The night Raz spoke with timid Elysia in the castle gardens, under the pale starlight, something else moved in the shadows.
After saying goodbye to Raz, her heart pounding with fear, Elysia ran through the eastern wing corridors, climbing the stairs toward her older sister's room—Ariane's chamber.
—"Sister, I spoke to him!" she cried, breathless. "He told me he didn't kill Eron! He said they just trained, and then he went to practice magic with the Supreme Mage!"
Ariane, seated in an armchair wearing her black dress embroidered with golden threads, fixed her cold gaze on her younger sister.
She showed no emotion. Just narrowed her eyes, as if calculating something invisible.
—"That's what he told you?" she asked calmly.
Elysia nodded.
—"Thank you for your cooperation, little sister. You may go now."
Elysia hesitated for a moment, then left.
But outside the room, waiting in the dimly lit corridor, was a man. Gaius, the captain of the royal army.
He looked at her sideways in silence.
Elysia looked back nervously, but said nothing, and walked away.
Once the door closed again, Gaius entered the room and approached Ariane.
—"Well?" he asked. "Did she get anything?"
Ariane gave a slight smile and stood.
—"I don't know. He said he didn't do it… but I'm not sure. He could be lying. What matters is that Elysia believes she did her part."
Gaius lowered his head.
—"I'm sorry… I hate intimidating her. But you made me…"
Ariane placed a finger gently on his lips.
—"Gaius… do you want this world to belong to us, or not?"
He nodded.
—"Then obey me."
Gaius clenched his fists.
—"Yes… my queen."
Over the past six months, Ariane had woven her web in silence.
She controlled the royal council. She manipulated reports.
She convinced her parents—the king and queen—that the King of the Abyss had declared war.
But it was all a lie.
Ariane's true goal was to amass military power, provoke chaos, and crown herself the sole ruler of all races.
Her plan, as always, was in motion.
Meanwhile, Gaius was tasked with covering the collateral damage of Raz's nightly deeds.
Dozens of people were found unconscious, with fang marks on their necks.
No one knew the cause.
At first, Gaius took them to the infirmary.
But soon they discovered something more alarming:
When they awoke… they went mad. Monstrous. Uncontrollable.
One escaped… and upon stepping into sunlight, disintegrated completely.
—"What kind of creature is doing this?" thought Gaius, horrified.
They began locking these "converted" victims in the castle's underground catacombs, sealed with ancient magic.
But no one—not even the king—knew anything.
Everything was being covered up… by Ariane.
One day, driven by growing suspicion, Gaius sought answers.
He theorized: if sunlight harms them, then perhaps light magic might work too.
And so he summoned the only one who could help:
Thomas, the most powerful light mage in the kingdom.
Young. Serious. And radiating a pure energy that seemed to repel all darkness.
His spell, Pulse of Life, was known as the ultimate purification.
They brought him to the catacombs.
Gaius showed him the creatures.
Thomas simply frowned.
—"This… this is not normal. These are… deformed humans."
He raised his staff.
With a whisper, a blinding white light engulfed the space.
The monsters screamed in inhuman voices. Some dissolved instantly.
Others resisted… but all fell before the light.
—"Yes. I can deal with them. But these aren't demons.
They're something else."
Gaius felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The castle's catacombs were dark and damp, a labyrinth of cold stone filled with secrets forgotten by time.
There, surrounded by magical white-flame torches, Gaius and Thomas walked past rune-sealed cells.
Inside, the twisted bodies of the infected stirred. Some screamed. Others sobbed.
Their eyes… were no longer human. Their mouths had fangs. Their nails, long as blades.
Thomas watched in silence.
—"So then…" Gaius said, brows furrowed. "What exactly are they?"
Thomas didn't answer right away. He stepped closer to one of the cells, observing a hunched figure, panting, its skin grayish, veined with black, and its gaze void of life.
—"Their bodies are alive… but their souls aren't whole," the light mage murmured. "They're not demons. Not monsters. Not humans either."
Gaius tensed.
—"Then what are they?"
Thomas slowly turned his head toward him.
—"I don't know. But I'll tell you this… I'm a level 5 light mage. I can purify lesser demons without even blinking. And even then, some of these… I could barely eliminate."
The captain stared, visibly shaken.
—"Are you sure about that?"
Thomas nodded, crossing his arms.
—"Very sure. If more of these monsters start appearing… lower-ranked mages won't stand a chance. They'll need reinforcements… or a miracle."
Gaius exhaled deeply. Then looked at him seriously.
—"What if you used your secret technique? 'Pulse of Life.' Maybe that would—"
Thomas shook his head.
—"It's not that simple. That technique consumes too much energy. I can use it only once or twice a day… if I'm lucky. And after that, I need at least one day of rest."
Gaius's frown deepened.
—"Then tell me. How does it work exactly?"
Thomas took a deep breath. He stood silent for a few seconds.
—"It's a technique of absolute purification. I learned it at the Sanctuary of Solaria, after years of spiritual training. It requires my heart to be fully aligned with the light. If I harbor doubt, anger, fear… it can fail."
He paused. Then raised one hand to his chest.
—"This hand over my heart."
And the other, extended forward.
—"And this hand toward the world."
—"And then?"
—"I close my eyes. Hold my breath. Focus. And when I open them… a white light, like a glowing mist, bursts in all directions.
Five thousand meters. Nothing impure survives within that radius."
—"And if there are humans nearby?"
—"If their souls are pure, they'll be fine. But… if there's something dark inside them… they'll burn."
Gaius swallowed hard.
—"And have you ever… burned someone?"
Thomas lowered his gaze. His voice was barely a whisper.
—"Only once."
Silence.
Gaius didn't ask more. He knew he shouldn't.
But in his mind, something stirred.
"If only one person was harmed… then there's hope.
But… what if Raz is ever caught in that light?"
Thomas turned, walked a few steps, and paused.
—"Gaius… who brought in the first of these bodies?"
The captain hesitated.
—"I did."
—"And who told you to hide them?"
Gaius didn't respond. He lowered his eyes.
—"I see," said Thomas, serious. "Just one thing… If I ever see someone like them… above ground… I won't hesitate."
And he walked away, leaving Gaius alone in the catacombs…
surrounded by deformed bodies.