widening at Glea’s sudden appearance. Glea blinked twice, looking down at her arm still cloaked in darkness.

“Umm… Shade, you can turn my arm back now,” Glea said, glancing between Othello’s startled face and her shadowy arm.

-Sorry, but once part of a host’s body has been converted, it cannot be returned to its original state.

“You mean… my arm is stuck like this?” Glea asked.

-Until I leave your body or you die.

“Glea!” Othello shouted, rushing forward to meet her. He slowed as he neared, pointing at her shadowy arm. “What is that?”

“Umm… Shade did that,” Glea said nervously. “I just wanted to help.”

“Well, you certainly have my thanks,” Othello said with a grin. “One more second and I would have been dead.”

“Oh… okay… but what about those people you were with?” Glea asked.

Othello’s expression turned somber. “They were good men. I’m sad to see them go, especially my master, but they died an honorable death. I would ask for no less.”

“I… I’m sorry,” Glea said.

“It’s fine,” Othello said. He glanced at the backpack strapped over Glea’s shoulder. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I still have to help Shade check on something,” Glea said. “What about you? What are you going to do now?”

“I have to report this incident to the royal enforcement division,” Othello said. “It’s my duty as an apprentice, and as a survivor from my squadron. The others who survived will be doing the same.”

“Okay,” Glea nodded.

“Err, if I may make a request,” Othello said.

“Sure,” Glea said.

“I don’t have any traveling supplies, and the Infected tend to attack at inconvenient times,” Othello said. “So, basically… could I travel with you? Just until we reach the next town, of course.”

“Umm… okay….” Glea said. She glanced at the shadow behind her. “Is that okay with you, Shade?”

-I suppose the human could make a decent companion.

“Alright, then let’s go!” Glea said, just as a roar shook the ground. Glea flinched. Othello stepped forward, gripping his sword tighter. Two enormous black hulks dripping black ichor stormed around the corner, like giant black elephants on a rampage. Huge fragments of white bone surfaced amidst the black mass to cover the creatures’ heads as they raged closer and closer towards them.

“Stand back!” Othello said, raising his shield over his chest.

-Glea, tell the human to duck.

“Duck!” Glea shouted as her right arm lurched forward, sending two long black spikes through the creatures’ heads. The black masses trembled for a second before coming to a crashing halt just a few meters in front of them. Othello, having taken her advice, was crouching with the black spikes just inches above his head.

The boy stood as soon as the spikes retracted, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank you again. I probably owe you my life now.”

“It was nothing,” Glea said, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“We’ll head to the northeast, to the city of Hirule first,” Othello said, quickly scanning the area. “It’s the only major city in this region, and the closest location of a royal enforcement division base. I’m going there first to report this incident. Is that okay with you?”

“Shade?” Glea asked.

-The location I’m aiming for is in the northeast, so it’ll probably be on the way.

“Alright, Shade agrees,” Glea said.

“I’m curious though,” Othello said, looking down at the girl’s shadowy arm. “Just what is your friend?”

“He’s a shadow,” Glea said.

“No, I want to ask him myself,” Othello said. He cleared his throat. “Shade, is it? If you can hear me, then answer me this. What are you?”

-Not that you can hear me, human, but I am a psychic manifestation.
***

The black cloaked figure approached the throne.

All around him, bodies lay scattered, the walls stained with red dye. A group of armored men wielding swords and shields ran at him, shouting a desperate battle cry. The figure simply made a gesture, and more bodies were added to the floor, and another large red stain was added to the walls.

A group of men in velvet cloaks, carrying intricately carved wooden staves stood in a circular formation further along the nave. The men chanted, a mystical chant, invoking a power greater than humanity could possibly imagine. A second later, a runic circle appeared at the figure’s feet, slowly shrinking in size.

The figure stopped briefly, and tapped the ground with his foot. Almost instantly, the earth broke apart, forming a massive crater around the figure as colossal stone spires impaled the cloaked men before him. The figure kept walking.

As the throne came into sight, surrounded by pure white marble pillars, and lavish red velvet carpet laced with gold, one last man stood in the way. He looked old, in his fifties at least, and wore an expensive-looking fur coat, with a golden crown placed squarely upon his head. His eyes widened as the figure approached. The figure seemed to grin.

“How did you get in here?!” the man demanded. “Guards! GUARDS!”

The figure gestured, and another blotch of red stained the carpet. He reached down, fingering the golden crown as he sat down onto the throne. Several creatures scurried into the throne room, each with black flesh dripping ichor, and fragments of white bone jutting out of them.

The figure gave a wave and the creatures dispersed. He held the crown up to his eyes.

“That makes eight,” the figure said in a dark, raspy voice. “Just try and stop me now, Sidlin.”

“Why the hell not?!” Mescri shouted.

“It costs three tokens to lodge here,” the lady behind the counter said sternly.

“We’re giving you money,” Mescri insisted. “It’s worth more than whatever these ‘token’ things are.”

The lady shook her head. “No tokens, no service.”

Mescri threw her hands up into the air, and stormed out. Erilus watched her leave.

“Sorry about that,” Erilus said to the lady. He glanced at the dark cloaked boy nearby. “Sidlin, make sure Mescri doesn’t get into any more trouble.”

“I have no doubt she will,” Sidlin said before turning to follow Mescri.

“Your friend is exceptionally rude,” the lady said, looking up briefly at the door.

“She has her positives and negatives,” Erilus said. He leaned in a little closer. “I’m curious though. What are tokens?”

The town Erilus and his group had arrived in was relatively large for its estimated population, according to Sidlin. Tall, wooden buildings rose several stories up, built over rocky soil covered in dust. A few people dotted the streets, mostly large, muscular men armed with some kind of edged weapon. A huge, stone circular structure stood out in the center of the town, rising above all of the other buildings.

Mescri had immediately pointed them to the nearest inn as the sun slowly sank into the horizon. She had told them that she would do all the talking, and Erilus had agreed, but now he wasn’t so sure it had been the best idea.

“Tokens, young man, are the standard form of currency around here,” the lady said. “If you want anything, food or service, from anyone, you’re going to need tokens.”

“So where do you get tokens?” Erilus asked.

“Some people give them out as pay, others gamble them in the casino,” the lady said. “But the most popular method of acquiring tokens is the arena.”

“The arena?”

“That’s right. It’s the big stone building in the middle of town. People go there to compete, and win prizes. It’s a very popular attraction for all of the nearby towns as well. You could win gold, horses, precious gems…”

“And tokens,” Erilus finished.

The lady nodded, flashing a smile. “You look like a fighter, young man. Get in the arena, win some tokens, and you’ll be sure to have a nice, clean room waiting for you here.”

“Okay, thanks a lot!” Erilus said, dashing out the door.

Mescri stood at the corner of the street with her arms crossed, and Sidlin standing nearby. She lifted her head as Erilus approached.

“Come on,” Mescri said with a wave. “We’re wasting time in this town. We’d be better off camping out in the forest somewhere.”

“Wait,” Erilus said. “I heard from the lady. You can get tokens from the arena. If we can just get three, then we’ll have a place to stay tonight.”

Mescri and Sidlin exchanged glances.

“Erilus, you do know what an arena is, right?” Mescri asked in a doubtful voice.

“Sure,” Erilus said. “My father told me it’s a place where people go to compete with their fighting skills.”

“More like where people go to kill each other,” Mescri said. “We’re not going to risk our lives fighting in some huge death trap.”

“Well, it’s not like camping out in the forest is a good idea with all the Infected running around,” Erilus said.

“Yeah, and so it’s safer here?” Mescri shot back. “The Infected took down Giror for crying out loud. What safety can this town provide?!”

“At least we’ll know when the Infected are attacking!” Erilus argued. “Out in the forest they could come at night and slit our throats for all we know!”

“You two should stop acting like children,” Sidlin said.

"Oh yeah? So what's your great idea then, Sidlin?" Mescri said angrily.

"More information should be gathered before determining an outcome," Sidlin said.

"Yeah, Sidlin's right," Erilus said. "We should figure out how the arena actually works before jumping to conclusions."

"Fine," Mescri huffed. "The arena is a hopeless gamble anyway."

About ten minutes later, after a brisk walk through the town, Erilus and his group stood at the edge of the arena. The structure itself was composed of mainly stone bricks, fastened by concrete. Arches stood at ten meter intervals around the structure, a wooden door below each one. Erilus pushed the doors open and stepped inside.

The inside of the arena was essentially a very wide corridor, filled with mostly well-muscled men armed to the teeth. At the end of the corridor, another arch led to an outside space where Erilus could make out numerous elevated wooden platforms, with the blurred forms of the fighters standing atop each one. On either side of the corridor, men and women wearing official looking uniforms sat behind wooden desks draped in velvet cloth. Erilus approached one of the men.

"Excuse me," Erilus said. "I hear this is the arena, where one can win tokens."

"You heard correctly," the man said. "This arena houses a variety of combat simulations, all which grant tokens to the victor."

"So then, what would be the easiest method of earning three tokens here?" Erilus asked.

"Three tokens..." the man rested his chin on his hand. "If your friends don't mind fighting, the simplest way would be to participate in a 3v3 deathmatch."

"No way," Mescri said, sliding up front. "Tell me, mister, what's the safest way to get three tokens?"

"The safest combat simulation we offer is a single-strike match," the man said. "If you land even a single blow on your opponent, that participant is automatically disqualified. However, the rewards for a single-strike match are reduced accordingly. Winning three single-strike matches will only earn you one token."

"So, if all three of us participated in a team match, then if we win three times, we get three tokens, right?" Mescri asked.

"Well, technically it's one token per team member, but yes. Three tokens to the team," the man said.

"Alright," Mescri said, turning back to Erilus. "Sign us up."

"Wait, I thought you were against competing here," Erilus said.

"Yeah, but a single-strike match sounds so ridiculously easy," Mescri said. "We'll win three times in a row, no sweat."

"Whatever you say," Erilus said.

Mescri smiled, and promptly ran out of the arena.

"Where are you going?!" Erilus called after her, but the apprentice magician had already gone. The boy just shook his head.

The registration process was fairly simple. Although writing your name on a contract that yielded responsibility of death carried a dull sense of foreboding. As Erilus signed the third set of paperwork for Mescri, the girl returned, carrying a leather bag filled with weird-smelling material.

"What's with the bag?" Erilus asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Preparations," Mescri said. She snapped her fingers and the bag shrunk to a tenth of its original size. Then she dropped it into her pocket. "Okay, now show me the rules."

Mescri read over the paperwork, nodding several times. Then she placed the papers on the desk, where the man carefully set them aside.

"Good, magic is allowed," Mescri said, almost to herself.

"Your battle begins in five minutes, platform 53," the man said. "Best of luck."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Mescri said, ushering the two boys away. The girl led the group to the corner of the corridor, where she took the bag back out of her pocket. "Alright, you two, listen up. Here's our strategy."

"Erilus, you're the meatshield," Mescri said, pointing at the boy.

"Meatshield?" Erilus made a face. "Are you serious?"

"Yep, you're in charge of making sure I don't get hit," Mescri said with a wry smile. "Which brings me to position number two. I'm going to be the glass cannon. I hit everyone else, and the two of you make sure I don't get hit. If I get hit, the match is as good as over. Protect me with your life if you have to."

"Okay...." Erilus said. He glanced at the dark boy. "You're okay with this, Sidlin?"

"I am curious as to where you obtained these terms, 'meatshield' and 'glass cannon'," Sidlin said.

"It's classic combat terminology," Mescri said. "Anyways, more importantly. Sidlin, you're the team's anchor. Basically, if things get bad, you have to use your disintegration magic and turn the enemy team to dust. Show them no mercy."

Sidlin nodded. "All who stand in my way will be annihilated."

"That's the spirit," Mescri said, clapping the boy on the shoulder.

"Uh... guys, isn't that going a little overboard?" Erilus asked uncertainly.

"Of course not," Mescri said. "All's fair in love and war."

"But we aren't at war..."

"Shut it," Mescri said. "Any battle can be considered a war. Now let's go out there and win!"

A few minutes later, Erilus stood by the massive wooden platform with a red number 53 painted on the side. He took a deep breath, calming his nerves, and climbed up the staircase to the top.

Three burly men wearing padded leather armor, each carrying massive battleaxes stood waiting for him. They glanced at Erilus, and smirked at each other. Apparently, they were underestimating them.

"The enemy team looks pretty average," Mescri commented as she reached the platform. She opened her bag and sprinkled a little bit of green powder on the ground. Erilus watched curiously.

"What's that for?" the boy asked.

"Like I said before, preparations," Mescri replied.

"Are both teams ready?" a referee wearing a white uniform said from the side of the platform.

"Ready!" Mescri called.

"Ready," one of the men on the other team grunted.

"Match begin!" the referee shouted.

"Stall them and cover me," Mescri said to Erilus, and immediately began chanting softly.

Erilus drew his sword and approached the enemy team cautiously. Sidlin stood by, watching.

The men on the enemy team strolled up to Erilus casually, taking long, relaxed steps. They looked like criminals about the beat up a child, which, in a sense, they were. Erilus scowled and dashed forward.

Erilus stabbed at one of the men's chests, and the man, caught off guard, stumbled backwards to avoid it. Then the boy swung his sword to the right, making a clean cut to the other man's stomach. The other man parried with his axe's handle, but Erilus disengaged underneath, making a quick uppercut. The man fell backwards, just barely avoiding the razor sharp point.

An angry roar announced the attack of the third man, swinging his axe down at Erilus. The boy sidestepped the attack, pointing his blade at the man's face for a riposte. Then suddenly, the first man lunged with his fist, smashing into Erilus's shoulder. Erilus recoiled, and somersaulted back, using the momentum to push himself onto his feet. He raised his sword in a defensive stance and let out a breath while the three men on the enemy team recovered.

Well, the people on the enemy team were strong at least, Erilus thought. But between the three of them, apparently none had had much practicing wielding an axe. Their strikes were weaker than they should have been, and badly placed. He shifted his gaze between the three burly men, now eyeing him with suspicious glances. The enemy team would be stunned for the time being, coming up with a new strategy.

"Now would be a good time, Mescri," Erilus muttered.

Suddenly, the platform around the men glowed red, a runic circle forming beneath their feet. Then, before any of them could react, a plume of flame burst out from the circle, knocking the team several feet into the air.

A moment of silence. Then the referee extended a hand towards Erilus and his team. "The victor is team Mescri!"

Erilus glanced back. Mescri had her hands on her hips, smiling smugly. He rolled his eyes.

"Told you it'd be easy," Mescri said as Erilus walked back.

"Those guys were pushovers," Erilus said. "I could've beaten them on my own."

"The meatshield doesn't beat enemies," Mescri said.

"Are you still going on about that?"

"It's your official position name."

Erilus sighed. He glanced behind his back, to the three men, now clambering slowly down the staircase on the opposite side of the platform. "So, Mescri, how did you do that?"

"It's a basic magical incantation using a catalyst," Mescri explained. "Since I don't have any runes with me, I use a catalyst acting as the runic circle to channel the magic."

"Umm... couldn't you just shoot fire from your hands?" Erilus asked. "It sounds a lot easier than all that 'catalyst' stuff."

"The energy efficiency when using a runic circle is much, much higher than trying to manifest raw magical power at your fingertips," Mescri said. "We're fighting three battles here, so I have to conserve energy."

"The next match will begin shortly!" the referee announced.

Erilus looked over to the enemy side. Another three people had assembled, two men and a woman.

The men both looked fairly leaner than the three men from earlier. They both carried swords at their sides, and wore a light cover of chainmail. The woman was dressed in a deep blue cloak, holding a book in her hands.

"Looks like two swordsmen and a magician," Mescri said.

"Yeah, they look a lot more difficult than the last team," Erilus said.

"The enemy female appears to be approximately half your strength, Mescri," Sidlin said.

Both Erilus and Mescri turned their heads to Sidlin. The dark clad boy just looked on straight ahead.

"How can you tell, Sidlin?" Erilus asked.

"Her energy level is lower," Sidlin said. He tilted his head. "I thought it was obvious."

"So, Sidlin, how strong are the two men in comparison to Erilus?" Mescri asked.

"I estimate they will overwhelm him in less than two minutes," Sidlin said. "Assuming there is no support from the female."

"Are both teams ready?" the referee called.

"Give us a minute!" Mescri shouted. She turned to the others, lowering her voice. "Okay, guys, change of tactics. Erilus, you're going to be the spearhead now."

"Better than being a meatshield," Erilus said. "Anyways, what's a spearhead?"

"You're going to be the primary attacker against the enemy team," Mescri explained. "Our team has two magicians and one warrior, meaning the best conventional strategy would be for the two magicians to use support spells for the warrior to break through the enemy lines. Then, if you can take out the enemy magician, this battle will be a piece of cake."

"Okay, so basically I just have to land a hit on the enemy magician without getting hit by the other two guys, right?" Erilus said.

Mescri nodded. She turned to the dark boy. "Sidlin, you're going to be protecting me while I support Erilus. Think you can handle it?"

"What method of protection should I employ?" Sidlin asked.

"Anything you can think of," Mescri said. "Just don't let the enemy reach me."

"Consider it done," Sidlin said.

"Alright," Mescri said. She looked back at the referee. "Ready!"

"Match begin!"

Suddenly, the two men on the other team charged, swords drawn. Sidlin flashed foward, making a wide gesture. Then the men recoiled as if crashing into an invisible wall. Erilus blinked twice, and gave a thumbs up to Sidlin.

Erilus drew his sword, and rushed in, aiming for the woman. However, the enemy magician seemed to anticipate him, and threw a rune-engraved stone at him. As the stone hit the platform, a massive wooden wall burst out from the ground. Then, just as suddenly, a bolt of lightning blasted a hole right through it. Erilus glanced back, seeing Mescri giving him an encouraging wave.

As Erilus leaped through the hole, the woman held out her book, whispering under her breath. A second later, green vines lashed out from between the platform's planks, yanking Erilus down. Then a runic circle glowed red under his feet, and flames engulfed the vines, instantly turning them to ash. The woman was in range.

Erilus slashed horizontally with his sword, forcing the woman to duck. Then he stabbed at the magician's shoulder. The woman dodged, and ran to the left. Suddenly, a runic circle glowed under her feet. A second later, three pillars of flame erupted from the platform.

"Hey, I thought you said I would be the one attacking," Erilus said after he had made his way back to his team.

Mescri shrugged. "It was a good opportunity, and we still won."

"Yeah, but..."

"The next match will begin shortly!" the referre shouted.

Erilus reluctantly turned to face the enemy team. Except there wasn't an enemy team. Only three bloody corpses and a bulky, black wolf-like creature with bristly white bones jutting out its back, dripping with black ichor.

Several screams rang out around the arena amidst savage roars. The referee took one look at the Infected, and promptly turned to flee. Erilus raised his sword, gritting his teeth.

"And you thought staying in town wasn't a bad idea," Mescri said, flinging more green powder into the air.

"Fine, maybe you were right," Erilus said.

"Told you so," Mescri said. The girl thrust her hand out, and three runic circles overlapped underneath the Infected. Then a massive column of fire erupted from the ground, the sound of burning drowning out the creature's screams. A few seconds later, only dust remained.

"Sidlin, how many are there?" Erilus asked.

"Currently, twelve," Sidlin said. He looked up. "A few dozen more appear to be approaching from the south."

"Can we take that many?" Erilus asked, turning to Mescri now.

The girl shook her head. "I'd run out of catalyst, and raw magic will only get absorbed."

"Right, these things absorb magic," Erilus said. He glanced around the arena, spotting four more dark shapes, all among the platforms to his right. He pointed to his left. "We'll head to the exit that way."

The group ran, with Erilus in the lead. Other people ran alongside them, or just randomly, a few screaming, most panicking. It felt kind of silly seeing big, muscled men run away screaming. Although the sight also said something about how dire the situation really was. The Infected seemed to be everywhere, ravaging every town and city they ever came across. Would the kingdom really be able to stop all of these creatures?

As the group finally reached the exit, they found it jammed with people, pushing and shoving to get out first.

"This is annoying," Mescri said.

"How are we going to get out?" Erilus asked.

"Hmm... well, I've never tried it with other people before, but let's do a short-range teleport," Mescri said.

"Uh... how does that work?"

"Here," Mescri said. She grabbed both Erilus and Sidlin by the hand. Then she started chanting slowly.

Erilus glanced over to the platforms. The Infected seemed to be randomly going around killing people throughout the arena. They were still on the other half of the arena though, so Erilus and his group would probably make it. Although it felt somewhat bad leaving the rest of the people here.

"...eta, dori, geni, grepa, teleport!" Mescri declared, and suddenly the world blurred. A second later, everything came back into focus. Erilus glanced around. They had arrived on the street just outside the arena.

A snarling noise caught his attention. An Infected stood on a nearby roof, gazing at them with pure bloodlust. Then, a gesture from Mescri and a flashy explosion later, the Infected fell as ash.

"Seven shadows remain," Sidlin said. "The humans appear to be resisting."

"That's good to hear," Erilus said.

"Twenty-five shadows are approaching the population center," Sidlin added.

"Okay, not so good," Erilus said. "Which way should we head?"

"The Infected are coming from the south, right?" Mescri said. "Then we should head north."

"Where are these Infected you speak of?" a voice hissed.

Erilus whipped around, facing a black, humanoid creature with long, bony arms and sharp, curved claws. The creature's coal colored skin covered its body thinly, revealing most of its bones underneath. It almost looked like a skeletal lizard wrapped in a sheet of black.

The creature looked at the group curiously, as if deciding whether they would taste good or not. Erilus raised his sword, clenching his teeth.

"What's with the weapon?" the creature asked. "Do I really look that threatening... actually, don't answer that."

Mescri reached into her bag, bringing out more powder. Erilus tightened his stance.

"Oh come on, someone speak up," the creature said. "I come all this way to watch you humans kill each other and now you're all just running around like scared sheep. At least give me a decent conversation."

"You look about Destroyer level," Sidlin offered.

"Ha ha, thank you," the creature said. "Yes, Corr did rank me as a Destroyer. I'm surprised you noticed."

"Sidlin, don't talk to the enemy," Erilus said.

"Sidlin?" the creature said, eyes narrowing at the dark clad boy. "You're using the original?"

"Corr has been defeated, and Shade abadoned him," Sidlin said. "The other two fled. I see it fit that I possess the original."

"That makes sense, I'll give you credit," the creature said. "By the way, that magic you're about to use, little girl; it won't work on me."

Mescri flinched, backing up a step. Then her eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? And what magic was I about to use on you?"

"Triple layered explosive runic circle, flame affinity," the creature said. "It would probably kill a Progenitor, but it won't do much against a Destroyer."

Suddenly, three black creatures burst out from around the corner, each dripping with black liquid. Then, each one fell to the ground in pieces, ichor pooling around the piles of black flesh. The creature standing in front of Erilus had its claws extended about a foot, now dripping with black liquid. Erilus's eyes widened.

The creature put on a disgusted face. "These immitations are beginning to annoy me. They put Corr's name to shame."

"Just what are you?" Erilus asked, taking a step back.

"I'm what you humans would call an Infected," the creature said, looking back to the group. "A real one, not those copies you keep referring to. I haven't survived nine years just to have some poorly built constructs steal my glory."

"A real Infected...?" Erilus said. "Wait, if you're a real Infected, then what have we been fighting up until now?"

The creature did its best to make a shrugging gesture. "It appears to be some sort of biological construct modeled after beings such as myself. However, it's rather poorly built, leaking its life essence all over the place."

"Its life essense... wait, you mean that black liquid!" Erilus said.

"Bingo," the creature said. "Anyways, the being you humans refer to as The Corruptor made me, so I know that these constructs aren't the same."

"Hey," Mescri interrupted. "If you're a real Infected, like you say you are, then why haven't you killed us yet?"

"Umm... Mescri, are you trying to get us killed here?" Erilus said.

"Killing you humans would only stain my hands further with filth," the creature said, shaking off the black liquid from its claws. "And besides, you have an aspect of Sidlin with you. I couldn't touch you even if I tried."

"What was that?" Mescri asked.

The creature opened its mouth, but suddenly an arrow lodged itself into its arm. The creature looked somewhat irritated, leaping to the side as three more arrows burried themselves in the ground where it stood.

"Ah, this is why I hate you humans," the creature said, snapping the arrow from its limb. "Always so quick to pre-judge. Well, hopefully we'll meet another time."

The creature waved, dodging several more arrows, and ran off into the distance.

"After it!" came a shout, just as five men armed with bows and arrows rushed past. Erilus just stared blankly ahead.

"Guys... what just happened?" Erilus asked.

"There were still Infected that survived," Mescri said thoughtfully. "So, apparently we aren't dealing with real Infected, only poorly made copies. Which means that The Corruptor is still sealed, and this is all probably just the work of some black magician, or maybe a group of them, trying to copy him."

"I... I still don't understand," Erilus said. "What just happened?"

"Come on, we should start heading north now," Mescri said. "I'll explain it to you on the way."

"What's a psychic manifestation?" asked Othello for probably the hundredth time.

"I already told you everything Shade said," Glea replied wearily.

"Yes, but the description was so vague," Othello insisted. "Are you sure you recited what he said word for word?"

--If you want, I could take control of your mouth and tell him directly.

"No way," Glea said, glancing reflexively at her shadowy arm. "It feels weird having you take control of things."

The last two days had passed with a seemlingly endless march in the daytime, and an exhausted sleep at night. The roads had also changed many times, from simple dirt paths through lush green forests, to long cobblestone avenues over grassy yellow plains. Glea, having walked about a thousand times the distance she had ever walked in her life, had spent every night nursing her aching feet.

Currently, the two were on a relatively well-maintained brick road, leading through a moderately forrested area. Sunlight peeked in through the loose canopy above, giving the place a light, warm feeling. Othello walked in front, carrying the backpack which contained most of their supplies, while Glea walked behind, draping her blanket over her nightgown.

"I take it Shade won't be speaking," Othello said.

"Sorry," Glea said. "But when he uses my body... it feels really awkward."

"It's fine. I think I'm starting to get a grasp of how this psychic manifestation works," Othello said, glancing back. "Firstly, they are spectral beings, meaning that they require living hosts to take a form. Secondly, they possess some sort of strange power similar to magic. And thirdly, only their hosts can hear their voices."

--The human is correct on most parts. However, we are able to take inanimate objects as host bodies as well, with a greater consumption of energy.

"Shade says you're mostly right, but he can use inanimate objects as host bodes as well, with a greater consumption of energy," Glea recited.

"Hmm... I supposed that wasn't beyond the scope of my thinking," Othello said thoughtfully. "Then, with that said, they behave much like spirits, do they not?"

--That comparison is flawed, but the time spent correcting you would be wasted, human.

"Umm... I think Shade just insulted you," Glea said.

"It's a good thing I can't hear him then," Othello smiled. He looked ahead. "Ah, we're almost there."

After a few seconds of walking, the forest cleared out into a plains, splattered with patches of grass. The road led down a hill onto the plains, then stopped where massive gray walls of stone began. Glea looked down at the city with awe, marveling at the enormous stone walls and towers that stretched as far as the eye could see onto the horizon. An agglomeration of colorful buildings and people stood inside the city, although only mere dots from Glea's perspective.

"That's amazing," Glea breathed.

"First time seeing a real city?" Othello asked. "Well, Hirule is the second largest city in the kingdom, so it should be quite a spectacle."

"Yeah," Glea nodded.

As the two made their way down the road, Glea spotted another group up ahead. There were three people, young like she and Othello were, two boys and a girl.

"Othello, there are more people up ahead," Glea said.

"Travelers, like us," Othello said. "Don't mind them. We have no reason to quarrel."

After another five minutes or so of walking, Glea and Othello had nearly caught up with the other group. She glanced over at them, now able to make out some details.

The girl in the lead had black hair, and wore a white linen blouse and brown breeches. She carried a small bag with her, slung over her shoulder. Of the two boys, one wore a long black cloak, covering most of his features. The other wore a brown tunic and breeches, carrying a large backpack with a sword at his side.

As the two drew level with the other group, the dark cloaked boy shot a glance in their direction, revealing a pair of fiercely glowing yellow eyes.

--Dest?

Suddenly, the air shimmered right in front of the dark boy. Then, Glea lurched backward, just as a wave of force ripped through the air where she had been standing. The girl glanced down at her legs, her right one now wrapped in shadows.

"Shade!" Glea cried.

--Sorry, there wasn't time to react-

The other boy appeared before her, sword drawn in an overhead slash. As the sword came down, in a split second Othello drew his own sword and parried, pushing the other boy away.

The girl glanced in her direction, muttering something under her breath. A second later, a pillar of fire erupted beneath her feet, just as she sprang away.

Glea landed a good distance away, but suddenly the dark boy materialized in front of her, and thrust his hand out. Her shadowy hand shot forward, catching the boy by the wrist.

"Dest..." Glea felt her mouth saying. A strange tingling sensation danced across the right side of her face.

"No... Shade, stop..." Glea murmured as she lost the vision in her right eye. Blades of shadow burst out from her right arm, slashing the dark boy in several places. The dark boy leaped back and made a sweeping gesture. Glea jumped away just as the road disintegrated beneath her feet.

She glanced to the side briefly. Othello and the other boy were engaged in combat, swords ringing freely. The other girl just watched the battle, mouthing some strange incantation.

--I see you still haven't learned from last time, Dest.

"Shadow Solstace," Glea's mouth said, her right hand pointing at the dark boy.

A circle of shadow surrounded the boy, black smoke rising up from it. Then, an enormous surge of dark energy exploded from the circle, rising up into the sky in a pillar of darkness.

"Shade, what are you doing?!" Glea shouted. "Stop!"

Suddenly, the dark boy burst out from the dark energy, eyes glowing crimson red. He thrust both hands out, and a colossal wave of dust swept at Glea.

No, the dust wasn't coming at her, Glea realized. The boy was actually turning the air itself to dust.

"Shadow Chrysallis," Glea's mouth muttered. A dome of darkness rose from the ground, enveloping Glea in an inky black barrier. The dust reached the barrier, and an explosion detonated with the force of an asteroid impact.

As the darkness faded, Glea wiped her eyes with her free hand. Then she looked up.

A fissure had broken in the road, surrounding her in a ring that matched the area of the dark dome. The others had stopped fighting for the moment, and were now gazing at her and the dark boy.

"Alright, Sidlin, that's enough!" the girl declared. The dark boy glared at her, crimson eyes flaring, but the girl's expression did not change. Then he sighed and blinked twice, his eyes turning back to yellow.

"I will take no responsibility when she kills you," the dark boy said with a brief gesture in Glea's direction.

"Well, so far it seems like you're the one who's been attacking," the girl said. "She's only been defending herself the entire time."

The girl walked up to Othello and the other boy, pushing them away from each other. "Break it up, you two."

"Uh... sorry about that," the other boy said, sheathing his sword. "Sidlin told us that you two seemed dangerous, so... we just kind of went along with it."

"No harm done," Othello said. The two boys shook hands, smiling at each other.

The girl approached Glea now, looking her over. She pointed a finger. "What's that black thing around you?"

"Oh, umm... this is my friend, Shade," Glea said, raising her right hand. "He's taken control of some parts of my body..."

The girl raised an eyebrow. Then she blinked and shrugged. "Well, whatever. My name is Mescri. These are Sidlin and Erilus."

The girl pointed to the dark boy first, then to the other boy. "So, who are you guys?"

"I... I'm Glea," Glea said uncertainly.

"I am Othello," Othello said. "I'm from the royal enforcement division, here to deliver a report to the city of Hirule."

"I see," Mescri said, glancing at the boy. "I'm an apprentice magician from Giror, also here to make a report."

Othello's eyes narrowed. "Infected attack?"

"Yep. You?"

"Same."

Mescri sighed. "This Infected disaster might have been bigger than I had imagined."

"Yes, and the sooner it gets taken care of, the better," Othello said. He glanced at the dark boy, Sidlin. "By the way, was there a reason why your party attacked ours?"

"Sidlin here said that you seemed dangerous," Mescri said, gesturing at the dark boy. "And considering that he can tell when the Infected attack, and how many there are, we decided to trust his intuition."

--Oh please, detecting constructs is child's play.

Mescri suddenly looked at Glea. "Did you say something?"

"No...?" Glea said.

--No, she didn't. I've finally established enough biomass to project my telepathic field to the rest of you humans. By the way, that body of yours is hilarious, Dest.

"Shade..." Sidlin muttered angrily. "You have no right to call me by that name."

--Hah, this coming from a psychic manifestation trapped in an unstable energy construct.

"Better than having your actions restricted by a human host," Sidlin shot back.

"Stop arguing, you two," Mescri interrupted. She placed a hand on her forehead, pausing to think. "So, from what I can gather, there's something possessing your body, Glea, and apparently it and Sidlin know each other."

--I'm only borrowing this body. I intend to come out when I have enough energy stored.

"Alright, so then what are you... Shade?" Mescri asked.

"He's a psychic manifestation," Othello cut in. "They're somewhat like spirits, which require host bodies to manifest physically. They also grant some strange magical abilities to their host."

"Okay," Mescri nodded. "That makes sense. So the next question is, why did this Shade just call you a psychic manifestation, Sidlin?"

"I am also a psychic manifestation," Sidlin replied. Mescri gave the boy a questioning look.

"I created this body from energy," Sidlin explained. "Although, due to unfortunate circumstances, this body ended up much weaker than expected, and I was trapped."

"That's a reasonable answer," Othello said. "Then why are you here? Both of you."

--I came to see what Corr's situation is. Considering that there are poorly built constructs similar to his running amok, I thought he might have been freed.

"I have no goal in particular," Sidlin said. "I thought I might tag along with these two until my body completely stabilized. Then I would decide on what to do next."

"Uh... guys, I have no idea what's going on," Erilus called from the back.

"See, that's strange," Mescri said, ignoring Erilus. "We just spoke with one of the original Infected a few days ago, and he told us the same thing, that the current Infected are just copies."

"I am also curious as to who this 'Corr' character is," Othello said.

"Yeah, that's been bugging me too," Mescri agreed. The two turned their eyes to Glea, who cowered back slightly. "Care to explain, Shade?"

--Corr is a psychic manifestation much like ourselves. Although his ability is unique. He is able to create biological constructs from his energy, and, in addition, can infect existing organisms, converting them into weaker versions of said constructs.

--A few decades ago, Corr obtained an extremely powerful host body, most likely one of your "magicians". He rampaged around the continent, conquering nations as he pleased. I followed him for a while, but left nine years ago, when you humans somehow managed to seal him.

"Wait... are you telling me... this Corr person is... The Corruptor...?" Mescri said slowly.

--I suppose that is what you humans would call him.

"Hold on," Othello said. "Are you telling me that one of your kind was the one who ravaged the eight kingdoms?"

"Guys... stop yelling so loud..." Glea murmured. "It's scary..."

Mescri and Othello exchanged glances, and they both backed up a step.

"Sorry," Othello said. "But that's insane. If one of you psychic manifestations can wreak that much havoc, then who's to say you two aren't going to do the same?"

--Don't think so little of me, human. I have no interest in your species. However, to answer your question, our powers vary heavily on our host bodies. If we were to recieve a strong enough host body, our powers could potentially exceed the limits of even the gods.

"But we would need something like a rift walker or a Voider to do that," Sidlin added.

"Okay, I have no idea what's going on here," Erilus cut in. "But I have an important question. You guys sound like you know a lot, so can you tell us who the one responsible for the Infected attacks going on right now is?"

Sidlin glanced in Glea's direction.

"I have no idea," Sidlin said. "Shade doesn't seem to know either."

"Figures," Mescri said. "I stand by my hypothesis that a group of black magicians is trying to copy The Corruptor."

--No, that's impossible. Us psychic manifestations generate a special kind of energy to use our abilities. You humans would never be able to duplicate it, not even to the degree of creating these weak constructs attacking us.

"Are you saying this might be the work of another psychic manifestation?" Othello asked.

"It's possible," Sidlin said. "However, for a psychic manifestation to come to this dimension, they would require an extremely powerful host, one that we would immediately sense."

"So then... who's the one attacking us?" Erilus asked.

Silence filled the air.

"Looks like we'll have to find the answer to that question on our own," Mescri said. She glanced behind her, at the walled city in the distance. "First let's go make our reports. Then we can discuss this in further detail."

Othello nodded. "Agreed."
***

Erilus glanced out the window and sighed. Just what had he gotten himself into?

Back when he had vowed to find and save his father, he had known that there would be no turning back, but now... with the repeated Infected attacks, strange people with even stranger powers, and a mysterious evil mastermind, apparently behind everything that had happened so far, lurking in the shadows, Erilus had a sinking feeling that he would never even find his father, let alone be able to save him.

"Hey, Erilus?" Glea tugged at the boy's sleeve.

Erilus glanced back at the girl. She was about a head shorter than him, and had a blanket draped over her like a cloak. A large package of supplies lay cradled in her arms.

"Yeah, I know," Erilus said, lugging a backpack of camping equipment towards the counter.

The two paid the clerk and promptly left the store.

Erilus squinted as the afternoon sun sparkled overhead. The city of Hirule looked somewhat similar to Giror. They both had the same cobblestone roads, large gray stone walls, and guards in silver armor patrolling the streets. The only difference was the number of people. Back in Giror, it had seemed like a festival, with all of the vending stalls set up all over the place, the enormous crowd of people wandering the streets, and the dull drone of conversation filling the air. Now in Hirule, the streets seems rather empty, with only the guards casting suspicious glances at the nearby passerbys, scurrying about.

"Where did they say we should meet again?" Erilus asked absentmindedly.

"We take a turn down that road, then two lefts and a right, and it's the old-looking building with the sign hanging above it," Glea said, making a series of gestures.

"You have a pretty good memory," Erilus said, looking back at the girl.

Glea flushed, giving a smile. "Thanks."

The two proceeded, and, just as Glea foretold, the pair found the inn with ease. Erilus entered, nodding a greeting at the innkeeper at the front desk before stepping up the stairs with the girl in tow.

They had reserved three rooms at the inn, given the now relatively large size of their group. All three rooms had the standard two beds and a single, small wooden table off to the side. There was a collective bathhouse for every floor, and a long, narrow corridor linking the rooms.

Erilus entered the second room to the right, meeting the faces of his fellow group members sitting amidst the beds. Mescri and Othello glanced over at them as Erilus and Glea set the supplies down in the corner. Sidlin, somehow having made his way behind the two, silently slid the door shut.

"Alright, we're restocked on supplies now," Mescri said. "That's one problem out of the way."

"Yes," Othello nodded. "Now we should determine our next destination."

"Wait, what about your reports?" Erilus asked, taking a seat next to Mescri.

Othello frowned. "The royal enforcement division has already been receiving many reports over the past few days regarding infected attacks. My report was considered minor compared to most of the others."

"Some messengers had already sent news about Giror's fall before I got there," Mescri scoffed. "Reporting in was a waste of time, really. By now everyone should be aware of how dire the situation is."

"So what are we going to do next?" Glea asked, plopping down next to Othello.

"You got what I asked you to, right?" Othello turned to Glea. The girl brought out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Othello. The boy pulled the wooden table over and unfolded the paper.

"A map," Mescri said, observing the paper with a keen eye. "Handy."

"Indeed," Othello said. He pointed at a red dot in the northern region of the continent. "This is where we are now, the city of Hirule. According to what Erilus has said, his father is being taken northeast."

Othello slid his finger over to a small black square to the north of the city. "This is the only location I can think for them to take him."

"But... that's..." Mescri said slowly.

Othello nodded. "It's the site where The Corruptor was sealed nine years ago. There are no other significant cities or landmarks to the north of Hirule, so unless the kidnappers intend to take to the sea, this is their most probable destination."

"The Corruptor's original sealing site..." Erilus breathed. It made sense now that he thought about it. It had been an Infected that had kidnapped his father. It was obviously working for The Corruptor, perhaps finding some way of freeing its long forgotten master.

--Strange that one of Corr's constructs would take a human there.

"Do you have any other locations in mind?" Othello asked.

--No, your thought process is reasonable. However, there is really no point in going there. Corr's seal is as strong as ever. I can't feel any of his energy even being this close to him.

"You think the Infected is trying to break The Corruptor's seal somehow?" Erilus asked.

Mescri shook her head. "An astral binding seal would take a hundred seasoned magicians a hundred years to break. Unless you have a stellar alignment that only comes by every ten thousand years or so, there's no chance that anyone could possibly break it."

"Well, we know their destination for a fact," Othello said. "No reason to keep dwelling on the subject."

"I am curious as to what the rest of you will do," Sidlin said.

"How about you, Sidlin?" Erilus asked. "What are you going to do from here on out?"

"I am willing to assist in your endeavors until this energy body of mine has stabilized," Sidlin replied.

"Hmm..." Mescri glanced at the map thoughtfully. She pointed at a white dot a ways south of the city. "I'm going to head here."

"The capital?" Othello gave the girl a questioning look.

"Yeah, the royal army needs to get its act together," Mescri said. "I'm going to go give them a kick in the nads, then maybe they'll start actually doing something. An Infected disaster won't solve itself."

"Hmm... I'm also somewhat concerned over the royal enforcement division's lack of involvement," Othello said. "I shall join you."

Mescri raised an eyebrow. "You think you can keep up?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing," Othello grinned. He looked over at Glea. "What about you, Glea? Where will you go next?"

"Uh..." the girl glanced around uncertainly. "Uh... I don't really know, actually... I think I'll just go where Shade is going..."

--I suppose I'll head over to check on Corr's sealing site, just to be sure.

"Okay," Glea nodded. "I'm going with Erilus then."

"Sidlin, that leaves you with us," Mescri said.

"Wait, why do you guys get Sidlin?" Erilus said.

"That way it's fair," Mescri said. "Your party has Glea, Shade, and you, and my party has me, Othello, and Sidlin."

"But..." Erilus glanced back at the small, nervous-looking girl, body half covered in shadows. "How are we supposed to survive an Infected attack?"

"Shade will bail you out," Mescri said simply.

--It does seem like I will be handling most of the combat work.

"Well... fine then," Erilus sighed.

"Then it's settled," Mescri said.

"So... I guess this is goodbye," Erilus said.

Mescri extended a hand. "It's been a pleasure traveling with you, Erilus."

"Yeah, you too Mescri," Erilus shook the girl's hand.

"Bye Othello," Glea said.

"Goodbye Glea," Othello said. "Try to keep out of trouble."

And with that, the group exchanged their farewells. After a night's rest, some organization of supplies, and a hearty breakfast served at the inn, the groups went their separate ways.

Erilus slowly waded through the sea of branches and grass, squinting carefully at the ground. He stumbled forward, tripping on a root just a little too high for his foot. His hand shot out, grabbing a nearby branch just before he could fall headfirst into a large, thorny thicket. The boy steadied himself and backed up a few steps.

When they had first departed, Erilus had taken possession of the map, since Mescri and Othello both claimed they could make the journey to the capital blindfolded. At first Erilus had thought the trip seemed straightforward enough. There was a single road connecting Hirule to the Corruptor’s sealing site, and since it was the only road to the north of the city, following it straight to the destination should have been simple.

Although he should have suspected something would go wrong with the ominous-looking dark green patch on the map between the city and the sealing site. And as it turned out, there was an enormous jungle grown over the middle of the path. Here Erilus had decided that instead of taking a five-day journey around the jungle, they should go through it instead, following the road. Looking back on it now though, he probably would have made the other choice in a heartbeat.

“Erilus, did you find it?!” Glea’s voice sounded.

“No, it’s not here!” Erilus called back. On top of having to journey through a thick, damp ocean of foliage, he had also lost sight of the road that was supposed to be their guide through this hellish forest. They had spent hours searching for the road again, but to no avail.

Erilus slowly trudged back to the small clearing where Glea waited, watching over their dwindling supplies.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find it,” Erilus said gloomily.

“What are we going to do?” Glea asked nervously.

--You humans get lost far too easily. Your sense of direction is comparable to that of an insect.

Erilus sighed, leaning back against a nearby tree. “I don’t really know… I mean, if Mescri were here she’d have some kind of spell to get us back, and Sidlin would probably just automatically know the way back somehow…”

“I’m sorry that I’m so useless,” Glea said, hanging her head.

“No, it’s alright,” Erilus said, looking down at his feet. “I’m the useless one here. I can’t even walk in a straight line, much less rescue my dad…”

--You’re both equally useless. Finding a single road is child’s play and yet you two are just idling around here.

“Yeah? If it’s so easy, then how do we find the road?” Erilus retorted.

--Climb a tree.

Erilus blinked. “That’s…”

So simple an idea that it failed to cross your mind? You’re welcome, human.

The boy just shook his head. What had he been doing for the past four hours?

“Wow, that’s a really good idea, Shade!” Glea exclaimed.

--No, a good idea would be to utilize the orbit of the closest star to determine the direction of travel. But since you humans are so persistent on finding the road, this is the simplest method.

“But, how are we supposed to climb these huge trees?” Erilus asked, looking up at the near-vertical shaft of the closest tree trunk. From here, he couldn’t even make out the gaps in the canopy where he would supposedly peek out from if he even managed to climb to such a height.

--I suppose you would need some help. Here you go then.

Glea suddenly lurched forward, right hand extended. A thin black spike shot out from her palm, stabbing into the tree. Then her hand swerved upward, and several more spikes flew up, striking at regular intervals. The result resembled a sideways-facing diagonal ladder leaned against the tree, although the spaces in between were a little too large for Erilus’s taste.

“Uh… you want me to climb using that?” Erlius said skeptically.

--Didn’t you want to find where the road is?

“Yeah, but… I’m kind of afraid I’d fall to death if I climbed using those… black things,” Erilus said. He squinted up at the forest canopy. “I mean, this tree is pretty tall…”

Shade elicited what could only be described as a mental sigh.

--I really have to do everything around here, don’t I?

Glea stumbled forward again, her shadowy right hand grabbing Erilus around the waist. Then she adjusted her grip so that she was effectively hugging Erilus from the back, and promptly lifted him off the ground. Erilus craned his neck, giving Glea a look that clearly questioned her sanity. The girl met the look with a nervous glance. “Sorry about this.”

With one swift motion, Glea slung Erilus over her back and stepped up onto the first black spike with her shadowy right foot.

--Alright Glea, I will make this simple for you. Put your foot on the next step and shift your weight to it. I will handle controlling the balance and maintaining our position. Afterwards I will take the next step, and so on.

“Uh… okay…” Glea said, somewhat fearfully. She took a tentative step upward, and her entire body promptly swung forward. The girl wobbled for a brief moment, then her right foot somehow found its way to the next step and hoisted the pair up. The journey continued like this for some time, Erilus growing more and more nauseous every step of the way.

After a few minutes, by some miracle, the pair had managed to reach the tree’s upper branches. Glea’s right hand deposited Erilus on the nearest branch, and grabbed a branch itself, somehow managing to lift the rest of the girl’s body up over the branch and place it on top.

--I’ll assume you humans can take care of yourselves from here. Although with how weak the lot of you are, I wouldn’t be surprised if you needed even more help.

“I think we can take it from here,” Erilus said, gazing into the vast maze of the tree’s upper branches. He turned his gaze down to the half-shadowy girl before him. “Glea, you stay put okay? I’ll come down after I find where the road is.”

The girl nodded several times, and Erilus focused his gaze upward again. He grabbed onto a branch above him, stepping carefully up to the nearest branch. Then he took another step. And another.

After another minute or so, without even thinking, Erilus had reached the height of the canopy. The upper portion of the climb had been far, far easier than the lower. The branches were so numerous that he was never at a lack for a foothold, and perfectly spaced so that he could step as easily from one branch to another as he could walk up a staircase. It was almost as if the tree had been made to be climbed.

As Erilus peeked out from the forest canopy, he couldn’t help but drink in the landscape. Trees filled the entirety of his view, the rustling wind creating ripples that made it almost seem like the forest itself was alive. Even from the highest point, Erilus couldn’t imagine how far the forest extended, the sea of green filled every corner of the horizon, spreading endlessly into the distance. The boy took a moment enjoying the view, then quickly scanned the trees for any signs of the road. After about five minutes, he found it, the miniscule gap in the forest canopy. It wasn’t actually that far from his location, only about a ten minute walk. Erilus sighed, shaking his head. The path had been right under their noses this entire time.

The boy stepped down from his high perch, turning to tell Glea, when he heard her shout.

“Erilus! Something is going on down here!” Glea’s voice carried up to him on the wind.

“What? What’s happening?!” Erilus shouted back, jumping down from branch to branch. As he neared, the boy saw Glea hanging onto one of the branches, looking at the ground below them. And on the ground, Erilus saw an enormous group of silver bodies surrounding the tree, all gazing up at them with numerous pairs of gleaming black eyes.

“Wolves…” Erilus breathed to himself. It hadn’t been his first time seeing one, he and his father encountered them occasionally on the road to the city. However, he had always seen them at a distance, and never had he seen this many gather together before.

--They’re not here by coincidence. Something led them to us.

“What do you mean, Shade?” Glea asked.

--My best guess, someone traced us with the energy I used earlier and is manipulating these wolves to keep us from escaping.

“Huh? You mean those black things you used to climb the tree?” Erilus asked.

--Correct. I didn’t reabsorb them, so anyone with significant magical affinity could have traced their energy and found us.

“What? Isn’t that your fault then?” Erilus said accusingly.

--I didn’t think there would be any magic-privy humans in such a dense forest. Evidently, I was wrong.

“Wait, do you think maybe… someone is following us?” Glea asked.

--Highly possible, given the circumstances.

Erilus gritted his teeth. What was he going to do now? They were surrounded by wolves, and would probably be attacked as soon as they got down from the tree, but if they just waited, some powerful magician might find them and then who knew what would happen…

They had to escape somehow, maybe jump to another tree? Erilus glanced around, looking for somewhere, anywhere, they could go. There were trees nearby, yes, but looking at how thin the branches were where the trees connected, they would fall to their deaths as soon as they approached another tree.

“Ugh…” Erilus grumbled to himself. There had to be a way out of this. He wasn’t going to die here. Not in this ridiculous situation.

“Uh, Erilus,” Glea said nervously, pointing at the ground below. “I think there’s someone coming.”

--That would be the magician, I presume.

“What? Let me see!” Erilus jumped down onto the branch Glea was clinging onto, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the person.

However, as soon as Erilus landed on the branch, it bent under the weight, then abruptly snapped. Erilus managed to see a tall, bulky figure emerge from the treeline before the freefall decimated his sense of balance.

As Erilus fell, he reached out, grabbing Glea by the wrist. The girl twisted in midair, Erilus briefly glimpsing her face, half teary-eyed and filled with fear, the other half shadowy and filled with determination. Then her right arm lashed out, a sort of scythe head springing out from it. Glea’s arm stabbed itself into the tree, and Erilus felt the falling slow. Then a horrible cracking noise reached his ears as Shade ripped through the tree, slowing their descent until they stopped just a few meters from the ground. Erilus let go of Glea’s hand, letting himself fall onto the ground. The girl jumped down herself a moment later.

Just as the two reached the ground, a cage of roots suddenly erupted into existence around them. Erilus quickly stood, glancing out of the wooden bars at the wolves, sitting obediently and watching them, and at the man now approaching the base of the tree.

He was tall and muscular, as Erilus had observed with his short previous glimpse at him. He had a shaggy brown beard and equally unkept hair. A wreath of leaves surrounded his waist, leading down to a pair of worn leather breeches and boots. The man wore no clothing on his upper body, which boasted a large quantity of scars from claws and blades alike.

Erilus tensed as the man approached them, but he simply walked past them to the tree. He pressed his hand against it, and whispered something… an apology? A single tear streaked down his eye. Then he wiped his face with the back of his hand and turned to the pair, expression contorted in rage.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” the man bellowed at them.

Erilus clasped his hands over his ears to avoid going deaf. Glea did the same, and the wolves immediately stood at attention, snarling at the pair in the cage.

“Wh-wh-what do you mean…?” Erilus managed to squeak out.

The man pointed a huge finger at the tree. “You dare harm such a beautiful creature?!”

“Wha…?” Erilus said. He glanced up at the many holes and large tear in the bark. “Uh… we just wanted to climb it...”

“And what evil have you wrought, bringing a shadow creature upon this land!” the man pointed at Glea next.

Glea squealed, pressing against the edge of the cage, away from the man.

--You know, it’s strange… I swear I know this human from somewhere…

The man blinked twice. Then his eyes narrowed. He clenched his teeth, voice seething with anger. “Corruptor… you dare play tricks of the mind with me?!”

--Ah, yes! I remember now. You’re Urogan the Druid Archmage, the one who fought Corr to a draw in the forests up north.

“So you do remember, vile fiend,” the man spat. “I haven’t forgotten the damage you’ve done to the wilds of the north. Prepare to face judgment!”

The man took up a stance, green energy flowing into his body until his entire form glowed a deep verdant hue. The right side of Glea’s body seemed to darken, and the roots around her began to wither and die.

“Wait, stop!” Erilus shouted, stepping between the two. “You’re mistaken! This isn’t The Corruptor!”

“Out of the way, boy!” Urogan growled. “I have unfinished business with this black magician!”

--I would recommend you move aside as well. Unless you want to die, that is.

“Please! Just let me explain!” Erilus pleaded with the man. “We’re not here to cause any harm! We just wanted to pass through!”

The man paused for a few seconds. Then he let out a breath and the energy around him dissipated. He looked down at Erilus, expression relentless. “Speak. You have sixty seconds before I turn all of you into mulch.”

Erilus took a deep breath. Then he began explaining everything, starting with his father being kidnapped, the fall of Giror, their journey to Hirule and encounter with Glea and Shade, and finally how they tracked the Infected to the northeast and The Corruptor’s sealing site. He was certain he had gone over the time limit somewhere in the middle, but the man didn’t move to stop him. Finally, as he finished, Urogan let out a great sigh and promptly sat down in front of them.

“So Gaeln is dead, is he?” the man said, pressing his fingers against the upper bridge of his nose. “I thought something was wrong when the shadow creatures reappeared, but to think it has already gone this far…”

“Uh…” Erilus said, unsure of what to say. The man sighed again, and waved, the roots around them falling back into the ground.

“And it is not The Corruptor I meet on this day, but his minion,” Urogan said, standing back up to full height. He let out a whistle and the wolves that had gathered instantly dispersed.

--Oh please, I never served Corr, I only observed and intervened as I saw fit.

“Then I suppose you are not the one behind this incident?” Urogan asked.

--Making constructs isn’t in my skill department.

“Actually, just what can you do, Shade?” Erilus asked. He blinked. Why hadn’t he asked about Shade’s abilities before? It would have been extremely useful to know the extent of the shadow’s mysterious abilities on more than just one occasion.

--As the Shadow Aspect of Sidlin, I possess the ability to utilize and enhance the true potential of my host. All I have done is use this girl’s potential to manifest my power.

“Uh… what…?” Glea said, voice trembling slightly.


“Wait, Glea’s potential?” Erilus said, confused.

“The girl has a very strong magical affinity,” Urogan said, nodding thoughtfully. Then he blinked and went back to glaring at Glea, who cowered back against the tree. “Then, shadow creature, if you are not The Corruptor, as you say, and are not causing the reappearance of the Infected, what is the source of this disaster?”

--You want to hear my opinion?

“That is what I am asking,” Urogan said.

--Well, I personally think a rift walker is behind this mess.

“A… rift walker…?” Erilus said slowly.

--Actually, forget I said that. It’d be pointless to try and explain to you humans.

“So you refuse to tell me what is behind this disaster, and yet you know,” Urogan growled. “I am reminded of the day The Corruptor made his retreat from the wilds of the north. Never will I forget the mockery he inflicted upon me…”

“Um… c-can I ask a question…?” Glea said nervously, looking up at the man.

“You may,” Urogan said.

“Well… uh… who are you?” Glea asked.

“Wait, you never told us who you were,” Erilus said, giving the man an expectant look.

Urogan glanced between the two slightly eager faces suspiciously, then he scoffed. “So you have never been told of my legend, have you? Very well, I shall enlighten you. I am Urogan, Druid Archmage of the north, guardian of nature and all things living.”

--He’s a hermit who secludes himself for decades at a time in the wilderness. People would remember him, if he only showed his face.

“Silence, shadow creature!” Urogan declared. “I have done so to become one with nature and elevate my natural magics!”

--He’s also one of the four most powerful magicians on the continent, so I suppose at least that part is working.

“Of course!” Erilus snapped his fingers. “The story of the four Archmages! How could I have forgotten?!”

“Oh yeah, I remember that too!” Glea exclaimed.

“Hmph, finally recalling my legend?” Urogan said, somewhat satisfied.

“There’s Gaeln the Arcane Archmage, Urogan the Druid Archmage, Salipha the Ice Archmage, and uh…” Erilus thought aloud.

“Tristan, the Artificer of the south,” Glea added.

“Right,” Erilus snapped his fingers. He turned back to the massive man before him. “So then… you were one of the four who sealed The Corruptor nine years ago, right?”

“Correct, young lad,” Urogan said with a smirk. “Although the day was a dark one, in the end we prevailed and ceased The Corruptor’s reign of terror. The astral binding seal designed by Gaeln is near impregnable, constantly drawing power from the four artifacts made by Tristan scattered around the world. Even The Corruptor couldn’t break out from it.”

The man brought out a small leather bag from under his leaf belt. “I still carry mine around to this day, a reminder that The Corruptor remains sealed and will never return.”

--If you already knew Corr was still sealed, why did you suddenly think I was him?

“Silence!” Urogan said, making Glea cower again. “No witty commentary is necessary from you, shadow creature!”

“Huh…” Erilus said, staring at the bag in Urogan’s hand. He was so sure he had seen something like that before… but where?

“What’s the matter, boy?” Urogan asked, looking down at him. Erilus shook his head.

“Nothing,” Erilus said quickly. He glanced around again, focusing back on Urogan. “Well, uh, we should probably get going. I still have to find my father.”

“A young man on a quest,” Urogan said, nodding thoughtfully. He clapped his hands together. “Very well! This Archmage shall escort you to your destination!”

--Oh boy…

“No, that really isn’t necessary,” Erilus said, holding up both hands. “And, uh, don’t you still have to fight off the Infected or something?”

“Nonsense!” Urogan said, clapping the boy on the back with such force that Erilus nearly fell flat on his face. “Without The Corruptor to guide them, the Infected are but petty rabble! Given their numbers, it will take many weeks to clean them all up, but it shall be done easily!”

“Well, uh…” Erilus started, but he couldn’t find any excuse for the giant man not to accompany them. He sighed, hanging his head. “I guess we do need some help finding our way through this forest…”

“Excellent!” Urogan said. “Not to worry, young lad, with a legend such as myself here, finding your father will be no more than a trivial task!”

The massive man began lumbering off, trees parting in his wake as he gestured for them to follow. Erilus looked to Glea, and the girl glanced nervously at the giant man, but nodded nonetheless.

Well, at least with an Archmage on their side, they should be relatively safe, Erilus reasoned in his head. No matter how powerful the Infected who kidnapped his father was, there was no way they could match one of the four most powerful magicians on the continent.

His reasoning proved sound, Erilus continued, ignoring the sinking feeling in his gut that everything was about to go horribly, horribly wrong.

“I thought you knew the way to the capital,” Othello said, following Mescri and the dark cloaked boy as they quickly ducked into an alley.

“If you could be shut up for a single minute, it’d be a miracle,” Mescri said, more to herself than the boy following her.

“But I normally remain silent for multiple minutes,” Sidlin said.

“Not you, Sidlin,” Mescri said, glancing around to make sure nobody was following them.

Othello shrugged. “It’s your fault for lying about our destination.”

“I said be quiet,” Mescri growled at the boy, tapping at the sides of the nearby houses.

So far, Othello, Mescri, and Sidlin had not gone south to the capital, as previously planned, but rather, had stayed in the city. The two boys had followed Mescri around for about an hour now, one keeping obediently quiet, and the other wondering just where they were going.

“You’ve done the same thing to all the buildings in this district,” Othello said, watching Mescri examine the walls of the house with a critical eye. “Just what could you possibly be looking for? And why are we still here instead of heading towards the capital?”

“You ask too many questions,” Mescri said, crouching down to get a closer look at the base of the walls. She ran her finger across the line that connected the ground to the house and scowled. “Not this one either.”

“You know, if you told me what you’re trying to find, I might be able to actually help instead of idling around here,” Othello offered.

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to find it,” Mescri said, immediately jumping up and running over to the next house, Sidlin tailing behind her. Othello followed, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t understand what could possibly be so special that you’d go through this much effort to try and find it,” Othello said.

“That’s the point,” Mescri said. She frowned at the house in front of her. “D***, not this one either.”

“You know, I might just head over to the capital myself if you’re going to be like this,” Othello said, watching as Mescri turned and began inspecting the next house.

“Then you can go ahead and leave,” Mescri knocked on the walls. She gave a surprised look. “Really? Is it this one?”

“You found it?” Othello said, giving an equally surprised look.

“One way to find out,” Mescri said with another glance to make sure they weren’t being watched. Then she held out her hands and promptly blasted the house with flames.

Suddenly a runic circle engraved on the walls began glowing, red etchings running across the entire structure and the ground nearby. Then the house vanished, leaving a downward sloping staircase in its place.

Othello walked over slowly, looking down the stairs, wide eyed. “Well, I can sort of see why you wanted to find this place so badly now. But I would think finding a secret underground chamber would be much easier.”

“A fifty year old rune engraved inside a double wall isn’t exactly easy to locate,” Mescri said, peering down the stairs as well. She made a gesture and a glowing white orb appeared by her hand. Then she strode down the stairs, both boys following.

As the three entered the chamber, the ground instantly resealed itself above. Othello gave a start, but Mescri just waved it away.

“Getting out is the same as getting in, you just need to activate the rune,” the girl said.

“Well then…” Othello said, quickly recovering. “Mind explaining where we are exactly?”

“My master Gaeln, the Archmage of the west, told me once that he kept secret storage chambers full of magical equipment all over the world,” Mescri explained as the group descended further and further underground. “He told me that if he should ever die, I should visit the chamber in Hirule to find everything I need to finish my magical education.”

“So that’s why we’re here,” Othello said, nodding slowly. “Except, what does this have to do with the Infected? I thought you wanted to prevent them from spreading.”

“And that’s not going to happen with my current level of magical knowledge,” Mescri said. The girl stopped as they reached the bottom of the stairway. The others slowed, looking back at her.

“What’s the matter?” Othello asked.

“…what was that spell again?” Mescri muttered to herself. “Derisa, ucrisa… esclimi!”

Suddenly the entire chamber lit up, light flooding down from the ceiling. Mescri waved and the ball of light floating by her disappeared. Then she cast her gaze around the room. Bookshelves lined the walls for as far as the eye could see, filled with scrolls and texts so ancient that they might crumble under a single touch. A few benches were built around at random intervals, along with runic diagrams drawn everywhere on the ground and along the walls. A single, obelisk-like structure stood in the center of the chamber, radiating power like a miniature sun.

Mescri immediately strode towards the structure in the center, Sidlin following quickly. Othello stepped slowly into the chamber, taking the time to marvel at the sheer magnitude of material stored inside.

“This place is amazing,” Othello breathed as Mescri reached the structure. She put her hand to it and it broke apart, four triangular pieces hovering next to a long, needle-like rod. The rod glowed blue, and the girl could sense the immense magical power flowing through the machine. This was one of the rare devices which collected and condensed magical power from the atmosphere, effectively “creating” magical energy.

“Alright,” Mescri said, stretching her arms. “This is a good location.”

She glanced back to the boy. “You can drop the act now.”

Othello stopped, giving Mescri a confused look. “Pardon?”

“You know, you almost had me fooled back when you were fighting Erilus,” Mescri said. “Your sword skills are pretty good, almost on-par with a veteran knight, but you can’t hide everything so easily.”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Othello said. “If you’re complimenting me on my swordplay, I give credit to my master for teaching me so well.”

“And that’s another thing,” Mescri continued. She brought out a scroll from a pocket in her tunic. “I did some personal investigation, since I wasn’t completely convinced from your act during the fight. I talked with one of the knight commanders at the royal enforcement division headquarters in Hirule, and guess what I found out? There was no royal enforcement squadron stationed at the town you and Glea claimed you fought the Infected. Furthermore, the record of the apprentice knight named Othello Hedith says he died more than ten years ago.”

The girl held up the scroll, and Othello frowned.

“There must be some kind of mistake,” Othello said. “I’m quite certain that-”

“And one last thing,” Mescri said, glancing at the dark cloaked boy beside her. “When we were approaching the city, Sidlin told us that we were being followed by one human and two shadows. Originally I thought Glea and Shade were some kind of combined creature, but after investigating your history, I’m sure now.”

Mescri pointed an accusing finger at the boy. “You, Othello, are not human.”

Othello was silent for a moment. Then he sighed deeply and hung his head. “I suppose I won’t be able to convince you otherwise. Yes, you are correct, I’m not human.”

“You sure are taking this calmly,” Mescri said, brandishing the staff at the boy. “So what are you then? Another psychic manifestation? An Infected? Some sort of magical construct?”

“I’m an Infected, one of the originals,” Othello said, looking back up. “I should also mention that I possess the highest rank amongst all the Infected Corr has ever created, Nihilator.”

“The highest rank of Infected?” now it was Mescri’s turn for confusion. “The Infected have ranks?”

“From weakest to strongest, it goes something like, Initiator, Phage, Progenitor, Destroyer, Nihilator,” Othello explained. “Phages could probably defeat your average soldier, Destroyers could level cities by themselves; us Nihilators are supposedly slightly weaker than an Archmage.”

“Interesting…” Mescri said. Then she shook her head. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“Why? No reason really,” Othello began to pace around the base of the stairway, his expression wistful. “I’ve always been at The Corruptor’s mercy, running around destroying one thing or another. I guess it’s been interesting conversing with humans after so long.”

Mescri narrowed her eyes, tightening the grip on her staff. “I don’t buy it; you’re acting. All Infected are essentially wild beasts. There’s no way you could be one and still have your humanity intact.”

“You really don’t know anything about Infected, do you?” Othello stopped, looking at the girl out of the corner of his eyes. He raised a hand, pointing at the girl. “You have the report detailing my death, correct?”

“Yeah…?” Mescri said tensely.

“Read it again,” Othello said. “Carefully.”

“What? It just says you were killed over ten years ago in an Infected attack,” Mescri waved the scroll around. “What are you trying to pro-“

The girl paused as realization dawned on her.

“No way…” Mescri breathed after a moment’s silence.

“The Infected didn’t just suddenly appear one day,” Othello said, a tinge of suppressed anger in his voice. “We aren’t mindless puppets The Corruptor summoned from hell. Even the name implies that much, don’t you think?”

“No, no, no, that’s impossible,” Mescri shook her head several times, backing up until she hit the obelisk. “If that’s what you’re saying, then… then we…”

“The Corruptor does not create Infected, he transforms things into them,” Othello continued. “And depending on the number of parts he uses, the Infected can vary in power.”

“Parts…?” Mescri said under her breath.

Othello grimaced heavily, then his entire body shuddered as if under a tremendous pressure. Suddenly the back of his head burst open, and behind him, a massive spider-like creature unfolded. It had four enormous limbs, each splitting into four smaller limbs that touched lightly onto the ground. The main body of the spider creature was made from what looked like an agglomeration of randomly assorted body parts. Arms, legs, heads, feet, fingers, and toes all stuck together in a mess of black ichor. A long black appendage extended from the main body, connecting to the back of Othello’s head. The boy took a few deep breaths, and looked up again, his eyes stained a crimson red.

“Disgusting, isn’t it?” Othello said, several mouths attached to the spider creature echoing his words.

Mescri, who had covered her mouth with her free hand to prevent herself from vomiting, couldn’t help but silently agree.

“You know, you weren’t all that wrong about most Infected being mindless beasts,” Othello said, additional mouths adding their own whispers to the speech. “When that creature killed me, I thought it was the end. I spent an eternity in darkness, and when I finally woke up again, I was in hell.

“Everyone who comprises of the Nihilator shares the same consciousness, the same emotions, and the same despair. And that’s all I felt upon waking. Endless despair. Despair from death, despair from losing family and loved ones, despair from losing one’s humanity, or simply despair without reason. That was my world.

“At first, I was pulled into the tide of despair as well. Who wouldn’t be in a world like that? But, since the Nihilator has a shared consciousness, I started to learn of my circumstances as well. How I was just a collection of parts used to assemble a weapon to be used to destroy the world. And that… made me really angry.

“I hated The Corruptor, so much that mere words cannot fathom the depth of my hatred. I kept hating him, and hating him, and hating him, until I had built my hatred to the point where it surpassed the collective despair of everyone else in the shared consciousness. Then for a brief time, I managed to regain my individuality. I quickly used the Nihilator to reconstruct my original body, and separated my consciousness from the masses. But, as you can see, I still cannot completely get rid of them. Though it’s still amazing, my hatred won against the despair of thousands.”

A moment of silence passed.

“…and your point is?” Mescri asked.

Othello sighed, a colossal hiss resounding from the spider creature behind him like the sound of a deflating balloon. “Insensitive as ever, I see. Regardless, I wanted to make two things clear. I am a conscious individual, and I hate The Corruptor, probably more so than anyone else on the continent. That being said, I’d like to ask a favor of you Mescri.”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “A favor? From an Infected? Is this a joke?”

“No joke,” Othello shook his head. “You see, The Corruptor’s seal comprises of three elements. An astral alignment, a catalyst to act as his prison, and a massive amount of magical energy. If any one of these is destroyed, then the seal will be broken.”

“You can’t destroy an astral alignment, the catalyst is this entire continent, and magical energy is intangible,” Mescri said matter-of-factly. “The seal can’t be broken no matter what, even novice magicians know that much.”

“Right, however, the source of magical energy can still be destroyed,” Othello said.

Mescri’s brow furrowed. “You can’t destroy a source of something intangible.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Othello said. “It should be theoretically impossible for a single magician to supply enough energy to a seal powerful enough to contain The Corruptor by themselves. So how do you think the seal functions?”

“It draws magical energy from the atmosphere,” Mescri replied automatically. Then she froze.

“And how does it do that?” Othello asked.

Mescri didn’t reply. Her mind was ablaze, trying to disprove Othello’s hypothetical claim… and failing.

“I’ll tell you then,” Othello said. “One of the four Archmages who sealed The Corruptor created magical artifacts that draw power from the atmosphere and supply it to the seal. There were four artifacts created in all, and each one was given to an Archmage for safekeeping. If all of them are destroyed, the seal can be broken.”

“That’s…” Mescri started, then she shook her head clear. “So what? You said it yourself, you’re one of the strongest Infected and you’re still weaker than an Archmage.”

“Painfully true,” Othello said with a grimace. “Six of us Nihilators died trying to kill the Archmages on The Corruptor’s orders. Another one of us was hunted down in the aftermath after his sealing. Including me, only two of us are left. However, that doesn’t mean we have to defeat the Archmages to break the seal.”

“What do you mean?” Mescri asked, eyes narrowing.

“Gaeln was the Arcane Archmage, correct? Did he not give you something when he was killed?” Othello said.

“Give me something…?” Mescri tried to recall. Then her eyes widened.

“If one good thing has come out of this new Infected disaster, it’s that some of the Archmages have been brought down by these magic nullifying Infected,” Othello said, a grin tugging at his face. “My partner has already gathered one of the artifacts, you have another, and we know the holders of the remaining two as well. It’s only a matter of time now.”

“You’re trying to free The Corruptor? You’re more insane than I thought…” Mescri said through clenched teeth. “Then I’ll just have to stop you here!”

“Wait a minute, I think you’re misunderstanding something here,” Othello said, putting up his hands. “I may be trying to free The Corruptor, but I have no intentions of taking over the world like he did nine years ago.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you listen to what I said earlier? I hate The Corruptor,” Othello said, eyes flashing red again. “I will free him, then I will destroy him. I will annihilate him so thoroughly and completely that he will wish he was still sealed, and then I will find another host body for him to possess and repeat the process. I will force The Corruptor to go through the same hellish suffering I’ve suffered a thousand times over!”

The mouths on the spider creature attached to Othello roared their agreement. The boy closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then having calmed down, he opened them again and looked to Mescri.

“But in order to do that, I need that artifact you’re holding.”

Mescri hesitated for a moment. Given that she hated The Corruptor as much as anyone, Othello seemed to have a much more obsessive hatred. Even being an Infected, he hated The Corruptor with his very heart and soul… but that was just it. He was still an Infected. There was no telling what would happen to him if The Corruptor was freed, Othello might be instantly brainwashed for all she knew. The girl shook her head strongly.

“You’re still insane, I can’t let you have the artifact.”

Othello sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“Your plan also sounds ridiculously stupid,” Mescri continued. “I mean, you already have your freedom, but you’re going to jeopardize it over some petty revenge? What are you, six years old?”

“Objectively speaking, yes, it is stupid,” Othello admitted. “However, you haven’t been subjected to the torment of being transformed into… well, this.”

Othello gestured at the spider creature attached to his head. His expression suddenly contorted. “Even now, I can barely keep them under control. Shapeshifting into human form takes everything I have.”

“And another thing!” Mescri pressed on. “You’re trying to free and kill arguably the most powerful entity in known history when you can’t even beat an Archmage!”

“Not to worry about that,” Othello said. “The Corruptor’s host will have withered by now, so he will have thirty percent of his original power at best. I’m fairly confident that I will be able to kill him once freed.”

A moment of silence passed as Mescri tried to find another point to argue, but there was nothing else she could come up with. Sensing her lack of additional comments, Othello spoke. “Are you finished criticizing me now?”

Mescri scowled. “Whatever, you’re still not getting the artifact.”

Othello nodded slowly. It had been the answer he had been expecting. He raised a hand slowly, one of the enormous limbs behind him mimicking the gesture. “Then, sorry, but I’ll be taking it by force.”

“Gotcha,” Mescri said before slamming her staff into the ground. Runic etching began glowing at her feet, extending forward until they covered the entire chamber floor. Suddenly lightning erupted from the ground, converging on Othello until smoke began rising from his body. Then Mescri brought up her staff and shot a final, decisive bolt at Othello, sending the boy flying across the room with a massive resounding BOOM. The girl lowered her staff, runic etchings slowly fading.

“Ah, this brings me back,” Othello’s voice said in a chorus of whispers.

Othello stepped out from the enormous hole now broken into the staircase, dust clouds slowly settling. Scorch marks marred his skin, now so disheveled he could’ve been mistaken for a giant burnt potato. The spider creature behind him looked about the same, but then black ichor poured out from Othello’s wounds, covering him from head to toe in the tar-like ooze. A moment later, the ichor dripped to the ground and both Othello and the spider creature looked good as new.

“I took quite a few of those back when I fought Gaeln in the first siege of Giror,” Othello chorused along with hundreds of mouths on the spider creature. “I’m surprised you know the spell, to be honest.”

“Okay, that’s just gross,” Mescri said, holding up both hands and backing away. “I think you might want to reconsider doing that, because I’m getting nauseous just from looking at it.”

“Ah well, The Corruptor was never one for aesthetics,” Othello shrugged, a few random shoulders lodged into the spider creature mimicking the gesture. “Anyways, where was I…”

Suddenly, the Nihilator leapt forward, instantly materializing above Mescri’s position.

“Sidlin, now!” Mescri shouted, shooting lightning at the Infected with her staff. Then the spider creature dashed back with incredible speed as a large hole appeared in the ceiling above, dust cascading down from it.

“Whoops, almost forgot about that aspect of Sidlin accompanying you,” Othello chorused as Sidlin lowered his hand.

“The shadow is stronger than us, we will be overwhelmed,” Sidlin said, eyes focused on Othello.

“Well, we aren’t going down without a fight at least,” Mescri said, pressing up against the magic condensing device behind her. She raised her staff at Othello, who was giving her a curious look, and blasted the Infected with fire so hot it glowed light blue.

Othello’s expression turned thoughtful. “Well, since you’re going through so much trouble…” The spider creature raised two limbs, rearing up on its hind-legs, and blocked the blue torrent. “I guess we’ll see who can last longer.”

Mescri gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of her own energy reserve, and all the power should could absorb from the machine into the flames. But the Nihilator showed no signs of damage, and Othello’s expression didn’t change. After about a minute, Mescri’s staff began to smoke. Then it burst into blue flames, and she dropped it, continuing to discharge the torrential fire from her hands. Her hands started steaming, and Mescri winced, ignoring the searing pain through her fingers and upper arm. An appendage from a limb dropped from the spider creature, disintegrating as it touched the ground, but Othello didn’t seem to mind. He actually seemed more worried about her hands than the limb he had lost.

Finally, as Mescri’s hands and forearm had shriveled to resemble oversized raisins, she halted the flame barrage and collapsed to her knees. Her entire body trembled, seized with pain, her hands cracked and smoking. She panted heavily, taking great care not to scream in agony, and glanced in Othello’s direction to see the results of her effort.

Both limbs the Nihilator had used to block the flame barrage were set ablaze like bonfires, another two appendages fell to the floor and promptly turned to ash. The others dripped black ichor, scorched to the ancient brown bone underneath. Othello surveyed the damage thoughtfully.

“I think overall, with that attack, you took more damage than I did, Mescri,” Othello said, giving another worried look at her hands. “If you want, we can stop for now and take a break. Or you could give me the artifact and all of this will be over.”

“Shut… up…” Mescri huffed angrily.

Othello sighed again. “Fine, have it your way.”

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Othello pounced, knocking Mescri to the ground. In a split second, he examined the girl, reached out, and snatched the small brown bag she had put back into her pocket before the fighting. But before the Infected could escape, half of his arm suddenly turned to dust. Othello leapt back, frowning as his hand clutching the bag disintegrated. He pressed his other hand against his stump and slowly began regenerating.

“Your attack was far too reckless,” Sidlin commented, moving to cover Mescri.

“Did you… have a better plan…?” Mescri grimaced, trying to remember one of the few healing spells Gaeln had taught her.

“No, we should not have attempted this battle in the first place, the Nihilator is too powerful,” Sidlin said.

“Hey, I didn’t start it,” Mescri said after chanting the low syllables for a lesser restoration spell. Her hands and arms glowed a rich golden color, gradually reverting to their former state. She stood up, flexing her fingers experimentally. The girl glanced in Othello’s direction, the boy’s arm gradually growing back. “So, any ideas on how we can beat him?”

Sidlin fell silent for a moment.

“Our combined power does not exceed that of the Nihilator,” Sidlin finally said. “However, if I took over you as a host body, I may stand a chance of defeating it.”

“A host body?” Mescri said, confused for a second. Then she snapped her fingers. “Oh right, you’re a psychic manifestation like Shade.”

Sidlin nodded, still facing front. “If I used your body as a host, I could employ more of my power.”

“But I would end up like that girl Glea, right?” Mescri said, stretching her arms now. “Yeah, no deal. I’ve still got a future as a magician, and I’m not trading that away just to become a monster again.”

“Again?” Sidlin questioned, but Mescri waved the boy away.

“My past is stupid, don’t bother with it,” Mescri said, keeping her eyes fixed on Othello. The Nihilator had finished regenerating, and was flexing his new limb. His gaze quickly fixed upon the discarded brown bag on the ground.

“Arrogant b***ard…” Mescri muttered, extending her arm. Another staff flew from beside a bookshelf into her outstretched hand. She twirled it once, then slammed it down, heel-first, into the ground. Othello glanced up at her, as if just realizing there was someone else in the room.

“Last chance to hand over the artifact peacefully,” Othello offered again. “As much as you might disagree, I really don’t want anyone to get hurt over this. The Corruptor is the only one who should suffer.”

“Are you serious?” Mescri said, expression contorting into a mixture of rage and disbelief. “I am so done with your nice guy act! You’re just an Infected that’s so delusional you think you can actually free and kill The Corruptor! Screw peaceful! This won’t end until one of us is dead!”

“You are being extremely idiotic right now,” Sidlin warned.

“I don’t care,” Mescri growled. “I’m sick of that attitude of his. If I don’t kick his *** right here, right now, I’m going to throw a fit.”

Othello looked a little distraught. “Well, I’m sorry you think that way. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve always thought of you as a great friend.”

“Shut. The. Hell. Up.” Mescri almost shouted as she fired another lightning bolt. Othello dodged swiftly and jumped again, but this time Mescri was ready. A runic circle glowed from the ceiling as the apprentice magician finished her incantation. Then a wall of lightning cascaded down, forcing the spider creature to a halt. Mescri pointed her staff, and two more runic circles glowed to the side. The bookshelves trembled, then collapsed as the walls smashed into the Nihilator, sandwiching it between enormous slabs of stone.

Then suddenly, the stone completely shattered as the Infected broke free. Othello brushed the dust off his tunic, completely unharmed.

“Hmm… this round was a little lackluster compared to your previous attacks,” Othello said, cracking his shoulder. “Are you perhaps running low on energy?”

Mescri shot a glance behind her at the now dimly glowing magic condensing device. Othello was right, she had burned too much energy with her flame spell. The condenser barely had enough power left for another two spells, and her personal reserves were already spent. The girl gritted her teeth. Maybe she should have just given up the artifact after all…

“It only takes two seconds for me to transfer host bodies,” Sidlin said, eyes swiveling in Mescri’s direction.

“I already told you, no!” Mescri said, resorting to pure bolts of magic power as Othello stalked closer and closer to them. The bolts exploded on contact with the spider creature, but didn’t seem to be doing much harm. Othello feigned another yawn, looking fairly bored now. The girl turned angrily to the dark boy. “Instead of babbling about that again, why don’t you try helping?!”

Sidlin pointed, but the Nihilator leapt to the side, another hole appearing in the ceiling. The boy’s form flickered, and his dark cloak disappeared.

“Looks like both of you are low on energy,” Othello said, keenly observing the two. “It won’t be long now.”

“Urgh… screw you!” Mescri said, pointing her staff at him. “Just take your trinket and leave then!”

“Thank you, I will do just that,” Othello chorused. “This will be goodbye then.”

The Nihilator walked up to the pair and Othello picked up the small brown bag, expression instantly turning bright. Mescri waited with bated breath, until the last possible second…

“Now!” Mescri screamed, slamming her staff on the ground. Then a magic circle appeared below the spider creature, seething with darkness.

Othello snapped his gaze around, his eyes widening. “You… what are you doing…?”

“Darkness affinity magic,” Mescri said, a little of her previous confidence returning in her voice. “It’s usually forbidden, but I did some research in my spare time and got the hang of it. You won’t survive this spell!”

Mescri paused, waiting for the spider creature to shrivel up and die. Then she frowned. “What…? Why isn’t it working…?”

Suddenly Othello collapsed to his knees, clutching his face so hard his nails drew blood. “You… don’t know what you’ve done… I told you before… it takes all I have to control them… and now… you’ve just set them free…!”

“Wait, what?”

Then the spider creature exploded.

Globs of black flesh and ichor sprayed everywhere as a massive wave of body parts surged from the spider creature like a tidal wave. Mescri ducked behind the obelisk, fear gradually seeping into her heart.

“Run!” Othello shouted, now invisible behind the wall of black flesh. “I’ll be able to hold them back after the spell ends, just run away!”

“************” Mescri spared no effort with her language. The tidal wave of black flesh crashed against the magic condensing device as while Mescri chanted desperately, a protective bubble appearing around her and Sidlin as the glow from the magic condensing device faded. She was just grasping at straws now, she knew. Sidlin had been right all along. They didn’t stand a chance against this Infected. Mescri closed her eyes and braced for impact…

“Hostile entity detected,” a voice said. “Initiating countermeasures.”

The room suddenly exploded.

A massive beam of light tore through the ceiling, blasting into the ground like the ignition of a miniature star. Othello’s expression contorted in disbelief as the beam moved, slowly making its way towards him. He leapt back and the beam followed, homing in on his location. Then the black magic circle beneath him collapsed as the light destroyed the floor, and the black flesh instantly receded. Othello cast a relieved glance at the two standing in the center, then broke out through the ceiling. The energy beam slowly shrunk, and finally faded away, leaving a long, oval-shaped crater in the ground.

Mescri just stared for a moment as sunlight streamed through the hole in the ceiling. Then she shook her head, blinked several times, and turned to the boy next to her. “Sidlin, did you…?”

“Ness,” Sidlin said simply, looking up.

“Presence confirmed: Dest, Destruction Aspect of Sidlin,” the voice from before continued. “Presence confirmed: unidentified human of the second gate.”

A shimmering, glowing form descended into the chamber, light slowly fading as the new arrival touched the ground.

He looked almost exactly like Sidlin, except his hair and clothing were white instead of black. His eyes, in contrast, burned a shadowy violet as he scanned the room.

“Let me guess…” Mescri said slowly, pointing at the white boy. “You’re another psychic manifestation.”

“Correct,” the boy nodded at her. “I am Ness, Darkness Aspect of Sidlin.”

“Ness… did Con send you?” Sidlin asked.

“Indeed,” Ness nodded at Sidlin now. “You, Shade, and Corr have all been sought by Con. An apparent crisis requires our attention.”

“So… I’m guessing this ‘Con’ character is another psychic manifestation?” Mescri inquired.

“Con is the Control Aspect of Sidlin and commands us, the other aspects,” Sidlin explained. “However, they have been missing ever since we separated over a thousand years ago. This is the first I have heard of their return.”

“Indeed, I have only recently met with them within the æther,” Ness agreed. “They were, apparently, stranded in a dimension within the first gate and had no means of escape. A rift walker rescued them from exile and has brought them to the vicinity of this dimension.”

“Ok, can you two please stop getting all buddy-buddy with each other for a minute here?” Mescri said, holding up both hands. “I have a few questions. First, Ness, what are you doing here? Second, why the hell are there so many of you psychic manifestations? Third, can someone explain why you keep talking about dimensions?”

“I am Ness, Darkness Aspect of Sidlin,” Ness repeated. “I have come to retrieve the other aspects at the request of Con. There are five aspects of Sidlin in total, and while we can act independently from one another, we are collectively referred to as Sidlin. There are many other psychic manifestations which exist in the multiverse, of which I cannot calculate an exact number. Dimensions refer to the planes of existence, in one of which we currently reside. There are an infinite number of dimensions, as well as alternate universes which follow the same existential laws within relative dimensions. I have experience with approximately thirty-million dimensions, and extensive knowledge of relative dimensional physics and conceptual principles, if you wish to hear it.”

Mescri just stared for a moment. “No… I think I’m good… I’ll just… ignore that dimension remark.”

The girl shook her head clear. “Anyways, moving on, you said you were here to ‘retrieve’ something?”

Ness nodded. “I have been sent to locate the other aspects of Sidlin, Dest, Shade, and Corr. Our presence is required for the resolution of a cross-dimensional crisis.”

“What is happening on the surface?” Sidlin asked.

“I have not heard the details from Con, but he spoke as if the entire multiverse would be annihilated if we did not act soon,” Ness said, turning to Sidlin. He turned back to face the space between the two. “Regardless, I must locate Shade and Corr before contacting Con. Come, Dest, let us reunite with the other aspects.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think so,” Mescri said, pointing at the boy with the head of her staff. “Othello just ran off with a piece of the key to break The Corruptor’s seal, which means it’s more important than ever now that we get to the capital to warn everyone. And you, Ness, are coming with us to sort out this Infected disaster and make sure another one doesn’t start. Then after that you two can go have your merry adventure saving the world or whatever you’re up to.”

“I have no obligation to follow you, human,” Ness said without turning.

Mescri shrugged. “Well, I guess you’ll miss out on where Shade is located then.”

Ness instantly whipped his head at the girl. “Where is Shade?”

“I’ll only tell you if you follow me to the capital,” Mescri said, folding her arms.

The white boy seemed to consider for a moment. Then he nodded slowly. “Estimated search time exceeds travel time to confirmed location. Very well, I will accompany you to your destination in exchange for Shade’s whereabouts.”

“Good, I’m glad you understand,” Mescri said with a sly smirk. “Come on then, Ness, Sidlin, we’ve got Infected to destroy.”

The girl walked towards the staircase, several scrolls flying off the shelves into her hand as she waved by them, the white and black boys following silently behind her.

“It’s just beyond this treeline!” Urogan bellowed to the two figures trudging a good distance behind him.

“Oh… my god…” Erilus wheezed, pushing up against a tree to avoid collapsing. “How… does he… run so fast…? Are all… Archmages… like this…?”

“I… don’t… know…” was Glea’s exhausted reply before falling facefirst into the dirt.

--I gave you all that extra energy and you still end up like this. What a disgrace.

“I’m… sorry…” Glea huffed into the topsoil.

“Come on, put in some effort!” Urogan came back, clapping his hands rapidly to jolt the two to a start. “Where’s that enthusiasm you lads had at the start?”

“It was gone when we hit ten kilometers,” Erilus replied wearily. “Just how big is this forest anyway?”

“This is but a glimpse of the true forests of the north!” Urogan said. “Now get up! We’re wasting time! Our destination is but a step away!”

Erilus dragged himself painfully back to his feet, now covered in blisters from the incredibly long hike through the forest. His back ached and muscles cramped, but he held his gaze steady. Just beyond the treeline… his father could be there – no, he must be there.

The boy strode with renewed vigor, the massive man’s eyes lighting up.

“Now that’s how a man should be!” Urogan clapped Erilus on the back, nearly sending him sprawling into the dirt.

“Ugh…” Glea moaned, pushing herself up as well.

--Here, have another dose.

Glea blinked. Suddenly she didn’t feel tired anymore. All the aches and cramps ailing her just faded away like frost against the morning sun. The girl rose, stretching out the remaining kinks, and glanced briefly towards her right arm. “Thanks Shade!”

--I’d say you’re welcome, but this is the thirtieth time already…

The girl clambered after the two, and as the group walked over the final ridge of trees, the ground suddenly opened up into a clearing. A massive crater filled the space, and at the very bottom Erilus could just barely make out a runic circle carved deep into the ground.

“The Corruptor’s sealing site, the place where we got rid of that filthy black magician once and for all,” Urogan said in a low tone. “It’s been nine years since I’ve been here. The seal is still strong, it should last for millennia to come.”

“Dad…” Erilus whispered to himself. He quickly scanned the sides of the crater, but found no signs of anyone present. He made his way up to the ridge of trees surrounding the crater, and froze.

“Everyone, back!” Erilus cried, sprinting back the way they came.

The massive man and tiny girl gave him a strange look, but followed nevertheless.

“What’s wrong Erilus?” Glea asked.

“Indeed, is this not where you wished to go?” Urogan inquired.

“Not that,” Erilus panted heavily. He dashed back up against a tree, peeking out at the crater. “On the other side.”

Glea and Urogan exchanged glances. Then the two followed suit, hiding behind trees and spying from afar.

On the other side of the clearing, a black creature stood, white bones jutting out from it, dripping black ichor. Two men sat at a small campsite, a single tent set up next to a long-burnt-out campfire. Another man was visible, a solitary figure chained to a nearby tree. The two men seemed to be conversing, the black creature observing them.

“Is that…?” Glea asked slowly.

“The Infected that took my father, yeah,” Erilus nodded.

“Hmm…” Urogan squinted at the scene. “I feel like there’s something… something I’m missing… young lad, who did you say your father was again?”

“He’s just a craftsman, nothing too special,” Erilus said modestly.

“I’m asking for a name, boy,” Urogan said.

“His name is-” Erilus paused. He blinked, but mentally shook his head. There was no way. “His name is Tristan Praxi.”