-Anomaly detected-

Now was not the time for hazardous mistakes. I felt my life force, my soul, being spirited away by unknown forces. My return to the living world was near, yet now of all times, there was an issue.

-Something has latched to your soul Michael. I’m attempting to clear the infestation-

It called it an infestation, as if such an infection of my soul was comparable to a pest invading a home.

If the voice could hear me, I would voice my opposition to the matter as a whole, but for now my voice wouldn’t reach it.

-Placere adiuva me-

What the fuck did it just say?!

-搞掂我痛苦-

…

It was right, there was one hell of an issue with my soul.

-I’m sorry to inform you that the entity may enter your vessel. I’ll try to prevent its entry-

An unknown entity from who knows where would be joining me, sharing my body, and there was nothing that could be done.

‘THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH YOU FREAKISH VOICE!’

In my anger I had forgotten it couldn’t hear me, but someone needed to hear it even if my message would only fall on deaf ears.

‘This is…’

The ritual was near completion, and in its final stage. All was going well, but something truly unnatural had occurred.

The boy… he got up?

The corpse of Basra had denied Aren of his reality, and lifted its chest without moving its lower half; it terrified Aren, but terror was tossed away in favor of rational thoughts.

‘Was the kid alive this whole time?’

One of Aren’s assistants in the ritual had made the most likely suggestion to the situation, but Aren knew that was false. The boy’s body had went pale, and peeled paint with the stink of excrement.

Bringing the boy to the center of the talisman was a difficult task for the 4 men; that meant rigor mortis had set in. Not to mention the days that went by without food or drink.

Without a doubt, that boy had been dead just moments ago.

‘STEP AWAY FROM HIM!’

Out from the woods came a regal voice, a stern sounding order from Lord Saran. Around him were the terrified faces of soldiers carrying pails of water, unprepared for what they met in the woods.

A coven!

Lord Saran had soon connected the dots. A coven of strange mystics were performing a summoning, and the results of their conjuring? A demon, the fear of death struck Saran as he jolted into action without reserve.

‘STEADY YOURSELVES MEN! RESCUE THAT POOR BOY!’

A demon, one from a hellish landscape that tricks mortals into committing great evils such as this one.

Demons were a pathway to taboo, and dangerous magics; magics such as the coven leader was using, the simple utterance of the dark words were enough to send shivers down the spine of even Saran.

Okuu

Aren had no time to be preoccupied by the soldiers coming to arrest him. Right now, he must finish the ritual before it was too late.

‘SILENCE THAT WARLOCK!’

At the behest of their liege, the shaking soldiers nervously marched towards the leader of the ritual, but were shocked to hear a strange voice emanating the boy.

-Filthy apes-

The mouth of the boy became unhinged, and inside was an empty pit that stretched forever.

[Deorum]

At the mere call of the utterance, a crack in the sky ripped the clouds asunder, and a violent cosmos of wispy cosmic dust raged against one another and lit up the heavens. For each clash, energy of various neons was ripped from the outline of soldiers, sending them in a cascading path to the dirt once the energy was gone.

Their bodies became gray and withered, drying up into a ball of fleshy mush only kept in form by the armor and clothes they had been wearing before their abrupt demise.

What hellish monstrocity have these fiends brought upon these lands?!

At the sight of the massacre, Saran had thought of running. Hiding was the best course of action against such a fearsome devil, but he knew his responsibilities wouldn’t allow him to act with such cowardice.

What hellish fiend have I summoned upon these lands?

Nearing the completion of his ritual, Arensial was having a very similar meltdown. The ritual had been a failure of epic proportions; the lands around him, maybe even the world would suffer for Aren’s misguided actions.

If there was anyone left to stand in the way of the monster, it was Aren.

Olom-Sinai

Facing the possessed corpse of the boy Basra, Aren casted another heinous incantation; this time however, it was meant to harm the being before him.

-You would dare magi stultum?-

Again the boys mouth opened, but this time it opened up to reveal a hidden light. Mouth agape, the inside was like a portal leading to green pastures of pink flowers and grazing pheasants. Then the mouth shut closed, and Basra uttered another hate-filled spell.

[願你既神懲罰你]

This time, the earth beneath them was the first to act upon the demons words. The ground shook with such force as to knock everyone to their knees, and a domineering echo was sounded from deep within the earth’s crust.

It was as though a trumpet had been played, and a legion of trumpets followed after their leader; an orchestra of horrific bellows shaking not only the ground, but the hearts of the men who heard it.

A great fear rose through the crowd, and sheer panic had sent some men to their deaths while others were still being absorbed by the blistering sky.

This is hell.

Both Saran and Arensial had come to the same conclusion; this is hell.

There is much to be done.

The scene Sophie and Orcus had came to when entering Praguor had been a horrific one. Their first revelation upon arriving was that there wasn’t much of a village left.

Cold embers had rested where there was once buildings, and the fire was now only just finishing the fields of crops.

These people had lost everything, there was nothing left for them here. And now Sophie could only think of cleaning up the disaster.

‘Miss Sophie, is that really you?’

A woman dressed in light brown rags, and veiled with a patched hood came up to Sophie whispering questions.

The Vice Captain is here?

‘Let’s go somewhere more private…’

At her request, the Vice Captain lead the two to a burnt out house, now abandoned by the refugees exiting Praguor.

Inside was a large party of shady figures 90 strong.

‘What the hell are you doing here, who gave you the orders to come here?’

‘Arensial sent word that you were in trouble miss.’

The Vice Captain answered with certainty despite Sophie’s irate.

‘...I see. Give me an update on everything you know Neveah, where is the extraction taking place.’

The woman she called Neveah was a dark haired, fair skinned woman; she served as Vice Captain to the clan, and was currently leading the company of veteran rogues sent to save Sophie.

Her hair was curly and frivolous, dropping past her shoulders, and covering the dark-steel armor plates hiding under her drabbish robes. In her holster was a thin silver handled cutlass, hidden by the wide and bulky bottom half of her robe.

‘A hundred men lead by Lord Saran entered the woods; we were hoping the fire would preoccupy them long enough for Aren to finish but it seem-’

‘Stop right there. You were the ones who started this fire?’

‘Sir Zion had felt it was the best course of action miss.’

Then Sir Zion would catch the wrath of Princess Sophie. Orcus thought, letting a small snicker escape his breath.

Vice Captain Neveah looked reserved, and calm in the face of her leaders anger.

Sophie decided it was best to move on for now, and deal with Zion at a later date.

I may be feeding myself to fate but…

‘Everyone get ready! We’re heading into the woods to find Aren!’

‘FORM RANKS! CAST WHATEVER PROTECTIONS YOU CAN!’

Lord Saran was in a rush to maintain the order of his troops, but the scene was a dire one. Death, unforgivable and unhinged killing that mercilessly cut itself through the sea of men in new and terrifying ways.

If they had been a primitive society, Saran saw himself kneeling and worshipping this devil.

-Worthless caligo. You are nothing, deorum non comedent insects-

Kinshall Moroon

Lucidus

Kalipson Darnopie

Liberirius Moscina

A hail of incantations came from every moving body that could still speak under the immense pressure. The weakness that fell over the men was cleared away, and a new strength was found in them.

With their newfound power, one of the soldiers drew his sword and nicked the shoulder of Basra before the possessed corpse launched itself backwards with an unnatural force.

Aren was grabbed, and his mouth was covered; if not for his quick surrender to those apprehending him, he would have been executed on the spot.

Yet with his capture, the soldiers had unknowingly silenced their best chance at survival.

The now uncontrolled door had been opened to beings not of this world; the conduit had lost its master, and the universe lay bare for the new beings to galavant their way out of an unspeakable hell.

Chapter 7 End