Soft yellow sunlight fell across the green grass, making its color appear even deeper.
Raijin walked slowly through the grass. Ever since he had seen the stone statue, a strange tingling sensation had been running through his body. He felt as though he had seen that stone statue somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. Whenever he tried to recall it, all he could see was blood surrounding him—and himself covered in it.
He was still thinking about it when—
"Raijin!"
A familiar, gentle voice reached his ears.
It was Sofiya's voice.
"What are you doing over there? Come and eat."
Her voice pulled Raijin out of his thoughts. He immediately returned. He hadn't eaten anything since morning, and it was already afternoon.
Everyone sat together and began drinking vegetable soup. Sofiya also took several pieces of dried meat from a brown bag and handed them to Ishan, Kade, and Raijin. The meat was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. The moment they placed a piece in their mouths, its spicy and slightly salty flavor mixed with their saliva and spread across their tongues. It was quite tough to chew, but it tasted far better than the vegetable soup, which was slightly bitter and sticky.
A short while later, after everyone had finished eating, the coachman called out,
"Sir, we're ready to leave."
Everyone climbed back into the carriage.
The horses moved forward, and the carriage slowly continued toward Mournvale.
Along the way, they joked and laughed with one another, and before they knew it, afternoon had turned into night.
Without the sunlight, they couldn't see much of their surroundings. However, the faint white light of the moon illuminated the road ahead clearly enough.
Inside the carriage, Sofiya had fallen asleep beneath the moonlight and the cool breeze. Kade, meanwhile, looked as though exhaustion would soon take over his body. The tiredness in his eyes and his frequent yawns made that obvious.
Amid all of this, a quiet voice reached everyone's ears.
"Sir, how long until we reach Mournvale?"
Ishan asked excitedly. His excitement had completely driven away the tiredness and sleep that had been weighing on his body.
The coachman replied,
"We'll reach there by morni—"
But suddenly, both horses began neighing restlessly.
Their ears folded backward, and they started scraping the ground with their hooves.
Ignar immediately pulled on the reins.
"Easy… easy…"
But the horses were in no condition to listen. Their breathing had already become rapid.
Raijin looked outside through the gap in the curtain.
He couldn't see anything in the darkness.
And yet…
A strange warning had already risen inside him.
Bang!
Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently.
Ignar's voice faltered.
The impact immediately woke Sofiya, who had been sleeping, as well as Kade, whose body had gradually been succumbing to exhaustion. They both sat upright at once.
"Ignar, what was that?"
Raijin immediately asked the coachman.
Ignar answered calmly,
"Sorry, sir… We've just been attacked by some Wraiths."
But before he could finish speaking, a strange sound echoed all around them.
It sounded like a child crying—
but there was something in it that was not human.
Broken… distorted… and terrifying.
Everyone climbed out of the carriage once again.
Ignar quickly hid behind a large rock, his grip tightening around the reins.
Darkness surrounded them.
The moon shone brightly among the stars, and beneath its pale light, several floating figures could be seen in the air.
They were Wraiths.
But they weren't still.
Their bodies moved like smoke—sometimes clearly visible, sometimes disappearing completely. Some were even hanging upside down in the air, as if gravity had no effect on them.
Kade swung his hammer and struck one of the Wraiths flying toward them with all his strength.
The Wraith looked like a distorted dog.
Pigeon-like wings had grown from its body, covered in thick, dark pus.
Boom!
The impact made the ground tremble slightly, and a powerful shockwave spread through the air. The Wraith was sent flying from a single blow, crashing into a tree before turning into steam. As it dissolved, a strange smell spread through the surrounding air.
Raijin had already drawn his black, curved sword. He stood completely calm.
"Is everyone alright?"
He shouted.
Before anyone could answer, a Wraith suddenly lunged straight toward Raijin.
It remained suspended in the air for a few moments.
Then its entire body contracted like smoke.
The next instant—
it was gone.
"Where did it go?"
Ishan blurted out.
Before he could get an answer, the same childlike crying sound came from behind him.
"Ah… ah… ah…"
Ishan immediately turned around and raised his sword.
The Wraith was only a few inches away from his face.
Ishan swung his sword with all his strength.
The blade passed straight through the Wraith's body.
But—
there was no blood.
The Wraith's body split apart like smoke, then immediately reformed.
Ishan's eyes widened.
"What the—?"
The Wraith reached toward his chest.
Just then, Kade swung his hammer from behind.
Bang!
The Wraith was slammed into the ground.
"Ask questions later!" Kade shouted. "Stay alive first!"
Ishan immediately stepped back and looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell me they were like this?"
"I just found out myself!"
Kade gritted his teeth.
Meanwhile, Raijin's eyes remained fixed on the Wraith.
The first Wraith lunged toward him again.
Raijin swung his sword.
The blade passed through its body.
But once again, the Wraith wasn't destroyed. Its body split apart for a moment before merging back together like smoke.
Raijin narrowed his eyes.
"So simply cutting them isn't enough…"
He waited for the Wraith's next move.
The moment it came close, Raijin took a step back and used its momentum against it, driving his sword straight through its center.
This time, the Wraith screamed.
Its body trembled and slowly dissolved into steam.
Raijin remained standing there for a few moments.
No…
I can actually touch them…
For a brief moment, a blood-covered battlefield flashed before his eyes…
Broken weapons…
And an unfamiliar scream…
Then everything disappeared.
"They still look like Wraiths…"
he muttered.
"Not completely visible… and not completely hidden either…"
Suddenly, three Wraiths appeared in front of him at the same time.
Raijin tightened his grip on his sword.
The first came from above.
Raijin ducked.
The second came from his left. He deflected its attack with the back of his blade and, in the same motion, slashed straight through its neck.
The third came from behind.
Without even looking back, Raijin reversed his grip on the sword and swung backward.
The Wraith's body split apart.
But then a fourth Wraith emerged from beneath his feet.
Raijin jumped.
The Wraith passed underneath him.
While spinning through the air, Raijin brought his sword downward.
Shrrraack!
The Wraith split into two.
Raijin had barely landed when suddenly, all the sounds around them changed.
The cries of a child began coming from every direction.
From the front.
From behind.
From above.
From below.
Ishan covered his ears.
"Why is that sound coming from inside my head?"
Kade tried to answer, but even his own voice seemed distant to him.
Raijin closed his eyes.
He remained completely still for a few moments.
Then he said,
"Don't listen to the sound."
He opened his eyes.
"Watch their positions."
He immediately looked around.
They were surrounded from every direction.
But then, in the sky, there weren't just one or two…
Dozens of hazy figures appeared.
Some emerged from behind the trees.
Some rose from the ground.
And some descended directly from the sky above.
Ishan said nervously,
"There weren't this many before…"
Kade tightened his grip on his hammer.
"Then they're multiplying."
Raijin replied without looking back,
"They're not just multiplying."
His eyes lifted toward the sky.
"They're surrounding us."
The cries of the Wraiths echoed through the sky, horribly distorted and almost childlike in nature. Their voices made the entire atmosphere feel unbearably heavy.
"Sofiya!"
Raijin's voice grew louder.
"Do you think we'll be fine after being surrounded by this many Wraiths?"
Then, gritting his teeth, he added,
"Or should you focus less on that question and more on reducing their numbers?"
Sofiya looked at him.
"I'm fine."
Raijin scanned their surroundings.
One Wraith after another continued attacking them. They weren't even being given enough time to breathe.
Kade gritted his teeth.
"What should we do? We have to fight while also protecting the horses, the carriage, and its owner."
Raijin immediately looked around.
"Kade, stay on the right. Ishan, the left."
The two looked at him.
"And you?" Ishan asked.
Raijin raised his sword.
"In the middle."
"Alone?"
Raijin looked at the Wraiths flying toward them.
"If I fall back… they'll reach Sofiya directly."
Kade gritted his teeth.
"Fine. But don't die."
Raijin looked at him.
"I'll try."
Just then, a loud voice came from behind them.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine, and the horses are with me. Just focus completely on your fight."
It was Ignar.
Hearing this gave them some relief, but not enough.
They were still completely surrounded by Wraiths.
Raijin raised his sword.
Three Wraiths lunged toward him at the same time.
He cut one apart, severed the second's head, and sliced the third straight through the middle.
But the next moment, five more appeared in front of him.
Raijin didn't retreat.
His sword continued moving.
One strike.
A second.
Then a third.
But instead of decreasing, the number of Wraiths continued to increase.
Raijin's breathing grew heavier.
His grip on the sword remained firm, but a slight tremor had begun to appear in his hands.
Everyone was breathing heavily, and sweat covered their foreheads.
A horrible smell had now spread throughout the surrounding air.
The moment they inhaled it, their throats became extremely bitter and unbearably itchy. It was so bitter that anyone would have immediately felt like vomiting, and the itching in their throats was so intense that they would have wanted to scratch their skin raw.
Sofiya took a deep breath.
"I need three minutes."
She spoke calmly, but exhaustion was clear in her voice.
"I can finish them all at once."
She raised both hands in front of her.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
The air around her began to grow hot.
But no fire appeared immediately.
A small red glow appeared between her hands.
Then it disappeared.
Sofiya closed her eyes.
"They'll need those three minutes…"
Ishan understood.
"We have to buy her time."
Kade raised his hammer.
"Then these three minutes belong to us."
Raijin looked at him.
Then, without saying anything, he turned toward the approaching Wraiths.
The First Minute
The Wraiths attacked from all three sides.
Kade stood at the front, continuously swinging his hammer.
The ground trembled with every strike.
Ishan moved beside him, finishing off any Wraiths that managed to evade Kade's attacks with his sword.
Raijin moved back and forth, stopping any Wraiths that managed to approach Sofiya.
One Wraith came from above.
Raijin raised his sword and blocked its attack.
Another came from behind.
He spun around and sliced through its chest.
A third moved toward Sofiya.
Raijin stepped in front of her.
Bang!
Its body was sent flying through the air and disappeared into steam.
But the next moment, four more Wraiths appeared in front of them.
Raijin tightened his grip on his sword.
The Second Minute
Their movements began slowing down.
Kade's breathing became heavier.
Ishan's hands began trembling.
Blood flowed from Raijin's shoulder.
But Sofiya was still standing in the same place.
The red light between her hands was slowly growing larger.
"Just a little more…"
Sofiya whispered.
Suddenly, dozens of Wraiths descended from the sky at once.
"They're coming!"
Ishan shouted.
Kade raised his hammer.
"Don't retreat!"
But there were simply too many.
One after another, the figures descended upon them.
Raijin cut down three Wraiths.
A fourth passed directly in front of him.
A fifth came from behind.
He spun and avoided it.
But then—
A Wraith appeared directly behind Sofiya.
Raijin's eyes widened.
The same scene suddenly flashed through his mind.
Sora.
Lord.
The same distance.
The same helplessness.
The same feeling that he wouldn't be able to save someone.
"No…"
His fingers tightened around his sword.
"Not this time."
Raijin threw himself alone into the middle of the Wraiths.
One Wraith came toward his chest.
Raijin cut it apart.
Another came from behind.
He spun and struck.
A third fell from above.
Raijin raised his sword.
A fourth was near his feet.
He jumped.
But the fifth—
It was outside his field of vision.
The Wraith attacked his back.
Raijin twisted his body at the last possible moment.
Its claws grazed his waist as they passed.
He fell to one knee.
His breathing had become heavy.
Using his sword against the ground, he pushed himself back up.
"Not… yet."
He looked ahead.
Another Wraith was approaching him.
Raijin raised his sword.
Then—
"Everyone, get back!"
Sofiya's voice rang out.
"I'm about to attack!"
Raijin jumped backward without questioning her.
Ishan and Kade also retreated with him.
Sofiya suddenly opened her eyes.
For a moment, an intense light flashed within them.
The air around her began trembling.
The grass lifted from the ground.
Dry leaves swirled through the air.
The small red light between her hands suddenly expanded.
Red…
Then orange…
And in the next instant, it generated so much heat that even the air in front of her appeared distorted.
Kade stepped backward.
"Everyone, move back!"
Raijin looked at Sofiya.
Exhaustion was visible in her eyes.
Her body was trembling.
But the fire between her hands continued growing.
The sphere of fire had become so large that its light swallowed the darkness surrounding them.
The Wraiths began retreating.
As if they could sense their impending end.
Sofiya didn't hesitate for even a moment.
She thrust both hands forward.
"Hell of Fire…"
The next instant, she hurled the sphere of fire.
BOOM—!!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
A wave of fire spread in every direction.
The ground turned black.
The leaves on the trees burned away.
Ash drifted through the air.
The screams of the Wraiths echoed simultaneously—
and then…
in a single instant, every Wraith dissolved into steam and disappeared.
Suddenly, everything became silent.
No screams.
No Wraiths.
No wind.
Only the faint crackling of burning wood remained.
Raijin slowly raised his head.
Where dozens of Wraiths had been standing only moments ago, there was now nothing but blackened ground and drifting ash.
He looked toward Sofiya.
And at that exact moment—
she collapsed backward.
"Sofiya!"
Raijin's heart suddenly began pounding.
His hands trembled slightly.
All three of them rushed toward her.
Raijin dropped to his knees beside her and grabbed her shoulder.
"Sofiya…"
There was no response.
He checked her breathing.
She was still breathing.
Raijin finally let out a sigh of relief.
His eyes remained closed for a few moments.
"You shouldn't have gotten hurt…"
His voice was very quiet.
It sounded as though he wasn't saying those words to Sofiya…
but to himself.
Raijin looked at the others in panic.
"What happened to her?!"
Kade answered in a heavy voice,
"This is the result of using Hell of Fire."
Raijin repeated the name.
"Hell of Fire…"
"Does it really come from hell?"
he asked.
"No."
Kade shook his head.
"When we pray to our Elf God, Aurelius, and ask for his help, we receive this power."
He looked toward Sofiya.
"It's called Hell of Fire because after using it, anyone who casts it remains unconscious for three or four hours."
Raijin quietly said,
"I understand…"
Ishan looked around.
"It wouldn't be right to continue forward right now. The horses are frightened, and Sofiya isn't in any condition to walk."
Raijin looked around for a few moments.
"We'll spend the night here."
He said,
"We'll leave tomorrow morning. We should reach Mournvale by noon."
Kade lit a fire.
Before long, everyone was sitting around it.
Sofiya was unconscious.
The exhausted horses lay down on the ground.
Ignar slowly emerged from his position and went over to the horses to calm them.
For some time, no one spoke.
The night grew deeper.
The moon slowly moved across the sky.
The flames of the fire sometimes burned brightly and sometimes weakened.
Sleep was beginning to settle into Ishan and Kade's eyes as well.
But Raijin's eyes remained open.
He sat in front of the fire, staring into the darkness in the distance.
The statue was still circling through his mind.
That same girl.
Two daggers.
A battlefield covered in blood.
And that strange feeling…
as if he recognized her.
Terrifying howls echoed from deep within the forest.
But strangely enough—
no one was afraid of them anymore.
As if the real danger had not appeared yet.
Far away, something moved slightly between the trees.
Raijin suddenly opened his eyes.
He stared into the darkness.
There was nothing.
Only the black silhouettes of the trees.
He continued watching for a few moments.
Then he slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Maybe…"