Time slowed as Samuel’s vision sharpened before cutting to black. The heavy stone banister exploded outwards when it collided with the ground. The resulting plume of dust covered Samuel as he plummeted. There was a loud pop as Samuel crashed against a limestone stairwell. His body rolled down the crude stairs, resting at Gavin’s feet.

A wave of eerie silence blanketed the clearing. Damian caught entirely off guard, stared at Samuel. Then, finally, the silence broke into faint murmurs as everyone belatedly realized the situation. Each room of spectators quickly emptied as its occupants fled the sanctuary.

Gavin was the last one to steady himself and looked up at Damian. He was hoping Damian would have an answer as to what just happened. But, instead, Gavin’s lost expression curled into a dark smile.

Damian had an overwhelming fury burning in his cerulean eyes. He was shaking from anger as his voice boomed.

“In all my years severing as a priest for my master, not once has someone interrupted a ritual! There is no atonement for such heresy!” Damian screamed towards Samuel.

With a calming sigh, an idea blinked into Damian’s mind. “Take solace in knowing your soul will be given to the lord!” Damian cocked his head towards Gavin. “Break him!”

Gavin almost giggled with happiness at Damian’s command, but instead, he cracked his knuckles and used his boot to flip Samuel onto his back.

Samuel was in rough shape. His head was throbbing, and his leg was numb. He was barely conscious. He could hear the muffled sound of someone talking. Samuel could taste the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, but Gavin had lifted Samuel by his shoulders before he could collect himself. Gavin’s impressive stature held Samuel entirely off the ground.

Samuel struggled to hold his head up, looking down at the ground. He coughed, spitting a small amount of blood onto the floor. Then, his focus sharpened, and he raised his head, meeting Gavin’s gaze.

“N-no…” Samuel tried to speak, but his voice was too weak.

Gavin flexed his muscles clamping down on Samuel’s shoulders, digging his enormous thumbs deep into the joints. Samuel screamed in pain, unable to resist the giant of a man. His grip was unbreakable.

After an excruciating couple of seconds, Gavin stopped. Samuel heaved from the pain, but a crushing blow smashed his face before he could even react.

Gavin had dropped Samuel and reeled back a powerful punch. His cinderblock-like fist flattened Samuel’s face, sending him flying backward. Samuel’s back harshly bounced off the limestone stairs behind him.

“The best part of being Damian’s assistant….” Gavin approached slowly and menacingly. “As long as I don’t kill you, I get to play with you all I want!”

Samuel held his now broken nose, ignoring Gavin. The foreign feeling of warm blood covered his face. His eyes become swollen and red.

Gavin towered over Samuel, watching him writhing in pain. Gavin noticed Samuel’s bloody leg and chuckled to himself. He raised his thick leg before stomping, demolishing Samuel’s femur between two steps.

Samuel lurched forwards to scream, but a hand grabbed his face, smothering it.

Samuel’s bloodshot eyes glared at Gavin through the gaps in Gavin’s fingers as Gavin lifted him. Gavin’s large fingers dug into Samuel’s Cheekbones.

“Ahaha. Looking at me with those eyes!” Gavin’s gravelly voice jeered Samuel.

There was a limit to how scared someone could be. But then, there comes the point where fear and desperation transform into anger and reprehension. Samuel was feeling a turbulent blend of emotions.

Samuel leered at Gavin with blooming resolve. Samuel knew he was doomed, but he wouldn’t lie down and take it.

Samuel used this newfound determination and squeezed his jaw, despite Gavin’s sturdy grip, biting the palm of Gavin’s hand.

Gavin pulled his hand away and growled in pain. He held his hand and looked where Samuel’s teeth had left a minor laceration.

“Oh, oh-oh, that’s the spirit!” Gavin was startlingly excited. He shook his hand before grabbing Samuel by the throat with his other.

Samuel squirmed as Gavin pressed his weight onto Samuel, pinning him to the ground. Gavin’s calloused hand choked Samuel. However, Samuel didn’t express desperation. Instead, he gasped and spat blood onto Gavin’s face.

Gavin laughed and strengthened his grip around Samuel’s neck. “It’s a shame I won’t get to kill you properly. You seem like a lot of fun.” Gavin wasn’t inexperienced. He knew not to kill Samuel; that was Damian’s job. Gavin prepared to release his grip once Samuel passed out.

While being choked by Gavin, Samuel tried to accept his fate but failed. Samuel started cursing himself in his mind. He felt intense shame. Why did Samuel follow the brothers? Why didn’t he try to run earlier? Samuel hated his past self.

Samuel looked past Gavin and at the woman on the table.

‘At least I won’t die alone.’ Or so Samuel thought. To his surprise, the woman was gone.

Damian was so focused on Samuel that he hadn’t noticed the woman drag herself up and escape through the iron door. Samuel couldn’t believe the absurdity of the situation. His expression darkened.

‘Please… I don’t want to die alone. Please, someone…’

Samuel’s consciousness was fading after being choked for a few seconds. He felt a light scratching against the back of his skull, and his throbbing headache intensified.

Samuel saw a black mass appear on the ground in his blurring vision. It appeared seemingly out of nowhere, almost as if a hallucination.

The black mass looked like a gelatinous blob about a half meter wide. The lump had a bright sheen before several cracks formed on its surface. Dark goop, like onyx ink, poured from the cracks. Spurts of black smoke spewed from the cracks before the orb burst.

A massive cloud of abyssal smoke formed a pillar. Black ink splattered everywhere. Damian was speechless as he watched a figure appear in the smoke. Gavin released his grip on the unconscious Samuel and turned to see the pillar of inky smoke.

Large spear-like ribs coiled around the smoke. The ribs continued expanding, forming chest plates and a spine. The dark ebony-colored bones formed a thick skeleton. The wild plume of smoke calmed and settled in the skeleton’s chest like a heart. The onyx ink dripped from small silver cracks in the skeleton’s bones.

“What the hell?” Gavin was astonished. He had never seen such an intense-looking skeleton. However, he was even more astonished as the skeleton leaned forwards and roared.

A low rumbling with raspy whistling roared from the skeleton’s skull, causing the air to tremble. The giant skeleton dominated the atmosphere with the billowing sound before rushing towards Gavin.

Gavin had a bony fist planted into his chest, too confused to react. The force was unreal, sending Gavin rolling backward. The hulking monster stomped on Gavin’s arm, snapping his forearm. Then it mangled Gavin’s face with a flurry of wild punches.

Black ink drenched Gavin’s body, sizzling where it touched his skin. The obsidian skeleton stood proud over Gavin and screeched upwards. The bloodcurdling sound echoed throughout the sanctuary, waking Samuel.

Samuel gasped to life, instantly grabbing his throat. His vision was stained red and blurry as he desperately tried to breathe. Finally, Samuel rolled over, hunched over on his side, utterly oblivious to the skeleton next to him.

Damian, petrified by the surreal scene unfolding before him, quivered as he stared at Gavin’s body. The righteous fury had fizzled in his eyes, replaced by an ashamed sadness.

Samuel squeaked while coughing up bloodied phlegm, breaking Damian from his stupor.

‘It's all his fault.’ Damian convinced himself and held a hand towards Samuel. A few centimeters from his hand appeared a coin-sized light, quickly doubling in size. The swirling green light grew to the size of a baseball before Damian braced himself.

The baseball of green light erupted into a blazing fire. The demonic fire quaked before blasting towards Samuel. The orb tripled in volume while rocketing through the air, a comet-like trail forming behind it.

Still absentminded, Samuel continued coughing. Then the sound of heavy clanking caught his attention. The skeleton’s bony feet clanked against the limestone as it intercepted the fireball.

The ground shook violently as the powerful fireball engulfed the skeleton’s body. A pillar of flame stretched towards the roof, the harsh heat threatening Samuel.

However, both Samuel and Damian were shocked. Despite the devasting explosion, the obsidian skeleton stood undeterred in the pillar of roaring flame. The green light reflecting off the silver cracks in its body sent shivers down Damian’s spine. The cold unwavering eye sockets of the skeleton pierced Damian’s confidence.

With a heavy step, the skeleton started approaching Damian. But, thankfully for Damian, a pained squeak from Samuel changed the skeleton’s focus.

Facing Damian, the skeleton turned its skull to the side towards Samuel. Before turning away, it looked back at Damian, conveying an unspoken warning.

Samuel shook with fear as the abominable skeleton knelt over him. The soulless eye sockets stared blankly at Samuel as two giant hands lifted Samuel from the ground. The skeleton cradled Samuel.

The skeleton’s body emanated an overbearing pressure. The smoky storm contained in its chest expanded around its entire body.

Damian, covered in sweat, watched as the skeleton carried Samuel to the exit. It closed the large iron door before coating the hinges in viscous ink. The ink steamed, melting the hinges in place.

Samuel was too exhausted and passed out. The skeleton stared at Samuel before carrying him further into the large corridor, illuminated by amber scones.