The days passed slowly, as if the world itself were making the Lost suffer.
The temple was quiet, broken only by the sound of footsteps.
Six Awakened walked together, making their rounds.
Two young men with fair skin and blue irises led the way, carrying lanterns in one hand and blades in the other.
Heavy breaths echoed, hesitant footsteps following.
The formation was strange — two walked in front, a trio in the middle, and one alone at the back.
The last was a man with black hair and brown eyes. The reason he was alone at the rear?
In the past few days, the young man Lion had spilled a bowl of hot soup on a companion.
And just for that, he was now rejected. His actions had been mistaken as a sign of possession.
Isolated, he trembled in fear. There was a chance his life could end there, without anyone noticing.
The others were the trio in the middle, named Mia, Kithy, and Benlan.
The three were childhood friends. The trust between them was great, to the point they were certain they would know if one of them had been consumed.
Finally, guiding the path were the twins Tomi and Holi. Inseparable brothers.
Because of the group's composition, and even due to the accident, Lion had to resign himself to the treatment.
They weren't confident either. In just the last three days since the creature's release, more than ten Lost had died.
They were found with clean, precise wounds that ended their lives instantly.
There were no clues. It was almost as if Mordret appeared out of nowhere, killed them, then vanished without leaving a trace.
However, the worst part wasn't the deaths, but how the bodies were found.
There were signs suggesting it had been one of their companions who killed the others — one of the blades stained with the blood of those who had once been close.
That slowly eroded the Awakened's trust, making them doubt everyone. Longtime friends could no longer be seen the same way.
And it had happened again today.
The group's objective was to reach the sanctuary, to search for possible traces of the prince.
The journey through the outer ring was relatively calm, enough for the Lost to talk.
"So Tomi, did you notice when Tarion was consumed? You were close to him." Mia spoke, tightening her grip on her blade.
"Why? Trying to figure out methods to discover who was consumed?" the young man replied, casting suspicious looks along with his brother.
"I'm not implying anything. I just wanted your opinion. If you don't mind, could you tell me?"
Benlan and Kithy grouped beside Mia, as if ready to defend her from a possible attack.
"Mia... step back now. We don't know if that thing has already consumed those two..." Kithy raised her weapon, sharp eyes already searching for the twins' weaknesses.
"Huh? You're the ones who started asking questions, and I'm the possessed one? Fuck you!" Tomi snapped, grabbing the hilt of his sword.
The tension rose as the group prepared to fight each other. Mia tightened her sword, Kithy positioned hers before her chest, Benlan's face twisted with discomfort, as if trying to hold onto the last threads of sanity.
When it seemed everything would explode, a voice sounded from the back:
"Guys! Are you going crazy?! Trying to kill each other will only help that thing!" Lion stepped between the trio and the duo, not caring about his own safety.
"What are you talking about, huh? Oh great companion-killer?!" Tomi shouted, about to advance, but was stopped by his brother.
"Tomi!" Holi grabbed his arms, holding him in place.
Lion sighed helplessly. He had only spilled soup — why had people made such a big deal out of it?
But he knew. It was because of that damned monster...
And that hell wouldn't end until it was imprisoned again.
Lion wouldn't give up on his comrades, even if they isolated him.
"I don't care. I already said that was an accident. Fighting here and now is useless. We'll just be speeding up the monster's plans."
The group fell silent. The young ones finally realized they were being foolish.
"You're right, Lion. We need to unite." Benlan was the first to speak, closing his eyes under the group's gazes.
"I agree. Let's finish our mission and return. At least we'll be safe near the Masters..." Mia scratched the back of her neck, a bit embarrassed, releasing her sword and letting it turn into fragments again.
"Hah... if those two are in, I'm in too." Kithy let out a deep sigh before sheathing her blade.
The twins looked at each other before also putting their weapons away.
Soon, they were walking again through the dim expanse of the temple. With no time to refill the lamps with oil, the entire Temple of Night had become a true night, vast in darkness.
Only the lantern lights pushed back the shadows, carving paths through the gloom.
A cough suddenly sounded, making everyone turn toward its source.
It was Mia, covering her mouth lightly as she coughed.
There seemed to be nothing wrong with such a simple action.
But nerves on edge turned small doubts into paranoia.
'She said for us to finish our mission... and stay in the sanctuary!' Tomi thought in alarm, already imagining that the reason she wanted them to stay was so no one could escape.
Tomi ground his teeth, the sound audible.
Which earned him a suspicious look from Kithy.
'He's anxious...? Why...?' A sense of terror fell over her.
'Is he afraid we'll run away?! Damn it, if that's it... we need to get out of here fast...' a dangerous idea glinted in her feline-dark pupils.
'Or... we can kill him before he attacks!'
She slowly lowered her hand toward the sheath, ready to grab the hilt and draw her blade.
It didn't go unnoticed by Lion.
'Kithy? What is she doin—!'
The young man's eyes narrowed, then widened in shock.
'She's drawing her sword?! She's the thing? Shit!'
He quickly began drawing his own sword, making noise in the process.
The lantern light illuminated them all, revealing every face.
Mia stared forward in fear, seeing her friend armed.
Tomi and Holi saw Kithy ready — but not only her. Lion had drawn his sword as well.
Lion saw the group analyzing each other with cold intent. No words were spoken.
Kithy leapt to the side, standing beside Mia. Benlan joined them.
Lion slowly backed away to the other side, distancing himself from the trio and edging closer to the twins.
In an instant, the peaceful atmosphere vanished, replaced by the explosion of battle.
Mia and Kithy joined forces against the twins, while Benlan faced Lion.
Mia attacked, her blade nearly landing, while Kithy used a kind of transformation, becoming part animal — a panther!
The pairs fought with terrifying synchronization.
Mia and Kithy shared an almost perfect sense of coordination, born from many battles fought together.
But the twins were not behind, deflecting attacks and applying pressure.
Elsewhere, the battle between Benlan and Lion continued, steel clashing against steel echoing through the empty temple.
Lion gave it his all, blocking Benlan's heavy blows.
How was that guy so strong?
He didn't remember Berlan being that powerful.
But Lion didn't falter, continuing to strike with his crimson blade.
He swung in an arc toward Benlan's neck, only to see him defend and counter with ease, almost as if playing with him.
A chill ran down his spine.
Benlan wasn't that skilled.
The young man might have had a massive build, making people sometimes mistake him for a giant.
But Lion was no less formidable — his body forged by iron and fire, pushed to its limits.
Then, struggling to hold on, Lion heard Benlan's voice:
"It's really fun to fight, you know? When you have a body, you feel every part..."
The voice was cold, tinged with irony. The sound coming from Benlan's throat didn't match his size, almost as if forcing the tone.
Lion froze for a moment.
He wanted to shout, to say he had discovered the entity.
But no one would hear him.
His group was fighting each other, and they were too deep in the sanctuary for any sound to reach the Masters.
Benlan slightly tilted his head, as if listening to something distant.
Then he smiled.
Lion first felt the shift in the air.
The blade descended.
It wasn't a wide or theatrical strike — it was precise, coming straight down.
He only realized the cut when the world seemed to slip.
His wrist opened as if an invisible line had always been drawn there.
The sword fell.
The metallic sound echoed through the dark corridor.
Lion tried to grab it, but his fingers no longer obeyed.
The blood came hot — too hot — running between his fingers, dripping onto the stone floor.
"Argh!" Lion groaned in pain, but the sound never reached his companions.
"It's him! He's the mon—!" The second blade came before the scream was born.
The wound wasn't deep.
But precisely cruel.
His mouth was cut, tearing his tongue along with it.
"Ahh...!" He tried to speak, but he had no mouth to scream with.
The sound that came out wasn't human.
It was a muffled, wet, broken noise.
He tried again.
Tried to warn them.
But nothing happened.
Lion brought his hands to his face, but the blood ran through his fingers as if mocking him.
His vision began to vibrate.
The lanterns turned into blurred stains.
The sounds of battle seemed distant, as if from another world.
Benlan — no, that thing — approached with calm steps. Silver eyes reflected the trembling light.
Lion fell to his knees.
His eyes full of terror.
He began crawling miserably across the floor, trying to escape.
His hands left red trails on the stone.
He didn't want to die there.
Not like that.
Not without them knowing.
Heavy steps sounded behind him.
Lion reached out his hand.
A scream tried to leave his throat, but he no longer had the strength.
Deep in his heart, there was a small, foolish hope.
That someone would come help him.
Any help.
But the help never came.
The blade gleamed one last time.
There was an almost delicate sound.
A thin line appeared on his neck.
The world tilted.
The corridor's darkness was the last thing his eyes recorded —
and then everything went silent.
A sigh of satisfaction escaped Benlan.
'It's getting harder and harder to restrain myself...'
Mordret slowly walked toward where the other Lost were, watching them still fighting brought him a bit of amusement.
Interesting, isn't it?
Not a single word needed to be said by him for this to happen.
The Awakened who had been focused on fighting seemed to notice his presence.
They stopped to look at him, only to see the blood staining his blade.
"Benlan...?" Mia said hesitantly.
Kithy stared at him in shock before her lips tightened in pain.
"You... you bastard. You killed Benlan!"
In an instant, Kithy charged at Mordret. He simply dodged skillfully, even with the massive body.
"What a shame. I thought I could enjoy the show a little longer..." His words struck Mia and Kithy like knives. The terrible pain of losing a friend still weighed on their hearts.
Mordret calmly watched Kithy retreat back to the group, allowing her to step away.
The four Lost gathered — the twins and the girls fighting side by side.
"Let's show this son of a bitch what happens when you mess with Tomi and Holi!" Tomi roared like a war cry, glaring at Mordret with burning hatred.
"You can count on us!" Mia added, small tears in her eyes.
"Together, we can defeat even this demon!" Kithy raised her blade once more, cold determination in her movements.
Mordret stayed silent, merely holding the bloodied sword in his hand.
"Together!" the four declared at the same time.
The sound of battle spread through the sanctuary, clashing swords making the columns tremble slightly.
A fierce battle began.
Mordret sighed a little tiredly, a few small drops of sweat on his shirt.
Who would've thought this small group's determination would be enough to make him sweat?
Without caring much, he wiped his face with his blood-soaked hand.
Cleaning his face, which was also completely covered in scarlet liquid, he looked around.
Four corpses lay on the ground.
All terribly cut, the result of an almost divine resistance.
If they hadn't lasted so long, they wouldn't have been injured like that.
He took two steps toward the exit. Then stopped.
He turned and looked at Mia and Kithy's bodies. His chest tightened imperceptibly.
Ignoring the feeling, he walked on.
"Anyway... what was the next step again?"
Mordret spoke to himself, waiting for an answer.
A few seconds passed.
He frowned.
He was met with emptiness.
"Alright then... stay quiet if you prefer."
He shrugged before heading into the dark corridor.
"I'll free him myself."
Mordret made his way toward a certain prison...