"No, Mok!" Paltio shouted desperately as he watched his butler slip just as the massive curtain of fire began to descend upon him.
At that exact moment, Pax acted swiftly. With an agile motion, he extended his hand and firmly grabbed Mok, pulling him back from certain death. The flames roared behind them, consuming the spot where Mok had been only seconds before.
"Thank you," Mok said, still trembling as he regained his balance.
"Mok, you seem a bit distracted," Paltio remarked, observing his butler with concern.
"Don't worry, Master, I'm fine," Mok replied, though his voice betrayed a hint of unease. "I don't know what happened… I felt something on my path that made me trip. If it hadn't been for Luke—I mean, Pax—I wouldn't have made it."
"Are you two done whispering? Let's keep moving," Aresus interrupted indifferently, showing no emotion whatsoever about the near-death experience they had just witnessed.
"What a cold-hearted man!" Paltio muttered under his breath, irritated that Aresus didn't care that Mok had almost been burned alive.
Everyone followed Aresus down a narrow path that sloped downward. The air grew heavier, and the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive as they advanced.
"Well, just a few more meters, and we'll reach the end of this tunnel," Aresus announced, his voice echoing off the narrow walls.
Finally, they arrived at a dead end. There was no visible path ahead, only compact rocks and dirt. Paltio pulled out what he had assembled of the scepter and began inspecting the area, searching for signs of the missing piece.
"Have you found what you came for yet, boy?" Aresus asked impatiently. "Hurry up; I've got other things to do."
Aresus subtly observed what Paltio held in his hands. Thinking it was the perfect moment to seize the scepter pieces, he crept closer, careful not to draw attention. However, just as he was about to touch them, an invisible force violently repelled him, throwing him backward.
"So the rumors are true… That boy is the only one who can touch that thing," Aresus muttered to himself, frowning beneath his helmet. "Fine, I'll let him live—for now—and Pax too, but the butler… I have plans for him. The stone I placed to make him slip didn't work."
The light from the scepter pieces shone brightly, illuminating the dead end in all directions. Yet, it revealed nothing about where the final piece might be hidden.
"Golden, can you sense where the piece is?" Paltio asked through the mental link, his voice tinged with urgency.
"I'm sorry, lad, but since 'The True' sealed the search plane, I can't perceive its location. You'll have to find it the old-fashioned way," Golden responded, frustration evident in his tone.
"Yes, there's no other choice," Paltio sighed, looking around. "I'm sorry, everyone. I feel it's here, but I can't pinpoint exactly where."
"It's probably buried," Pax suggested, crossing his arms as he analyzed the terrain.
"Well, we'll have to dig for it," Mok said decisively, unsheathing his knives. "Let's start digging."
They quickly spread out across the area: Mok to the left, Pax to the right, and Paltio in the center. Meanwhile, Aresus stood near the base of the incline leading to the exit, observing them with a calculating expression on his face.
"Perfect. They've made my day," Aresus thought to himself, a malicious smile forming beneath his helmet.
At that moment, taking advantage of everyone's distraction as they searched, Aresus swiftly drew the sword from his back. With precise movement, he plunged it into the ground, and something akin to a dark flash emerged from it, slithering through the earth like a fish in water.
The creature surged from the ground with speed, gliding like a land-bound fish until it reached Mok's position.
Alert, Mok noticed something moving beneath his feet. With a quick motion, he unsheathed his sword and blocked what appeared to be a direct attack. However, what he had stopped was only the tip of the iceberg. Suddenly, a series of sharp spikes erupted from the ground, brutally piercing his arm and leg.
Mok managed to cut them down with the sword Geki had given him, but the earth beneath his feet began to crumble rapidly. The butler lost his balance, and the sword flew out of reach to one side.
At that exact moment, Aresus acted with lightning speed. He stealthily approached Pax, and before the latter could react, Aresus struck him with a precise blow, knocking him unconscious and sending him sprawling toward the entrance—the only exit. "Let's see whose side you're really on, soldier of the Red Shadows," Aresus whispered coldly as he left Pax incapacitated.
Paltio turned at the sound of Mok's pained cries. His face filled with terror as he saw his loyal butler wounded and struggling to stay upright. Without hesitation, he decided to run toward him.
But just as he attempted to move forward, an enormous mouth erupted from the ground beneath them, opening with ferocity. Before Paltio could fall, Aresus leaped toward him and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him back forcefully. From there, both watched as the creature devoured the injured Mok, dragging him into the depths of the hole it had created.
"No, Mok!" Paltio screamed in desperation, tears streaming down his face as he struggled against Aresus's unyielding grip.
"Let me go! I have to save Mok!" Paltio pleaded, his voice trembling with anguish.
"Don't be foolish, boy. That creature is fierce. Besides, your butler deserves every bit of this," Aresus replied coldly, his tone laced with contempt.
"What do you mean? What do you have against him? You don't even know him!" Paltio exclaimed, staring at Aresus with disbelief and barely containing fury.
Aresus let out a deep, mocking laugh, echoing like a somber reverberation through the tunnel.
"Foolish? You think I don't know that useless butler? Finally, I've had the chance to exact my revenge on him."
"What… what do you mean, you know him? Who the hell are you? Are you insane?" Paltio demanded, struggling with all his might against Aresus's relentless hold.
"Well, well… Does the little prince want to know who I am? I thought someone of royalty would never concern themselves with scum," Aresus sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "But you don't need to worry about that fool anymore. Finally, I can rid myself of that useless man who abandoned me to my fate. I've waited years for this moment, and now, at last, I've done it."
"But who the hell are you?!" Paltio insisted, still struggling to break free, though Aresus's grip gave him no room to move or call out to Golden for help. Frustration and fear churned within him as he tried to make sense of the cruel words of the man before him.
"Scum will always be scum, no matter how they dress or what social class they belong to," Aresus declared coldly, his tone as icy as steel, resonating like a cruel warning in the dark space.
"Let me go!" Paltio shouted, thrashing desperately against Aresus's unyielding hold.
"Paltio is in trouble," Lucca said through the mental link, his voice heavy with concern.
"Yes, I must go!" Rykaru responded with determination. "No one is going to hurt my daddy!"
"No, child, don't go. If the enemy knows we're here, there'll be more trouble," Lucca interjected quickly, trying to reason with the young Rykaru. "We need to be strategic."
"We still need you, boy," Aresus said coldly, tightening his grip on Paltio even further. "Find what's missing and release Lord Urugas. Only then can you think about saving your butler."
Paltio tried to move, but it was futile. Aresus's grip was like a steel vice, unbreakable.
"Damn it… I can't move… This guy is so strong…" Paltio muttered, feeling his strength waning. "I can't call on Golden's power…"
"You won't escape my grip, boy. It's not for nothing that they call me Aresus the Overwhelming," he declared arrogantly, his hand clamping down harder on Paltio's waist, completely immobilizing him.
"Behave yourself, boy, and obey. Find what's missing," Aresus ordered, his stern tone echoing like a somber reverberation.
Suddenly, Pax regained consciousness and reacted immediately upon seeing the figure restraining Paltio. With contained fury, he hurled his sword toward Aresus's helmet. The blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, splitting the helmet in half and revealing a sinister face that left everyone stunned.
"It can't be… You're… you're… M…" Pax and Paltio stammered, unable to finish their sentences as they stared at Aresus's newly uncovered face.