Everyone could feel the aura radiating from Arthur. He was already the strongest among them, but this surge was strange, even for him.
"What did you do?" Ryan asked, his voice sharp as his gaze slid to Leo, drawing everyone else's attention with it.
Leo placed a fist over his chest in solemn respect. "We simply combined his spell with his relic, with the Creator's guidance."
Silence followed, heavy and unspoken, as they pressed deeper into the Shadowland. Hours passed beneath the suffocating dark. There was nothing but endless shadows around them; even with vision spells active, the void revealed little.
Leo's eyes burned with strain, his Moonlit Gaze weighing on him like lead, but he forced himself to keep it active. They could not afford blindness here.
Then, at last, a flicker. His pupils tightened. "Something's coming."
The ground trembled underfoot a heartbeat later, vibrations rolling closer, stronger, until even the air seemed to shudder. A hulking shape broke through the mist. The monster came into view—towering, grotesque, running on four thick legs, its chest split by a jagged maw that stretched from shoulder to waist. Rows of teeth churned inside like grinding stones, saliva hissing where it struck the blackened ground. It was the same monster that attacked Alina's village.
"It's a B-rank beast," Leo muttered.
Ryan tensed, ready to move. "And you know that how?"
"I've seen one before," Leo said grimly.
The beast shrieked, a sound like tearing metal, then thundered forward.
Before it could close the distance, Ryan warped the battlefield. With a twist of his hand, reality rippled, the earth under the beast's charge liquefied into sucking mud. The monster roared, its legs dragging down as it struggled to pull free.
Briva's bowstring thrummed. A green-lit arrow shot forward, and Edgarth's circle flared to life in its path. The spell wrapped around the projectile, feeding it power until the air itself seemed to crack as it passed.
The arrow speared into the monster's gaping maw, tore through its torso, and burst out the other side in a spray of black ichor. The beast lurched, then collapsed with a heavy, wet thud. Its limbs twitched once before lying still.
Thorn that had begun to unfurl from Leo's palm slowly receded. He exhaled, then glanced at his companions, a rare smile touching his lips. Having allies this strong, it felt good.
Arthur's voice cut through the quiet, calm but certain. "We're close." His eyes remained locked ahead, unwavering.
Leo drew a shallow cut across his finger, letting a droplet of blood hover before closing his eyes. He concentrated, reaching outward.
When he opened them, Elna's expectant gaze was waiting. "And?" she asked softly.
Leo's smile returned, sharper now. "I can feel it."
…
Alina paced restlessly through the library, a book clutched in her hands. She turned pages without seeing the words, her body too tense to focus. Every minute felt heavier than the last.
The door creaked open. Arlasan stepped inside, his expression calm but sharp. Their eyes met.
"A group has entered the city," he said evenly.
Alina froze, the words striking her like a blow. Her eyes widened. The book snapped shut in her hands. Without another thought she bolted from the library, her heartbeat racing. Arlasan followed close behind, his strides quick and deliberate.
Together they emerged into the courtyard. The other two of their companions were already there, weapons drawn, eyes fixed on the gate. The air was taut, like a bowstring ready to snap. Arlasan's hands flicked, and a pair of long daggers glinted in the dim light.
Alina, however, could only stare at the gates. Her hands trembled, her breath shallow.
Then, at last, shapes emerged. A group of seven figures stepped through the gate and crossed into the courtyard.
Alina's breath caught in her throat. At the front, side by side, were two men she recognized instantly. Mr. Victor. Mr. Arthur.
Her legs moved before her mind caught up. Slowly, almost disbelieving, she walked forward. Tears blurred her vision, her eyes wide, shining.
Victor's smile was warm and steady. "At last we meet in person, Miss Alina."
Alina reached out with trembling fingers and touched his arm, as though to prove he was real. The warmth beneath her hand unraveled the knot in her chest. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks. She nodded, her voice breaking. "At last."
Arlasan and the other two approached, their caution easing only slightly. His gaze locked on the man before him.
"You must be Victor."
Victor inclined his head, his smile unwavering. "And you must be Arlasan. It's good to finally meet you face-to-face."
…
After introductions were finished, the group made their way into the castle. The two other elves who had been on guard were already easing up, though Leo could still feel Arlasan's sharp gaze fixed on him.
Only now, away from the haze of his domain, did Leo notice something else, the elves here bore slightly darker skin, shaded with hints of violet. Perhaps it was the mark of living too long in the Shadowland. They looked like dark elves from the stories and game of his previous life… though not fully.
Inside, they gathered around a fractured long table in a dim chamber.
"So," Arthur said, breaking the silence, "where is this room you mentioned?"
"First," Arlasan countered, his voice steady but edged, "tell me what you plan to do with whatever is inside."
Leo exhaled slowly before answering. "We believe that inside the vault lies a remnant of the Goddess of Nature. An orb, what's left of her power. The Mad God seeks it, to corrupt and destroy it, but the Creator, wishes to restore it."
Arlasan's brows drew together, his tone skeptical. "You're saying your god is strong enough to restore another god?"
"Arlasan," Alina snapped, anger flashing in her voice. Then, softer, she turned to Leo. "Mr. Victor, perhaps you should…"
"You can call me Leo," he interrupted.
She blinked at him. "What?"
"That's my true name. I can't use it in the Gathering. Liam knows me, but he doesn't know I'm alive, and he can't know. It would endanger him." He turned his gaze back to Arlasan. "And to answer your question, yes. He's already begun restoring her."
"And how can you prove this?" Arlasan pressed.
"He did it in my village," Briva's voice cut in from the side. She stepped forward, placing her hand against the cold stone wall. "Like you, we were elves who stayed hidden, sealed away, waiting. He was the one who freed us."
Green spread from her palm. Ivy coiled and bloomed across the wall, leaves vibrant and alive.
The three elves stared, wide-eyed, the first living green they had seen in their whole life. Alina, already saw a more beautiful place within Leo's domain, only smiled.
Arlasan looked back at Leo, still doubtful but less rigid. "I'm not convinced, but we have little choice. The vault is in the basement."
Leo inclined his head. "Very well. Then let's have a look"
Arlasan gestured for his two men, sending them to keep look.
The rest followed him downward. The staircase was old, cracked in places, but wide enough for them to walk side by side. Dust clung to the air as they descended into the depths.
At the bottom, they came before a massive iron door, its surface etched with countless sigils and runes, most of them foreign even to Leo's eye. Above it, carved deep into the stone arch, was a single line of ancient script.
Leo leaned forward, narrowing his eyes, trying to piece it together when Arlasan's voice broke the silence.
"It says, only a power of pure divinity can open this."
Leo's gaze shifted to him.
Arlasan gave a faint, humorless smile. "Don't look so surprised. We speak the old tongue as easily as the new. Every book we keep preserves it."
Leo nodded, then activated his vision spells, but the door yielded nothing, only darkness beyond.
"Most likely because of the Shadowland and the wards on this door," he said at last. "The Mad God couldn't breach it himself, but he may be waiting for us to do it. We need to prepare as much as we can before opening it."
"I say we rest tonight," Edgarth suggested, his tone steady, "and cover this place with every protection spell we know. Tomorrow, we try."
The others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
"Then it's decided," Leo said.
…
They spent the rest of the day preparing for every possible scenario, layering spells, defenses, and contingencies against the Mad God. In the end, Edgarth proposed the most reliable option: a large-scale enchanting spell that required five people to activate.
The design had to be drawn in five separate locations across the castle. Once each circle was complete, every caster would channel their power into it at the same time. When finished, the enchantment would form a barrier strong enough to block even a single S-rank strike. The chosen five were Edgarth, Ryan, Luciana, Briva, and one of Arlasan's men.
The only one clearly unhappy with the arrangement was Luciana, though she kept her thoughts to herself.
Not knowing what waited behind the vault door, they agreed only A-rank and above would be allowed below. That meant Elna, Alina, and the other elf had to remain outside, each tasked with protecting the castle in their own way.
Leo still didn't know Arlasan's true rank, but whether the elf was qualified or not, he had to be there.
After a few hours of restless sleep, they began the preparations. First came the lesser protections: Ryan cloaked them with a reinforced version of False Aura, while Edgarth and the others layered enchantments that blocked outside gazes and suppressed mana signatures. Then came the great circle, the massive spell Edgarth had designed. Its final pulse left the entire castle humming faintly with power.
At last, when everything was ready, Leo, Arthur, and Arlasan descended into the basement. The old stone steps groaned under their boots until they stood once more before the iron gate. Arlasan's gaze flicked toward Leo, sharp and measuring.
The door itself might prove the truth of his purity.
Leo had already studied the door and the inscription above it. If it was meant to guard the Goddess of Nature, then pure divine power had to belong to her allies. Selvanna was one of them, and his domain carried her power.
He pressed his hand against the cold iron. Energy surged through him like a tide, spilling outward. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the markings along the door shimmered, first faintly, then blazing bright as if answering his call. The stone groaned, and the massive door began to shift.
A grin crept across his face, growing wider with every inch the door opened. Light poured through the widening gap, pure, dazzling white. The air grew rich with the fragrance of flowers, sweet and overwhelming after so long in shadow. Shapes of vines, forests, beasts and men danced along the carved walls, glowing faintly as if alive.
But before they could take a step inside, the ground trembled beneath their feet. Dust sifted down from the ceiling.
"What's happening?" Arlasan's voice cut sharp with alarm.
Arthur's golden sword flashed into being, light flaring against the shadows. He turned, posture tense, eyes fixed on the stairway.
Leo did not move. His breath caught as his domain roared inside him, every thread screaming in unison. A presence pressed against the edges of reality itself, immense, suffocating, unmistakable. He had never felt it before, yet he knew.
"He's here," he whispered hoarsely.
"Who?" Arlasan barked.
"The Mad God."
The words jolted him into motion. He lunged into the chamber, eyes locked on the orb at its heart, glowing like a star. "Arthur, hold him back as long as you can!"
Arthur's sword shifted in a burst of light, reshaping into a shield. He slammed it into the ground, golden barrier flaring outward, sealing the doorway in radiant fire.
Leo had no time to take in the chamber's beauty, his eyes locked on the orb at its center. He sprinted straight toward it, every heartbeat hammering louder than the tremors shaking the ground.
From above, Elna's voice rang down the stairwell, sharp with urgency. "He is coming!"
A moment later, black power crashed against Arthur's shield like a tidal wave. The golden barrier flared, cracked but held. Arthur gritted his teeth, his arms shaking under the pressure. The force splintered his weapon again and again, reforming only to shatter once more. Still, he endured.
Leo reached the orb and pressed his hand to it. The instant his fingers met the smooth surface, a sharp crack rang out like glass shattering. He knew what it meant. Arthur's shield was gone.
No time. No hesitation. He whispered, "Obscurae."
The shadows surged for him, eager and crushing, but they broke upon something greater. A warmth, ancient and steady, enfolded him. Power unlike his own pressed close, holding the darkness at bay.
And then he heard it. A voice, gentle as wind through leaves, resonant as the earth itself.
"Shall we push him back together, Mr. Creator?"
Leo froze, his chest tight. He knew that voice. The Goddess of Nature.
Energy poured into him from all directions, flooding his veins, saturating his very soul. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, like the moment Selvanna had fought beside him against the Manifest of the God of Light, but even stronger.
The sound of bells, two, clear and beautiful, echoed through the endless dark.
Leo's eyes burned crimson as he lifted his hand, his lips moving in perfect harmony with the goddess herself. Together, their voices became one, ethereal, undeniable.
"Begone, Mad God."
The chamber erupted. A torrent of divine power surged outward, colliding with the tide of shadow. Light and darkness slammed together, shaking the very bones of the earth.