As Zoarlath city burned in flames and cries of despair echoed through the streets, Saladon was crouched in a corner of his room, desperately infusing mana into his stone. He knew the distance between Zoarlath and Alnuum was great, but his despair distorted all logic. "Set...Set...come quickly!" he murmured repeatedly, his eyes wide with terror.
Hwin, feeling immense frustration at being surpassed by Lark, angrily questioned the old man: "Why did you do this, Lark?" Lark, maintaining a frightening calm, walked toward a chair, pulled it and sat facing Hwin and the terrified Saladon. "There is no right answer to that question, boy," said Lark, taking a puff of his cigar. "You might think I did it to destroy you, but that's not the real reason. I just discovered, even in old age, that there is something greater in this shitty world. Greater than me, greater than the bastard Saladon over there, and greater than you, kid!" he added.
Still not understanding and losing patience, Hwin prepared to attack Lark. "You're growing senile, old man. Don't come at me with that religious talk!" Lark, still sitting calmly, took another puff of his cigar. "A while back, demons began crossing the thin veil that separates our reality from theirs. This hadn't happened since the last age of heroes, long ago. I didn't care about this matter until, a year ago, a powerful demon took the throne of Nannu. I sent assassins to investigate, and the information I obtained was beyond what I could expect," said Lark.
"What do you mean? Be clear!" shouted Hwin, clearly losing patience. "These demons are more powerful than any power in this world, kid. Your rare artifacts or any powerful gold-eyed army that Saladon can gather, nothing compares to the power of these beings..." said Lark. Gathering courage, Saladon took a step forward. "Don't tell me you achieved the power of these beings?" Lark smiled. "We are not worthy to possess such power, Saladon... but I studied these beings in ancient books and abandoned scrolls. Trying to find something to appease my lust for power, but I was found by them first!"
Losing patience completely, Hwin pointed his finger at Lark's forehead. "I don't want to hear any more child-scaring stories. Die!" A shot from his artifact was powerful enough to blast Saladon's bedroom door off, but the old man remained in the same place, untouched and unscathed. Hwin was baffled. "How did you do that?" Lark stood up, shaking splinters of wood from his shoulder. "As I was saying, I was found by one of these beings. She found me and showed me things that are not lawful to show men. She told me her envoy would come to find me, and I waited until, a few months ago, after the demon Morfrey's fall in Nannu, he arrived. And it was from that day that we planned everything!"
Frightened, Saladon ran onto his bedroom balcony. From up there, he realized things were even more chaotic and desperate. He thought about screaming but feared being heard by the bloodthirsty mob destroying his city. He thought about jumping, but it was too high and falling from there would surely be death. Crouching near the railing, Saladon closed his eyes, waiting for Set's return.
Inside the room, Hwin attacked Lark three more times, but none of his bullets hit the old man, who remained standing before the mercenary. "You plotted this whole plan to bring me down. You couldn't forget the fact that I surpassed you. I am more powerful and influential. I am stronger than you, old man!" shouted Hwin. Then Lark laughed, this time his laughter mixed with a high, sinister voice. "Why do you think this is about you, boy?" asked Lark, leaving Hwin even more on edge.
"This story is not yours. You are a mere pawn in my lady's designs, and your time is running out!" Lark added. A blood-red triangular stone emerged in the middle of Lark's forehead. Around the stone, black blood ran between the old man's eyes, which wore an intense smile he had never had in his life, frightening Hwin even more.
Suddenly, a shadow darted quickly behind Lark, attacking him with mortal precision. However, the blow supernaturally deflected, causing the shadow to pass through Lark as if he were a mirage. The emerging figure was Amon, covered in wounds and heavy breaths, but still standing. He had survived the chaos ravaging Zoarlath, pursuing Hwin under suspicion of being the traitor. Hidden in the shadows, Amon had witnessed the whole unfolding of events in Saladon's bedroom and, understanding the extent of the danger, decided to attack Lark.
"Oh, if it isn't my other companion, Amon," said Lark in an unconcerned tone, not even looking at the newcomer. "I don't understand why you young ones are so impulsive." Amon, now next to Hwin, prepared for battle, his expression hardened by determination and pain from his wounds. He cast a glance at Hwin, who replied grimly: "I have no idea how we can defeat him, but we have to do it quickly. Soon this castle will be invaded!"
"It seems you understood very well, my young man," Lark replied, with a disturbing smile on his face. "This city will soon fall in the name of my lady!" Hwin, confused and irritated, asked: "Lady? Lady? What the hell are you talking about, old man?"
As if just waiting for this question, Lark theatrically opened his arms and shouted fervently: "Glory to the Lady of Darkness, the Mother of Black Magic, daughter of Voluptaroth, she who will soon join the gods, the Avatar of Witchcraft, Salacia!"
Upon hearing the name "Salacia," Amon instinctively recoiled, his eyes widened in recognition and fear. Noticing Amon's reaction, Hwin looked at him urgently and asked: "Who is this Salacia?"
Breathing more heavily and with an expression of terror, Amon explained: "My assassins...they stole ancient scrolls that spoke of the fallen gods and their avatars in this world. As the gods cannot cross over to our plane, they created avatars to represent their aspects. It says the power of these avatars is limited by the divine powers their deity bestows upon them. They can be as powerful as gods if their deity grants them all power. The scrolls said Salacia was the representation of an aspect of the goddess Voluptaroth. If what he says is true, our entire world is in danger!"
Hearing Amon's words, Lark laughed in a frenzy of distorted joy, his laughter filling the room with an unsettling vibration. "Yes...yes...the young Amon understands! My lady is moving her pawns for her own benefit, everything has been moving since the primordial light appeared in this world!"
Hwin, skeptical and ever disbelieving, shouted: "I've said I never believed fantasy stories!" And once again he attacked Lark, firing a barrage of mana balls at the old man. The magical spheres crossed the air with deadly speed, but upon hitting Lark, they simply passed through him as if he were made of mist. Lark remained in the same place, smiling serenely.
"How impulsive and stupid you are, Hwin," Lark mocked, his voice laden with disdain. "Haven't you realized yet that I'm not really here?" With a sinister smile, Lark's figure began to dissolve into black mist, slowly fading away as Hwin and Amon watched helplessly.
Saladon, still huddled in the corner of the room, felt terror clawing at his innards. The name "Salacia" resonated in his mind, amplifying the despair already consuming him. He looked to the sky through the balcony, silently begging for Set's arrival. The world was crumbling around him, and he, the Grand Duke of Saladon, was powerless to stop it.
Hwin and Amon stood for a moment, confusion and frustration clouding their thoughts. Lark's distorted laughter still echoed in their minds as Zoarlath city continued to burn.
Inside Catoni's house, the air was heavy with tension. Everyone was perplexed by Eron's sudden appearance. Arphaxad, trying to understand what was happening, suspected Eron might be under some kind of evil control. Determined to help, he took a step forward but was abruptly interrupted by a shout from Aiya.
"Do not approach him!" Aiya warned urgently, holding out his hand to stop Arphaxad from going further. He stopped immediately, confused. Aiya, eyes fixed on Eron, continued: "He is not being controlled. I can see his status...he has a shadowy aura and is more powerful than we can imagine!"
Everyone stood frozen, the screaming silence as Eron calmly advanced into the house. "It seems Kal is no longer with you," he observed, his voice cold and distant. Sahara, still trying to process the betrayal, stood up and confronted him: "What do you want, Eron? We welcomed you into our home, and all this time you were a traitor!"
Eron maintained his serious expression, his eyes scanning the environment as if searching for something or someone specific. Not finding what he sought, he abruptly turned and began to leave the house, leaving a trail of discomfort and distrust in his wake.
Outside, Yorin and Aura, now manifesting as Saba Rekr and Siba Kamin, waited with a growing sense of alertness. They had sensed the sinister mana emanating from Eron and followed that energy to Catoni's door. "Who are you?" asked Siba Kamin sharply, her tone laden with distrust.
Eron ignored the question and continued walking, his focus unshakable. Adonis, noticing the situation, quickly exited the house and shouted: "Eron, stop!" But the call was ignored. Rekr, accessing Yorin's memories, remembered the times he spent with Eron and, before he could escape, grabbed Eron's shoulder with supernatural strength.
"I can sense your macabre mana," said Rekr with an evil smile. "It brings me fond memories. Don't tell me you're an envoy of Voluptaroth?" Surprised by the question, Eron turned to face Yorin (Rekr), surprised he would know of something so secret. "How do you know of this?" asked Eron, his tone now laden with distrust.
Aura, or rather Siba Kamin, approached, positioning herself beside Yorin. "And how could we not know?" she said, an evil smile forming on her face. "One could say we're a kind of cousin to Voluptaroth!" Eron's confusion increased, but he remained focused on his mysterious mission. Releasing Yorin's grip, he continued walking.
"Stop!" ordered Yorin, using his unique voice ability to force Eron to stop. However, Eron continued walking tranquilly, completely ignoring the command. Aura, perplexed, asked Yorin why his ability wasn't working, but he could only reply with a confused expression: "I don't understand why it didn't work..."
"The acolyte of witchcraft thinks he can make fools of us, Rekr!" mocked Aura, irritated. She charged and attacked Eron with her ornate dagger, aiming for his neck. But to her surprise, Eron stopped the attack with the tip of a single finger, immobilizing Aura in the act. She was paralyzed, her dagger frozen a few centimeters from its target. "You can no longer defeat me," said Eron calmly. "Her hands are already upon this place."
Aura struggled with all her might to force the dagger to penetrate Eron's flesh, but he held it fast with ease. Then Yorin charged to attack Eron, but was blocked by a field of black magic emanating from Eron's body, repelling him with relentless force.
"Now I can see," murmured Eron, staring fixedly at the two. "You are primal spirits, born at the Great Separation...But you possess not even a tenth of your original power. You will not defeat me here!"
Eron extended his hand toward Aura and Yorin, murmuring words in the ancient tongue. The black magic he conjured covered the two, and within seconds, Aura and Yorin collapsed to the ground, asleep. "There," said Eron, his eyes cold and calculating. "Soon they will awaken simply as Aura and Yorin again."
Overcome with rage, Adonis conjured a volley of magic missiles and launched them at Eron's mana shield. "Leave my sister alone!" he shouted, his power growing in response to desperation. Eron, however, uttered a few more words in the ancient tongue and began to levitate, slowly rising into the sky.
"Do not fret over your siblings, Adonis," said Eron, his voice reverberating like an omen of doom. "You are all already dead. Welcome to hell!" And with those words, he vanished into the darkness of the sky, leaving behind a house full of perplexity and fear.