Silence slowly returned after the battle.
The remains of the volcanic slime were still writhing on the ground—
hot black fragments, faint steam rising from them,
then… they vanished, as if hell itself swallowed whatever fell upon it.
Riley stood in place, his body stiff.
His eyes were fixed on the spot where the slime had stood moments ago.
It wasn't fear alone that overwhelmed him…
but shock.
Askaron…
had cut down a monster with a single body,
with a sword of ice,
as if it were something natural.
Askaron broke the silence in a calm voice:
Askaron:
"Are you hurt?"
Riley hesitated before answering, then spoke in a trembling voice:
Riley:
"No…
but… what I just saw…"
He looked at his hands, then at the ground.
Riley:
"This is the first time I've seen real magic."
Askaron sighed, and the cold vapor around him disappeared.
Askaron:
"In hell, if you don't use your power…
you will be used."
He looked at Riley with a serious gaze:
"And no one here who is weak stays alive for long."
Askaron put the rock back on his back,
then gestured forward with his hand.
Askaron:
"Move.
The road to Alfino isn't over yet."
They resumed walking.
After a short distance, the land began to change.
The black rocks turned into hard gray ground,
and the air grew heavier…
as if something invisible were pressing on the chest.
Riley noticed it.
Riley:
"The air… it's different here."
Askaron:
"We've entered Alfino's zone."
He paused briefly, then added:
"Here… real hell begins."
From afar, massive black towers appeared,
irregular, as if they had been forced out of the ground.
Around them… endless rows of slaves.
The sounds of chains.
Muffled screams.
Whips tearing flesh.
Riley froze.
Riley (in a whisper):
"All of these…"
Askaron:
"They were once like you."
One of Alfino's guards approached.
His body was massive, his horns twisted, and his eyes were red and merciless.
Guard:
"Two new slaves?"
Askaron:
"Yes."
The guard looked at Riley and sneered:
Guard:
"A human?
He'll break quickly."
Askaron clenched his fist, but said nothing.
The guard pointed with his black staff:
"You'll work in the third sector.
And whoever stops… is buried here."
Then he walked away.
Riley stood in silence, his heart pounding violently.
Askaron stepped a little closer and whispered:
Askaron:
"Stay close to me.
And don't show your fear."
Riley looked at Alfino's towers…
at the hell awaiting him.
And for the first time…
he didn't think about escaping.
Instead, he wondered inside himself:
"How much power will I need… to get out of here?"