Steam rose, filling room 666 with an ominous fog. As the veil of mist slowly subsided, the corrupted figures on the far side of the room came into view. A frail imp, its spine grotesquely protruding, clung to life. Beside it stood a man, wreathed in steam and shrouded by ghostly dark flames that lingered around his form.
Slowly, the spine shifted back into the body. There were no screams; the imp showed no sign of pain throughout the process. Once his spine was re-stitched, he turned his gaze toward the source of the strange smoke. A man, naked and struggling to stand, stood there. A grin spread across the imp's face the gourmet was sizzling hot.
Back on his feet, the imp slowly approached the man shrouded in a veil of mist. The mist howled as he drew near, the black ghostly flame still lurking. The entire scene was dark and grim, and from the outside, it appeared as a "Veil of Corruption."
Before the imp could get any closer, a crimson dome shot out, enveloping him completely. A figure dashed forward, positioning herself between the imp and its prey.
Silia glanced back, noting that the crimson dome had successfully captured and, for now, contained the imp. "Are you alright? Can you walk? I have no idea what kind of abomination that little devil is, but we need to run now."
THUD... THUD...
The crimson dome was being rammed from within, cracks forming across its surface.
Seth's vision was returning, and the pain was fading. In its place, chaotic energy—Aether—began coursing through his veins once more, healing him faster with each passing second.
Just in time, he fully recovered before the imp could shatter the crimson dome.
"Silia?! Where am I? That dome... the imp?"
Silia, relieved he was back, urged him, "We need to go. There's no time left. We have to evacuate with the rest of Greywell—what's left of it." Her face darkened as she spoke, a shadow of despair crossing her expression.
Seth didn't ask any more questions as he followed her, dashing toward the exit door, which had been blown apart by the knight demon, leaving a massive hole in its place.
As Seth ran, he took in the destruction around him with awe. There were enormous craters, crumbled walls, and a collapsed roof, yet parts of the wall still gleamed smooth and white. His eyes widened as a thought struck him, and he slowed his pace as he approached the exit. Near the gaping hole lay a sign that read: Room No. 666.
"This room... Malo..."
He yelled, "Where is Malo?!"
Silia, without turning around, replied coldly, "I will tell you as soon as we are out. Just follow me."
.......
The little imp finally broke through the crimson dome, using its claws to chip away at it. However, the crimson surface began to recover just as quickly as it was clawed. The dome could only be broken by the little devil because its caster had long exceeded its range.
The imp growled in frustration as there was no sign of his prey, it was long gone. He darted toward the exit hole in the ruins of room 666, desperately searching for his target.
....
Seth followed Silia toward the maintenance bay. She had already instructed the maintenance corps to prepare to move through the staging area gate into the wilderness of Greywell.
Keeping his voice low to avoid attracting the imp, Seth asked, "What's going on?"
Without glancing back and still running at the same pace, Silia replied, "The monster from Room 0 has been freed and is now roaming this military complex. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. We'll regroup with the maintenance corps..." She paused for a moment. "There are only a few left, the rest didn't make it." Her voice was filled with deep sadness and a sense of guilt. "We have to leave. Only the two of us remain as combatants."
Seth remained silent, struggling to find words. The situation was dire. As they rushed toward the maintenance corps, he managed to gather the courage to ask, "Is Malo alive?" There was a slight hesitation in his voice, fearing the answer.
Silia shook her head. "I'm not sure. When I entered the room, it was filled with fog. But if he'd been there, I would have sensed him. It was only you and that imp."
Seth didn't press further; he didn't want to. The answer was enough. Soon, the bay came into view.
Frowning, Silia said, "What was that thing? I've never seen anything like it. It still gives me the creeps just thinking about it."
Seth, gazing at her back, said, "I don't know. When I opened my eyes, that thing was already on me, trying to eat me... Thank you. You saved me. If not for you, I might have ended up in its belly."
Silia nodded, and the duo entered the bay area. Emily stood in front of the maintenance corps with James and his assistants, all gathered and ready to act on command.
Silia spoke with gallant command, "Let's go. We need to head to the staging area and meet the incoming reinforcement group. The Theta-R cohort commander Gabriel and two ranked Sundered are already on their way. Hurry up!"
She raised her rapier and shouted, "Leave no man behind!"
Seth was assigned to guide the group, along with Emily, toward the staging area, while Captain Silia ensured the rear was secure. The staging bay was located near the maintenance bay, reducing the likelihood of encountering Orion and his followers. Site 0 had just been unlocked, and the furthest they might have reached was the control room, which was far behind them. However, with Jaden's relic ability, there was a chance they could appear directly in front of their moving group, similar to the possibility of facing the imp monster. Ideally, the monster could head toward Site 0 and engage with Orion's group, which would have been the best outcome. Unfortunately, based on events so far, it seemed luck was not on their side.