It was near dusk when Demian's party arrived at a small village.They had moved swiftly to avoid further conflict with the Holy Knights after leaving Solistium,but weariness and a damaged carriage meant they could go no farther that day.
The village was quiet.Far from the grand plazas of the city, this place seemed to preserve only the bare minimum infrastructure for survival.Narrow alleyways, crumbling stone walls, and clearly aged structures housed just a handful of people trying to keep their daily lives going.
In a way, it wasn't a bad place to rest for the night.
1. A Quiet, but Strange Village
The villagers were kind.Rather than treating Demian's group like fugitives, they gave directions without hesitation.
It felt off.
Their openness toward strangers was oddly excessive.Even when Demian mentioned they had come from Solistium, the villagers simply smiled and said:
"Ah, from Solistium? Are you here to visit the old temple ruins?"
Demian didn't know how to respond for a moment.Neither did Rean or Cain.
"Temple ruins?"
It was Ian who responded first.
"There's a temple around here?"
An old man nodded.
"They call it the Forgotten Temple. It was abandoned long ago, but in recent years, scholars have passed through,perhaps researching ancient records."
The old man added with a gentle smile:
"And recently, several Holy Knights have visited as well."
Demian and Rean exchanged glances.
The Holy Knights?
They had come this far to escape the Holy Knights—and now it seemed the order had already taken an interest in both the village and the temple.
Coincidence? Or something more?
2. The Unseen Hand
They spent a night in the village, and during that time,Demian's party began to sense a subtle tension among the villagers.
Whenever certain topics came up, people went silent.Whenever someone mentioned the temple, someone else would end the conversation, deliberately.
Cain, after circling the village that night, returned with a discovery.
"There are signs the Holy Knights have been here."
He pointed to the outskirts of the village—hoofprints, formation markers, and traces unmistakably left by the Holy Order's cavalry drills.
The Holy Knights hadn't just passed through.They had left their mark.
Rean crossed her arms, speaking quietly.
"It's possible we were guided here—by them."
Demian nodded.
"If they're leading us to the temple... then they probably already know where we are."
Ian shrugged with his usual aloof tone.
"Either way, what matters is how we choose to move next."
So—Would they go to the temple?
Or ignore the bait entirely and escape farther?
3. A Path Laid with Intention
The villagers' evasiveness around the temple.The confirmed visits by the Holy Knights.The lingering signs of their presence.
It was no coincidence.
Yet now, their options were limited.
If they stayed longer, they would eventually come face-to-face with the Holy Knights.Perhaps... it was better to follow the path set for them—but on their own terms.
Demian made his decision.
"Fine. We'll go to the temple."
If the Holy Knights had planned something there,then finding it first might turn the tables.
Rean let out a soft sigh.
"There's definitely something waiting. A cursed spirit, maybe. Or some ancient secret."
Ian spun his blade in his hand with a grin.
"Well, that's more fun, isn't it?"
Cain said nothing. He was already walking down the road.
The Forgotten Temple.A place that might hold whatever the Holy Knights were trying to keep hidden.
And the road leading there—as if it had been waiting all along—quietly opened before them.
4. The Last Sign
As they left the village and made their way toward the temple,Cain noticed something else.
"Someone came through here before us."
Tracks in the dirt.Wagon ruts—deep, heavy ones.
Not from a simple traveler.Whoever it was, they had hauled something heavy.Too heavy to be mere supplies.
Were the Holy Knights preparing the path?
Or was something more dangerous already ahead?
They didn't yet know.And so, unknowingly, they walked the road the Holy Knights had wanted them to take.
***
Chapter : Shadow of the Forgotten Temple
The road from the quiet village to the forgotten temple was uneventful.Too uneventful.
Damien's party already suspected the Holy Knights were luring them toward the temple.But to uncover the truth, they'd have to take the bait.They had to step inside.
And what awaited them there…was not just an abandoned ruin.
1. Traces in the Ruins
The forgotten temple was, as the name suggested, a ruin.
Half-collapsed pillars.Walls thick with moss.Dust layered over centuries, untouched.
But…
"Is this really a forgotten temple?"
Ian was the first to notice something strange.She brushed her hand along the wall, frowning.
"It's too clean for a ruin."
There was no dust on her fingers.
"Someone's been here. Recently.""Someone deliberately wiped certain areas."
Damien glanced around.This wasn't just an ancient site.It was being used—now.
2. Inscribed Symbols – The Hidden Truth
Leanne scanned the wall with narrowed eyes.
"These markings… something's off."
As her fingers touched one of them,a faint magical resonance stirred.
If this were just an old ruin,its magic would've long faded.
But these symbols—
"They still hold power."
Though they were carved long ago,a recent activation had reignited their energy.
Ian leaned in closer.
"These symbols… they're unfamiliar.""Not standard holy script. There's something else mixed in."
Her finger pointed to a strange section:
Geometric patterns, unnaturally precise—interwoven with an alien script no one could decipher.
This wasn't part of the original temple design.
3. Intervention of the Holy Knights?
"These runes…"
Leanne narrowed her eyes further.
"They're magically protected.""We won't get inside without breaking this seal."
Someone had sealed the temple.
"Could it be the Holy Knights?" Damien murmured.
"Possibly." Leanne nodded.
"They officially reject magic,but some among them know how to use it."
Ian let out a sigh.
"Then it's safe to say this was their doing."
Which meant—this temple wasn't just being watched.It was being controlled.
Just as Ian reached out to test the wall—
4. Presence of a Monster – The Trap Is Triggered
"Wait."
Cain's body tensed.
He was a hunter.And right now—his instincts were screaming.
"Something's in there."
Then—
Thunk.
A sound echoed from deeper inside the temple.
Thunk… thunk… thunk…
Heavy, steady footsteps.But they weren't human.
"…Damn," Leanne muttered.
Magic sparked at her fingertips.
5. First Battle – The Sentinel in the Ruins
It emerged from the shadows.
A towering golem.
But not the kind made of stone.
It was forged from metal—engraved with sacred markings, emanating foreign energy.
And the moment it saw them—
It attacked.
BOOM!
A massive arm swung.The ground cracked. Debris flew.
Damien rolled aside.
"A golem? That's new."
Leanne threw her hand forward.
"Barrier spell!"
A blue shield shimmered into place, shielding Ian and Cain.
Ian crouched low, scanning the creature.
"That's no ordinary magic golem."
Cain drew his bow.
"Then I'd bet it's a guard left by the Holy Knights."
Damien gripped his sword.
"In that case… we'll break it."
The golem's eyes gleamed with a cold blue light.
It was the temple's sentinel.And now—the battle began.
6. Battle Tactics – The Golem's Strengths and Weaknesses
The golem's attacks were simple.But devastating.
Its fists smashed down with terrifying force—too much for any half-hearted defense.
Leanne analyzed between spells.
"Its armor's too strong.""Normal attacks won't break through."
Cain loosed an arrow—it ricocheted off the metallic plating.
Ian slipped into the shadows.
"We need to find its weakness."
Damien struck at its legs—but—
Clang!
His sword bounced off.
"No good. It's too tough."
Leanne suddenly shouted.
"The core's in its head, not its chest!"
"Then let me try," Ian grinned.
She darted in—climbing up the golem's back, quick as a shadow.
Then—she drove a dagger into its head.
Crackle!
Sparks burst.The golem froze for a moment.
And Damien didn't waste it.
Whoosh—!
His sword, glowing with light,cut clean through its head.
THUD!
The hulking bodycollapsed.
7. The Secret Beyond the Forgotten Temple
With the battle over,they stepped deeper inside.
What they found—was worse than they expected.
"…What is this?" Leanne whispered, pushing open a heavy door.
Before them—a crimson glow lit the chamber.
A fissure pulsed at the center,still alive.Still moving.
And something… stirred within it.
The fight was far from over.
****
Chapter : What Awoke in the Temple
The temple's interior felt as though it had long been forgotten by time.Faint remnants of a crimson fracture still glowed weakly,and scattered magic circles surrounded its edges, half-erased.
This place was not…just a ruin.
And before they could fully grasp that truth—it appeared.
1. The Awakened – The Cursed One
Thud…
A deep, heavy sound echoed from somewhere within.
Ian instinctively crouched low and whispered,"…Something's here."
And then—it revealed itself.
A red light gleamed in the darkness.A grotesque shape.A twisted form—as if human and beast had been fused together.
But this was no mere beast.This was something cursed.
Its flesh was charred black,and the aura that seeped from its body writhedas if tethered to the crimson fracture itself—unstable, sickly.
Leanne gritted her teeth."This wasn't born naturally."
2. Battle Commences – The Monster Confronted
It began to move.
Veins of red magic spread across the floor of the temple.The space twisted.The flow of surrounding energy bent unnaturally.
Damien tightened his grip on his sword."That thing doesn't just hit hard. It's steeped in magical curses."
Cain readied an arrow."Not sure regular attacks are going to work."
Ian melted into the shadows, her eyes fixed on the creature."We need to find a weak spot."
And then—the monster charged with a furious roar.A wave of destructive force surged with it,distorting even the surrounding mana.
BOOM!
The battle began.
3. The Cursed One – Artificial Creation
As the fight dragged on,it became increasingly clear:this wasn't just a monster.
When Damien's blade slashed across its body—its form shimmered, distorted.Almost as if it was connected to the fracture's power,phasing out at the moment of impact.
But it didn't vanish.
It was as though…someone had created this creature—an experiment, not a being of nature.
Leanne shouted, her voice edged with realization."This thing wasn't born—it was made!""Someone used the fracture's energy to create it!"
Cain's expression darkened."…Then it might be tied to the Holy Knights."
But now wasn't the time for speculation.
The monster was relentless.And the fight was only growing fiercer.
4. A Moment of Crisis – The Falling Light
The creature's attacks intensified.It wasn't a natural lifeform.It was a malformed being,born of twisted energy and failed design—like something made for experiments.
It went into a frenzy.And Damien's group was being overwhelmed.
But then—
Light fell from above.
KRA-KOOM!
A brilliant light filled the temple.Space itself seemed to settle.The creature froze in mid-motion, as if forcibly halted.
Their vision blurred from the brightness—and through that light,a man appeared.
5. The Holy Knight – Leonel
He was a Holy Knight.But unlike the inquisitorial knights they had met before.
He wore armor, yes—but his eyes were calm,devoid of the zealous fury they'd grown used to.
He extended a hand,and the creature stopped moving completely.
Then he spoke, quietly.
"…This temple wasn't discovered by accident."
His voice was soft,but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
Damien lowered his blade."…Who are you?"
The man slowly introduced himself.
"My name is Leonel.""I serve under the Holy Knights, but I'm not one of the Inquisitors.""I study ancient temples."
Leanne's eyes sharpened at his words."…So you knew this wasn't just a ruin."
Leonel nodded."Yes.And there are others—those who seek to use this place."
Ian furrowed her brow."Who?"
Leonel glanced around the temple, then spoke.
"Those who study the fracture.""And some… even within the Holy Knights—seek to harness that power."
Cain sighed quietly."…So this isn't just about the Holy Knights anymore."
Damien slowly sheathed his sword."Then what do we do now?"
Leonel looked toward the center of the temple,at the flickering remnant of the crimson fracture.
"First, we get out of here."
But that wouldn't be easy.
They had not yet left the temple—and already,a greater threat was drawing near.
And then—
The sound of armored footsteps.From outside the temple,soldiers in heavy gear were approaching.
There would be no avoiding the fight to come.