"What's your role in all of this, Overseer?"
"My Lord appointed me here - precisely five hundred and thirty-six years ago - to study and contain the Swamp Dame's influence. Nightmares were still an unknown phenomenon; such a dangerous anomaly couldn't be left to expand unchecked."
"How would you even do that…?" Enidra, unfamiliar with the outside world, couldn't fathom the Swamp Dame's authority being thwarted.
"It's simple. I was given a specific artifact to accomplish my duties - the S-class spellcraft, Mooring Haze."
"Mooring Haze, you mean… the -..."
"The Fog, exactly. Spellcrafts are easier to categorize than spellcasts. They range from the most common of abilities - meaning D and C - to the realm of myths, A and S. You should know this, Sorcerer." She looked at Aeden, a rotten smile lingering on her wrinkled face. "You are yourself an S-class spellcraft."
'She's aware…' Beckoning bloodthirst slowly awakened inside the young man. 'Kill her.'
"Wait… You're wrong. We've always known the Fog as the Swamp Dame's touch. It shrouds the whole Swamp and binds us in when chased by the Weeper."
"Unfortunately, child, my Lord is an inquisitive being. He wanted to investigate this curious aberration and observe her growth. Irregularities weren't tolerated, so I had to dispose of them."
"You mean… my parents, you killed them?" Confusion and anger twisted her expression. "They only wanted to help some outsiders… They were sick of lies and sacrifices! You killed them!"
She lunged at the old woman, only for greyish strands to shackle her limbs in the blink of an eye. Aeden tried to intervene, but glistening wires nearly cut his head off. He only noticed them now, but they probably encircled them from the beginning. A single wrong move would spell his end.
"Now now, do not be hasty and waste my kindness." The Overseer turned towards Enidra. "Normally, I would've helped the Weeper kill you after you led an Outsider near the edge. However, my Lord's plans have changed. He's invested in a new project now, a promising one - and it involves your beloved Aeden."
He didn't like this one bit. Being involved in plans you weren't even aware of was rarely a good sign. Especially from this ominous 'Lord' she was talking about.
He was an individual capable of controlling a subordinate as powerful as the Overseer while affording to waste an S-class spellcraft for a side project.
Nathan was right. His mere existence stirred hidden forces, dangerous ones that would either try to manipulate or murder him. First the Fae, now this? How much more could he count on his good fortune to escape alive?
Not only that, but these problems would affect his friends too. They accepted to travel with him, a miserable failure whose sole worth lay in a legacy he was unable to control. He had last seen them in the abandoned settlement right before giving in to his crippling insanity.
Were they even alive still? He could never forgive himself if his own weakness had caused their demise. Being responsible for his mother's approaching death was enough burden; adding more regrets would permanently break him.
'How sad. A struggling, depressed boy trying to garner pity from himself. Do you think true Sorcerers would waste time with such folly? Do you think that the Sorceress of Slaughter mourned the countless lives she had burned?' A feminine voice resonated within his mind, clearer than ever.
He could feel someone's arms slither around his shoulders as warm breath tickled his ears.
'I can still save you from this pathetic state, Aeden. You abandoned yourself to me against the Fae, and I saved you, as well as your friends. We can accomplish great things together. You only have to accept me. Embrace your madness, my dear. It is but strength.'
The young man hesitated. He vaguely remembered that sweet fever, the addicting feeling of overwhelming might. If he could taste that again…- no matter the cost…-
'No!' Waking from that stupor almost took everything he had. 'I refuse to be controlled by my own power. I do not seek to be an inferior copy of my mother nor a hollow butcher. My Fate is mine, and mine only to command.'
Once again, he managed to stifle his lunacy's hold, albeit barely.
The chaining threads that bound him and Enidra calmly retracted, disappearing under the wooden floor.
"Fear not, children. I am not your enemy." She sighed, sitting back on her stool. "My Lord wishes to see the young Sorcerer triumph against this playground. I will be here to guide, but nothing more."
"You mean…" Enidra's eyes were still full of anger, but the old woman's words had implications that went far beyond her. "You'll help us overcome the Swamp Dame?"
The Overseer sneered. "How quickly have your fury faded. Weren't you ready to end me, young one?"
"You're mistaken if you think that I've forgiven you, hag. However, if your involvement means my brother will be free from this hell, I'll gladly smother my rage."
"A reasonable resolution indeed, although irrelevant. It is for Aeden to decide." She turned towards him. "Are you ready? Your foe is a lifeform close to the realm of Morpheic Nightmares. It will be far different from anything you've ever seen."
Was he ready? He didn't know.
Yet he was sure of one thing. He wouldn't bear to see Enidra suffer again.
He still didn't understand much of his feelings, but certainty lay in his wish to see that young woman happy with her family. At the very least, he'd do his best to help her realize her dream.
"I'll do it, Overseer. Bring it on."
__
Aeden's friends ran across the unending plains of Northern Occidia, led by the Ombre Louise.
Megissa, following at the formation's tail, was still lost in her thoughts. The visions she endured against the Fae had awakened something inside - an eerie feeling of fading amnesia.
Her wits were in shambles, swerving from erratic memory to another.
What was she experiencing?
Did the Fae affect her so much that she couldn't differentiate between illusion and reality anymore?
They are beings of another realm, whose very existence is incomprehensible to the ordinary, sentient life. Simply materializing a portion of their true body would break the minds of regular spellcasters, yet what affected her went beyond that.
The traumatic images that haunted her felt almost… comforting? They were of warming familiarity, like an olden remembrance of a forgotten childhood.
No, the truth is, what she perceived was much more sinister.
A part of her, hidden and buried, had silently mocked her suffering. Like a disappointed observer, she had tried to tell her:
'You survived far worse. What is this, but trivial tricks?'
What did that mean? She had no idea, and her friend's disappearance gave her no time to ponder on it.
Louise had forced their hand, claiming that she knew where Aeden went. However, despite saying that she wanted to save him, Megissa couldn't help but distrust her. From her demeanor to the way she spoke of him, it was as if she considered him a pet, a mere object she was tasked to guard.
While she was by no means familiar with the Ombres' behavioral patterns, even Nathan had shown more reverence and respect to Aeden. She could tell that Nihil shared her doubts, but they were outmatched. Her power dwarfed their combined might, although not by an impossible amount.
The Mathematician was confident that she could find a way to beat her if prepared enough. Unfortunately, that was the case for most spellcasting fights. Momentum and speed meant everything, and the first to land an effective strike was always the winner, no matter the difference in strength.
Plus, her worry stopped her from thinking about anything other than her friend.
Assuming their guide was telling the truth, he was stuck in a Mana Biome. Time flowed differently inside a place with such dense Mana. A day had passed since their encounter with the Fae - meaning much more could've expired within the boundaries of the Mystery.
When her senses had returned to her, Louise was already beating the Homunculi twins into submission. She lapsed for too long. It was unworthy of her title as a Mathematician.
Her role was to be a pillar of rationality, the coordinator of their party. Mathematicians regulated the flow of Mana during battle - in war, they were the ones who commanded the units with the most complex thaumaturgy. Their Mana control is naturally unmatched, and even amidst scarred atmospheres, they could weave incredibly elaborated spells.
Her getting taken out so easily was shameful, especially by illusions. Amongst her companions, she was the most equipped to deal with them.
Anyway, the past can't be changed.
She had no right for regret yet, not before finding Aeden and bringing him back alive. It was her duty as a Numidean spellcaster and a way to pay back the unforgettable debt she owed to the Sorcerer of Knowledge, Cernunnos.
'Be safe, Aeden. We're coming for you.'
"Looks like we've arrived." Louise's voice rang from the head of the formation.
A massive clump of turbulent vegetation littered the horizon - a stark contrast with the plains' soft verdure.
"There's someone up ahead." Megissa could see a towering figure standing still before the Swamp's entrance.
His shape was bizarre, appearing less and less humanoid as they approached. She peered with her golden eyes, trying to make out the oddity.
Perhaps her weakened state made her overlook the obvious danger, but such justifications had no place in their world.
"Damn it! Disperse!"
She only had the time to squint before a massive pillar of light crashed against them all.