As time seemed to slow down around him, Felix lunged towards his fallen comrade, desperate to catch Cesar before he hit the ground. But in his frantic rush, all Felix could grasp was the upper half of Cesar's body, blood spurting from the gaping wound where his torso had been sliced apart.
In a heart-wrenching moment, Cesar's lower half crashed to the ground, blood splattering across the ground in a grisly display. Felix, consumed by despair and disbelief, attempted to gather Cesar's fragmented body, but the gruesome reality of the situation made it impossible to hold him together.
Felix's anguished cry reverberated through the clearing, igniting a shared sense of sorrow and rage among his companions. But none could fathom the depths of fury that surged within Felix as he witnessed Cesar's final moments.
As Cesar struggled to utter his last words, his body dissolved into a crimson glow, the essence of his being drawn into the gate, following in the wake of Augustus. With a roar of pure fury, Felix seized his shield, his grief overshadowed by a burning desire for vengeance. Without a moment's hesitation, he hurled his shield into the gate, his resolve unwavering as he pursued Augustus into the unknown.
Leo hastened after Felix, propelled by the same blend of grief and fury, but Aurelia and Poduria remained rooted in shock and disbelief, unable to process the horrors they had just witnessed. The weight of their emotions threatened to overwhelm them, but Armis, sensing the urgency of the situation, refused to let despair consume them.
Taking Aurelia's hand in his own, Armis met her frightened gaze with a determined one of his own. "Aurelia, not now! We need to stay strong," he urged, his voice a steady anchor in the midst of chaos. Aurelia closed her eyes, drawing strength from Armis's words, and nodded in agreement, steeling herself for the task ahead.
With Aurelia by his side, Armis surged forward, the urgency of their mission driving them forward. Poduria and Lyco followed suit, their resolve unwavering as they joined the pursuit of Augustus. As they passed Alan, Lyco's rallying cry echoed through the clearing. "C'mon, man! We can't let that monster escape!"
Alan's breaths came in ragged, trying to stifle the fury bubbling inside him not just at the recent events but also at his own inability to prevent them. Clenching his fists, he trailed behind his companions, determination etched into every line of his face. Following closely behind Alan, Father Zeneth offered a silent prayer for the fallen Cesar before stepping through the gate.
Meanwhile, Augustus stepped into the chamber, his anticipation tinged with confusion at the sight that greeted him. He couldn't help but exclaim in bewilderment, "What the hell is going on here?!! What the fuck are y—" —-thuddd—-
Augustus's startled exclamation was abruptly cut off as Felix's shield slammed into his back, causing him to stagger forward with a grunt of pain. Turning with a snarl, he cursed his relentless pursuers through clenched teeth.
"Persistent cockroaches!! Whatever, I guess the next one will have to do. Maybe I'll find some snacks along the way," Augustus sneered, licking his rapier in a deranged manner. With a swift motion, he charged at the next gate, plunging his rapier through it to gorging a hole in the door creating an escape route to the next floor and escaping through it. Felix stormed into the chamber, his attention solely focused on the pursuit of Augustus. Ignoring his surroundings, he swiftly retrieved his shield and dashed after Augustus through the hole he had created.
Following Felix, Leo entered the chamber, quickly scanning the room. He spotted the hole through which Felix and Augustus had vanished. Just as he prepared to follow, something caught his eye, freezing him in place.
Armis, Aurelia, Lyco, and Poduria entered together, with Armis accidentally bumping into the immobile Leo. Armis began to retort but then followed Leo's gaze. The sight before them rendered them speechless and horrified.
Alan rushed in, seeing his friends standing still. He tried to nudge Armis forward, but Armis stopped him, his voice low and grave. "Alan… Relecta…"
Hearing her name, Alan's senses heightened. He followed Armis's pointing hand and saw the scene that had left everyone in shock.
Relecta, nearly stripped of her armor, was almost unrecognizable. Torn and loose clothes hung from her vulnerable, exposed body. Her hair had grown dramatically, cascading down to her calves. Her bust and bosom had developed to match that of a grown woman, and her face bore the features of maturity.
However, the sight was grotesque. Her mouth hung open in agony, and her eyes were blank. Liquid spheres encased her head, both arms, chest, and legs. These spheres appeared to be sucking the aura out of her. Anyone looking closely would notice Relecta aging rapidly, second by second.
Alan's anger exploded with a scream that jolted everyone out of their shock.
"RELECTA!!!"
Leo, rolling his eyes back to the hole in the next gate, announced arrogantly, "Sorry, but I don't have time for this. If we leave that fool alone any longer, the monster will devour him as well. Say beast!" He rushed to the hole, one foot already out, and yelled at Armis, "You coming?!"
Armis, torn between the two urgencies, tried to decide based on his feelings. "No! Relecta is our teammate, and we never leave our teammates beh—"
"NO!!!" Alan's scream of denial cut through, halting Armis's reply. Watching Relecta's suffering, Alan's fury was palpable.
Armis, confused by Alan's reaction, tried to reason. "But Alan, w—"
"NO!" Alan turned and grabbed Armis's shoulder, his furious glare piercing Armis's confused gaze. "No! Armis, go and stop him! Before he takes another life, kill him!!!"
"But Alan, w—"
"Don't worry," Alan interrupted, his voice firm. "Relecta was my responsibility first, and I promise you I'll save her and join you as soon as possible." He looked at all his friends, determination blazing in his eyes.
"I'll help him," Father Zeneth said, stepping up beside Alan. His resolute gaze met Armis's. "You all should go and help those two slay that heathen. Don't worry about your friends here. I know what that monster is and how to handle it."
Alan looked at Father Zeneth as he spoke, then turned back to Armis. His eyes locked onto Armis's, filled with a fierce intensity. "And Armis," he commanded, "promise me you will not let anyone else die. Not even yourself!"
Armis extracted himself from Alan's hold, nodding in agreement. Though concerned for his friend, a new hope and belief in Alan sparked within him.
With a gesture, Armis led the group towards the hole in the next door. As almost all of them crossed through it, Armis turned and passed a final, determined, and hopeful glance at Alan. Alan stood tall, fury and anger surging in his eyes as he looked at the levitating Relecta. Glancing back at Armis from the corner of his eye, he nodded. Armis, confirming his friend's resolve, crossed through the hole to join Leo and Felix in the chase after Augustus.
Alan's eyes were desperate and filled with anguish. He clenched his teeth in fury, biting his upper lip as he tried to contain his rage. He needed to handle whatever was happening with a logical approach to avoid harming Relecta in his blinding anger.
"You mentioned a monster. Where is it?" Alan's voice was tight with urgency, puzzled by Father Zeneth's warning and his own inability to see the threat.
Zeneth walked beside Alan and pointed to the wall behind Relecta, where a silhouette of eyes seemed to glimmer with malevolence. "What are you talking about? Can't you sense the malevolent aura there?"
Alan still couldn't see a monster, but he could feel the deathly intent seeping from those eyes. He gestured to Father Zeneth with a sidelong glance, and both charged toward the wall. As they sprinted, Alan asked urgently, "So, explain what's happening to her?"
Without wasting a second, Father Zeneth glanced once at Relecta and replied in the same urgent tone, "As far as I know, this floor's monster lord is a water siren, possessing both male and female forms and commanding over the water element. But this one is special. Occasionally, a unique kind of siren spawns as the monster lord of this floor. Its command surpasses the domain of this chamber; it has control over all the swamps, lakes, and seas of this tier."
As Alan neared the wall with the eerie eyes, he absorbed Zeneth's explanation and asked, "What is it doing to Relecta?"
"Is your friend a water element wielder?" Father Zeneth responded.
"Yes, she—"
Before Alan could finish, Relecta suddenly appeared in front of them, halting their charge. Water spheres formed beside her, poised to attack.
"Then I'm sure it's draining her aura to gain strength. And by the looks of it, she doesn't have much time."
Hearing Zeneth's revelation and seeing Relecta as his opponent, Alan's furious glare turned into a determined gaze. He muttered, eyes locked on Relecta, "Then let's finish this."
Alan leapt into action, launching smoke balls toward Relecta. She countered with a water sphere, and their collision resulted in a massive explosion of smoke. The distraction was enough; Alan moved with blinding speed, slicing through the water tendrils that held Relecta captive. As the tendrils burst apart, he whisked her away to safety in an instant.
Laying the now fully grown, beautiful woman on the ground, Alan's heart pounded with despair. He tried to rouse her, but she remained lifeless. Desperation filled his voice as he called out, "Relecta!"
As his voice echoed in the chamber, the reply came not from Relecta, but from a corner of the chamber that began to fill with water. The water morphed into a grotesque creature with a half-male, half-female upper body and a fish-like lower half. Alan's eyes widened in recognition; the creature bore a disturbing resemblance to Relecta's parents, who had taken her from him.
The creature opened its mouth, speaking in a chilling unison of male and female voices: "She is not your Relecta anymore!"
"The hell are you talking about?!" Alan roared back in anguish.
"She is our daughter, you fool!" the monster bellowed. It shot water tendrils from its fingers toward Relecta. Alan tried to intervene, but the tendrils bypassed him, ensnaring Relecta as before. Alan and Father Zeneth had barely any time to react before Relecta's body jerked upright, spun, and delivered a powerful kick, sending both of them hurling into the wall.
Relecta, controlled by the monster siren, levitated back in front of it as the creature roared, its voice echoing deafeningly around the chamber: "She is our perfect vessel, our own creation. Upon the completion of her transformation, she will hold the Relic Castle under her heel!"
"I knew it," Alan muttered, staggering to his feet. His voice, filled with both pride and fury, cut through the monster's proclamation. "I knew it! You two were never her parents! You manipulated her! I knew my Relecta would never abandon me like that! Even after everything, she would never hate me, because she loves me! And for your desecration, you shall die."