In the middle of their deep sleep, Nimora woke everyone up that morning. She looked panicked.
Rylan, seeing her in such a state, told her to calm down first and explain what had happened. What Nimora said shocked them all—Eira was missing. And she had been the one watching her alone.
"Wait, don't panic. Let me and Ripper check it out," Arthur said, taking his beloved wolf, Ripper, with him.
But Arthur found no clue whatsoever. Even Ripper seemed confused about where Eira had gone—he couldn't pick up her scent anywhere except on the bed she'd been resting in.
"What should we do? Are we going to look for her?" Rylan asked.
"No, that would just waste our time. We should continue our journey. I'm hoping she's already waiting in Shadowfell," Arthur replied.
"Are you sure?" Nimora asked. "Before, you didn't even want to leave her behind."
"That was because she was still here, and injured."
Everyone agreed with Arthur—they would move on without Eira.
Just as they stepped out of the medical room, they saw Aethonia waiting in the main hall downstairs. Her face was full of anger.
"You think I'll just let you leave?" Aethonia said.
Without another word, she aimed her staff at them. A flash of purple lightning shot toward them in an instant.
But a wave of sound formed in front of Nimora and the others, protecting them from the strike.
"Nice work, kid!" Rylan said.
Rowan had already anticipated this would happen. He was the one who had cast the sonic shield.
"What should we do?" Nimora asked Arthur.
"We kill her!" he replied, mounting Ripper and leaping down, with Rylan following right after.
Nimora glanced at Rowan. "Don't tell me you're going to do the same thing they did."
"Of course not. I'd probably break a bone if I tried that. Come on!" They rushed after Rylan and Arthur.
Now the four of them stood face-to-face with Aethonia. The demon grinned, clearly underestimating them—but her abilities were nothing to take lightly. She summoned several bizarre creatures from the ground.
"Nim, are you sure you're going to fight with just a dagger?" Rylan asked. "You can use my sword if you want."
"No, thanks. I'm not good with swords," Nimora replied politely.
The battle began. Aethonia stayed behind her minions, watching closely and analyzing each of their skills.
Before long, she lost sight of Arthur. Sure enough, Ripper lunged at her from the side—but she sensed it just in time and dodged. The sudden ambush from Arthur and Ripper still caught her off guard.
Arthur now faced Aethonia directly, fighting not to die. Physical strength against magic—an unfair match. He took several hits from her spells, but he still pushed himself to keep going.
Meanwhile, Rowan played a crucial role in the fight, using his magic to shield Nimora and Rylan while striking down creatures far larger than himself. He carefully timed the rhythm of his sound attacks and defenses so everything worked in perfect sync.
"You think you can fight me alone?" Aethonia taunted Arthur after striking him.
"I won't stop until I'm dead," Arthur replied, picking up a sword that had fallen to the ground and standing again. Ripper was already growing exhausted.
"Rylan! There's too many of them, and they just keep coming!" Nimora shouted as she fought off another wave of monsters.
"Yeah, I know. Arthur's been trying to keep that woman distracted, but why are these things still spawning?"
Rowan looked toward the doorway leading to a room with an elevator to the underground. He shouted for them to head there while he moved in that direction.
Soon, Rylan and Nimora made it into the room. Nimora activated the security barrier—only humans and elves could pass through, keeping the monsters out.
Now Rylan and Nimora were safe. But the monsters that had been chasing them turned their attention to Rowan, who was now fighting alone.
Elsewhere, Arthur and Aethonia's fierce duel raged on. Relying only on Ripper and his swordsmanship, Arthur had to dodge her spells and look for any opening to strike.
"I have to go back and help them," Rylan said, moving toward the door.
"No, I'm sure they'll make it. Look—Rowan's slowly making his way here," Nimora stopped him.
•••
"You think you're safe now?" a mysterious woman said in the CCTV room, watching them while typing away at a keyboard.
Moments later, the door to the room began to close. The sound of it sliding shut caught Rowan off guard. He stumbled, struck from behind by a monster.
Rowan crawled toward his violin, but when he looked back, about eight monsters were already closing in. He froze, ready to accept his fate.
Luck was on his side—Arthur cut them all down in mere seconds. His years of training had not been in vain.
"Where's the demon? Did you beat her?" Rowan asked about Aethonia.
"Not yet, but I managed to wound her. Come on! The door!"
Arthur helped Rowan to his feet and lifted him onto Ripper. But Ripper was too drained to carry two people at once.
"All right, then. Ripper, take him as fast as you can! Don't come back for me—save yourself and protect the others," Arthur ordered.
Even though Ripper was exhausted and injured, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
"We're not going to make it," Rowan said, seeing the door halfway shut. "Ripper, slow down! I'm going to try something."
Ripper slowed, and Rowan played his violin, sending out sound waves that pushed against the closing door. The pressure was immense, but it bought them just enough time to slip inside.
"Rylan, I can't hold it much longer," Rowan said, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Hold on! Arthur, hurry!" Rylan shouted.
Just as Arthur was running toward them, Aethonia reappeared and struck him from an unexpected angle. He couldn't dodge in time.
Ripper looked at Rowan, who was trembling and drenched in sweat. He grew restless—especially after seeing Arthur under attack.
"Arthur… I'm sorry…" Rowan collapsed.
The moment before he fell, Ripper dashed back outside. He couldn't leave the man who had raised him since he was a pup.
"Ah, so you want to die together, huh, buddy?" Arthur said as Ripper came to his side.