The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

The fort was relatively small and, to my great concern, unguarded. Every fibre of my body screamed "It's a trap!" It had to be one. However... It wasn't a great fort at all; its walls were not anchored to the ground by any means, because it's extremely hard, or even impossible, to dig in the shadow realm. That could potentially explain why no one was defending it, but why would someone even bother building it in the first place?

"My Lord! We combed outside of the main building. This place was packed with traps, but we cleared the area."

"Thank you, Galahad." I hesitantly looked at the fort. "Let's move in then."

We entered the fort, but my Queens and The Flower Girls looked tense. There was something in the air- a heavy stench of death that normally would be disturbing, but in my new circumstances, I stopped paying attention to it. Two hundred paladins in triarii formations were tasked with guarding my Ladies. I had an entire central structure surrounded by infantry, my archers were standing on the strange walls and my cavalry was outside in four groups so they could intercept anything. Now, when I have almost regained full authority over this place, I would be able to sense anything that approached us, leaving this building as the only dark spot in my mental landscape. I ordered Galahad to begin the final sweep.

"Theon... There is something dangerous here." Amber was fidgeting in her chair.

"Yes! And not only that! It's something dark." Irene tapped the table with her fingernails.

"Isn't it too easy?" Luna pouted, which made her face look incredibly cute. "Theon! Stop smiling stupidly and say something!"

"What do you want to hear exactly? Amber, Irene, I agree there is something wrong. Luna, you are cute when you are angry, but calm down. I will not relax until we return home." I sat down to once more trace the latest events and crossed my arms. "This fort, or whatever else it was called, has no real military worth. Its walls are unstable, barely good enough to give any sort of higher grounds for archers or give better observation points for any commander this garrison had..."

I put my hands together and started twiddling my thumbs. Hmmm...

"Stella, tell me who was the strongest enemy we fought so far during this battle?"

"The greater demon, my King."

"As I thought." I sighed heavily.

•••

Galahad was slowly following the main forces. He sensed something that shouldn't be here and because he was a dungeon scion, the presence here was working on his nerves. The wooden walls were sparsely lit by glowing crystals, giving enough light for anything that needed it. Galahad didn't need light at all- not now anyway, when his King hold was regaining control over this place. So far in the adjacent rooms, they found empty holding cells and some torture devices. The iron stench of dried blood filled every corner of this place.

"..." The distant voice drew Galahad's attention.

"Check this." He ordered the small unit to check the source of the sound.

He was more interested in discovering the middle of the structure, but it was becoming clear that he would not be able to reach the middle chamber from the ground floor. Galahad took a few moments to inspect the structure of the building and he came to the conclusion it was very well made. The woodwork was much better than anything he saw or read about in reports about the outside world, but it was worse than Bjorn's woodwork. He made a note about that for his Lord. King Theon was gathering all bits of knowledge and he proved many times how even the most trivial information could be used to gain an advantage.

"My Lord!" The group he sent to investigate returned with a woman who was still bound in chains. "She was held prisoner in one of the furthest cells. We also found about twenty bodies with their throats cut in her cell."

"Hmmm... Show me." Galahad moved towards the holding cell where the woman was kept.

"Are you the one who defeated the greater demon, sir?" She asked weakly.

"Yes. It was me."

•••

Theon had been suspecting something for a while and was thinking intensely about it. Probably. Luna felt strange, as if something was observing her, ready to strike and kill her. She felt this way before she met Theon and Avalon became her new home. Home... She warmly smiled, thinking about the Avalon. Luna never thought she could be happy when she was in the Holy Grove and she learnt about the fate of her predecessors. It was strange she forgot so much about that time- in the end, she spent almost ten years learning everything to support her hero and much more. Only to lose those memories to some hidden enemy, she sighed angrily. She watched the doors to the central building and tried to guess its real purpose when she spotted Galahad.

"Theon..." Luna looked at Galahad, surprised.

Something was wrong. Galahad would never call his master by his name alone. But before Luna could say anything, a heavy, sweet, floral-like scent almost made her puke. Amber and Irene also looked ill. She pinpointed the source of this stench immediately; it belonged to the young woman wearing Galahad's cape. She had black hair with strange purple strands that she had tucked behind her ear. Her eyes were strange as well, with a hint of purple...

"Thank you for saving my life, great King Theon." Her voice was incredible and captivating, like no voice that Luna had ever heard before. "My name is Cahrona Ashes."

She looked at Theon, whose face turned into an impenetrable mask, hiding all his emotions. He nodded slowly, as if he was forced to do this by some external force. He spoke with a wooden voice, but Luna felt this floral scent intensifying. Theon's blue eyes dimmed strangely when he looked at the woman saved by Galahad.

"We were happy to help..." He smiled warmly at her. She began to approach Theon slowly. "Tell me how you ended up here?"

"Oh! That was terrifying! The zombies stormed our village, and they kidnapped everyone!" She started crying. But there was something about her...

"Zombies?"

"Yes! Zombies arrived one day in my village and no one noticed them until it was too late! My little brother tried to protect me, but they killed him..." She burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Ashes." Theon bowed his head, but Luna could swear he smirked faintly.

"My Lord! I must warn you. While I was captured, I heard the demons talk. They sent three women to deceive you."

Luna tried to focus, but it was somehow hard. But if this woman is telling the truth, we must question every woman in Avalon. The Flower Girls looked at each other with fear on their faces, but their moves were slow as well. Luna didn't understand why she started feeling so sleepy.

"Oh? And who could that be?" Theon asked slowly.

"These three!" Cahrona pointed at Amber, Irene and Luna. "They are demons in disguise!"

Theon was acting strangely, but after a while, he waved his hand, pointing at them. "Guards! Take them away. I will deal with them later."

Luna tried to protest, but she couldn't. This sweet scent was preventing her from even moving a finger. Two paladins grabbed her and took her away towards the building. She watched as the strange woman sitting in Amber's place whispered something in Theon's ear. The Paladins stopped in front of the entrance and surrounded them. But they turned around and created a loose shield fortress around them, from behind which they could only watch as this strange woman beguiled their husband. Amber and Irene looked at this sight without a word and she finally understood they had been somehow charmed by something.

Luna powerlessly watched as the woman who introduced herself as Cahrona Ashes dropped Galahad's cloak and went towards them. The Paladins crossed their bardiches, barring her from coming any closer to Luna. But she smiled with an evil and cruel smile, looking straight into her eyes. Some of the legion cohorts started to march out of the fort. Luna wanted to shout and cry but she was barely able to sigh; her mind was clouded and she couldn’t remember even the simplest spells that could save her and the man she loved.

"To think I will catch a Kitsune here! Hahaha! You will be an excellent sacrifice!"

"You... will… not… succeed..." Luna managed to vocalize, but she was panting heavily as if she had been running the entire day.

"Oh? A stray dog still has the strength to oppose me?" She tossed pink dust towards the paladins, but they didn't even flinch. "Tsk... No matter. No man can oppose me and you three little bitches will be sacrificed so we can finally take control over the last gate."

Luna started panicking, but she was unable to act. She tried to recall any spell that could help her, but she was drowsy. Cahrona laughed and sniffed the air.

"Ohhh? Three virgins?! You will make even better sacrifices than I imagined!" She turned around and walked slowly towards Theon, who went slowly towards them.

The women stopped right in front of the King of Avalon, but suddenly, a few things happened at once. The cavalry horn sounded outside, signalling trouble. The second thing that surprised Luna was Theon, who swiftly lifted the woman by her throat. She gasped, terrified, in his iron grip and tried to kick, punch or claw her way out, but her struggles were in vain. With Theon holding a woman, the suffocating floral scent started disappearing and Luna started thinking clearly once more. It was obvious now that the Paladins who took them away had purposely done so to keep them away from the unknown threat presented by the mysterious woman.

"Galahad, take care of the rest of the demon army." Theon said normally without any struggle at all, as he observed the struggling woman he held in his hand with disgust clearly painted all over his face.

"As you wish, my Lord." Galahad bowed and moved towards the fort wall to take a better look.

"Stella, what kind of demon is this? She is quite a catch... Hmm... A shapeshifter?" Theon tilted his head slowly like a bird of prey who is about to change an object classified as a rabbit into a meal called dinner.

"I'm not sure, my King..." She came closer and put her hand on the wriggling woman's back. "Hmmm... For sure she is a devilkin..."

Stella was humming under her nose, trying to figure out what Cahrona Ashes truly was when Irene simply laughed. When Irene made a step, the Paladins stood at attention in a parade manner, facing each other and making a way for her. The woman was holding Theon's wrist, lifting herself so she could catch a breath. Her eyes looked to the sides in panic, as if she was looking for a way to escape.

"Stella, this is quite obvious! Cahrona Ashes, but that's probably not her real name, is a succubus." She started slowly walking toward Stella and took out her provisional staff. When she touched the belly of the woman, she screamed horrifyingly when the stench of burned meat hit everyone nearby. "See? She can't even touch my blessed weapon. Hmmm, I wonder..."

Irene touched the woman, and Cahrona screamed even louder. She also started changing- her body features became extremely pronounced and her black bat-like wings with purple membranes appeared on her back. Her long and slim tail became visible as well when the masking spell was broken and everyone was able to see her true form.

"A succubus? Interesting..." Theon probably could just kill her, here and now, by simply clenching his hand and crushing her throat. "I want to detain her, Stella. Do we have any reliable means of sealing her power and preventing her from escaping?"

"Of course!" Luna replied instead, and her eyes shined with anger when she remembered the thing about being sacrificed. "Binding of penance!"

Four magic chains materialized around the now panicking succubus, causing her to try to break free even more desperately. Her hands and legs were bound into hand and leg cuffs made from solid steel, around which blue lightning coiled and sparkled. Her wings were chained to her torso, preventing her from flying away. Theon dropped her with little care on the ground, where she started coughing and started struggling in anger.

"HOWWW?! How could a man like you resist my charm and my spells?!" She tried to break free but the lightning on the chains zapped her painfully and she screamed in excruciating pain. "AAAA!"

Her scream was abruptly cut by Luna, who mercilessly raised her hand and cast a few more spells, this time chantless.

"Now she shouldn't be able to even move a finger without your permission, Theon!" She smiled at him but still was still troubled about how all this could have happened. Theon smiled softly back and nodded to her. After that, he looked at the succubus.

"How did I resist you? Because I am defiant, you bitch. But you acted too hastily, too sloppy."

•••

"Guard her, Stella, take a centuriae. She is our greatest catch, and I want to learn absolutely everything she knows." I pointed at the captured demon with satisfaction.

"How? How did you know!?" She asked through the tears of pain when she was once again zapped by Luna's lightning.

"Oh, please... Stop this already. You lost, and now we are going to interrogate you very slowly. We are going to know everything you know, eventually."

"Watch out!" The ground shook when the at least ten-meter-long wall section suddenly collapsed.

Lanka jumped in front of Amber and raised a barrier when a bolt of dark energy flew through the opening. She blocked it, screaming in an effort to fuel the barrier, but the bolt was too powerful for her to repel. Everything happened as if in slow motion- everyone was looking at struggling Lanka, but no one was able to do anything to help her. Amber and Luna were the fastest to act- they started raising their hands to reinforce Lanka's barrier when a loud sound, similar to breaking glass, broke through the air as the young archbishop's barrier failed. The bolt would have hit Lanka directly, if it were not for the activation of personal barriers from her runic battle gear, but that delayed the inevitable for just a heartbeat. With an ugly wet sound, the magic bolt then hit her in the stomach.

With no screams or cries, Lanka collapsed to her knees and in silence, she fell motionless to the floor in front of Amber, whom she saved.