At some point during our journey, we entered a forest steeped in a heavy fog.
"This is a really powerful illusion spell..." Cassandra said quietly.
"Can you dispel it?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"If I could cast and control wide-reaching giant illusions, I might... But I can't do that...even with Deception," she said.
"Yeah...this is way above my skill level, too. I don't think I could touch this one," Akari said.
I tried to grasp the magic hanging over this place, but I couldn't.
I would need a significant amount of time to come close to that, and I wasn't about to waste any more of it.
The journey had taken longer than expected. We were tired from moving so quickly to cover lost time...thanks to Akari.
Regardless, we continued onward.
"Mizik darling, before we leave this place, the fog will have to be dispelled. It looks like it's designed to keep people from leaving," Cassandra said.
"Alright. Everyone stick close. We don't want to get separated in the fog!" I said aloud.
At once, both Cassandra and Akari got closer to me. Although Cassandra was clinging happily to my arm.
I decided to allow it because if would ensure that neither of us would lose the other.
Honestly, I didn't care about Akari.
I wanted her help dealing with the Frost Dragon later, but ultimately, we would do our best to find a way with or without her.
Besides, I still planned on shooting her in the head and leaving her body at the bottom of a chasm or something. She knew too much about us and couldn't be trusted.
Once again, no hard feelings.
Eventually, we exited the fog and stood next to the open gates of a grand mansion.
This thing was huge. Like around the same size as the Iratus Estate or even slightly bigger.
The mansion looked normal. Like it had been well-taken care of and was continuously looked after.
The grounds were also full of people.
Groundskeepers and gardeners all worked diligently to make the place look beautiful.
"Mizik...those people are..."
"Un...dead?" Akari said as she interrupted Isabella.
"They look human, but they aren't. Each one of them is undead," Isabella said as she eyed Akari.
"Should we destroy them?" I asked.
Isabella shook her head.
"They seem harmless enough. Besides, I don't want to alert this place before we even enter," Isabella said.
"Ehhhh...I don't like undead! They're so creepy and gross!!!" Akari said fearfully.
"Get over it. We'll be fighting a lot of them soon and I need everyone at their best. This place is likely crawling with all sorts of rotting monsters..." I said.
"F-fine...but promise you'll reward me with more of your cooking!" Akari said.
"If you can help us get through this, I'll cook for you while we're travelling. Sound good?" I said.
Akari nodded and we kept walking.
I didn't actually promise her anything more than what I already planned to do. That was the current arrangement, anyway...
And she fell for it.
Glad to have you along, Akari...
As we walked towards the front door, several workers waved and smiled at us.
Like they knew us or something...
Before we finished walking up the front steps, the doors opened and...
Walter Orthright stepped out.
Isabella gasped as he gave a swift bow.
"My lady, it is so good to see you again," Walter said.
"Ahhhh...Mr. Walter!!! I'm so sorry for shooting you in the chest!!! Please forgive me! I didn't mean to kill you!!" Cassandra shouted.
"Cassandra, he gave his life to save us. It doesn't matter if you shot him in the chest or not. Besides, I'm the one who killed him and that is clearly not Walter," I said.
"I beg your pardon, my lord...?" Walter said.
"You. Stop pretending to be Walter. He died a long time ago. I killed him myself. He was a good man and deserves to be left alone," I said angrily.
"My lord, I apologise, but I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about. All I remember is entering the Iratus Estate and then...nothing. I woke up here a long time ago without my sword...I can't seem to find it..." Walter said.
"Walter...is it really you...?" Isabella said.
"Yes, my lady. I am here in the flesh. And I am eager to serve you once again. Although...why do your eyes keep changing color?" He asked.
"Ah...umm...that's hard to explain, but-"
"Isabella. Don't trust this man. Walter is dead. I want him to be alive just as badly, but that isn't Walter," I said
"But Mizik...it feels just like him! If I gave him Honor, then-"
"Sister! Mizik said not to trust him! We should listen!" Cassandra said.
"Don't give me that! It's your fault Walter died in the first place!!! You shot him in the chest with that spell!!!" Isabella said angrily.
She was really starting to lose her cool...
"It was an accident! I was aiming for Tyranus! I didn't mean to hurt Walter!"
"Wait...Princess Cassandra...? What are you doing here? Are you...sharing my lady's body with her...?" Walter said.
Akari simply watched in confusion as everything unfolded.
"I had to in order to save Isabella from Difar! I have to atone...to serve my darling Mizik! I'm sorry, Walter..." Cassandra said.
"For the last time, that isn't Walter!" I said angrily.
"Ah! Sorry, darling! It's hard to tell, but yes. That is definitely not Walter. I think the fog is affecting our minds!"
"Shut up!!! This man is definitely Walter! I can feel him! I know it's him!" Isabella said.
You've forced my hand. I'm sorry, Isabella...
"Cassandra, take control. Turn away," I said.
"Right!" Cassandra said.
She covered her eyes and turned away.
"Wait! No! MIZIK STOP!!!" Isabella screamed.
I shifted Vengeance into a shotgun and prepared to skewer this false Walter with light spears...but...
Nothing happened.
My magic just fizzled and disappeared.
{WARNING: LIGHT ELEMENT UNUSABLE. SPELLS REQUIRING LIGHT ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. SUPPORT, HEALING, CREATION, AND HOLY MAGICS HAVE BEEN SEALED.}
"SON OF A BITCH!!!!" I screamed in anger.
The false Walter looked on in confusion.
"What...? Is that Vengeance...?" He asked.
"SHUT UP!!! TAKE THIS!!!" I said angrily.
I shot Walter several times with both of my shotguns.
His body was torn apart and the hall behind him was sprayed with fresh blood.
"Wait... Blood...?" I said.
Suddenly, Isabella turned around and dropped to her knees.
She looked on in horror at the carnage in front of us.
"WALTER!!! NOOOOOOO!!!! MIZIK, WHY!?" Isabella wailed.
I held my hand out to the remains and scanned it with my magic.
Fortunately, my suspicions were confirmed.
It was difficult to tell, but that was a solid illusion.
"Isabella, that was an illu-"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!!! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS!?!? WALTER DIDN'T MEAN ANY HARM!!!" Isabella screamed at me as tears fell from her face.
"LISTEN TO ME, DAMMIT! I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU!!!" I shouted.
Isabella stopped for a moment and blinked for a few times.
"Wh...what...? Where did Walter's body go...?" Isabella asked.
I glanced over at the remains of 'Walter' and found nothing there at all. Nothing but more fog rising from where his remains were.
"Sister, you disobeyed Mizik! You got angry at him for destroying the fake Walter!"
"But...that was definitely Walter! I-"
"Isabella, get ahold of yourself! That wasn't him! He died on Avernia and was absorbed into the Corruption!" I said angrily.
Realization washed over Isabella.
"I...I'm so sorry, Mizik! I don't know why I-"
"You should always listen to Mzik when he talks!"
Suddenly, as Cassandra spoke, there was an extremely loud creaking noise accompanied by a groan.
Moments later...there was something like gravity pulling us inside of the mansion.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!? IS THE MANSION TRYING TO EAT US!?" Akari screamed.
"GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!!! DON'T LET IT-"
Isabella floated off of the ground and was sucked into the mansion... Right after that, Akari followed.
I tried to resist, but ultimately, the railing I had grabbed onto snapped.
We were all pulled inside.
* * *
When I awoke, I had no idea where I was.
The first thing I noticed, was that I was alone.
I tried to contact Isabella with telepathy, but heard only silence.
Damn it all...
I was starting to worry that Isabella would be in danger.
I looked around and saw a window.
The sun was going down and with it, all of the light it provided.
"This is going to be one hell of a night..." I mumbled.
Before turning away, I swung my fist at the window and impacted some sort of barrier. Pain shot through my hand as I pulled it away.
I tried to use healing magic on it, but...I forgot that I couldn't do that anymore.
I placed my hand on the barrier and tried to get a reading on it.
This spell had a much greater magnitude than Ether Strike. It would take weeks to dispel it.
I was beginning to understand why this was an SSS-Rank Request.
I pulled out Vengeance and changed it to a single shotgun with a blade on the end. Then I tried opening the door but found it was locked.
"Fine..."
I kicked it as hard as I could and it swung open.
"Good. No barriers inside the house so far..."
I looked around and saw that the hallway was not only empty, but also quite dark. Then I just sighed.
From the look I got out of the window, I could tell that I was on the third floor. I wanted to fix that, so I picked a direction and started walking.
I would try going to the left first, and then right.
I walked for a short while when a familiar man approached me.
I froze in place.
"Mizik...? What are you doing here? I've been looking everywhere for you!"
It was my father.
I had so many emotions welling up in me from simply looking at him, but I couldn't express any of them due to the curse.
I simply pointed my shotgun at his face.
"If you don't tell me what's going on here, I'm going to blow your head off."
He looked concerned by this.
"Mizik, I don't remember anything past seeing you run away when I told you to go. I woke up here not too long ago. Wow...you really grew, didn't you?" Ulysses said.
I sighed.
It was just like Walter.
The fog must be affecting my mind too...
"Look, I have a few hangups with just shooting you in the face, but I won't hesitate if I have to. I know you're not real. My father was killed by a Corrupted dragon. You were taken by the Corruption. It's impossible for you to be here."
"Corruption...? What are you talking about?" He asked.
"The vile black substance that spawned the dragon that killed you. The Source of it was the captain you were so nice to before going into the deep mines."
"That's ridiculous! Mizik, you've probably been worried sick about me. I'm sorry, son. Everything is fine now. How about we go home? We can stop by the market on the way back to-"
I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him close.
"LISTEN UP, WHATEVER YOU ARE, BECAUSE I'LL ONLY SAY THIS ONCE! AVERNIA WAS DESTROYED BY THE CORRUPTION!!! EVERYTHING IS GONE!!!" I shouted angrily.
Ulysses pulled away from me and glared.
"Alright, Mizik. If you won't listen to reason, I'll just have to beat it into you."
I changed Vengeance into a sword and manifested my second blade as Ulysses drew his.
"Bring it on, old man. I need to pay you back for dying and leaving me as an orphan!"
He smiled.
"I see. So Vengeance chose you... This should be fun. I'm afraid I can't go easy on you just because-"
I shot forward and slashed rapidly at him before he finished speaking.
"Don't you have any honor!? I'm not done talking! What's gotten into you!?" Ulysses said.
I was done here. I had no desire to keep speaking to an illusion that did nothing but mock my deceased father.
Also, Ulysses was much stronger than I anticipated. His movements were completely identical to the way he fought while we trained.
He blocked and dodged my attacks with relative ease.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn't actually trying yet.
Until recently, I had spent ten years relaxing and hardly expending any effort fighting anything.
And now...after losing Ignitus I had no reason to hold anything back anymore.
"FLAMES OF RAGE!!!" I said.
My swords were cloaked in emerald flames as I continued my assault.
"Fine then! SUPREME RAGE OF IRATUS!!!" Ulysses shouted.
There it is!
Then I noticed an incredible difference in his style of movement.
He charged straight at me in a blinding rage and swung his sword down at me.
I dodged and it slammed mightily into the ground where I was standing.
The floor didn't budge. There was a barrier in it.
Ulysses continued his assault and I switched my swords into shotguns.
I started firing while parrying his attacks and slashing at him myself.
"WRATH!!! BLAST BARRAGE!!!"
I was cloaked in a similar berserk state as I jumped back and started firing a volley of explosive shotgun blasts.
He ducked behind his shield and kept charging at me.
I'm starting to see how he managed to hold his own against Walter.
"TAKE THIS!!! VANGUARD ASSAULT!!!" Ulysses said.
He charged forward and tried to slash me multiple times with his sword, but I dodged with help from The Warlord.
Then I parried his blade with my shotgun just before shooting it right out of his hand.
It flew away and his eyes went wide in disbelief.
I threw one of my weapons and cut his hand off. Then with my free hand, punched him across the face.
While he was disoriented, I shot him in the shoulder and he dropped his shield. Finally, I grabbed his throat with my free hand.
I ran forward and jumped, then slammed his head into the floor.
"GAH!!!"
I changed Vengeance into a pistol and shoved it into his mouth.
"MMMMMPH!!!!"
"WHAT ARE YOU!? WHAT IS THIS PLACE!?!?" I yelled.
I pulled the gun out of his mouth and pointed it at his head.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, MIZIK!? YOU CUT MY DAMN HAND OFF, YOU DEMON-POSSESSED-"
Punched him in the face.
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, YOU PILE OF SHIT! IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS ENTIRE MANSION TO BE OBLITERATED, START TALKING!!!" I screamed.
Suddenly, Ulysses looked afraid.
"Look, Mizik...I'm sorry if I wasn't enough as a father by myself! Karia died when you were-"
I shot him in the head.
"SHUT UP, DAMN YOU!"
I shot him again and again and again.
"JUST DIE ALREADY!!!"
after I was done, his head was unrecognizable.
I changed Vengeance into a shotgun and almost threw up as I realized what I had done.
"That wasn't my father... It couldn't have been...no way..." I said while shaking my head.
What the fuck was that!? Why was it so similar to my Dad!? Is this really an effect of the fog!?!?
{Kill them all...
Burn it down...}
I heard the strange voice in my head again as my status menu glitched red.
I felt my eye twitch.
For some reason, it felt so natural to kill...
So...enjoyable...
Before I could recover, I heard quick footsteps.
I turned around and saw...
"MIZIK! Thank goodness you're alive!"
It was Isabella.
I breathed a sigh of relief as she approached.
I could feel myself recovering quickly as I looked at her face.
When she got close, she threw her arms around me and leaned on my chest.
I put my arms around her as well.
I felt like crying at the moment... I needed to be with her.
"Are you okay? You aren't hurt, are you?" I asked.
"No, I'm fine, Mizik. I heard yelling and gunfire, so I came running. Are you hurt?" She asked.
"I'm fine... Just shaken up. Get Cassandra out here. I need her to make sense of these illusions," I said.
"Cassandra? Mizik, Cassandra isn't here right now. Why would she be?" Isabella said.
I backed away from her as my eyes went wide.
No...
"What's wrong, Mizik? Is everything okay? This mansion is pretty nice... We could live here if we wanted. What do you say we find a room and get comfortable? I haven't slept well in such a long time after coming to this world," Isabella said with a sweet smile.
No way...by Iris... I won't do it... I won't kill Isabella.
I continued slowly backing away and Isabella gave me a slight frown.
"Mizik? You're scaring me... Come on, let's go!" She said worriedly.
As I backed up, I bumped into someone else.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, silly!" A woman said.
I turned and felt my heart sink in my chest.
It was Aria.