The Grand Weave

The bold red text glared at me. Besides the extremely concerning messed up text at the end, the wave number was more alarming. If the notification was correct, a third champion would appear in the next thirteen minutes. And I wasn't sure it would afford us the luxury of appearing outside the village. I had a bad feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong.

The silence was almost deafening. It was only broken by Orsk running out of the town hall. He didn't say a word, but we all stared at the beastkin. Even if he wasn't present on the frontlines during the waves, he was still our expedition leader. And the calm but determined face looking back at us was exactly what we needed to help ground ourselves. I doubted any of the others were scared, but worry and doubt were evident on some faces.

"You have all seen the system message. We don't have a lot of time. If anyone has any suggestions or concerns, please speak up now," Orsk said calmly.

Xertalus and Matias pushed Petraeus forward, nearly causing the elf to stumble. He smacked the two with his staff before turning around.

With a deep sigh, he crossed his arms and faced Orsk. "Should we evacuate the villagers? Before, we had the safe assumption that the town hall was the safest place. Now that we know the monsters can appear randomly in the village, that is no longer the case."

The others nodded in approval, and I had to admit I was also concerned about the villagers' safety. The problem was that there was nowhere else to hide them. At the very least, the wooden walls of the building could last a few seconds and hopefully allow us to stop the monsters that came.

"I doubt there is anywhere safe in the rift for us to take them. If we had more time, we could try building an underground base for them to hide, but we don't have the time or mana to spare. As a last resort, I will activate a final safety measure. If possible, I'd prefer to save it for the final wave," Orsk replied.

Meleena stepped forward, her face set into a snarl. "What safety measures? How come we have heard nothing of this until now?" she demanded.

Orsk maintained his calm while staring unflinchingly back. Even as Meleena's claws came out, he remained stone-faced.

"Your words are incorrect, Meleena. Several people on our team know about the final contingencies. Beyond myself and Mr. Galto, all team leaders know. I have kept this information compartmentalized for security reasons. This is only being brought up because I am afraid we'll have to use this sooner than we'd like," he said while motioning to Spencer.

Meelena's jaw dropped. She turned to Caldur and started to lay into him, but Orsk cleared his throat.

"If there is nothing else, then please take these potions and ingest them a minute before the timer reaches zero. They'll be minor physical boosters along with mental resistance enhancers. Afterward, please take up battle positions in a circular formation around the square."

Caldur took Meleena and the twins a few meters away from the group and had a harsh-sounding but brief discussion. The twins continued looking unbothered, but Meleena's swishing tail never stopped its agitated back-and-forth motion. As I continued rudely staring, I paused.

Something was wrong with team Talon, and it took me a moment to figure out what it was. The pyromancer beastkin was missing. And thinking back on the battle, I hadn't seen a single flame or ember besides Zharia's.

A chill went down my spine at this revelation, and I quickly started turning in circles, looking for the beastkin. Yet, even after frantically searching the entire area, I couldn't see a single feather.

Something was wrong, and I didn't understand what.

I could be forgiven for forgetting about the birdman's presence, but the rest of Talon? No, there was no way they would casually overlook one of their teammates missing.

Sam must have noticed the bewildered look on my face and quickly jogged over. "Cyrus? What's wrong?"

I ignored her. I sprinted to Caldur and stopped in front of the large lion. He crossed his arms but didn't comment on how close I was standing.

"What is it... Cyrus?"

"Caldur... Where is the...," I started but mentally cursed myself for not knowing the beastkin's name. "Where is the pyromancer? Meleena, Retas, and Setar they're all present. Where's the last one? I don't remember seeing him help defend town hall."

Caldur's face went through a rollercoaster of emotions before his eyes widened into saucers. He grabbed me by the shoulders and bared his fangs into a snarl.

I tried pushing his hands away, but they clawed into my leather armor. He only released his grip when Sam clamped her giant fists around his wrists. Caldur growled before pivoting and launching himself at his team.

"WHERE IS GRIMALD?! WHO SAW HIM LAST?!" Caldur roared.

Meleena shuddered but did not flinch away from. The twins were less stoic, with their tails hanging limp like a dog and the fur on their necks raised high. When Caldur got within a meter, they backstepped and put Melena in front of them as a shield.

"Tell me where he is, Meleena. You were the last person to talk to him," Caldur demanded.

Melena ground her teeth but eventually looked away from Caldur's glare. "I don't know. He was right behind me when we rushed out. I didn't even know he was gone until now. I thought he wa-"

"Don't lie to me! There is no way you would have missed his presence. You're our backline."

"I speak the truth! It must have been the demon! I would always keep track of Grimald. You didn't notice him missing either!"

Caldur's muscles tensed, but he snapped his mouth shut and released his grip. With a another growl, he turned to the twins cowering behind the archer and pushed his way past her. Before he could continue his interrogation, a loud ringing spread throughout the village.

I clamped my hands over my ears and watched the others do the same. It was like a cacophony of bells going off at once. After a dozen seconds, a loud and deeper bass thrummed in the air.

The world pulsed, and the dragon-eyed moon bathed the ground in a red so dark it shadowed our faces.

"Battle positions now! Weapons ready!" Orsk shouted.

"Fuck. Over there," Sam muttered.

I traced her finger and my heart sunk.

Next to one of the buildings, on the western edge, a blood poured out of the ground. It ran like water until it hit an unseen barrier and piled up. Almost as if it were alive, it struck the barrier with thick tendrils, lashing at the air.

A loud, deep groaning rumbled from within the pool.

As the liquid reached about half as tall as the building next to it, it began to constrict. The collection of blood turned into a ball, and then a cube, and finally a diamond before exploding outwards.

As the crimson mist rain down, a high-pitched keening forced me to my knees. The mist congealed back into a liquid, and before my eyes, the blood reversed itself as it recollected into a massive and hovering sphere.

"What is going on?!" someone yelled.

With the damage to my ears, I was just barely able to hear it.

A quick glance to my right let me see that most of the others were kneeling on the ground with me, but not all. Caldur crouched on a rooftop several buildings away while Petraeus and Xertalus remained standing. I briefly saw what looked like frozen mud covering the sides of their heads.

They must have used their skills to create earplugs to block out the sound.

My attention snapped to the floating sphere as the sound raised in pitch but lessened in volume. The sphere jutted out, and slowly it started to change shape. Five tendrils sprouted along its sides and then hardened into limbs as the sound reached a tolerable level.

I removed my hands and stared.

Four of the limbs became massive legs that tapered into giant hoof-like feet. The final tendril started to form what looked like a skull with two huge tusks as long as my arms. With a final pulse, the sphere shrunk into the shape of a body.

Red text flared in my vision, stretching from the corner to overwhelm my sight.

A Ch__pio_ of Gluttony

Prepa_e Asc_nden_s! The Fin_l Gua_dian remains s_anding! Sla_ the Mig_ty Beast!__!__!

PROTECT T_E VILLAGE OF HO_MFIRT_

Wave 9/10 Survive_

Villag_rs Sur_ived: 75_%%%

Time remain_ng til_ next w_ve: 0h: 0m_n: 0 se_

THE _INAL WAVE BEG_NS

Before the champion could finish forming, a spear rocketed from the sky. The bladeimpaled the creature between the eyes. The force cracking the ground, releasing a shockwave.

It sent me tumbling and I tucked my limbs close to my chest. With a grunt, my back hit a wall and knocked the air out of me. It took me a moment to regain control of my lungs and suck in a deep breath.

"Ah, I must give my apologies. It really is ever so hard to remember my own strength," came an all too familiar voice.

Arz'odral jumped from a nearby roof as he landed silently on the ground next to the impaled champion. He looked the same as the last time I saw him, except for a glowing golden sigil on his head. After wiping invisible specks of dirt off his robes, he clapped his hands once and spread his arms.

"I must thank you all. So valiantly, you heroes fought against the last champion. Unfortunately, I was not of the sanest of minds to stop you last time. But! Nonetheless, I am here now," he continued dramatically. He moved one hand across his chest and bowed. When no one said anything, he tutted before standing up. "Oh well, respect is sorely lacking these days. Now then, give me a moment. We mustn't let the Weave's efforts go to waste. After all, it goes through so much work to craft these... Stories."

Arz'odral turned around and gripped the spear. He effortlessly yanked it free.

I nearly yelled out in outrage when he flourished the weapon lazily through the air.

"Th-that's mine. You bastard," I wheezed.

He turned winked before before focusing on the champion.

The champion slowly lost its form and returned to a deformed sphere of blood.

"A shame that it's an embodiment of Gluttony. I have never been a fan of the whole bloated feeling afterward. Alas, it will have to suffice."

Two arms pushed through the back of his robe and shot out. Spreading his fingers wide, the spindly appendages grabbed both sides of the sphere and dragged it closer. Like a snake, he unhinged his jaw, exposing the rows of shark-like fangs. A funnel of blood streamed into the black void inside his mouth. Soon, a single stream was joined by another, then another, until six streams spiraled into the demon's gullet.

I rose to my feet. I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew that he had to be stopped before it was too late. Luckily, the others reacted faster than I could because a trio of skills slammed the demon from behind.

Chains of mud wrapped themselves around the demon's limbs as arcs of shadow and ice sliced into his robes. Soon after, a barrier of light formed between the streams.

"Cyrus, summon your fairy. Let the others handle this," Orsk said calmly.

At some point, the beastkin had moved next to me.

He handed me three potion vials, one of which I recognized as the power enhancer that tasted like cinnamon-coated rotten eggs. I mentally winced but downed all the potions. The other two did nothing to reduce the impact of the taste. Once the potions settled in my gut, I could feel my mana channels thrumming with energy. It went from a calm stream to a current of lightning rampaging throughout my body.

I tapped into the raging mana and channeled it into my skill. Áine appeared, emitting a faint green light. Despite having a chunk of my mana reserved and partitioned away for my summon, I could tell it barely made a dent in the pool of mana inside me.

With a thought, Áine raced away and began healing Dyllan first. While the others could contribute to the fight, the man's taunting skill took precedence.

"Cyrus, I'm going to activate the emergency measures. Whatever you do, stay within a foot of the town hall. With your familiars, you'll be more helpful alive than dead. Make sure Sam understands as well," Orsk informed me.

With a final pat on my shoulder, he sprinted away and headed inside the town hall, slamming the door behind him.

I desperately wanted to focus on the fight, but I had my instructions. I rushed to Sam, leaning on a wall a couple of meters away. When I neared, I could see trails of sticky blood running down her ears and nose.

"Are you alright?" I asked. I swung her arm over my shoulder and shifted her weight so that she could use me as a crutch and stand upright.

She grunted but didn't push me away. She pointed to her mouth and then her ear with her free hand.

"Can't hear you. I'm okay, but the scream messed up my head," she shouted.

I helped drag her over to Áine, who was finishing up healing Levin. I moved us as close to the town hall's door as possible, motioning awkwardly to the building and us.

"What? What about the town hall?"

I tried signing again that we were supposed to stay near the building, but a strong breeze pushed us back. I smacked my head against the wooden wall. Alarm bells flashed in my mind, and then a sharp, burning pain ripped itself from my chest. The world went dark, and I cried out in agony.

"Áine!"

Next to Levin, Arz'odral held up Dylan's and Petraeus' team in his hands. Grabbing them by the neck, he lifted them into the air and chuckled. The blood sphere, now the size of a basketball, was gripped in a set of hands above his head and continuing to drain away into the demon's mouth.

The pain clawed at my fury, demanding I look down.

Beneath his clawed foot was the imprint of broken wings. It wasn't hard to understand what had happened. I shook off the pain and leaned forward.

I wanted nothing more than to skewer the bastard, but I held back. The shark-toothed grin he sent my way almost made me lose my fragile grip over my anger.

When I didn't move to attack him, Arz'odral laughed. Despite the blood streaming into his mouth, his voice rang clear.

"Ah, much better control than I would have expected, especially from one so young. Do be careful in the future. There's a reason we demons prefer slave contracts and deals rather than soul bonds. So many warlocks sought to bind themselves in such a way to summoned demons, only to find that our pain tolerance tends to be much higher than theirs. As I said before, as long as you find the weakest point, you can break anything," he sneered.

"Thanks for the advice. You can fuck off now," I growled.

"Tut, tut, newborn. Don't strain yourself. All that heat and fury might sour the taste of your blood."

Suddenly, the twins launched themselves at the demon, their swords glowing with a silver edge aimed at his neck. Arz'odral tossed the shrunken ball of blood into his mouth and snapped down.

Crunch!

Using the now hands-free arms behind his back, they grew into massive, slimy-looking fists and snatched the twins out of the air. His claws smothered the energy around the swords and flicked the blades aside. They scratched at his wrist before he slammed them together. The twins' arms dropped to their side, unmoving.

"Truly, like flies to a corpse. If you are all so eager to die, then I shall grant you your wish," Arz'odral said while shaking his head. With a crouching leap, he jumped to the center of the town. All eight of the choking adventurers hung limply in his clawed grip. "Pay close attention, newborn. It's time you learned how we demons earned our reputation."

Ten orbs of blood drained out of his mouth and spread out in a circle around him several meters apart. One by one, he tossed my teammates into the air. As they flew near a sphere, it would sharpen into a cone and stab into their stomachs. Ropes of crimson bound their limbs while two thicker cords spread out and connected to the nearby spikes, creating a linked chain with a macabre sacrifice at each point.

"Now we wait for the final puzzle piece to complete the act."

A cracking and snapping echoed through the village as the extra limbs folded back into his body. With a shudder, he wiggled and visibly relaxed.

"Much better," he mused.

That was until a glowing, golden arrow zipped through the air and embedded itself into his neck.

Caldur blinked next to him and swung his greatsword in an overhead chop. The blade slashed down to his collarbone but was stopped before it managed to behead the demon entirely. Caldur's muscles bulged as he struggled to drag the sword down. The sword sank another inch despite the two claws pushing the blade away.

"Tell me where is Grimald! What did you do to him, filth?!" Caldur bit out.

With a flash of shadowy energy, the blade pushed deeper..

Arz'odral let out a strained laugh. "Oooohooo. Are you talking about that little bird? I'm sorry, I don't know anything about them. Are you sure they didn't run away? Considering the bindings you put on him, I don't blame him."

"Enough with the lies, demon! Tell me now or die!" Caldur roared. As he said that, another golden arrow zipped through the air.

"Very well," Arz'odral sneered. His arms slacked and the blade sheered through the red meat of his neck. "I choose death!"

Arz'odral released his grip on the blade and grabbed the arrow out of the air. Caldur, not having expected the demon to simply let go, slashed his sword down unimpeded and severed him into two. While falling, the hand holding the arrow flexed and jabbed into the side of Caldur's thigh. With a cold chuckle, the arrow exploded in a blinding flash.

I barely managed to raise my arms in time to shield my eyes.

"Caldur!" Meleena screamed.

Idly, I heard the thump of a body crashing into the ground and swiveled my head at the sound. It took a dozen seconds of blinking my eyes till I was able to see clearly enough and saw Meleena standing over Caldur with her bow drawn and facing the dead demon.

"Why did he go through all that if he was going to off himself in the end? What was the point of all this?" Sam muttered.

I narrowed my eyes at the severed corpse, but it didn't move. The demon died with a grin on his face, raising the hair on the back of my neck.

Something was wrong.

My eyes drifted to the still-impaled members of our team, groaning lightly as the spikes of hardened blood held them to the ground. I could hardly feel Áine through our connection, and it hurt even to check. We needed to get healing potions in the wounds as soon as possible.

I took a step, but my vision disappeared as red text crowded my vision.

THE DEMON IS SLAIN AND THE HEROES PREVAIL

CONGRATULATIONS ASCENDENTS! A NEW TALE HAS BEEN WOVEN THAT WILL FOREVER MARK YOUR VALIANT DEEDS TODAY!

FEAR NOT! FOR A HEROIC TASK REQUIRES A HEROIC REWARD

LEAVE THIS PLACE AND CONTINUE FORTH ON YOUR ADVENTURE

GO FORTH AND WEAVE A TALE GRANDER THAN THE LAST

PROTECT THE VILLAGE OF HOLMFIRTH

WAVE 10/10 SURVIVED

VILLAGERS SURVIVED 75%

TIME TILL PORTAL OPENS: --------------------------NOW---------------

The text blinked out of existence. A snap of air made me focus above Arz'odral's corpse. A plane of pink energy split reality and opened. The portal grew, resembling the entrance portal into the rift.

As it finished forming, the blood spikes elongated and pulled out of the adventurer's stomachs with a wet squelch, leaving behind a cord of blood attached. Weaving through the air, they flew in a pattern I couldn't recognize and sent out a ribbon of pink energy each to the portal. The world pulsed again as the ribbons wrapped the portal up, forming a ring in the air.

A low chuckle started before eventually shifting into a maddened cackle. It took me a moment before I was able to spot its source. The two severed pieces of Arz'odral lifted into the air and floated back together. The flesh bubbled and began to stitch together.

An arrow zipped at the demon, but a tendril of pink rope sprung forward and snatched it out of the air, smothering it in a ball. The ball bulged as the arrow exploded, but it managed to contain the explosion.

"How?! How are you still alive? I cut you in half. The system said we won!" Caldur shouted from his prone position on the ground.

His right leg was oozed, his flesh looked mangled and torn.

"Don't remind me. I may be a mere clone of who I truly am, but my memory persists. Did you know that you can disrupt the system? All it takes is poking in the right places and leveraging the proper rules," Arz'odral snorted. He trailed his hand along one of the hanging ribbons and caressed it gently before raising his chin and staring down at the beastkin. "I had to play my role in this ridiculous farce of a game and let you slay me before I could enact my plans. Never mind that I consumed enough power to break out of this nightmare. Noooo, I have to let the would-be adventurers become the heroes the Grand Weave desires. Even if I bend them as far as I can, I have to follow the rules it sets. But that's when you strike. You see, after you vanquished the mighty demon and saved these people from a horrible and tragic fate, it doesn't care anymore. The all-seeing and unforgiving eye of the Weave moves on. And so now, I'm free to do what I want. Well... provided I have the means to do so."

Once he finished his monologue, Arz'odral casually walked forward, holding his arms behind his back like he was taking a stroll.

"Stay away! I will blow you to pieces, monster!" Meleena shouted.

When he didn't stop walking, she fired arrow after arrow in rapid succession. Only for each arrow to be snatched out of the air by a pink ribbon and smothered until they blew up. Skill after skill was used until she strung three arrows simultaneously and fired. The arrows shot out like lasers and blasted out so fast I couldn't even track them. This time, he shot out a spray of blood from his hand and covered the beams. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed aside the rumbling ball of liquid and threw it to his right. The blood ball exploded before hitting the ground, creating a light rain of crimson droplets.

"Seriously, cease these futile efforts, whelp. You're much too weak to pose a threat to me now. I am unshackled from my bonds. I have no reason to hold back anymore," Arz'odral said softly.

When Melena nocked another arrow, he sighed and extended his arm. From his back a whip made of blood shot out wrapping around her throat and lifted her off the ground. Caldur tried to get up, but another whip bound his arms to his chest and held him down.

"Ah, so much better. Life is so much easier when they can't struggle," he mocked. Melena was dragged closer until he embraced her in a hug. Her legs and hands clawed at his grip, trying desperately to break out of his arms.

"Cyrus. Pssst. Cyrus!"

I looked over and saw Sam motioning me to come closer. I checked to see if the demon was watching, but he was too busy bearing his teeth at Meleena to notice. I carefully but quickly scooted my way over and crouched down.

"What the fuck do we do? This is insane!" I whispered.

"I don't know, but we can't do anything about him. We either need to leave through that fucked up hell portal or get inside the town hall and hide. Orsk is still inside somewhere, and he mentioned something about emergency measures," she replied.

"Those sound like two terrible plans."

"I don't have any other options. Now shut up; let's go."

We slowly crouch-walked our way to the door. Each step felt like it took an eternity, even if it was only a couple of seconds. With a cold sweat dripping down my forehead, I carefully reached for the handle to open the door but jumped back when both doors opened wide.

A curtain of black cloth and feathers blocked my view, but I glimpsed what had happened inside the town hall. Lines of dead bodies and trails of gore formed an elaborate pentagram inside the building. Each corpse was either charred or burnt to a crisp.

Arz'odral released Meleena from his embrace and stood up. Ignoring Sam and me, he dragged the two beastkin behind him as he stepped inside the town hall and carefully made his way over the gore and ash.

"Are you done with your side of things?" he asked the cloaked figure standing next to the doorframe.

"I've done what was required of me," Grimald replied promptly.

"I can certainly see that. I'm surprised you didn't spare the children. Even the most ruthless of individuals balk at murdering hatchlings."

"They are not alive. Why would I care for an illusion?"

Arz'odral shrugged and moved to the center of the room, where a bound Orsk was chained to the floor. A leather strap bound his mouth, and his limbs were spread akimbo across a wooden table. With wild eyes, the beastkin stared at the approaching demon.

Grimald glanced at us but ignored our presence as he walked up to Orsk with a dagger in his hand. "Why are those two still alive? I thought you wanted to use everyone else for the portal."

Arz'odral waved a dismissive hand in our direction. When Grimald neared, he held out his hand for the dagger and took it. After watching Orsk struggle uselessly in his chains, he stretched his tendril, holding Meleena, and placed her in a smaller circle just big enough for her body to be perfectly in the middle.

"Too weak to use as a vessel and too weak to be used as an energy source. The other nine will suffice for what we need. Besides, I need servants. Provided my whims remain willing, I'll grant them the honor of being my slaves," he explained. Using his sharpened claws, he cut open Orsk's shirt and exposed his torso. He then lazily etched a series of runes into Orsk's leathery skin before marking a final pair of slashes over the beastkin's heart. "There, all done."

Sam began tugging my armour and started dragging me away from the building. A bolt of crimson energy shot out and sliced through her cheek.

"Sam!" I shouted, moving to support her.

She pushed me away, cupping her face while glaring at the demon.

"Continue your foolish actions, and I will hang you by your own intestines. Now come inside and shut the door," Arz'odral ordered. A finger was pointed our way, and a small bead of crimson light floated before it. A moment passed and the bead grew to the size of an apple. "NOW!"

When Sam didn't move, I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. There was nothing we could do in this situation. If we were lucky, we'd survive till the end of this nightmare. And if sucking up to the insane demon prevented Sam's death, then there was no other choice. Once we closed the door to the town hall, he lowered his hand and returned his focus to the struggling Orsk.

"Are you sure I can't have the male? He's a much better specimen than the female. I'm sure she would make a much better slave. After all, weren't you closer to her than him? Unless you swing the other way. I know you mortals tend to be rather picky with your desires," he said.

Grimald summoned a plume of flames in his hands. "You remember the contract, demon. He is mine! She is unneeded for my plans."

Arz'odral raised an eyebrow at the fire before pouting at Grimald. After a dozen seconds of tense silence, he snorted once and waved him off. "Don't think to lecture me about the contract. I know the details better than you ever will. Still, what a shame. I could have some fun with his body. She's... acceptable but reeks of light mana. Converting her pathways will be troublesome."

"Don't forget the second part of-" Grimald started.

Arz'odral pressed his finger to Grimald's beak. The beastkin knocked him away.

"Do be silent. I'll be strong enough to snap the bindings when the possession is complete. And yes, I know the final part. I'll begin the enslavement ritual on the male beastkin before guiding you in finishing the ritual. The Weave itself binds me, whelp. I will fulfill my end of the contract."

Grimald must have been satisfied with his answer since the flames disappeared, and he lowered his hands.

Using the tendril of blood still wrapped around Caldur's body, he threw him over his shoulders and stepped out of the pentagram. With his gore-spattered cloak, he blended in the scenery well enough that if Caldur's tied-up form weren't there, I wouldn't have been able to spot him.

"You two, stand over there and do not move," Arz'odral commanded.

I held onto Sam, frozen in place.

The demon began a long chant that scratched at my brain. The words wormed their way in, and cut into my thoughts. Rather than words, the chant was made up of sounds that caused flashes of imagery to speed through my mind. Three minutes passed while he chanted, and I didn't dare to move.

Occasionally, the feeling of dread and pain would be replaced by an almost soothing feeling of warmth in my chest before it turned around and felt like I was plunging into a freezing lake. Back and forth, the feelings warred within my body.

Looking around, Grimald remained unaffected, but everyone else in the room twitched and narrowed their eyes. Sam braced herself against the pillar behind us while keeping a strained glare at the demon. After another minute of suffering, Arz'odral raised the volume of his voice and began chanting loud enough to cause an echo.

The echo distorted the chant but did not interfere. The echo was the final puzzle piece, and when combined, the sound sang harmoniously through the room.

During the apex of the gutteral chanting, Arz'odral raised the dagger high and held it above Orsk's heart.

With a final look, I caught Orsk's stare. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, near to the point of bulging out of their sockets. With a shake of his head, his eyes shifted to my left and bounced slightly upwards. He blinked once and repeated his action before his eyes widened fully.

Arz'odral completed his chant and brought the dagger down, plunging into Orsk's chest. The flames ruptured through his body in a silent scream and consumed the dying corpse.

As the obsidian flames turned Orsk's body to ash, the fire crawled down the table and spread out like dominoes. Where the flames burned, the bodies would liquefy into pools of black blood. Some writhed, and struggled, even the disconnected bits of flesh and bone.

When all the bodies finished melting, Arz'odral stood over Meleena. She struggled at her bindings, eyes wild. Claws dug into the tendril to no avail and I could hear her muffled scream past the gag.

Arz'odral glanced down, a sneer on his face while he continued to chant. Another crescendo pounded into my skull. Then he stabbed himself with the dagger.

The demon's body lost its solidity and melted into a puddle over Melena's bound form. With a rush of crimson light, the smoke in the room rushed inward and created a tornado around the circle. Sam gripped my shoulder, and I turned to look at her. The fear in her eyes made me pull her into a hug. Her muscled arms wrapped around me tightly in a comforting squeeze as the storm raged. Occasionally, crackles of red energy would lash the air and break apart some of the smoke.

Grimald held tightly onto Caldur, only dropping the beastkin when the tornado slowed. A massive bolt of red lightning struck the ceiling and tore through the roof of the building. After it broke through, I felt the ground shake, and the world pulsed again.

The smoke settled and revealed what remained.

Standing in the middle of the circle was a distinctly female figure draped in the demon's red robes. Remnants of the crimson energy lazily floated off her body and faded into motes of ash.

"NOW THIS FEELS RIGHT! THE WEAVE WILL NOT HOLD ME NOW! I AM FREE!" Meleena's voice shouted.

An unhinged cackle of laughter started and stopped when Grimald dragged Caldur's body closer to the demon.

"Fulfill your oath, demon before this rift closes around us. Break my shackles," Grimald commanded.

Arz'odral's laughter faded in response but held a hand up to Grimald's chest and placed his other hand over Caldur's forehead.

"A mark etched into thy soul shackles you to the mortal realm. With my power, I fulfill my oath and set you free. I return you thy wings of freedom. I return your immortality. By the Grand Weave, I claim this true!" Arz'odral chanted.

And an ethereal set of golden metal chains formed into existence before sliding off Grimald's body. The links of ghostly metal slithered away and wrapped themselves over Caldur's bound form. When the chains settled into place, they phased through his fur. A final puddle of metal shot to Caldur's forehead and branded a circular pattern of glyphs into his skin.

When the runes stopped glowing, he backed up and watched Grimald tear his robes off. In a frenzy, the crow-beastkin struggled out of his black robes and threw them on the floor. His back exposed he leaned forward. The pentagram on his back was gone, but two spots on his shoulder blades glowed with orange light.

"Graaaaarggghhh!" Grimald screeched.

His body twisted as he hunched over. The pain forced him to his knees, and a cracking sound rang out as two massive wings of oily black feathers burst out of his back. He flapped them twice before he jumped into the air and flew up to the rafters. The beastkin dived up and down a few times before he landed next to Caldur.

The lion-man looked different. His mane was grey rather than pure black, and his fur a paler and whiter than before. His body was ragged and torn; his frame frailer and thinner.

At the sight of Grimald's towering figure, he lunged out and grabbed his legs.

"What have you done to me?! I can't feel it. My connection is gone. I can’t feel my mana! Fix this! Fix me! Give it back!" Caldur begged.

Grimald kicked away the beastkin's hands and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him in the air until their eyes were level with each other.

"What you're feeling, that sense of loss, that void. That's what happens when a slave brand is etched into your soul. Twenty-three long years I have waited for this. Every moment I was alone, I tried to burn off the mark, to tear it out of my soul. Nothing worked. Nothing! Now you suffer the same fate while I regain my freedom," Grimald replied.

Like a small dog, he shook the once proud lion before dropping him on the ground.

Caldur looked up in disbelief and horror. "But why? I didn't enslave you. I didn't even know this was possible! Meleena, Retas, and Setar, we only ever treated you like a member of our team. How could you do this to us?"

Grimald kicked him again and sent him tumbling backward. Caldur moaned and struggled to pull himself up.

"You may not have, but your father did. When he slaughtered my tribe and claimed us as his property, that was the day I lost my wings. Did you really think I'd be so willing to serve the insufferable, hot-headed son of that tyrant? No, Caldur. When you met me that evening during the festival of feasting, it was not a lucky coincidence. I was forced to obey, compelled by that slave brand etched into your head. I was to serve you for eternity till either I died or my leash was handed off to your progeny," he spat out vehemently. "Every moment I was forced to look at you was torture. All I ever dreamed about was how I would drag your broken body to your father's throne and make him watch as I set you ablaze. But I've changed my mind. You'll be my slave from now until the day you die, just like I was originally intended. And we can start by enslaving the rest of the feline clans."

My head spun. Seeing the proud beastkin reduced to a sobbing and hollow mess made my blood run cold. Caldur flinched when he looked at Arz'odral and tried to crawl away from the demon. Grimald chirped out and lifted him in the air. When Grimald started shaking him for the second time, Arz'odral coughed loudly.

"As amusing as this was, we have to hurry. The ritual activated the portal, and within the next minute, we must leave. Unless you wanted to be flung through the void. Even I don't know whether you would survive or simply poof out of existence. And you did require that I offer you the chance to leave first," Arz'odral said.

Grimald picked up Caldur and launched himself back into the air without a word. A single feather was all that was left of the pair as he flew through the hole in the ceiling. When I looked back, Arz'odral stood in front of Sam and me.

"Do stop the shivering. If you cannot control yourself, I'll drain your blood this instant. Usually, I would brand you with slave contracts as well, but there is no time left."

He turned away and strode across the room. I gave Sam a reassuring squeeze before untangling myself from her arms and started walking after the demon. His new body was smaller than before, but it did nothing to lessen his stride. By the time he exited the building, I was only halfway to the door. The lack of metal footsteps behind me caused me to stop and turn around.

Sam wasn't behind me but instead was next to a pillar to my right. She was examining the wooden beam franticly and rubbed off blood and ash away at different spots, searching for something.

"Sam! What the hell?!" I whispered.

She ignored me and circled the pillar. I glanced back and saw Arz'odral frown as he noticed us still inside the building.

"Samantha!"

She slapped her palm on a cleared spot on the pillar, and a thrum of energy pulsed outwards. Underneath the ruined floor and walls, lines of golden script appeared, bathing the room in golden light.

Arz'odral tried to enter the town hall but was stopped by a barrier. Interlocking honeycomb plates rippled over the doorframe and glowed brighter where his fists struck.

"AHAHAHA! Take that fucker! Can't touch us now!" Sam cheered.

"What the hell, Sam? We could have died," I said.

She turned to me and gave me a manic grin. "Orsk's emergency plan. Before he died, his eyes moved to the pillar next to us. I wasn't sure, but I was right. Now he can't touch us. I'm not ready to become a slave to a fucked up demon prick."

I hissed, "Are you kidding me?! If you were wrong, we would have died some gruesome death. And you forgot that we need to enter the portal ourselves."

"Doesn't matter. I'd rather risk returning to the void. Better this instead of hoping we don't lose our minds being tortured to death," she replied as she tackled me into a bear hug.

A pair of crimson eyes stared at us from beyond the barrier. When Arz'odral raised his hands into the air, a dozen tendrils of blood burst out and latched on to the pink cords surrounding the portal. As they connected, he tugged downwards, and reality shifted. For a moment, there were three versions of the demon before it snapped back into place like a rubber band.

"Cyrus, behind us, look," Sam whispered.

Gone were the walls of the town hall. The world stopped halfway through. Beyond the line of nothingness was an endless black void with no end. A sense of finality and hollowness permeated my skin. The emptiness sunk down into my bones and into my core. I could feel my mana leeching away.

"Fuck, we're screwed."

Reality shifted out again. This time, I could see Sam and I from sixteen different angles. When it rubberbanded back into place, more of reality was missing. Another kaleidoscopic shift resulted in pieces of the world slowly falling away, consumed by the endless tide of nothingness.

"Cy, in case we die. I want you to know I love you. You were the best brother I could ever ask for," Sam said warmly.

I let out a halfhearted chuckle. "Shut up; we're not dying. We can't have our isekai life end here. I finally landed a lofty position in society. I don't think Cal would be too happy losing his scion before I even managed to do anything."

Arz'odral chuckled. "How very touching. Mortals like you are precisely why I spent so long doing contracted work. Your blood would give off such a pleasant and bittersweet aroma. Too bad you'll be too busy being tortured to appreciate that fact!"

In one swift movement, his right arm cocked back and punched forward, smashing into the barrier. My vision split into a hundred different perspectives and made my soul cry out in response. When the rubberbanding effect snapped me back into my body, a massive tentacle of pink and flesh whipped out. I struggled to dodge out of the way, but the disorienting effect of the reality shift made me stumble instead.

Before the tentacle wrapped around my body, I was knocked off my feet by Sam's meaty fists.

"SAAAAAAM!" was all I could scream out while the tentacle wrapped itself around her torso and smashed her into the floor.

It raised her twenty feet into the air and launched her into the void.

"CYYYYRUUUSSSS!" she screamed.

I jumped after her, but with a blink, she was gone. The rest of reality disappeared, and smothering darkness washed over me. At first, it was so cold I thought I went into mana fatigue, but then I lost physical feeling.

It was reminiscent of my time as a soul orb after I died. However, this time, my thoughts were sluggish, and eventually, that stopped.

I was nothing, completely and absolutely nothing. I did not understand how long I had existed in the void. The concept of time ceased to mean anything.

Slowly, my thoughts started again. I thought of the absence of feeling, the absence of time, the absence of permanence. Then I felt cold. The cold transformed into a hollow warmth. Then, the pins and needles started. It would have been a mere annoyance if it wasn't for my entire body being barraged by the feelings. My eyeballs felt like a child went crazy on the acupuncture; it even pierced into the root of my teeth.

Eventually, the feeling morphed into an unbearable burning pain that assaulted me in waves. I felt myself falling at a frightening speed. When reality came back in a screeching jolt, the agony came with it I vaguely felt my body hit the ground, hear the echo of cracking bones.

I had enough sense of mind to withhold my groan of pain, but I wasn't entirely sure I managed to contain it.

A minute passed by that turned into dozens of minutes. With tremendous effort, I fluttered my eyelids open and recoiled when the air touched my eyeballs. I was in some sort of cave vaguely lit by glowing lichen along the walls. The sound of running water was all I could make out before my strength failed me, and I passed out.

END OF BOOK ONE!