In a mansion of pure white stone, Drahkt stirred from his sleep as a knock echoed through the chamber.
"Come in," he said, his voice heavy with lingering fatigue.
A knight clad in polished armor entered and immediately knelt beside the bed.
"Lord Drahkt," the knight said, head bowed. "As you commanded, the gatekeepers have been equipped with the modified Numa scanners you created—using the sample recovered after Lady Nyssa's untimely demise."
Drahkt sat up, pulling on his garments.
"I have also issued strict orders." The knight continued, rising to his feet. "Anyone found outside the city after sundown is to be executed on sight."
"Good," Drahkt replied simply.
Elsewhere, in a crowded bar thick with smoke and cheap ale, civilians whispered in low voices.
"Did you hear?" one man muttered.
"Hear what?" another asked.
"They say a demon beast came from the Astrea continent," the first replied. "One that can even disguise itself as human."
"I heard it killed Lady Nyssa easily," a drunk slurred from the corner.
The room went silent.
Then laughter erupted, forced and uneasy.
In the far corner of the bar, a hooded man sat unmoving, his attention fixed solely on the untouched cup of mead before him.
The doors slammed open.
Knights flooded inside.
"Alright, you alcoholics!" the lead knight barked. "Line up for inspection!"
A few people bolted for the exits.
They died before reaching the door—their blood stained the floor.
The rest lined up quietly.
When the final figure was reached, a knight frowned at the hooded man who hadn't moved.
"Didn't you hear the order?" the knight demanded, reaching out. "Stand up."
"Touch me," the man said coldly, "and you die."
The knight's hand dropped to his sword.
"I could've killed you the moment you opened your mouth, wretch." he snarled.
The knight captain stepped forward, holding the modified Numa scanner.
The device shrieked.
[ DETECTED FOREIGN NUMA SIGNATURE ]
The captain barely had time to draw his blade before his head left his shoulders.
The scanner hit the floor, sounding it's alarm again.
[ DETECTED FOREIGN NUMA SIGNATURE ]
The hooded man stood.
Slowly, deliberately, he removed his hood.
Gasps filled the room. The figure before them was beyond rumor—beyond fear. Majestic. Terrifying. Divine.
Calling him a demon beast felt like blasphemy.
Before vanishing, Heitr crushed the Numa scanner under the weight of his foot.
The city's lie shattered with it.
Three days later, civilians gathered outside Drahkt's mansion, shouting accusations.
Inside, Drahkt raged.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" he roared, slamming his fists into the wall. "It's all his fault!"
"Lord Drahkt?" a voice called from behind the door. "May I come in?"
"Leave me alone!" he shouted, hurling a vase. It shattered violently.
"But…it's a revelation..." the voice insisted.
"…From him."
Silence followed.
Deep beneath the mansion, a massive stone door slid open.
Corrupted Numa flooded the air.
"Drahkt." a dark voice said, utterly devoid of emotion.
"My lord." Drahkt replied instantly, collapsing to his knees.
"You have failed."
The figure materialized—formless, vast, suffocating.
"I–I'll fix it!" Drahkt stammered, scrambling backward. "Please! Let me keep my power! I swear I'll kill him myself!"
"Hm."
The entity considered him.
"I will allow you to keep your power," it said calmly. "However, punishment is required."
It placed a hand on Drahkt's head.
"I will reclaim half of the corruption I bestowed…and refine the rest."
Drahkt screamed for minutes.
The stone swallowed the sound.
When Drahkt finally rose from the chamber, he was no longer the same.
The green hue of his Numa was almost entirely drowned beneath a thick, black corruption—denser, heavier, more malignant than before.
His eyes burned with obsession.
"I'll kill that bastard myself." he whispered.