A howl tore through the air. The piercing sound made Noah’s ears ring. He unsheathed his sword and cursed. So much for the surprise.

They had just scaled one of the side walls to sneak into the merchant’s mansion. Just like the information said, there were no guards. However, the moment their feet had touched the ground of the spacious courtyard, black smoke had started rising, forming the blurry shapes of three creatures roughly similar to wolves. Big teeth, foul stench, with the appearance of a rotting corpse, everything fit Gregor’s description perfectly.

“These are no bunnies, alright,” mumbled Duncan pulling out his own sword.

“Groups of three!” Noah’s command overcame the screech of the beasts. “Lucas – with Rish and Rasha. Brion, Mark – with Gregor. Rob is with me and Duncan. Don’t let these things touch your skin! Go!”

Like soundless shadows, the knights and the binshi jumped forward. There were no war cries, no shouting. Only the sound of drawn blades and the rustling of feet.

Throwing his men a final glance, Noah concentrated on his own opponent. They had their battle, he had his. He sprang forward and the blade of Red Dawn shimmered in the sun. Sensing a mortal enemy in the elder-quenched sword, the dral jumped back hissing, but quickly dashed for a side attack.

Damn, it was fast!

With a loud clang, Noah’s blade met the hand-long sharp teeth. For a ghostly being, it felt quite corporeal. And strong! Noah’s muscles bulged from the effort to push it back. Then suddenly, something hit his knees making him lose his balance and fall to the ground. He realized too late that the creature’s whip-like tail was just as deadly a weapon as its jaws. And right now, said jaws were flying towards his throat yet again.

“Bug off, critter!”

Duncan’s cry came at the same second as his sword knocked back the demonic snout. Noah rolled up and climbed on his feet, dodging another swing of the tail. The third swing was met by Rob’s sword.

“Go, my lord!”

Noah dashed forward and the edge of his sword dug into the creature’s side. A pained screech shook the air. Noah pulled the blade, which started hissing and exuding black smoke the moment it came out, and thrust it in again. Another screech followed. This time one could feel the air shake. The body of the monster thrashed violently, throwing the men back as it pulled away from their blades. Not wasting a second, Noah dove down for another cut. Jumping to the left, the dral tried to evade his attack but was stopped by the two knights.

“I might not be able to cut you, pup,” growled Duncan and swung his sword like a club, “but I bet this will still hurt.”

There was a loud crack. Blade met with ghastly bones. The creature screeched in annoyance, but its snarling turned into a gurgling sound as Red Dawn fell in a sweeping motion and severed the creature’s head almost completely. With a final shudder, the dral’s body plopped on the ground, black mist rising from its wounds.

“That wasn’t so bad!” huffed Duncan and wiped his forehead. In the next moment, he had to jump back, as the whip-tail swung at his chest. “Fuck, it’s still alive?! But you cut its head!”

“Red Dawn can only wound them.” Noah swung his blade, chopping off the wiggling tail at its base. “Look, it’s healing already.”

Indeed, the black smoke had stopped coming out of the gashes that were now closing at a visible pace. Even the severed head had started to re-attach, thin black threads connecting the two severed body parts.

Red Dawn flashed again, cutting the smoke tendrils. Another cut and the creature’s hind leg was gone.

“I’m starting to feel like a woodcutter,” murmured Noah before shouting. “Gerash! Hurry up!”

“Pushing me won’t make it faster!”

Noah dared a side glance. His friend and the two other knights had surrounded the second dral. Six tiny silver shapes protruded from the monster’s body, their ends attached to thick chain-like threads in the hands of the men, and utilizing the elder-quenched knives as fishing hooks to immobilize the creature. Gregor held two of the threads and his lips were moving fast in an indiscernible chant. A silver glow started to spread from his palms along the chains and seeped into the dral’s skin. The creature howled and thrashed, its tail flailing around and barely missing the men tying it down. Little by little, silver-white cracks started appearing on the monster’s body, radiating from the binshi’s knives and crawling down its sides. A few more seconds and it would be finished.

The creature howled.

With the corner of his eye, Noah detected a sudden movement from his own target.

“Back away!” he screamed and threw himself on the ground.

Sharp black tendrils flew just past his head. There was a short scream and Noah saw Rob falling on the ground, clutching his bleeding side. The dral’s body before them had stopped regenerating and instead was changing shape, turning into a porcupine-like ball of sharp black tendrils. A few of them stretched into the direction of Duncan, who had managed to avoid the first attack. The old knight deflected them but the cost was high. One accurate spike hit the spine of his sword, breaking it in two with a loud metallic clang. Duncan cursed and prepared for the inevitable, but before the rest of the ghost-spikes could find their target, Red Dawn sliced them apart.

“Bring Rob to safety!” panted Noah and attacked the creature, chopping the protrusions coming out of its body.

The young man was slicing left and right, feeling his power slowly seeping away. The fear, the long hours of exhausting rowing, the pain from the soul-merge, all of them were starting to take their toll. His foot slipped, making him break his stance. Noah rolled in the dust, the black spikes barely missing him by an inch. His muscles screamed as he pushed himself from the ground. But before he could get up, a streak of silver light flew over his head. A leaf-shaped blade tethered to a thin silver chain dug into the monster’s flesh.

“Sorry for being late!” Gregor shouted as a second knife found its target. “You did great, it’s almost dead.”

“Start purifying!” Noah climbed on his feet. “I’ll go help the twins!”

“No. My men are with them. They are fine. Check on Rob first. Red Dawn might be able to save him.”

Noah turned his head. Indeed, Rish and Rasha’s team was doing a remarkable job. They had been able to pin the creature to one of the walls with a misleadingly thin-looking silver spear. In addition to that, very much like Gerash, the twins had their monster hooked and chained. Lukas and the two members of Gregor’s team were hanging at the ends of the shackles completely immobilizing the beast, with the binshi girls cutting away any loose tendrils trying to attack the men.

Quickly assessing the situation, Noah darted in the direction of Duncan and Rob. The two knights had found cover behind the stone wall of a well nearby.

“How is he?” The young man knelt beside them.

“That damn thing pierced through the mail as if it was paper,” Duncan curtly reported, keeping the other man’s body upright. “The wound seems deep, but that’s not the problem.”

Noah could very well see that. The metal around the tear was covered in blood. Black, smoking blood. From Rob’s distorted face it was evident how much pain he was experiencing.

“K-kill me, my lord!” the man gasped. “B-before that thing spreads and eats me from the inside. Before my soul becomes a wraith like them…”

“That won’t happen,” Noah held the blade of his sword directly in his palms. Through the gloves, he could still feel the edge digging in the thick leader. “This will hurt but it will help purify you. And you drank Rasha’s protection potion, so luck is on our side today. Duncan, hold him”

After giving his order, the man carefully drove the tip of Red Dawn into the open wound. The knight howled. The flesh around the cut sizzled as if someone was pouring hot oil on top of it. Noah bit his lips but continued to hold the sword in place until the hissing sounds coming from the wound died out.

“Duncan, bandage him. When we are back in Ildemar Gregor’s father should do additional purification to be on the safe side.”

Standing up, sword in hand, the duke looked at the remaining knights. Gregor had finished the second monster and the twin’s target was already half-purified, slowly dissolving into glittering dust. It was almost over. Yet something was bothering Noah. According to the information they go from the Red Hand, there should still be a couple of men in the mansion. They had left Aiden and two more knights at the other entrance to intercept any fleeing people but all seemed quiet on their side. If someone had attacked them, they would have given a signal. So why was no one coming out after all this commotion? Noah had expected to fight under a shower of arrows but definitely not this.

Knitting his brow, he shouted:

“Lucas, Brion, Mark, with me! We are going in. After that thing is killed, Gerash and the twins will follow. Duncan, bring Rob outside and coordinate with Aiden. The town’s guards should be arriving soon with reinforcements. Detain anyone trying to run away.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Without wasting more time, the knights stormed the mansion.

Inside was eerily silent. The moment they stepped in, their noses were filled with choking smoke. Thick swirls of black obscured their vision.

“Damn,” cursed one of the men, “they have set the building on fire!”

His words flew past Noah’s ears. His whole being was concentrated on a single thought. She was close! He could feel the pull of his twin-drop, guiding him to their target. Guiding him to her.

Noah took a quick glance and sprinted forward, climbing the staircase in a single breath. The smoke on the upper floor was even thicker, and small red flames already danced along the walls. Streams of sweat ran down the young man’s forehead, but he didn’t stop to brush them off.

There! A door stood before him. From the other side came the presence that called him.

Gripping his sword tightly, Noah crashed against the locked door. The wood gave out a pained groan and shattered.

“Lorelei!” He frantically looked around as his eyes were starting to tear from the smog.

A small movement caught his attention. With his blurring vision, he still managed to see a thin figure curled in one of the corners. The moment his shout echoed, the woman lifted her head.

“N-Noah?” she choked a bit on the soot flying in the air. “Noah!”

With shaking feet, the woman stood up, her cheeks wet with tears.

“Y-you came for me!” she sobbed, throwing herself in Noah’s arms.

It was as if time had stopped, all his senses sharpened to the very peak. Noah could feel the pull in his heart, now amplified by the magical connection they shared. Through the smoke, he could see the familiar face, the chestnut hair trailing behind her. Then came the flash – silent like an attacking snake and just as vicious. Steel dug into flesh – cold, unforgiving, deadly.

Time started flowing again as a single word dissolved in the air.

“W-why?”