Chapter 6: Magic

Outside, the night had completely fallen. Under the moonlight, a figure wearing a silver mask entered. But this time, it was a smiling mask. The moment he stepped inside, he lit a torch. Instantly, the light-activated traps were triggered, and arrows sliced through the air. But the man in the smiling mask just casually swung his short sword, cutting them all in half.

-"The hunt has begun..."

He whispered, then slowly advanced, ignoring the attacking traps and effortlessly blocking them all.

-"The target is that brat... Kaega..."

The noise from the traps had awakened something deep within the ruins. Something that was also emerging with terrifying speed...

Two hours later, the Smiling Mask had reached the door where the two had just entered. He slashed the door open, and almost immediately, an explosion erupted. Countless stone fragments pelted him, sending him flying backward.

-Ha, this one seems even dumber than the last ones.

Just as Lyne finished speaking, the figure stood up. She recognized him with horror.

-Smiling Mask! This is bad–

Before she could warn Kaega, he had already charged, slashing straight at him. Kaega reacted with lightning speed, throwing a pouch of Thunder Powder at him. The explosion blew his arm off.

-No, it's still not enough.

Lyne immediately rushed forward to attack with her new dagger. But he picked up his severed arm, stepped back, and reattached it to his shoulder. The wound began to heal.

-Regeneration?

-That's right, he's undead. He can only be killed by decapitation or burning.

-Why didn't you tell me they had this type?

-I didn't think they would send him on the second night.

-So does he have any other weaknesses?

-When a limb is severed, it can't function during the recovery period.

-So the goal is to limit his movements.

Kaega threw another pouch of Thunder Powder. He dodged, but the explosion still tore off the newly reattached arm. Lyne seized the opportunity and charged in. He used his remaining hand to draw a dagger and parry her blow.

"Not effective enough. I have to find another way."

Kaega felt a powerful tremor. In the darkness behind them, something huge was rushing forward.

-Lyne, fall back!

Lyne didn't hear him, too focused on the hound. Kaega had no choice but to rush forward and tackle her.

-Huh? What are you doing–

Before Lyne could finish, she saw the hound being grabbed by something. It was a humanoid mass of muscle, with a head like two faces merged together and a body as large as a troll's. It roared, slammed the hound to the ground, and then threw him violently into a corner. After that, it turned to look at Kaega and Lyne.

-Damn it!

Kaega threw a pouch of Thunder Powder straight at its face.

BOOM!

The explosion made the monster pause in pain. At the same time, the hound had recovered and was charging toward them again.

-"Hmph, you damned monster."

The smiling mask charged towards the two of them. Lyne was about to rush into battle again.

-Lyne, stand still, don't move.

-Huh?

Kaega stopped Lyne. The hound had barely made it halfway when it was sent flying by the blind monster. The monster charged towards the source of the sound.

-"Annoying pest."

The hound got up, dodging the blow. But every sound he made drove the monster into a greater frenzy. He began to counterattack.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

He continuously slashed at the monster, carving away pieces of its flesh.

-That hound is so strong. -Lyne remarked.

But Kaega, the weakest one here, never chose to stand still.

-Lyne, throw your dagger!

Kaega and Lyne threw their daggers simultaneously, striking the Smiling Mask precisely in the knee and shoulder, causing him to lose his rhythm. Instantly, the monster seized the opening, grabbed his leg, and began to slam him repeatedly.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH...

His body was continuously smashed against the hard stone floor. His bones seemed to have been pulverized. This time, the monster didn't throw him away, but began a rain of fists...

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The punches shook the entire ruins. The rain of fists finally stopped after two long minutes. The cold stone floor was now covered in a disgusting mixture of shattered bone and pulpy flesh, what was once the "hound" wearing a smiling mask. The hunt had ended swiftly, but it left behind a monster even more dangerous than its victim.

–GAOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The mutated form let out a roar of satisfaction after tearing apart the one who had wounded it.

"The hound is dead, and the monster is heavily injured. Is this a chance to eliminate it?"

Kaega narrowed his eyes, assessing the deep wounds on the monster's body. Its blood, a thick black liquid, showed no signs of clotting.

"The Thunder Powder is effective, especially in enraging it. If I keep using it and reveal our position, the situation will be even worse than facing the hound."

His gaze swept over the smiling mask lying forlornly in the pile of gore. Both he and Lyne knew they had no chance of facing this monster head-on.

"It's the most dangerous thing here, but we don't have to risk our lives. Killing it brings no benefit. On the contrary, if we let it live..."

A cold smile flickered across Kaega's lips.

"It will become an unwilling guard, a mad dog ready to tear apart anyone who wanders in here. A perfect living trap."

Kaega dismissed the thought of attacking, signaling for Lyne to maintain absolute silence. Ten minutes passed like a century. The monster, no longer sensing any threat, turned and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the corridor.

–Haaa... it's gone.

Kaega sighed, as if releasing all the tension he had just held. Lyne's eyes had softened now as she spoke.

–I thought you were going to kill it.

–There was no reason to.

Now, although the immediate danger had passed, they still had to be careful not to provoke the monster's return.

–What do you plan to do next?

Kaega didn't answer, just silently tossed her a bag.

–What's this?

He held up a stale loaf of bread.

–Eat and then rest.

Without hesitation, Lyne took the bread and began to eat.

–Aren't you going to check if I put anything in it?

-What could you do to me if you did? Kill me?

Her words were ice-cold, tinged with a hint of contempt. Kaega just closed his eyes and let it pass. They sat down, gnawing on the bread.

–I didn't expect a variable like a mutated form in these ruins.

–If you hadn't said anything, I would have thought it was part of your plan.

–No, I only intended to use the existing traps. As for that monster, only heaven knows it was here.

–Are you planning to leave or stay here?

–Let me ask you, do they know what happened here?

–Other than whether we're alive or dead, they don't know anything else.

–Good. Then we'll rest here until tomorrow night. That monster is dangerous, but as long as we don't provoke it, we'll be safe. On the contrary, it's a perfect guardian.

–Alright.

After Lyne spoke, she immediately found a corner and sat down to rest. Her hand still held her dagger, but it seemed more relaxed. Kaega, however, was not. This was not the time for him to rest.

He approached the pile of gore, using the tip of his knife to poke around, searching for anything useful. After a while, he let out a disappointed sigh.

"What can you expect from a corpse... At least it has one useful thing."

With that, Kaega pulled out a small handsaw.

"Perhaps this was meant to saw off our heads..."

He glanced at the smiling mask one last time, then walked over to the dry skeleton.

"Just Thunder Powder won't be enough to survive... I should still create a trump card for myself."

His eyes, full of calculation, looked at the dry skeleton. Kaega's hand, holding the saw, tightened. He began to search for things he could use.

...

When Lyne woke up, she didn't know how much time had passed. She opened her eyes and saw Kaega sitting next to the skeleton, the saw in his hand visibly worn down.

–Hey, are you okay...?

This time, there was a genuine hint of concern in Lyne's voice. Kaega's eyes were sunken, his face gaunt with exhaustion, but he still turned to look at her, his voice weary and ragged.

–I'm... fine...

–Why didn't you rest?

–I don't... have time...

–If you suddenly pass out while we're escaping, it'll be very hard for me not to betray you.

His eyes were listless, losing focus. Lyne suddenly remembered an old saying. Her expression was a mixture of annoyance and a hint of softness. She stood up, slowly walking towards Kaega.

"I don't know if you can help me take his head... but I have to admit, your intellect is terrifying."

Standing in front of Kaega, she looked directly into his tired eyes.

"Even though this is just a gamble... accepting that offer really gave me a hope of killing him..."

–Get some rest. I won't harm you in your sleep.

–Hah... from the beginning... you never needed... to wait for me to sleep to kill me... ha...

With that, Kaega couldn't hold on any longer, slumping over and falling asleep.

"Kill her...!"

"Kill it!"

"It will betray you eventually!"

Lyne clutched her head again, her eyes wide. Her left hand tightened around her dagger, aiming for Kaega's exposed throat.

"That's right, one stab to its neck!"

"No... I don't want to."

"And you will never be betrayed."

Lyne struggled in her mind, her right hand gripping her left wrist, preventing herself from acting.

"He's the last hope... I can't..."

"Do it... he can't help you..."

"I can't..."

"That man is just all talk... kill him."

"mother... I don't... want to..."

Lyne tried with all her might to resist the strange voice urging her to kill the person in front of her. Her mind was torn. In the end, unable to bear it, she also passed out.

...

In a daze, Kaega saw a girl with purple hair giving him a loaf of bread. He could no longer see her face clearly, or rather... he was gradually forgetting it.

He opened his eyes. His head was pounding. He looked around and saw Lyne sleeping right next to him.

"Why is she asleep?"

He moved closer, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

–Lyne, wake u–

SWISH!

The dagger in Lyne's hand flew past Kaega's temple, stopping just centimeters from his face. Even with the cold blade so close, his expression didn't change.

–Ha... ha... Kaega?

–What is it, same as yesterday?

–I'm not sure...

–How do you feel?

–I only remember telling you to rest and after that... –She trailed off.

–You don't remember?

–No...

–Alright.

Kaega acted as if he didn't care, but a familiar, chilling feeling rose within him.

–I don't know what time it is, but let's eat and recover our strength.

–What about tonight?

–Let that monster handle it. I don't believe they'll be quiet enough to get in here.

–Anything else?

–There's one more thing I need to ask you...

...

A few hours later, a loud noise came from the traps. Deep within the next passage, things were not quiet either.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

Immediately after, the monster's huge body shot out, smashing through the wall where the door once stood...

–It seems today's hunt has arrived, but it's not our problem. –Kaega said nonchalantly.

–So we go deeper?

–Yes, let them slaughter each other.

They proceeded deeper inside. This time, there weren't as many traps; instead, there were writings in an ancient script. Kaega couldn't read them, just glanced over and moved on. Finally, a staircase led up to a room blocked by a magical barrier.

–Looks like a dead end.

Kaega looked around and saw a mechanism with mana crystals floating and glowing.

"They're the power source for the barrier... but why is one of them a different color?"

Looking at the flow of mana, he noticed that when it passed through the red crystal, the barrier flickered and dimmed slightly.

–No, I think we can still go on. You stand on the pedestal over there.

Kaega also moved to the opposite side.

–Lyne, what's on the pedestal on your side?

–Four buttons, one for each direction.

His pedestal was the same, but with an inscription:

"To the right is the enemy, to the left is the mortal foe. Below is the abyss... where is the escape?"

Kaega read the question. He already knew the answer but realized something.

–Lyne, is there any writing on your side?

–No.

–Then press the top button.

Lyne did as she was told. The writing on his side disappeared. Lyne looked at the new question, her face darkening. Seeing this, he shouted:

–The right!

A crystal turned red. A question appeared for Kaega:

"The one you bet your life on will kill you with which hand?"

Kaega quickly realized and shouted:

–Lyne, your dominant hand!

Lyne pressed the right button. The writing disappeared again. She read the next question, her face emotionless.

–Left...

Kaega pressed left. Another crystal changed color.

"To the left, you see a tree twice in the forest. To the right, you see the path you have chosen. Up, you see the path you never chose. Below is the small, peaceful path you will arrive at."

Kaega thought for a moment, then chuckled to himself.

–The right!

Lyne pressed the button. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

–Below...

The barrier was almost gone. Only one crystal left.

"On the long, long road. Choice is pain. Turning back is liberation. I will choose to leave..."

"That's your choice, not mine..."

Kaega pondered. He wasn't paying much attention to his own question, but to Lyne. Her shoulders had been trembling since the previous question.

–Right!

Lyne stared at her question, no longer reacting, just gazing at it intently. Looking at her eyes, Kaega didn't need to hear the answer. He pressed the right button.

The final mana crystal turned red, and the barrier vanished.

–I didn't say anything, why did you choose that? –Lyne asked, her voice full of confusion.

–Your face at that moment made it too easy for me to know the answer.

–Are you so sure?

–I've seen that face many times.

They entered. It was a library with countless books on magic. Kaega noticed a book on the art of resurrection.

"Life is composed of 4 things: the body, the soul, the consciousness, and the memory... When one dies, the soul exists for 3 days before dissipating... A strong enough consciousness will cling to the object or being it was most attached to... Memories will cling to those of the same bloodline..."

Kaega had to close the book because Lyne had just found something unexpected. In front of them was an enchanted scroll.

"This thing is worth at least 300 gold, enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life, but..." Kaega looked at the Dorgan dagger at Lyne's hip. "If the enchantment is successful, our chances of survival will increase significantly."

–Lyne, do you have mana?

–I'm not sure, but my mother was a witch...

–Alright, we'll enchant that dagger.

–So who's going to do it?

Just then, the mysterious voice echoed in Kaega's head again.

–"I... can help... you."

"You again? What a coincidence."

–"Follow... my words... it will help you..."

Kaega remembered the illusion; his mind had been unaffected. It seemed this voice had really helped him.

"Alright, there's a way after all."

–I'll enchant it.

With that, Kaega took the mana stones, the scroll, and then reached out to Lyne.

–Give me the dagger.

Lyne was surprised by his confidence but still handed it over. He placed the dagger on the magic pedestal.

–"Place the mana stones... in the 6 circles... 3 stones in each corner."

Kaega followed the instructions. A magic circle lit up beneath his feet.

–"Next... is blood... a lot of blood... on the scroll."

"Blood again?"

Kaega grimaced, remembering unpleasant things. He calculated silently, looking at Lyne with the intention of using her blood to complete it. Before he could call her name...

–"Your blood... the one who has begun..."

"What the hell? Why didn't you say so from the start?"

Kaega's face twisted, this time with a look more bitter and angry.

–Damn it, you're clearly messing with me.

-What's wrong...? Can't you enchant it anymore?

"I can't stop at this stage..."

He didn't reply to Lyne, just picked up a knife, gritted his teeth, and cut into his old, unhealed wound.

–AGH!

-What the hell? What are you doing?

Blood flowed from Kaega's hand, illuminating the entire magic circle, as if it wanted to drain all of it from him.

"I knew it... anything involving blood is never good."

Kaega collapsed to his knees in front of a horrified Lyne.

–Hey, what's happening? Do you even know how to enchant, Kaega???

Lyne was panicking. The blood soaked the scroll, and the magic runes lit up, flying towards the dagger. Kaega couldn't take it anymore and collapsed. Before losing consciousness, he heard the voice that had tricked him.

–"Thank you... you, the one... I've always been searching for."

"What the fuck..."

The ritual continued. Lyne immediately jumped down to bandage Kaega.

–You madman!

She dragged him out of the magic circle. The dagger was still floating, enveloped in magic runes and Kaega's blood. Finally, everything converged, carving itself onto the blade, transforming it. The blade was now polished and a deep, blood-red color, with a line of magic runes running along its spine.

–It actually... succeeded?

Lyne looked at Kaega with absolute terror at his madness...