"As promised," Karim said with that infuriatingly polite tone, "I'll answer whatever question you desire—before we begin our little game."
I shifted in the massive grip of the monster-hand holding me aloft. Nope. Still painfully tight. Cozy as a bear trap.
"Before that," I grumbled, squirming a little. "Mind dropping us down? Kinda high up here, you know."
Karim tilted his head. "Oh? Are you perhaps afraid of heights?"
I gasped, feigning offense. "Color me shocked! You noticed!"
He chuckled softly, hiding his smile behind a graceful hand. "Yes… your tongue truly is as sharp as a dagger."
Then he shook his head, voice soft yet firm. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. You're far too fast, dear Lina. If I were to release you, you'd snatch Princess Mina and vanish in a blink. Correct?"
I looked away. Not because I was offended—he wasn't wrong. But honestly? I just really wanted out of this cramped, clawed prison. My joints were screaming.
"Alright then," Karim said after a pause, "To compensate, I'll answer two of your questions instead of one. A generous offer, wouldn't you agree?"
Two?
My eyes narrowed.
That was more than I'd hoped for. Which meant either he was stupidly confident—or the 'game' he was about to spring on me was so awful he thought this was fair.
Still… information was gold. We knew next to nothing about these freaks.
I took a breath. "Alright then. First question… What the hell is this C.O.M. thing anyway?"
Karim smiled like a teacher pleased by a student's curiosity.
"Excellent choice."
He stepped slightly to the side, his voice adopting a reverent tone.
"C.O.M. stands for Cult of Marloth. Every act we commit, every ideal we uphold, is guided by the will of the great Marloth. All of us—Flow Practitioners like myself, Chris, Oliver, and many others—are bound by that singular purpose."
He paused, eyes gleaming faintly. "And yes, we are not alone. Among us walk Mages… ancient ones, brought forth from an era long buried by history."
My breath hitched. So Mina really was from the past. She hadn't been exaggerating.
Karim kept speaking, calm and composed. "To reach our divine objective, we are prepared to use any means necessary."
I raised an eyebrow. "Even soul-leeching…"
He nodded solemnly. "Especially soul-leeching. It is one of the most sacred tools in fulfilling Marloth's vision."
Sacred, he says.
I clenched my jaw. Whatever this 'vision' was, it reeked of madness.
Should I ask about Marloth's so-called vision? Or maybe who the hell Marloth even is?
No… something told me learning that too soon might break more than just our morale. Some truths have teeth, and I wasn't sure we were ready to get bitten yet.
Maybe I should ask about their hideouts. If we knew their bases, we could plan, sabotage, escape...
Tch…
None of these two questions would be enough. Not even close. There was too much we didn't know. Too much hanging over us like a damn guillotine.
My eyes wandered, falling on the broken, twitching forms of the Ghouls we'd taken down earlier. Their flesh still sizzled from my Flow, smoke curling off their bodies like incense from a cursed shrine. And despite being downed, they weren't dead. Just suffering.
I narrowed my gaze and turned to Karim.
"What's the goal of this experiment?" I asked.
He blinked. Just once. Then gave me a pleasant little smile—like I'd surprised him for the first time today.
"I didn't expect you to ask about the Ghouls, to be honest."
He gently shook his head, the motion almost too graceful for someone casually talking about human experimentation.
"But I'll gladly answer."
He clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing slightly—lecturing, almost.
"These… test subjects were once regular humans. Each of them once had either Flow or Mana. Our goal was to grant them the ability to wield both powers simultaneously, without the limits nature cruelly imposed on them."
His voice softened, like he was talking about tragic failures rather than butchered lives.
"And of course," he added, "we needed them to obey. Absolute obedience. After all, what's the point of power if it doesn't serve its master?"
He let out a soft sigh. "Unfortunately, our results are still… imperfect. Most subjects lose control to both Mana and Flow. But they gain enhanced strength, immortality, and an unnatural endurance. Even in this state, they serve as useful pawns."
I turned my gaze back to the twitching bodies.
So they weren't just from the past like Mina.
They were from here too.
This era.
They could've been anyone—neighbors, friends, even people like Bruno or Elza…
But then the logic clicked. Only those with Flow or Mana were targeted. That meant Bruno and Elza were safe.
For now.
Karim broke the silence with a single, echoing clap. "Did my answers meet your expectations? I tried to be as thorough as I could."
I gave him a dry grin. "Why, thank you, dear Karim."
He smiled, eyes faintly glowing with satisfaction. "You're very welcome, dear Lina."
"Now," Karim announced, clapping his hands once, "let's begin our little game, shall we?"
No hesitation. No dramatic pause. He was eager to jump straight into his twisted performance.
From the folds of his coat, he pulled out a syringe. It was massive—at least 100ml, with a needle so long and sharp it could've skewered a damn bear. Inside it, a vile, thick liquid sloshed slowly, gleaming a putrid shade of deep purple. It glowed faintly near the tip.
Just looking at it made my stomach twist.
He held the syringe up with a gentle reverence, like it was some sacred artifact. "This… is the formula we've been refining. The one that creates Ghouls."
He waved his free hand slightly. The monstrous hand gripping Mina began to shift, slowly bringing her toward him like she weighed nothing.
My heart dropped. "Hey—HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing?! I'm the one playing the game, remember?!"
He didn't respond. Didn't even glance at me.
"NO! B... Big Sister... H... H-HELP ME!!" Mina screamed, but it was like her voice was being swallowed by the air itself.
Karim just kept talking. Calm. Focused. Detached.
"It usually takes around three days for the transformation to complete. The first day," he explained, placing the syringe beside him like a surgeon prepping for surgery, "the subject's body temperature skyrockets. Too hot to touch. Skin starts to burn."
SNAP.
His hand moved like a blur. His fingers struck the side of Mina's neck with eerie precision.
She slumped.
No more screaming. No more struggling.
Just… silence.
But not the peaceful kind.
This silence felt like something had died in it.
"The second day," Karim continued, lowering her gently to the ground like she was nothing more than a doll, "they begin to convulse. Endless shivering. Hallucinations of organs exploding and regenerating—purely psychological, but the pain is very real."
I thrashed in the grip of the beast's hand, eyes wide, heart hammering, my aura escalating way too much. The syringe hovered just above her neck now—just an inch away. Just a breath away.
"STOP! Don't you dare touch her! I'm the one playing your sick game, not her!"
"Karim, you twisted son of a bitch!" I roared. "SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"
Finally, he looked up.
And smiled.
That same calm, infuriating, insincere smile.
"Oh, but she does, dear Lina. You see, this—" he gestured at the syringe, "—isthe game."
My blood ran cold.
"What… What do you mean?"
His grin deepened. Something dark curled at the edge of it. Something inhuman.
"I mean, on one hand, you're too valuable to transform you into a Ghoul. And on the other hand, your role in this game… is to stop her from turning into a Ghoul."
And without a flicker of hesitation, he plunged the syringe into her neck.
The purple liquid disappeared into her bloodstream.
"Three days," he whispered as her body twitched involuntarily. "You have three days. Can you save her? Or will you watch her become a monster like the others?"
"KARIM!!"
My voice tore through the chamber as my aura burst forth, reaching its climax. It wasn't just emanating from me anymore—it erupted like a storm, swallowing the air, the ground, the monstrous hand gripping me. The beast's six fingers began to tremble violently, unable to withstand the surge. Its hold weakened.
That was all I needed.
In one fluid motion, I formed a dagger with my Morphblade and slashed through its flesh. A sickening tear echoed through the hall as I broke free, my feet hitting the ground with force.
Karim's eyes widened.
Good.
I was already in front of him.
My dagger screamed toward his chest—unstoppable, unforgiving.
But just as the blade was about to land—
THUNK.
The invisible barrier was still there.
Still shielding him.
Still mocking me.
But my fury wasn't done.
"RRAHHH!!" I twisted mid-strike and launched a kick into his shoulder with everything I had.
This time, he flew. As I thought. The shield didn't surround all his body.
The impact sent his body skidding across the hall, slamming against the far wall with a loud CRACK.
Meowww.
The cat's voice rang again, and like a puppet obeying its master, the monstrous hand that held Mina gently shifted, catching Karim mid-fall like some cursed cradle.
I ignored it.
I dropped to my knees and pulled Mina into my arms.
Her breathing… It was shallow.
Her skin already growing unnaturally warm.
No… no no no no NO!
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!
I clutched her tighter, trying to will my Flow into her. Trying to undo it. Reverse it. Anything. Anything—
I didn't notice when he returned.
Karim stood just a few feet away, calm and composed, his hands behind his back like a goddamn lecturer.
"You are… truly something, dear Lina," he said with a slight nod. "For you to notice that my barrier doesn't cover my entire body… Very impressive."
I lifted my gaze, breath ragged, strands of hair clinging to my cheeks and falling into my eyes. All I saw was red.
"SHUT UP!"
I swung at him again, my dagger aiming for his throat—but he simply stepped back, sidestepping it with infuriating grace.
And then he smiled.
That same, infuriating, polite smile.
"The Ghouls will come for you in two days," he said calmly. "Enough time for you to rest. You'll need it."
MEOWWWWW.
The cat leapt back into his arms. The hands—those monstrous, grotesque things—began sinking into the earth. Even the one holding Chris.
The blue hamster-creature disappeared back into the pocket, like it had never existed. The cat purred once and closed its eyes, curling up in Karim's arms.
Karim turned.
"Don't worry," he said over his shoulder, footsteps echoing in the now quiet hall. "I'll just be a spectator from now on."
He gave me one last wave.
"Enjoy the game, Lina Lapis."
And with that—he vanished.
Just… disappeared.
Silence.
The kind that presses down on your chest, even harder than the weight of a monster's hand.
I collapsed to my knees, cradling Mina against me as if my arms could shield her from the corruption spreading inside her. Her body felt small—too small for someone who had endured so much already. Her breath was shallow, her skin burning up with an unnatural heat.
Her little face twitched in her sleep, lips parting like she was trying to call out.
But no words came.
Only pain.
I brought her closer, gently laying her against my lap. One hand instinctively reached for her forehead, brushing away her damp bangs. Her skin… It was so hot, like touching heated metal. It stung. But I didn't care. Let it burn me if it wanted.
I held her cheeks between my hands, thumbs stroking her face as if I could soothe away the nightmare Karim forced on her.
"Mina…" My voice trembled, cracking like old glass.
"I'm so sorry."
Her breathing hitched, like she heard me even in her unconsciousness.
"I was assigned to protect you… and I let this happen."
A sob clawed its way up my throat, but I forced it down. Not now. Not in front of her. Not when she needed me to be strong. I leaned in, forehead pressed gently to hers.
I shut my eyes.
And let the silence scream louder inside me than any voice ever could.
Why? Why did it have to be her?
She was just a child.
She still smiled like one.
Still dreamed like one.
And now… now she had some twisted curse rotting inside her, ticking like a time bomb. Three days. Just three.
I thought I'd bought us time.
But all I did was buy her pain.
Karim… I'll kill you.
I don't care how strong you are. What ancient forces you worship. What layers of trials and monsters stand in my way. I will destroy every single one of them.
Because this—what you did to her—it's unforgivable.
It was my mission.
And I failed.
Again.
Just like I failed back then.
Why does it always end like this? Why do I always lose the ones I try to protect?
No… not this time.
I won't lose her.
Even if I have to tear through every secret, every lie, every monster this world hides—
Even if I have to trade my soul for hers—
I will save you, Mina.
I swear it.
I looked down at her again, tears slipping past the corners of my eyes as I whispered softly, trying to hold myself together.
"Hey… hang in there, okay?"
"You're not alone."
"I'm gonna fix this. I promise."
I kissed her forehead.
Then held her tighter.
Like I could hold her soul together with just my arms.