The air in the Guild Hall of Eastwatch was thick, heavy with the sour stench of stale sweat, burning wax, and an underlying metallic tang that Lyra couldn't place but churned her stomach like a warning of something rotten. The light from oil lamps flickered against the stone walls, casting shadows that danced like specters across the weathered faces of the Rank B captains. Lyra stood before Lord Valerius Thorne's oak desk, the Guild Master, her trembling hands pressed tight against her stained leather armor. The echo of her own words still rang in her head, a lie that Aurora had seared into her mind like a red-hot nail: "Monsters in the forest, my lord. Shadows with sharp claws, a fog that clouded the mind. Everyone died—Kaelan, Alatar, the others—except Faelan and me."
Each syllable was a struggle, a fragile thread she wove under the amber gaze of that Demon Queen who still haunted her nightmares. Her legs shook under the weight of a truth she couldn't release, a secret that twisted in her chest like a caged snake. To her right, Faelan slumped in a wooden chair, a broken shell of the cunning scout he'd once been. His right arm, wrapped in filthy bandages, hung limp, and the stump where his missing finger had been oozed dark blood, pooling in a sticky puddle on the floor. His sunken, glassy eyes stared into nothingness, and his breathing came in ragged gasps, as if every breath cost him his life.
Lord Valerius, a tall man with a face hardened by years of battle and gray hair cropped close, drummed his fingers on the desk, his sharp eyes piercing Lyra like daggers. "Say that again," he said, his voice a low growl that cut through the captains' murmurs. "You're telling me unknown monsters wiped out your entire group, but you two, Rank D, escaped. How?"
Lyra swallowed hard, her throat dry as sand. "We got lucky, my lord," she replied, forcing out the words Aurora had whispered to her in the dungeon, each one a echo of that melodious, venomous voice. "Faelan… he found a way through the fog. He's a skilled tracker, you know that." Her hands clenched tighter, nails digging into her palms until they left red marks. Lying had never been her strength, but the alternative—Aurora's amber eyes, the bone throne, Kaelan's fate—was an abyss she couldn't face.
Valerius turned his head toward Faelan, who barely seemed aware of the scrutiny. "You," he called, his tone sharp as a whip. "Do you confirm her story?"
Faelan lifted his gaze slowly, his face pale as bone, skin clinging to his cheekbones as if something had drained him from within. "Y-yes, my lord," he stammered, his voice a broken thread barely audible over the crackling lamps. "Monsters… fog… we escaped…" But the words wavered, and his eyes betrayed the lie, darting to Lyra with a flicker of panic. She met his gaze, a silent plea: Don't say it. Don't do it.
Baelar, a burly captain with a scar slashing across his cheek like a dry riverbed, stepped forward, slamming a fist on the table hard enough to make the wood shudder. "This doesn't add up!" he roared, his voice booming through the hall. "An entire group dead, a noble lost, and you two survive by 'luck'? Speak plain, damn it! What really happened?"
Faelan flinched, his mutilated hand rising to his head, clawing at it as if he could tear the memories out. Lyra felt a chill crawl up her spine; she knew him well enough to see he was on the edge. Kaelan's screams as he warped into an abomination, Alatar's heart ripped out by Kaili, Aurora's whisper—"Betrayal is death"—haunted him like living shadows. "It wasn't…" he began, his voice cracking, a wet gasp escaping his throat. "It wasn't fog… it was…"
Lyra lunged a step toward him, panic squeezing her chest. "Faelan, no!" she cried, but it was too late. The words, an act of betrayal, shattered the spell. A dark hum grew in Faelan's chest, a low sound that vibrated through the walls like a broken drum. His eyes widened, the whites bloodshot, and his mouth twisted into a silent scream. Then he exploded.
It wasn't a clean death. His body tore apart from the inside, a grotesque eruption of black viscera, thick blood, and bone fragments that splattered the room like a storm of flesh. A severed arm struck Valerius's desk, bouncing with a wet thud. A detached eye rolled to Lyra's feet, staring up at her with a dead stillness. Chunks of skin and muscle rained over the captains, and a stench of charred flesh and rot filled the air, so thick Lyra gagged, her stomach heaving as she covered her mouth with shaking hands.
"By the gods!" Baelar roared, stumbling back as he wiped a piece of intestine off his face, spitting it to the floor in fury. The other captains shouted, some drawing swords on instinct, others shielding themselves with their arms as if they could ward off the horror.
Lyra dropped to her knees, her hands slipping in the spreading pool of blood, Faelan's remains sticking to her armor. "The fog!" she shrieked, her voice breaking, tears cutting through the grime and blood on her cheeks. "It was the fog! I don't know what happened! Please!" It was a plea, a desperate lie to cling to life, to the command Aurora had burned into her mind like a cruel echo.
Valerius, pale, wiped a splash of black blood from his face with his sleeve, his fingers trembling just enough to betray his composure. "This isn't natural," he said, his voice taut, almost a whisper. He straightened, fixing the captains with dark eyes. "Dark magic, beyond anything we've faced. Baelar, send an urgent message to the Ivory Tower. And another to New Eldrin, to the Supreme Master, Lord Cedric Veylan. We need mages and answers, now."
Baelar nodded, still shaking bits of Faelan off his shoulder. "Yes, my lord," he growled, his face a mask of rage and disgust. "But if this is what we're up against, Rank D or not, I'm not sending more lambs to the slaughter."
Valerius didn't reply, his gaze locked on Lyra, sobbing on the floor, coated in blood and terror. "What did you see, girl?" he asked, his tone softer but edged. "Speak, or I swear I'll lock you up until you do."
Lyra looked up, her eyes glassy, the lie trembling on her lips. "Shadows… fog…" she mumbled, her voice a hollow echo. "I don't know more, my lord. Please…" But in her mind, Aurora's amber eyes pierced through her, a promise of death if she failed.
Valerius frowned but didn't press. "Take her to rest," he ordered a young captain, who lifted her carefully, avoiding the blood puddles. "And clean up this mess," he added, his voice hardening as he eyed the ruin that had been Faelan. The hall filled with motion, hurried steps and horrified murmurs, but the weight of the unknown hung thicker than the fog Lyra had conjured.
Deep within the dungeon, the main chamber was a sanctuary of power and shadow, its living stone walls draped in roots that pulsed like veins, lit by the red glow of the floating orb dominating the center. The air was dense, laced with the ancient scent of moss and a metallic hint that clung to the throat, a reminder of the cosmic dominion that reigned there. Sebastián sat on the edge of Thal'Korath's bone throne, his dirt-streaked boots resting on a warped skull still dripping coagulated golden blood. His green tunic was rumpled, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his hands toyed with a small dagger Kaili had given him years ago, spinning it between his fingers with clumsy but practiced ease.
The chamber's silence wrapped around him, broken only by the orb's low hum, and he let out a sigh, tilting his head back to stare at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling like stone fangs. "Quiet days," he muttered, his deep voice echoing in the empty space. "Too quiet, if you ask me." Aurora and Kaili had been gone for days, off on their "business," and while he preferred staying out of their plans—blood, chaos, things he didn't fully grasp—part of him missed the noise they brought. The garden was his haven, sure, but this chamber, with its grotesque throne and power-charged air, was where he felt closest to them.
A ripple of light footsteps, steady and familiar, cut through the hum, a rhythm he knew as well as the scent of his plants. Aurora stepped into the chamber, her dress of leaves and blue flowers swaying like a piece of the night sky torn from the stars, her green hair cascading over her shoulders and catching the light in emerald glints. Her voluptuous figure cast soft shadows on the floor, every curve a hymn to her beauty and power, and her amber eyes, swirling with galaxies, glowed with serene satisfaction. "Sebastián," she said, her melodious voice filling the chamber, warm and brimming with affection that wrapped around him like an embrace. "Keeping my throne warm, I see? Should I be jealous?"
He chuckled, setting the dagger aside and stretching with a groan. "Just testing it out for you," he shot back, his tone cheeky, winking as his eyes drifted playfully to her chest. "Though I think it looks better with me on it." She laughed, a crystalline sound that bounced off the walls, and approached with steps that left starry trails on the floor. "You're shameless," she said, her voice humming with fondness as she gave his shoulder a gentle tap. "But I love seeing you so at ease."
Before he could fire back another quip, a rustle of wings broke into the chamber. Kaili strode in, her purple skin gleaming under the red light, silver runes pulsing along her curves: full breasts straining her black armor, wide hips swaying with feline grace. Her six iridescent wings flashed purple before folding with a snap. "Always flirting like kids," she grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff, her runes flickering with disdain. "Pathetic."
Sebastián turned to her, grinning. "And you always barge in like you're about to kill us all," he teased, his voice mocking. She stepped closer, her wings brushing his arm with a cold touch that made him shiver. "I could, if I wanted," she said, her voice a sharp edge, but her runes flared golden for a moment, hinting at something softer she wouldn't admit. "Lucky for you, my queen likes you alive."
Aurora smiled, raising a hand with a playful gesture. "Stop bickering," she said, her tone warm and amused. "Come here, I want to show you something." She led them to the orb, pulsing like a living heart, projecting a hologram of the Guild: Faelan exploding in a shower of gore, Lyra collapsing in tears, chaos spreading like a ravenous shadow.
Sebastián stepped closer, frowning as he scratched the back of his neck. "What happened there?" he asked, his voice curious but tinged with reluctance, as if he'd rather not know too much.
Aurora turned to him, her smile calm but radiating a majesty that filled the chamber. "The scout tried to betray me," she explained, her tone melodious and firm, her amber eyes glowing with galaxies spinning within them. "I placed a spell in his mind—if he spoke the truth, his body would pay the price. And it did, right when he tried to confess." She stretched out a hand, as if still feeling the magic she'd unleashed, and added with a touch of pride: "The lie lives on, and Eldoria will chase shadows they'll never catch."
Sebastián whistled, raising his eyebrows. "That's… impressive," he said, his tone light but laced with awe. "Not surprised, though, coming from you." His hand slid playfully to her waist, creeping up to her chest with a bold squeeze. "You're a menace, but one I can't get enough of."
She laughed, a warm echo filling the air, and swatted his hand, her cheeks flushing faintly. "You're a rogue with no shame," she replied, her voice brimming with affection as she leaned into him, her fingers brushing his arm tenderly. "But tell me, what do you think of my little scheme? Isn't it clever?"
"Clever and bloody," he answered, winking at her. "As long as you don't blow anyone up near my plants, I'm good. That smell doesn't do them any favors."
Aurora laughed again, her hand rising to ruffle his hair fondly. "You're a gem, Sebastián," she said, her amber eyes shining with adoration. "Always worrying about your flowers, even when I'm shaking the world for us."
Kaili huffed from a corner, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "He burst like overripe fruit," she growled, her voice dripping with contempt. "Should've ripped his tongue out first—less mess." Her wings twitched, casting red glints, and her runes flared with an icy glow. "Pathetic humans, breaking over nothing."
Sebastián turned to her, grinning. "Hey, I didn't break," he shot back, his tone teasing. "Speaking of, when's your next bath? I've been missing that view."
Kaili raised an eyebrow, her runes flashing golden as a cruel smile curled her lips. "Always so predictable, gardener," she said, her voice sharp but edged with playfulness. "Tonight, if my queen allows. You can watch, like always—just don't expect me to let you join."
He chuckled, leaning toward her with a wink. "I'm happy watching," he replied. "Though I miss when you'd smack me for it. Kept things lively."
She snorted, her wings snapping open with a crack. "You got too used to it," she grumbled, but her runes glowed golden longer, betraying a fondness she wouldn't voice. "Feels off when you're not staring like a fool."
Aurora stepped between them, taking Sebastián's hand with a laugh. "Quit arguing about baths," she said, her tone warm and playful. "It's a good plan, right? Eldoria will be busy, and we'll have peace." Her fingers laced with his, a gentle gesture that made him smile.
"It is," he agreed, squeezing her hand. "You always know how to keep us safe, even with bloody explosions." His other hand crept up to her chest again, and she squealed, laughing as she swatted his arm with mock indignation. "Stop it, or I'll make you water the plants with that!" she teased, her voice full of affection, her eyes gleaming with love.
Kaili rolled her eyes, turning toward the exit. "My queen, this man's hopeless," she muttered, her tone respectful toward Aurora but biting toward him. "I'm off to prep my bath. He better not mess it up." Her wings flared with a purple shimmer as she walked off, her steps echoing firmly.
Sebastián laughed, looking at Aurora. "She says no, but she likes me watching," he said, winking. She laughed, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment, her green hair brushing his cheek. "You're impossible," she whispered, her voice a soft echo of love, "but I wouldn't change it for anything."
Under the orb's red glow, the trio stood together, a haven of warmth and power amid the chaos they'd unleashed, each tethered to the others in a dance of affection and shadow.