Miquella "awoke" in the infirmary when it was already empty.
The healers had withdrawn after confirming that, beyond the evident damage and exhaustion, his condition was not critical. Tauriel had rushed out shortly after to report to the King. The elf was in the midst of a minor crisis: it wasn't the first time she had carried out cruel orders, but it was the first time guilt had struck her with such force.
Miquella sat up slowly on the cot. Every movement demanded care. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his muscles, and let out a small wince at the persistent, burning pain radiating across his back.
"Was it as exciting as you expected?" Trina asked, floating before him, invisible to anyone but her other half.
"More or less," Miquella replied thoughtfully. "And what did you think?"
"Similar," she said, with her usual serenity.
"It didn't turn out to be as pleasurable as I imagined, but it was... new," Miquella continued. He wasn't trying to explain himself; through their connection, Trina already knew every nuance of what he had felt. "And I have a desire to continue exploring these new sensations."
"Certainly, newness possesses an undeniable allure," Trina added, without a trace of judgment.
"Perhaps it is just a longing for freedom," Miquella reflected, lowering his gaze. "Or perhaps ceding so much power to my sister has left me mentally unstable," he said in a moment of catharsis.
"It is possible our mental defenses are compromised," Trina conceded. "That malevolent power could be seeping into us, influencing us to lose control."
"Or perhaps, quite simply, we are two perverted beings seeking emotions we never allowed ourselves." Miquella shrugged, dismissive. "It's impossible to know with so little perspective. I only know that I want to experience more; this and so many other things. If our fate is to fall in the end, let it be having lived an existence worthy of being remembered."
"That is our 'human side' speaking. Ephemeral mortality is often very loud," Trina said, perfectly understanding the weight of those feelings.
"The brevity of life on Earth has proven to be an incredible engine for the innovation of pleasure." Miquella sketched a small smile. "In the Lands Between there are experts, yes, capable of feats that would sound like fantasy here... but they are few. Only the globalization of this world has allowed such areas to develop with such diversity."
He stood up, but a sharp pain forced him to scowl and set his jaw. He examined the ring on his finger, observing the flow of energy within.
"It seems the kinetic energy absorption experiment did not yield the expected results," he commented, analyzing the failure with scientific coldness. "We should persist. Achieving immunity to physical impacts is a goal worth the sacrifice."
"The method is erratic, and your body is still weakened," Trina noted.
"True... The power I transferred to Malenia has taken its toll, but it was a necessary step. By the way, what of them? How much longer?"
"A few more days," Trina replied, looking into the distance. "Only a few days to reach their destination."
...
After several days of marching, the Eldens and the elves finally approached their goal.
This area of the forest, like others they had crossed before, showed signs of Scarlet Rot... but this time they were not mere scattered traces. Here the corruption was more subtle and, for that very reason, more unsettling. Faint enough to go unnoticed by untrained eyes, but deeply rooted in the earth.
The world still resisted the Rot, but the Rot eroded it relentlessly. Perhaps this appearance of control was nothing more than a well-maintained illusion; a beautiful lie hiding a wound that had never stopped festering.
Malenia was the first to feel it.
Then, one by one, others began to perceive it too: a strange pressure in the chest, a growing unease, the certainty that something was wrong. A silent omen spread through the group.
It reached a point where Trina no longer needed to guide her. Malenia moved ahead, taking the lead, letting herself be carried by that which resonated inside her. Something was calling her, with an insistence impossible to ignore.
As they neared the source of that evil, contaminated creatures became more numerous. The battles became constant, exhausting. Some beasts, still clinging to fragments of sanity, fled upon sensing Malenia's presence, recognizing her as one of their own. Others, already consumed by madness, threw themselves into the attack without fear or sense, fighting to the death.
Those confrontations—which gradually wore down even the elves, who fulfilled their pact and bore the brunt of the fighting—ceased abruptly when the group reached a clearing dominated by a lake.
A massive pool of dark water stretched before them. At first glance, it seemed less contaminated than other sources they had seen before, almost serene… but it was another lie. One only had to look at the surrounding trees, covered in white and red fungi, to understand how sick this place truly was.
When Malenia stopped a certain distance from the lake, an oppressive silence fell over the area, so dense it seemed to crush the very air. Everyone knew, without need for words, that they had arrived.
"Now it falls to us," Malenia said, signaling the elves to withdraw.
Legolas nodded. Exhaustion was evident after the constant fighting. Along with his men, he stepped back a few paces without lowering his guard. They held their positions, ready to intervene. This forest was their home, and if they could do anything to eradicate this evil, they would do it without hesitation.
Malenia advanced slowly until she stood before the immense pool.
The instant she stopped, the surface of the water began to churn. Small ripples expanded from the center. Malenia knew: that which she had come to find was moving… it was coming for her. She could feel it. The Rot recognized her; it celebrated her presence.
The lake, previously merely unsettling, changed abruptly. Something was released from within. The waters turned reddish, bones surfaced, and the waves grew violent.
The tension between Eldens and elves spiked. Firm hands gripped weapons as the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. Then, suddenly, a massive figure emerged from the center of the lake in an explosion of water that sent waves crashing toward the shores.
—GGGHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
The thunderous roar tore through the air, announcing the start of the true confrontation.
A colossal monstrosity emerged from the now undeniably putrid crimson waters, forcing everyone to look up. Its morphology was reminiscent of a scorpion, but deformed to the point of being unnatural. It possessed long, twisted legs in an irregular number—some stunted, others overdeveloped. Its pincers were withered, as if in a perpetual state of decay. A massive primary stinger arched over its body, accompanied by other smaller, thinner ones—chaotic, erratic, like appendages without real control, moving spasmodically.
But the most disturbing part was at the front. Where a scorpion's head should have been, there was a massive human skull. Empty, disfigured, with eye sockets burning with an unnatural reddish light.
The beast's roar, upon waking from its long lethargy, slowly faded as it lowered its head to fix its gaze on Malenia, who stood firm, her blade extended to one side.
That gaze was difficult to interpret, even impossible to fully comprehend, but it conveyed something clear: emotion. Longing. A sickly devotion. It watched Malenia with something that could well be mistaken for love, for joy… as if it were finally beholding that which it had awaited for eras.
The creature advanced slowly, showing no immediate aggressive intent, though its colossal size and aberrant form suggested otherwise. The Scarlet Rot had awaited its champion for a long time. Its hero. Its queen. The vessel for its god. And at last, she was there.
But Malenia had no intention of allowing that evil to claim her. She could feel how it desired her, how something inside her answered the call, inviting her to accept it… but she was not willing. When the creature was close enough, Malenia executed a firm, precise movement.
Her sword traced a straight line through the air.
—GGGHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr…—
A new roar filled the clearing as a cut, not very deep but clean, opened from end to end across the beast's skull. The oppressive silence shattered instantly. The battle had begun.
Without losing her advantage after the first strike, Malenia leaped toward the creature again. Deprived of its adoration, the beast went mad after the attack. Its movements became savage, attacking chaotically with every limb, while also expelling a deadly red liquid from its mouth.
The forest shook. The lake kicked up violent waves. Contaminated creatures began to head toward the center of the commotion.
...
"What is it, Radagast?" Gandalf asked, seeing his companion stop.
"I don't know…" the Brown Wizard replied nervously, looking toward the forest while cradling a small bird in his arms. "But I feel something massive is happening."
Gandalf followed his gaze. He too perceived that distant omen… but his mission did not allow him to turn back.
...
Malenia moved from side to side, dodging the stinger's attacks that slammed violently into the earth, jumping to avoid the pincers while flashing her sword in precise counterattacks. The creature, in a state of absolute frenzy, charged at Malenia again and again, ignoring the rest—though accidentally striking others with the collateral of its fury.
But she was not alone.
While Malenia held its attention, the others attacked from the rear. Ansbach leaped with his scythe, aiming at the base of the stinger. Freyja, Moore, and Hornsent concentrated on the hind legs, trying to hamper its movement.
The creature reacted immediately. Even in its madness, it spun quickly to crush those "ants"… but it had barely completed half a turn when an arrow pierced its skull. Dazed for a fraction of a second, it looked up toward Legolas, who was already drawing his bow for a second shot.
With a shriek, the creature opened its mouth and expelled a cloud of red gas toward the elves. However, they were already dispersing, anticipating the attack the moment they saw its head rise.
Malenia did not waste the opportunity. She delivered another direct slash to the head, leaving a deeper mark on the skull.
—GGGHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr…—
The roar echoed with renewed fury. The creature was being besieged from all flanks, though not all attacks were effective. Its resilience was overwhelming. Common arrows barely managed to penetrate; every shot had to be executed at maximum power. The Eldens managed to damage stunted appendages or vestigial stingers, but causing serious injury required considerable effort.
The situation changed as hordes of contaminated creatures began to emerge from the surroundings.
"I will handle this!" Malenia shouted, redoubling her speed as she attacked the mutant scorpion.
The Eldens and the elves understood the command immediately. They withdrew to contain the new threats, facing the creatures appearing from the woods.
Malenia was alone once more.
She moved like a leaf caught in the wind, dodging attacks with lethal grace. The creature, growing more frantic, made more brutal and rapid movements, knocking down trees and moving away from the lake with violent charges.
Although Malenia demonstrated superior skill, she was not in her optimal state. The initial advantage gradually faded until she was caught between the beast's pincers. The crunch of her armor being squeezed echoed loudly. She was shaken in the air and slammed against the ground.
She tried to break free without success. The stinger was already descending toward her pinned body when she raised her blade to defend herself.
The blade stopped the impact. A faint golden light broke from it—the power granted by Miquella—cushioning the force of the blow. Seizing the moment, Malenia delivered a slash against the pincer that imprisoned her. It wasn't just a cut: it was as if a hammer of light struck it full on, forcing the creature to recoil.
With the brief respite gained, Malenia retook her defensive stance. Her blade glowed as she charged toward the scorpion once more. The creature, recovering, responded with a new onslaught.