Fellnian smiled faintly as he watched what the crystal sphere revealed to him.
Harres and Leah were on their way here.
His gaze shifted to the small girl now standing upon the palm of the statue. Dim, dust-like lights drifted through the air—a sign that her magical energy was being absorbed by the statue.
With a single snap of his fingers, an extremely small shockwave spread outward, reaching Harres and Leah. Watching the scene through the crystal sphere, Fellnian let out a quiet chuckle.
Gronian, noticing this, glanced at him and asked,
"What are you laughing at?"
"Look," Fellnian replied. "They're being stopped by my little toys over there."
Far away, at the place where Harres and Leah currently stood, something horrifying emerged from the ground, rising to block their path. Its body resembled that of a human, but its head and hands were more like a grotesque fusion of a centipede and a bat.
"What kind of creature are they?" Harres asked, his eyes widening as even more of them crawled out from the earth.
Not only the ground, even the walls of the place began to give birth to equally terrifying beings. Winged creatures with heads resembling humans, yet bodies closer to that of a deer.
When Harres turned toward Leah in search of an answer, all he found was Leah's face frozen in confusion, sweat streaming down from her temples.
"Hey! What's wrong?" Harres immediately grabbed the man's shoulder.
"What is it?" he asked again, trying to grasp something he couldn't yet understand.
"They… I know these people," Leah said, his expression indescribable as he slowly looked back at Harres.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"They're the people I once offered to Duriel."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Harres' expression hardened. He looked furious, tightening his grip on Leah's shoulder.
Leah winced in pain, trying to pull away.
"If it weren't for that little girl being kidnapped right now," Harres said coldly,
"I would've already torn your head from your body."
That fear again.
The same fear as before they entered this place. but now, the aura surrounding Harres was far greater, suffocating.
"Uliona Lukio."
Harres chanted the spell quietly. In the next instant, he hurled his sword toward the creatures blocking his path.
His body vanished, reappearing at the sword's destination. His eyes burned red. With a powerful slash, half of the creatures were erased, their severed limbs raining down upon the ground.
"I don't want to waste any more time," he said.
"I have to save her now."
Watching from afar, Fellnian only smiled faintly, almost laughing.
"He's not bad," he muttered, snapping his fingers once more.
This time, even more grotesque creatures began to emerge.
The enjoyment was not felt by Fellnian alone.
Down below, at the place where Fyodor stood.
Loud, manic laughter echoed through the space. Fyodor's hand emitted a deep crimson light, resembling blood. At the same time, the blindfold covering the statue's eyes began to leak a red liquid, dripping onto the filthy floor below.
Merry gasped for breath, her face tense as she tried not to inhale. The blood-like drops released a foul-smelling smoke.
"Ah… this is marvelous. Truly marvelous."
Fyodor's laughter grew louder as the light in his hand intensified.
"I'm becoming more and more curious about what you're seeing, Ellenian," he said, clenching both fists.
Instantly, the crimson light melted and spread throughout the entire area.
Merry struggled with all her strength to endure it. The burst of energy unleashed a violent gale. one moment of lost focus would have been enough to snap her neck.
Aleeora groaned in pain. Her neck burned, her breath caught in her throat. If this continued, she would surely perish.
A shrill sound erupted from the statue once more, deafening Merry. Seconds later, blood poured from her ears, she could no longer withstand the noise.
The old woman's body grew weak, on the verge of collapse.
A radiant light shone from behind the statue's blindfold, brilliant, golden.
Fyodor felt something begin to flow into his mind. His empty eyes suddenly gleamed with the same golden light as the statue.
His head was forced upward, his mouth hanging open.
Fellnian and Gronian's expressions changed instantly. They sprang to their feet, sensing something deeply unnatural.
Fellnian quickly turned to his crystal sphere to check the situation.
Nothing had changed.
Harres and Leah were still there, struggling against the endless tide of creatures.
So what was this unsettling presence they felt?
Neither Fellnian nor Gronian spoke a word. Unease gnawed at them.
Above—exactly where Fyodor's gaze was fixed—
there was something profoundly wrong.
They couldn't see it.
But Fyodor could.
A massive eye.
A colossal eye, leaking thick drops of crimson blood.
Fyodor grinned widely, preparing to receive a vision of the past.
But that smile vanished instantly.
Instead of a vision, what he saw was a winged angel, both of its hands bound by chains to either side.
Fyodor's body trembled as fear seized him.
"H-Hey… are you alright?" Gronian asked anxiously, clearly disturbed by the sudden change in Fyodor's posture.
Fyodor didn't respond.
Or rather, he couldn't hear anything.
His ears felt sealed shut, his mouth locked tight. He couldn't speak. He couldn't hear.
The angel slowly revealed its gaunt face, its eyes blazing with light.
It spoke.
"Verasima; depart from her."
The ground shook violently, sending waves of panic through Fellnian and Gronian.
A powerful force descended from above, slamming into Fyodor and hurling him violently to the ground.
"Fyodor!"
Fellnian and Gronian leapt down immediately, flying toward Fyodor's limp body.
The statue continued to scream louder and louder, until even Fellnian and Gronian, beings without ears, felt excruciating pain.
Merry could endure no more. Her body collapsed as the chains binding her shattered under the overwhelming sound.
After what felt like an eternity, the statue's scream finally subsided.
"Dera masiah, ubaronnoi; you shall be erased once I release these chains."
Fellnian looked upward, searching for the source of the resonant voice.
"Did you hear that?" he asked Gronian.
Gronian nodded. He had heard it clearly.
"Someone just spoke in the Demore language," Fellnian continued, his voice low, almost a whisper.
"Was it the demon race?" Gronian asked.
Fellnian shook his head.
"I'm not sure. But I think it's something else."
Silence followed.
A silence far more terrifying than the chaos before it.
"We have to leave. now," Gronian urged, supporting Fyodor's body.
"I don't think we'll survive if we stay here any longer."
He took flight immediately, escaping the place.
Fellnian was consumed by uncertainty and ignorance. He couldn't stop wondering what was truly watching them.
But he shook his head, forcing the questions from his mind, and followed after Gronian.
With a snap of his fingers, Fellnian erased every creature Harres had been fighting. He was erasing all traces of what had occurred—fleeing as far as possible.
Harres stood frozen in confusion. The creatures vanished without a trace, leaving behind not even the severed limbs he had cut apart.
"What just happened…?"
His thoughts were clouded, overwhelmed by uncertainty.
Leah ran toward him, breathing heavily.
"I found her!"
Harres spun around instantly.
"I found them," Leah repeated, pausing to catch his breath.
"We're not far from the little girl. Her magical aura suddenly surged."
Harres grabbed Leah's shoulder.
"Then tell me, where exactly?"
Leah nodded, swallowing hard.
"We go straight ahead. About twenty meters from here, we'll reach her."
Without wasting another second, Harres hurled his sword forward. Both of them vanished from the spot.
"Aleeora… I'm coming," he whispered.
"Please... hold on."
In the previous place, where Aleeora and Merry were left by the creatures, a person appeared with a black robe and thick hair. His eyes were a bright blue, his hand holding a stick.
The figure opened the hood of his robe, standing there quietly. He observed the surroundings, which felt very empty, except for a large female statue with a little girl resting on its palm.
A small breeze blew, kicking up dust. The figure spoke, "What exactly is going on here?"