Nephis led Shakti and Cassie into a lodge, a quiet, unassuming structure nestled within the castle's grounds. Effie was already inside, sitting in a chair, a large, polished spear resting against her shoulder. As soon as the three women entered, Nephis activated a memory. The air shimmered, and a faint, ethereal dome enclosed the room.
"This memory blocks any external sound," Nephis stated, her voice cold and deliberate. "This discussion will be private."
Shakti laughed, a short, bitter sound that held no humor. "A perfect situation to kill me and erase the evidence, isn't it?"
The casual venom in her words hung heavy in the air. Cassie winced, her face etched with guilt. "Look, what happened to Kane was clearly Neph's misjudgment, but…"
"Please, stop the bullshit," Shakti interrupted, her tone sharp and devoid of patience. "Just finish it. I have other things to do."
Nephis's eyes, cold as glaciers, met Shakti's. "I want to clarify some things. There's been a rumor about the prophecy, that a river of blood will flow in the castle and a star is rising among us. Where did you get that information?"
Shakti's smirk was a thing of chilling confidence. "Before meeting you, Kane told me everything he knew about it."
Nephis and Cassie's eyes widened in unison. "Everything?" Nephis's voice was barely a whisper.
"Everything. Yes," Shakti confirmed. "Every single minute detail."
Effie, who had been a silent observer until now, spoke up. "So, is it true?"
Nephis ignored her, her focus solely on Shakti. "Then you must know that this is the only way you'll ever get out of this hell, won't you?"
"Sacrificing people for your goal?" Shakti scoffed, her disdain evident. "Please. You're just gaslighting yourself."
Cassie's voice was pained, full of the grim weight of her knowledge. "Are you suggesting another way?"
"What I'm trying to say," Shakti shot back, "is that I can't trust a cold-hearted bitch who would sacrifice people even when the same goal could be achieved with less blood." Before Nephis could protest, Shakti held up a hand. "And don't even tell me you're giving them an 'honorable death.' Don't."
Effie, sensing the escalating tension, stepped in. "I'm really missing Monto-maniac, but we need to stand on the same page to escape."
Shakti's gaze shifted to the tall woman. "I agree. But this lady will sacrifice people for her needs. I can't follow or ally myself with someone like that."
Nephis's voice dropped to a low, dangerous tone. "That is the only choice you have. Ally with me, because that is my will."
"And what makes you think the prophecy will come true?" Shakti scoffed. "You think it can't be delayed?"
Nephis's eyes widened, a flicker of genuine shock on her face. Cassie quickly asked, "What do you mean?"
"You never truly understood the people in the vision, did you?" Shakti said, her voice filled with a knowing superiority.
"I understand it better than you think," Cassie countered, her voice shaking with guilt.
"Whatever," Shakti said, waving a dismissive hand. "Cut straight to the point."
Nephis took a deep breath. "I want three things. First, I want you to help me search for Kane and Sunless. They've quit on me. Second, I want your cooperation for a certain mission. Third, I want you to stop spreading information about the prophecy."
Shakti considered her words for a moment. "I can't agree to the first and third demands. As for the second," she added with a smirk, "you need to pay for the services. About the payment, I'll let you know."
Nephis tried to argue, but Shakti remained firm. She then turned and left the room to continue her work, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.
Nephis watched her go, then turned to Effie. "Effie, I need to speak with Cassie alone."
"Okay, Princess," Effie replied, giving them a knowing look before she left.
Nephis looked at Cassie, her expression softening. "I know you're mad at me for trying to kill Kane. I made a judgmental error."
Cassie turned away, her sightless eyes seeming to see straight through Nephis. "I told you clearly that I could talk to him. But you took that decision yourself."
Nephis was taken aback, a rare look of vulnerability on her face. "I know. I was suspicious because he spied on me. He hid his Aspect. I may have been wrong to attack, but he gave me every reason to be suspicious."
"Yes, he did," Cassie agreed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "But where is he now? Do you think he'll ever listen to you again?"
A grim expression settled on Nephis's face. "Yeah. I clearly messed up with both Sunny and Kane." She turned and left the room, her shoulders slumped.
After she was gone, Cassie collapsed onto the table, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and guilt. "Kane… don't leave me alone… please." The whisper was a desperate plea to the empty air.
********
The stench of ozone and iron hung heavy in the air, a grim perfume to their victory. The last Nightmare Creature crumbled into dust, and the silence that followed was a profound ache in their ears. Kane's arms felt like lead as he returned his sword to its sheath, the familiar motion a comfort against the bone-deep weariness. He glanced at Missy, who had curled up on the blood-soaked ground, her chest rising and falling in shallow, exhausted breaths. For a creature made of pure energy, even she had a limit.
"Session's over," Linia said, her voice a low hum. She had unsummoned her scythe, its obsidian blade winking out of existence with a final, silent shimmer. "Now for the next one."
The new day brought a new terror. A low, chittering sound echoed from the ravine ahead, and the Shadow Stalkers emerged. These were not mindless beasts; they were a relentless swarm. Their numbers were infinite, and their glowing red eyes seemed to lock onto the trio with a malicious intelligence. They didn't just attack; they flowed around obstacles, always seeking a weak point. The condition was simple: for two hours, they would not stop coming. The only way to survive was to outlast them without being overwhelmed.
Linia immediately resummoned her scythe, becoming a whirlwind of dark steel. Her weapon's sweeping arcs were perfect for clearing swaths of the agile Stalkers, turning them into mist before they could land a blow. Kane, his sword a sharp contrast, stood his ground, a fortress of steel. He adopted a new stance, relying on precise parries and counter-slashes to deflect the constant stream of claws and teeth. He didn't focus on killing but on keeping the swarm off Linia and Missy. Missy, meanwhile, became their possession. Her mist nature pulsed, creating a shimmering possession that kept the creatures in a state of confusion, causing them to shriek and recoil from her pure energy. The strategy worked, but it was a grueling, static defense.
As the first hour ended, the Stalkers' chittering changed pitch. They had adapted. They stopped their frontal assault and began to flow like a dark river around their flanks, aiming to separate Kane and Linia. The pressure became unbearable. "They're circling us! We can't hold this!" Kane yelled over the din. Linia knew they couldn't fight this way for another hour. She had to take the initiative. She abandoned her wide sweeps and lunged forward, using her scythe to create a precise, narrow corridor of cleared ground, forcing the swarm to bottleneck. Kane moved with her, his sword now on the offensive. He became a spear, thrusting into the bottleneck to carve a path deeper into the swarm. Missy's erratic movement became a moving spearhead, focusing her power to disrupt the densest clusters. They were no longer defending but pushing back, a slow, grinding advance against the endless swarm. Every step was a victory. When the two hours finally ended and the last Stalker dissolved into shadow, the trio collapsed, not just from physical exhaustion but from the mental strain of a changing battle.
Their muscles screamed in protest, but the final stage was upon them. Before them stood a forest of obsidian pillars, from which emerged the Ember Golems. These giants were slow and few in number, but they were nearly indestructible. Their very presence was the condition: a thermal aura that grew stronger with each golem destroyed. The air around them began to crackle with heat, draining their strength and threatening to melt their gear. They had two hours to win before the heat incapacitated them.
Missy's voice, though weak, was their only hope. "Aim for the fissures! Their weak spots are where their heat escapes!" As a golem lumbered forward, its chest aglow, Missy channeled what little energy she had left. A final, powerful wave of energy hit the golem, causing the magma within its fissures to glow with a blinding intensity. Kane sprang to action. His sword, which had bounced harmlessly off the golem's hide, now found its mark, sinking deep into the molten core of the exposed crack. Linia was in her element. Her scythe didn't chip at the Golems; instead, she used its heavy blade to strike the ground with a rhythmic force, creating localized quakes that threw the Golems off balance, exposing more fissures for Kane to target. But with each golem they shattered, the heat intensified, making every breath a burning effort.
As the last hour began, the largest golem emerged, its body radiating a crippling heat. Their weapons were dangerously hot to the touch. The handles of Kane's sword and Linia's scythe were starting to steam. Linia took a desperate gamble. Instead of trying to trip the golem, she began to attack with incredible speed, using her [Flame Stone] attached to the scythe. Kane, seeing her plan, began to bait the golem, running in tight circles to draw its attacks. Missy, her light flickering, let out one last, powerful burst of energy, not at the golem, but at the ground beneath it, causing a massive, temporary fissure. As the golem roared in pain and surprise, Linia unleashed her stored energy. A concentrated beam of pure heat shot from her scythe, combining with the golem's own power. It was a reckless move, a battle of fire against fire. The golem staggered, and Kane, with his last bit of strength, plunged his now-glowing sword into the exposed core. The golem roared as it crumbled, its internal magma cooling into a fine, black sand.
Silence. The oppressive heat vanished instantly, replaced by a cold breeze. They didn't have the energy to clean their weapons. They simply dropped them, Kane collapsing on his back beside Linia. Missy landed softly between them, and with a quiet sigh, her glowing light dimmed. They had done it. They had survived the final session.
Linia took the [Flame Stone] from the scythe and unsummoned her weapon. Kane looked at her and asked, "Finally, we can get to the next level. By the way, where did you learn to wield a scythe?" He was genuinely scared of facing her in a duel. Even though she primarily wielded a sword, her scythe attacks were devastating.
Linia looked at him and said, "I… I learned it myself."
Missy's faint voice echoed in his mind. "Whatever the next session is, I'm not fighting it."
Kane solemnly nodded and summoned her back into his soul sea. After some rest, Linia and Kane stood up and walked toward a white light that was their exit. The door was etched with runes, and as Kane looked at them, they translated in his mind.
Welcome to the Hour Maze.
"It seems we might be entering the next maze," Kane said, a grim sense of déjà vu washing over him.
Linia frowned for a moment. Suddenly, Kane heard Missy's muffled cries. "No... no! Not fighting again!"
Kane sighed and said, "We don't have a choice. We need to clear this level to escape." As they spoke, both of them entered the door. What they saw stunned them. Linia, who had seen her share of madness, had never seen a place like this. Missy was so stunned she was at a loss for words.
Kane looked at the impossible place and said, "It seems logic just went to fuck off."
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So How was the chapter?
1.Peak
2.Good
3.Meh
4.Bad