The chamber beneath the royal library remained unusually quiet despite the number of scholars gathered inside.
Rows of ancient books and scrolls lined the stone walls, their aged surfaces carrying the weight of knowledge accumulated over centuries. The air itself felt heavy, filled with the faint scent of old parchment and dust. Above the central table, several enchanted lamps floated in place, casting a steady glow over the documents spread across its surface.
At the centre of the table lay the map recovered from the abandoned house deep within the corrupted forest.
It did not look important at first glance.
The parchment was worn, its edges brittle and uneven, as though it had been forgotten for many years. The ink had faded in several places, yet the markings remained clear enough to follow paths, borders, and symbols drawn with careful intent.
But the longer the scholars studied it
The more unsettling it became.
The head mage stood beside the table, his posture calm but his expression serious, as several scholars examined the map in silence.
For hours, they had compared it with historical records stored within the library.
One by one and , matches began to appear.
"This location…" one of the scholars said quietly, pointing toward a marked symbol near the edge of the map. "It corresponds to ruins near the southern border. They were abandoned nearly fifty years ago."
Another scholar leaned closer, tracing a different mark.
"And this one… it aligns with a mining settlement that was evacuated after a sudden corruption outbreak."
The room grew quieter.
The symbols were not random at all.
They marked places where something had happened.
Places tied to corruption.
Places where events had either been misunderstood… or forgotten.
The abandoned house in the forest was only one of them.
The head mage's gaze darkened slightly as he looked across the map.
If these locations were connected.
Then the situation was far more serious than they had first believed.
One of the younger scholars moved quickly toward a nearby shelf and returned with a large, heavy book bound in dark leather. Its surface was worn with age, and the edges of its pages had yellowed.
"This record was sealed in the restricted section," he said, placing it carefully on the table before opening it. "It contains notes from ancient magical research… specifically involving corrupted energy."
The other scholars gathered closer.
The pages described experiments conducted centuries ago by mages who had attempted to understand the nature of the curse. They had tried to control it. To shape it. To use it.
Many of those attempts had failed.
Some had ended in complete disaster.
The scholar paused as he turned to a particular page.
His expression changed.
Slowly
He rotated the book toward the others.
A symbol drawn beside the text matched one of the map's marks exactly.
"The same symbol…" he whispered.
The head mage stepped closer.
"What does it say?"
The scholar read carefully before answering.
"It describes locations where corrupted energy appeared in unnatural concentrations. The researchers believed… the phenomenon might not have been natural at all."
Silence followed.
Artificial corruption unbelievable
The words settled heavily in the room.
"But the record ends here," the scholar continued. "There's no mention of who conducted the experiments… or what became of them."
The head mage looked back at the map.
If the abandoned house had been used for research…
Then the same might be true for every marked location.
And if that was the case
Then this was not history repeating itself.
Someone had started again.
Far above the underground chamber, the palace remained quiet beneath the fading light of evening.
Inside one of the smaller recovery rooms near the servants' quarters, Lucius sat alone.
The room was simple, bare, with a narrow bed.
A small window and nothing more.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his posture slightly hunched, his breathing steady but not fully stable.
His body still felt weak.
Even small movements required effort.
The battle inside the forest had pushed him too far.
He lowered his head slightly, pressing his fingers against his temples.
The headache returned again.
At first
It was faint.
Then it sharpened and became intense
The room disappeared, replaced by iron cages once again.
A dim chamber lit by flickering light.
Inside the cages
Animals.
Wolves.
Deer.
Birds.
Their bodies trembled violently.
Dark symbols were carved into the stone floor beneath them.
Figures in robes stood nearby.
Were watching.
Then
The energy came.
Corruption forced into the creatures.
They screamed.
Their bodies got twisted.
Black veins spread beneath their skin.
Lucius gasped as the vision broke.
He gripped the edge of the bed tightly, his fingers digging into the wood as he forced himself to steady his breathing.
That memory was full of hatred
Another pulse of pain struck.
More fragments this time, and a little clearer
Chains, needles everywhere.
Dark crystals were placed beside the cages.
Before he could see more, it became silent, and he was back in reality.
Lucius exhaled slowly.
"…so that's what they were."
The monsters had not been born that way.
They had been made.
Elsewhere in the palace, Clara stood near a window in the heroes' quarters.
Her gaze rested on the courtyard below, but her thoughts were far from it.
The battle in the forest replayed in her mind.
Something about it had been wrong.
The monsters had collapsed too suddenly.
The corruption had vanished too quickly.
And none of them had delivered the final blow.
Her thoughts drifted again.
To Lucius.
Every time something strange happened
He collapsed.
And afterwards, everything changed.
The connection felt too precise.
Too consistent.
Yet it didn't mak]e sense.
Clara sighed quietly and turned away from the window.
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
But the feeling remained.
Something had been hidden from them.
Back in the chamber beneath the library, the scholars had reached a conclusion.
The head mage focused on one particular mark on the map.
"This location…" he said slowly.
"It lies several days north of the capital."
A scholar leaned forward, tracing the symbol carefully.
"The records mention ancient ruins in that region. They were sealed off after a series of unnatural incidents occurred there long ago."
The atmosphere in the room shifted.
"If the abandoned house was used for experiments," the head mage continued, "then these ruins may have served the same purpose."
No one spoke.
"If those experiments have resumed…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"Then whoever is responsible may still be operating at one of these locations."
The implication was clear.
The corruption spreading across the land might not be a natural disaster.
It might be deliberate.
The head mage straightened.
"We cannot ignore this."
He turned toward the exit.
"The heroes will investigate the next marked location."
The decision had been made.
Another expedition would begin.
In a dark corner, a figure picks up a crystal, and through it, the person said
"Lord Dox", I have some good news the royals are going north for the investigation.
What are your Orders
Release those monsters. Let them have fun with those royals.
Yes, Lord Dox, at your wish.