The clock had chimed at the most inconvenient moment. Just as they were discussing something vital, the deafening toll cut their conversation short. Soon after, a white bird arrived, bearing a message from King Gorgeous VIII regarding a monster at the sacred altar. Without wasting a moment, they hurried toward the location.
***
The Sacred Sanctuary. The building was a magnificent dome that looked as if it had been crafted by the very hands of humanity. Four massive pillars surrounded a central altar, standing like silent sentinels.
A large congregation of devotees had gathered. Aya and Ficky were the only ones there for a different reason: to hunt a monster. While their presence drew a few suspicious glances from the crowd, no one truly paid them any mind.
A priest, dressed in long, flowing robes and clutching a staff, arrived to lead the ritual. He approached the altar, where a woman lay motionless, her eyes closed in a deep trance.
"Is this ritual a sacrifice or something? I didn't think people actually did this," Aya whispered.
"I don't know. But then again, this isn't our world," Ficky replied, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area.
Ficky waited for the monster to reveal itself, while Aya watched with growing anxiety, her heart aching for the woman on the altar.
The priest began the ritual by raising his staff. He closed his eyes and began to mutter an incantation. Aya's fingers trembled as a shimmering, colored wind began to swirl around the sanctuary. It was as if the priest were commanding the air itself; the black hair of the woman on the altar danced to the rhythm of an invisible melody.
The congregation was spellbound. They watched in awe, some even whispering in admiration as the ritual unfolded like a beautiful, divine performance.
"What's wrong?" Ficky asked, shaking Aya's shoulder. Aya didn't budge; her gaze was vacant, mirrored by the entranced devotees around her.
"Hey, don't tell me you're one of them now? Hey, you weak, ugly girl!" Ficky barked.
The moment Ficky tapped her shoulder, Aya snapped out of it. She felt as though she had been hypnotized, and Ficky realized that the priest's "miracle" was nothing more than a sinister trick.
"So that's how it is."
"Eh? Wait... what happened to me?" Aya asked, disoriented.
"Don't be surprised. It's definitely that guy in the oversized robes," Ficky said, pointing toward the priest.
Ficky had sensed something foul. Suddenly, the swirling wind expanded, growing violent. One by one, the devotees began to collapse.
"What's happening? Why is everyone falling asleep?"
"Their souls are being harvested. It's as cunning and deceptive as a true fox."
Ficky muttered something strange that Aya didn't quite catch. Half of the congregation was already unconscious or dead. When the woman on the altar began to float toward the ceiling, Ficky made his move.
"One punch is all I need for you!"
"Wait! Why are you jumping!" Aya shrieked as Ficky suddenly leaped down from their vantage point.
The priest, enraged by the interruption, chanted another spell. The soulless devotees suddenly stood up, their eyes vacant. They descended upon Ficky with murderous intent.
"What kind of monster is hiding inside this priest? He can control their bodies. How annoying," Ficky grumbled, fighting his way toward the altar.
"Ficky!!" Aya screamed, but her voice was drowned out as the horde of soulless bodies swarmed him, pinning him down.
Aya frantically scrambled down a side path, calling her bodyguard's name over and over.
"Foolish creature, to defy the will of the priest! You have ruined a ritual intended for eternal peace, you uncivilized beast!" the priest bellowed.
He raised his staff again. His once-calm face was now a mask of darkness, radiating a wave of negative energy that both Aya and Ficky could feel. As the priest chanted a dark wind spell, Ficky let out a powerful roar, scattering the people who were trampling him.
"Ficky!"
As Aya cried out, one of the possessed devotees lunged at her. She bolted toward the altar, and suddenly, the attacker stopped. All the possessed subjects froze in their tracks.
THUD!
The black-haired woman who was meant to be the sacrifice plummeted from the air. She coughed violently, spitting up fresh blood.
"Are you okay? Hang on!" Aya rushed to help, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to carry her alone.
Time, which seemed to have slowed down, suddenly snapped back to speed. The devotees resumed their attack on Ficky while the priest's wind turned pitch black. The priest's own eyes faded into a void of darkness as he surrendered to the corruption.
Aya shuddered, frozen behind the priest's back. But in that same instant, the priest's body was hoisted into the air. Someone had a death grip on his throat.
The only sound that followed was the sickening crack of a bone. The priest's body disintegrated into black dust, swirling briefly before vanishing into nothingness.
The congregation collapsed once more as their souls returned to their bodies. The dark aura dissipated, and the violent winds faded into a gentle breeze. The ritual was over.
"What kind of ritual turns people into living corpses? I never expected the monster to be the priest himself," Ficky remarked.
CLINK, CLINK!
Round metallic objects fell from Ficky's hand. Five gold-plated coins lay on the ground, each engraved with the same image on both sides: a centipede.
"What are these?"
"Money?"
Was it truly over? The appearance of these five gold coins right after the monster's demise was a mystery they couldn't solve.
"Ficky, do you think this has something to do with how we get back?" Aya asked.
"Oh, you're there. I just noticed."
"Cut the small talk! Tell me, do these coins have anything to do with our world?" Aya demanded, her voice rising.
Ficky winced; Aya's shouting was ringing in his ears. He walked over to her behind the altar.
"I don't know," Ficky replied, then glanced at the unconscious woman nearby. "But who is she?"
"Oh, great. You don't know. That King better not break his promise. Let's get back quickly. And her," Aya said, nodding toward the woman.
Silence fell over them for a moment. The devotees began to wake up, many of them convinced that the nightmare they had just experienced was nothing more than a dream. Meanwhile, Aya and Ficky were left with the dilemma of what to do with the woman who was nearly sacrificed.
"Anyway, we're taking these gold coins," Ficky said, stuffing them into the one pocket of his trousers that was still intact.
"You're only in this for the treasure!" Aya shouted accusingly.