"Are you alright?" I asked, doing my best to keep calm as I approached Aria. My tone carried a rare sincerity, one I seldom let slip.
"I just need to kill a witch," she replied, her words as sharp as a dagger's edge.
The fury in her voice was palpable, like a drumbeat reverberating in the air. For a moment, I hesitated to press further, but the fire in her eyes made it clear: Aria was not someone who asked for permission to move forward.
"Ignis, we can't let the souls of those girls suffer any longer. We have to kill her."
The firmness in her gaze hit harder than any words could.
"I know," I said with a sigh, scratching my head as if that would make things any easier. "But let's be honest: she wiped the floor with us last time. Lira isn't just a spirit; she's something that's transcended death itself. Even if we defeat her, how do we know we won't destroy the very souls we're trying to save?"
"We don't have a choice, Ignis. There's no room for doubt."
Her voice was as cold as steel. Aria wasn't negotiating. I stared at her, wondering if all this came from something deeper—a broken promise, a sin from her past she was trying to atone for. But this wasn't the time for questions.
"Damn… you're lucky you're so pretty," I muttered.
Her eyebrow arched, and for a second, I was sure she was going to hit me. But instead, a wry smile crossed her lips.
"I guess my only option is to burn the witch again," I said, resigning myself with a sigh that tasted like defeat.
We stumbled out of the bar, our bodies battered and our souls even heavier. The main street of the village greeted us with a cold, oppressive air, as if the night itself knew what was about to happen.
"Damn it…" Aria's voice rang out in the darkness.
Ahead of us, a crowd of villagers blocked the road. At least a hundred of them—men and women, some still wearing dusty work clothes—stood there, armed with improvised weapons: kitchen knives, hammers, sickles. But it wasn't the weapons that disturbed me most. It was their eyes. That unnatural, glowing green that seemed to devour any trace of humanity.
"They're being controlled…" I murmured, as fear began to creep into my chest.
The villagers shuffled forward, their movements clumsy, like marionettes hanging from invisible strings. One of them lunged at us, a rusted knife catching the moonlight.
"Uh… Aria…" I turned to look at my companion.
"There's no time to hesitate, Ignis. We have to get through them."
"And what are we supposed to do? Just knock them out?"
"We don't have a choice. If we stop here, Lira wins."
I hated that she was right, but she was. I took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill my lungs.
"Alright. But if we make it out of this, you're buying the beer next time."
"Deal."
The villagers began to advance, their disjointed steps echoing off the pavement like a funeral march. Each movement seemed more like an attempt to resist their control than a deliberate attack.
"This doesn't look good, Aria."
"When does anything ever go well for us?"
I didn't bother responding. There was no point. We moved toward them, our legs heavy with exhaustion, and the green glow in their eyes grew more intense. In the distance, at the end of the street, the abandoned house loomed. Its facade, covered in black ivy, seemed to breathe with a life of its own, and its broken windows looked like hollow eyes watching us.
"She's in there…" Aria murmured.
"Yeah, I know. I just hope my dignity is still intact after this."
The first villager lunged at us, and I raised my makeshift weapon: an old metal bar we'd picked up from the bar. I didn't want to hurt them, but I couldn't let them stop us either. As the chaos erupted around us, only one thought ran through my mind:
If this is my last night, at least let it end in flames.