Kin and Ashell stared at Su Yin as she moved closer to the storm.
"Lord?" Ashell said.
She turned towards Kin in anger. "Did you misuse your status again?" she asked.
"No, I didn't. It didn't even come up. I only told her my story. I didn't mention anything about being a prince," Kin defended.
Ashell stared at him, not buying the explanation one bit.
The two were about to get into their usual bout when they both felt a heavy presence fill the entire place.
Su Yin, now closer to the approaching storm, was covered with an ominous and daunting aura. The curse aura that had been trying to stop the walls of her mind from crumbling felt rejuvenated in her presence. Everything began to stabilize, and the wall was being built back steadily. But even if it were, it wouldn't be in time to prevent the storm.
Ashell wanted to warn Su Yin, but then the girl suddenly began to transform.
Her curse suddenly took hold, and her body began to shift unnaturally, like a nightmare being born into reality. Her once frail form twisted and grew, her limbs elongating into grotesque, clawed appendages that seemed too thin yet impossibly strong. Her skin darkened, taking on a cracked, ash-like texture as if her body were made from the ruins of her past life.
Her face became the most haunting part of the transformation. Her eyes vanished into black voids that seemed to leak shadowy tears, trailing down her face and dissipating into the air like smoke. A wide, unnatural smile stretched across her face, yet it was filled with sharp, jagged teeth—more a grimace of suffering than joy. From her back, dark tendrils or malformed wings sprouted, undulating like they had a mind of their own, each one whispering faint cries of agony.
Her chest emitted a faint, pulsing glow like a dying ember struggling to stay alight. It pulsed faster as she felt intense emotions, as though her despair was the source of her power. The air around her became heavy and oppressive, radiating an aura that drained the willpower of anyone nearby, forcing them to relive their worst memories.
Ashell stared at the creature in shock.
She had seen the sin of despair that the demon Arsha controlled. It was a daunting ability. And of all the beasts that were created from the curse of despair, this was both the rarest and one of the strongest.
Griefwraiths, they were called. Creatures that fed on pain, sorrow, and despair.
Su Yin, now transformed into a Griefwraith, suddenly opened her mouth wide. Inside it was darkness like no other.
Ashell quickly spoke to Kin. "Cover your ears, now!" she ordered.
Kin didn't know why she was concerned but obeyed anyway. He had learned the hard way to always take Ashell seriously whenever she gave him an order, especially when she screamed. The last time he acted too late, he ended up in Meliesse's Soulscape.
Immediately, Kin blocked his ears as a loud wail escaped from Su Yin's lips.
Her voice transformed into a multi-tonal wail, a blend of her own cries and the echoes of countless voices—perhaps the souls of those she had consumed, or the reflection of her suffering—no one knew. But when she screamed, the ground cracked, and the air rippled with an almost tangible sorrow.
A few seconds later, the wailing stopped, and the storm that had been approaching was suddenly gone.
Kin removed his hand from his ears and turned toward Ashell.
"It's gone. She did it."
"Yes, she's stronger than she seems."
"Thank you, my Lady," Ashell said to the child within her.
She was the one who had brought Kin into Su Yin's mind, and she was pivotal in stopping the storm from getting too close while Kin was inside her mind.
The child smiled and went back to sleep within Ashell, having used too much of her power.
Immediately, Kin found himself back in the world. He opened his eyes and saw Su Yin close to him.
Once he was awake, the girl also opened her eyes. She looked at Kin and spoke.
"Lord Kin, it's nice to meet you here," Su Yin said.
Kin smiled awkwardly before speaking.
"Do you have to call me 'Lord'?" he asked. "You can just call me Kin."
"No," Su Yin shook her head. "I want to call you, Lord. Please allow me to."
Kin sighed in defeat. "Alright, you can."
"Thank you..." she said immediately, but then passed out.
Kin suddenly panicked. "Su Yin! Su Yin!" he called, but got no response.
"Calm down," Ashell said. "She's only sleeping."
"Oh," Kin said. "I guess that's for the best."
"Yes," Ashell replied. "It is."
Kin looked around. By this point, the others were sleeping. It seemed it was almost nighttime already.
"Are you ready?" Kin asked Ashell as he stood to his feet.
"As ready as I can be," Ashell replied.
"Before we start, Ashell, return my hair," Kin said.
Ashell wanted to retort, but she already knew Kin was aware she could restore his hair. After all, she couldn't get rid of the mark of his curse that easily. Kin's hair suddenly grew back to the way it was. Once it did, Kin cracked his neck and summoned Ken.
Some of those who were awake looked at Kin with surprise.
"First, the bald boy was sleeping with the half-dead girl on his lap. Both of them slept for hours, and even when the guards tried to wake them up, they didn't. Then, the bald boy suddenly woke up, and so did the girl, who went back to sleep shortly after. Then, the bald boy's grew his hair back, and now he's holding a sword."
One of them approached Kin and spoke in a low tone.
"Are you here to free us?" the boy asked.
"I knew it. My father said King Ken was a great man and would never leave his people to suffer. Are you one of his men?" the boy asked.
Kin gripped his sword tightly and spoke.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could save you all, but I'm too weak to do anything. I'm sorry," Kin said, and then...