The same night, Scarlet was still walking through the corridors, trying to secure every possible room. She moved carefully and quietly, each step measured, as her leg had not healed yet. The corridor was empty, silent, and soaked in blood. The floor reeked with the heavy, nauseating smell of the dead.
She noticed blood smeared and flowing along the ground, as if someone had been killed and dragged away. Her breath slowed. Slowly, she began to follow the trail, her hands tightening as she drew her swords, the metal whispering softly in the silence.
The blood led deep into the darkness, toward a nearby storeroom. The door was closed, tightly shut, and locked from the inside. The blood disappeared beneath the door, pooling just at the edge. Scarlet tried to open it, pushing and pulling with effort, but it was impossible. The door would not budge.
"We're not alone," she whispered to herself.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed behind her. Scarlet turned slowly, her body tense, but she saw nothing. The corridor remained empty.
Then something thick and wet began to drip from above. Slime fell onto her head, sliding down her shoulders. The stench was unbearable. Scarlet froze. Slowly, she raised her head and looked up.
A creature clung to the ceiling.
It was rare—and terrifying. Its lower half resembled a twisted human form, while its upper body was something entirely monstrous. Long, bulging eyes stared down at her without blinking. Its nails were sharp and elongated, its tail coiled like a serpent, and its teeth glistened with venom. Poison dripped from its mouth, stringing down like saliva.
Scarlet's heart pounded, but she forced herself to stay steady, preparing to fight. Before she could react, the creature lashed out. Its tail struck her shoulder, the sting immediate and searing.
Poison surged through her body. Scarlet froze, her muscles locking as her strength drained away. She collapsed onto the floor, her swords clattering beside her. Darkness took her, and she fainted.
The creature dropped down and began to walk toward her fallen body. Slowly, it raised its hands, ready to tear her apart and devour her.
But the moment it tried to touch her, an unseen force burst from Scarlet's body. The creature was thrown back violently. It shrieked and tried again, but the energy surged once more, slamming it into a wooden beam near the upper roof. The impact echoed loudly as the creature crashed into the wall and fell hard.
Something was protecting Scarlet. The creature trembled, fear filling its eyes. It turned away and disappeared into the darkness.
Scarlet lay alone on the floor. Slowly, her wounds began to close. The gash on her shoulder healed first, then her hands, her legs, and every injured part of her body. Skin knitted together without leaving a single mark. A soft blue light surrounded her, her body faintly shining. After two minutes, all wounds and scars vanished completely. The energy faded away, and her swords glowed briefly before the light disappeared from them
Early in the morning the other day, back in the Scottish Highlands, around seven o'clock, Ayanna walked toward Dr. Patel's working quarters. The cold air outside quickly changed as she stepped inside. She saw the doctor running several tests on blood samples laid out across the metal table. The air in the room was foul, heavy with chemicals and iron.
"Geez, are you really comfortable working with a smell like this?" Ayanna asked, slightly wrinkling her nose.
Dr. Patel turned around and saw her standing by the door.
"It's normal for doctors and researchers. You wouldn't understand," the doctor replied.
Ayanna laughed softly.
"I see you came on time," Dr. Patel said, returning to her work.
"At least I'm good at appointments."
"What about Ben and Zara? You left them alone?" Dr. Patel asked, glancing back at her.
"No. Leyla came this morning. She took a day off and left Emma with Ivory."
"Good. I haven't seen my nurse in two days. Today I will meet with her."
"Too busy to even see your own nurse," Ayanna said. Dr. Patel smiled at her while preparing a clean bed, adjusting the sheets carefully.
"Here, lie down on the bed, and let's start the process before Marcus gets here," Dr. Patel spoke to her.
"He usually comes in here?"
"Every day around 10:15, to check how far the process has been going."
"I'm impressed," Ayanna said.
Dr. Patel picked up an injection, tapped it lightly, and injected her with a sleeping drug.
"You will be out for two hours. I need to take some blood samples and check your condition," Dr. Patel said calmly.
Ayanna was already fading, her vision slowly blurring as sleep pulled her under.
"Just do—" she murmured, but she was out before she could finish.
Dr. Patel immediately began her research. She carefully took a blood sample from Ayanna and started checking her condition, writing notes as machines hummed quietly around the room.
Back in the church, early in the morning, the street outside was completely silent. Everyone inside the church had fallen asleep. The candles had burned low, leaving only faint shadows dancing on the walls.
Zero slowly opened his eyes. He was coming back, but his body was still tired and hurt. His head throbbed as he lifted it slightly. He saw Scarlet standing near the window, staring outside, unmoving.
"Guys, wake up," he started calling out weakly.
Raven stirred and woke up, followed by Nadia.
"What happened?" Raven asked, still half-asleep.
"You fell into a sleep," a voice answered.
They turned and saw Scarlet, alive, standing strong and looking fine. Nutaila opened her eyes the moment she heard Scarlet's voice. Milan was still lying on the floor, unmoving.
"What happened to you? Where were you?" Nutaila asked, forcing herself to sit up.
"I went to secure the church. I don't know what happened to me, but I saw something scary out there," Scarlet replied.
Everyone straightened immediately, shock spreading across their faces as they focused on her.
"What did you see?" Nutaila asked.
"A creature. It seems like we are not alone here. And whatever that was, I think there are more like it. It was half human downward and a creature upward, with a tail and long, sharp nails. Sharp teeth were spread all over its mouth. I wanted to kill it, but it struck me with its tail. I blacked out. The next time I woke up was this morning, perfectly fine. I don't know what happened. I was hurt badly, but when I woke up, all my wounds and bruises were gone, like they disappeared," Scarlet explained.
"Do you think the creature somehow healed you?" Zero asked.
"No, I don't think so. It wanted to harm me," Scarlet replied firmly.
"It was the same thing that happened again. The power inside you is protecting you from every possible danger. It doesn't want you harmed in any way. It healed every wound," Nutaila said, slowly standing up despite the pain.
"What happened to you two? Your eyes suddenly went dark, and you lost consciousness. Also, I remember you saying you heal from your powers. Why aren't you healing yet?" Scarlet asked Nutaila.
"Because my darkness is gone. And not only mine—I believe Milan's darkness is gone too. When my eyes turned black, how many minutes did it take before I fainted?" Nutaila asked.
"Just one or two minutes," Nadia answered.
"For us, it was thirty minutes. There's another bound now. It was named—the Sixth Bound, I presume. I believe Victor and Vision named another one."
"Why would they do that?" Raven asked.
"Because he wants to wake up. And if he named another one, he would want someone who knows rituals—dark rituals. If he gets one, then he would name him or her the Witcher."
"Do you know anything about this Witcher?" Scarlet asked.
"Speed unknown. Power unknown. But whatever he or she has, I'm sure it's dangerous to all of us."
"What about Milan? Why isn't he awake yet?" Zero asked, looking down at him.
"I don't know. I think he's stuck in the dimension between dark power and reality. I've been stuck there once. It's a horrible place to be. He can hear every word we say, but he won't be able to respond. It's up to him to fight and find his way back to us. Until then, he's just like this," Scarlet said.
Silence filled the church.
"So we have to move," Zero said, slowly standing up.
"You're still hurt," Scarlet said.
"Everyone is. But that doesn't stop us. You said we're not alone. I can't wait another night to witness what you saw," Zero replied.
"What about Milan?" Nadia asked.
"We'll create a stretcher to carry him."
Zero took out his sword and began breaking the wooden chairs, the sound echoing through the church. He tied the pieces together, creating a small makeshift stretcher. Carefully, they lifted Milan and laid him on it. Raven and Zero lifted from the back, while Scarlet and Nadia lifted from the front.
"Everyone ready?" Nutaila asked as they stood near the door. Everyone nodded.
Nutaila carried Milan's backpack. She opened the church door, and they stepped outside into the cold morning air. As the door closed behind them, inside the church, beside the statue of Jesus, something moved.
From the darkness, the creature slowly revealed itself. It was smiling.