Jason and Maggy had fought their way through 50 or so skeletons to push towards the middle, but by now, the undead barely slowed them. Each swing of Jason's Undying Fme and every ethereal bolt from Maggy's Spirit Bolt cut down the skeletal creatures with ease.

  As they neared the castle, Maggy let out a breath of relief. She had finally reached the 25% threshold, and with it, unlocked a powerful new ability: Spirit Warden's Aura. The notification glowed in her vision.

  Spirit Warden’s Aura

  A protective aura radiates from the Spirit Warden, enveloping allies within a 100-yard radius. Those within its reach experience heightened resilience, their willpower bolstered, and wounds mending at an accelerated rate. The aura also dampens incoming physical damage, reducing its impact by a significant margin.

  "Nice!" Maggy excimed, feeling the surge of power as the aura swelled. A soft glow radiated from her, extending outward in all directions. Jason felt it, too—the weariness in his limbs eased, and the toll of using Fsh Step and Fme Crescent no longer weighed as heavily on his body.

  “Spirit Warden Aura, huh?” Jason said with a grin. “Looks like I’ve got a little more breathing room now.”

  Maggy smiled back, nodding. “I’ve got your back. We’re not going down nearly so easily.”

  A looming castle stood before them, its towering spires cwing at the sky like jagged bones. The structure was ancient, worn by time and the harsh elements of the region. The dark stone walls were cracked and crumbling in pces, but the most striking feature was the thick, twisted vines that covered nearly every surface. These vines, the same as those Jason had seen throughout the region, were bckened and pulsated faintly with a sinister energy, as if they were alive—feeding on the castle itself.

  The vines wove in and out of the stonework, wrapping around battlements and crawling up the towers like creeping fingers. Some even hung down like dark tendrils, swaying slightly in the unnatural breeze, as though they were waiting to ensnare anything that came too close. Thorns protruded from the vines, dripping with an oily bck sap that gleamed in the low light. The vines, much like the Brierhounds they had faced, exuded a sense of malevolent hunger, as if they could choke the life out of anything they touched.

  The castle’s massive iron gates were rusted, their once proud sigils long faded and marred by the relentless encroachment of the vines. The gate was half-open, creaking in the wind, as if beckoning them forward into the darkness beyond. A low mist clung to the ground, swirling around their feet, giving the entire scene an eerie, almost ethereal quality.

  Maggy gnced nervously at the vines, her voice low. “The vines are everywhere... it’s like the whole castle is being consumed by them.”

  Jason nodded, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the fortress. “It’s like they’re part of the castle now. And something tells me whatever’s inside is feeding off them too.”

  The castle radiated a palpable sense of dread, as if the walls themselves were watching, waiting for their next victim. Jason tightened his grip on Undying Fme, feeling the warmth of the sword as it flickered with inner fire.

  Standing at the gates of the castle, a humanoid figure blocked their path. Its tattered, shadowy robes fluttered in the cold wind, the fabric eerily simir to the hood Maggy wore, though far more ornate and sinister in design. Chains hung from the figure’s wrists, their ghostly links trailing off into the air, tethered to several pale, tormented spirits that hovered around it, their hollow eyes filled with despair.

  Once they were within range, Jason instinctively used Identify.

  The Harbinger of Despair

  Grade F,

  A fully awakened Harrower, this monstrosity has captured several souls to fuel its hatred for the living. Uses its chains to bind its prey to eternal torment.

  Maggy’s eyes narrowed, her voice filled with barely concealed rage. “That thing... is pure evil.”

  Jason, however, stood frozen. His face had gone pale, his body shaking. His eyes were hollow, lost in some far-off memory. The sight made Maggy’s heart ache. She recognized that look the same haunted expression Jason had when he told her about his sister.

  Reaching out, Maggy gently grabbed his hand, her fingers wrapping around his with warmth and reassurance. Jason tched onto her hand as though it were his lifeline, his grip tight, trembling like a drowning man clinging to safety. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his eyes flicked toward hers, full of fear and uncertainty.

  “Jason,” she whispered, concern and urgency in her voice. “Are you okay?”

  For a moment, Jason couldn’t answer, his mind swirling with the shadows of his past. But Maggy’s presence grounded him, her hand a steady anchor in the storm of his emotions. He swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as he fought to regain control.

  Smiling through the pain, Jason nodded. “I am. I know the st thing she would want is for her memory to break me. We need to hit this thing fast and hard, break it before it can break us.” He gnced at Maggy, concern in his eyes. “And how are you holding up?”

  Maggy touched the Harrower hood on her head almost reverently. “Surprisingly well. For now, don’t worry about me. Let’s focus on the challenge ahead.”

  With those words, Jason summoned Undying Fme. His eyes narrowed as he activated Fsh Step, instantly flickering to the side of the Harbinger. In a fluid motion, he unleashed Fme Crescent, the arc of fire slicing through the air. At the same time, Maggy fired a Spirit Bolt. Both attacks struck true, colliding with the Harbinger in perfect unison.

  Fmes, tinged with an ethereal glow, engulfed the Harbinger. Its agonized screeches filled the air, the only sign that something living was caught within the bze.

  Jason smirked, gncing at Maggy. Their battle chemistry had become something formidable a deadly combination of fire and spirit.

  But then, the fmes suddenly shot out in all directions, extinguishing themselves. The Harbinger emerged, standing taller than before, its body seemingly filled with more power. Its shadowy form rippled, and the chains around it clinked ominously.

  “I should thank you both,” the Harbinger hissed, its voice dripping with malice. “My pets have not known the beauty of suffering in quite some time. They could use some new friends.”

  The Harbinger’s glowing eyes locked onto Jason. “You,” it whispered, its voice sending icy tendrils down Jason’s spine. “You have known the depths of despair. Let us explore those memories of yours.”

  With inevitable, measured steps, the Harbinger approached Jason, its presence overwhelming. The whispers of dread filled the air, growing louder, more oppressive. Jason’s body froze in pce, locked in the grip of those voices. His breath hitched, fear clenching at his chest.

  The Harbinger reached up, almost gently, and csped a spectral chain colr around Jason’s neck. The cold touch of the metal sent a shockwave of terror through him, the chains tightening as the weight of his worst memories began to pull him down.

  “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, dear Sabrina… happy birthday to you,” Jason finished singing, his heart light.

  The moment shattered with the sound of breaking gss near the front door. The door rattled. Jason grabbed Sabrina, pushing her into the closet, holding her close as they both shook with fear. The door creaked open.

  “I know you're in here,” a voice called. “Come out, give me all your money, and I’ll be on my way.”

  Jason stepped out, hands raised, trembling. “I’m sorry,” he stuttered. “We don’t have any money. This is all we have.” He pulled out four crumpled one-dolr bills.

  The man sneered. “Do you think I’m an idiot?” He smashed the butt of his pistol into the side of Jason’s head.

  Jason hit the ground, stunned. Sabrina, brave beyond her years, ran out towards him.

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  A wet thump was the only sound that followed, then running footsteps echoing into silence.

  Maggy gasped in horror as the Harbinger locked the chain around Jason’s neck, her heart sinking. She had been selfish, keeping the hood. Jason was strong, but even he couldn’t face that memory—not again. No one could. Now, because of her, Jason was trapped in that nightmare, forever.

  Shaking her head, she firmed her resolve. She raised her hand and cast Spirit Bolt. The Harbinger grinned, outstretching its arms as if to embrace the attack. The glow rippled through the creature and snaked down the chains, directing the energy into Jason. His body convulsed, colpsing to the ground.

  Maggy’s heart pounded. Jason was slipping away—she could see it.

  “Jason, listen to me! This isn’t real! Don’t let it win!”

  The Harbinger ughed, the sound cold and mocking. “You think he can hear you? No. He’s mine.” The Harbinger ughed, its voice dripping with malice. “You save him? I don’t need to touch you to see your despair. You are weak and incapable of saving anyone. You should run while you still can.”

  Maggy's legs ached to run. she refused to leave Jason.

  Inside Jason’s mind, the nightmare began again. Sabrina y no more than a foot away, her body cold and lifeless.

  “Happy birthday to you…” The song pyed again. The events unfolded just as they had before, but this time, cracks began to form in Jason’s mind. He could feel himself slipping, piece by piece.

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  A little girl ran from the closet. BANG! BANG! BANG!

  A little girl was yelling. BANG! BANG! BANG!

  What was she yelling. BANG! BANG! BANG!

  Jason’s world blurred. He was fading, his will nearly gone. Sabrina ran out again, her voice piercing the haze, but something was different. She was yelling his name.

  “Jason,” she screamed, over and over. “Jason!”

  “I can’t do this anymore,” Jason whispered.

  “Give in,” a voice echoed, smooth and dark. “You’ve already failed the one person who needed you. Give in to your despair.”

  Jason sank deeper, slipping into the abyss. He was fading, his will nearly gone. Sabrina ran out again, her voice piercing the haze, but something was different. She was yelling his name.

  “Jason,” she screamed, over and over. “Jason!”

  Jason’s world blurred, the past and present twisting into a suffocating loop. But then—her voice. pierced the darkness.

  “None of this is your fault.”

  “Yes, it is,” Jason sobbed. “I was supposed to protect you. I failed you. I’m so sorry.”

  Her small hands caressed his face, tender and warm. “Good men are not responsible for the choices of evil men. You are not to bme for this pain. But you are responsible for confronting it and healing from it.”

  Jason’s voice broke. “How can I heal from a wound that runs so deep? How can I forgive myself for your death?

  Sabrina pulled him close, her voice soft. “The healing process is a long and unpaved road, but I know my big brother won’t let my memory crush him. You’re stronger than that.”

  Thump. Thump.

  Sabrina began to fade as Jason’s senses slowly returned. With a parting word, she whispered, “I love you, Jason.”

  Maggy, still frozen in fear, suddenly doubled over in pain as the Harbinger kicked her hard in the stomach, leaving her gasping for air.

  “You are unworthy of my chains,” the Harbinger snarled. “I shall break you the old-fashioned way, nice and slow.”

  It cocked back a fist, unching a brutal strike aimed at the back of Maggy’s head. But before it could nd, a hand caught its fist mid-air. Shocked, the Harbinger whirled around.

  What it saw made it recoil in horror.

  “Who is this man?” the Harbinger thought, staring at Jason in disbelief. “This is impossible. He is my sve.”

  Pulling on the chain wrapped around Jason’s neck, the Harbinger tightened its grip, forcing more memories into Jason’s mind. He screamed, eyes rolling back as the weight threatened to drag him under.

  “You are mine,” the Harbinger hissed, voice thick with certainty. The chains tightened further—

  Thump. Thump.

  A small crack appeared in the links as Jason grabbed the chains. The Harbinger stumbled backward, panic rising in its chest. “What… what are you?”

  The Harbinger lurched forward, grasping at Jason’s mind one final time. The shadows surged, trying to pull Jason back down.

  Thump. Thump.

  The chain shattered with a deafening crack, the sound rippling through the air like a thundercp. The Harbinger staggered back, clutching at its severed bonds, its spectral form flickering in panic.

  "This... this isn’t possible," it rasped, its voice no longer taunting, but trembling.

  Jason stepped forward, the chains of lost souls still lingering in his grasp, their energy pulsing like an untamed storm. He felt them, not as shackles, but as something lighter, freed from their torment. They whispered not in despair, but in relief.

  "You’ve held them long enough," Jason said, his voice low, seething. With a single motion, he pulled. The chains vanished into him releasing the tormented soul, and with them, the Harbinger’s st hope.

  The monster gasped, stumbling, its form dimming as if the shadows themselves were abandoning it.

  “You… you think you’ve won? You carry me still, Jason. No fme can purge what is already inside you.”

  The Harbinger’s form flickered, chains unraveling into nothing.

  “You can’t kill me, Jason.”

  Jason lifted Undying Fme, its fire roaring like a caged beast finally unleashed. The heat rippled through the air, the bde’s light casting long shadows across the ruins.

  The Harbinger, now just a flickering remnant of its former power, recoiled.

  Jason’s grip tightened.

  "Burn."

  And then he swung.

  A pilr of fire erupted as the bde connected, consuming the Harbinger in a blinding inferno. Its final scream was drowned in the crackling fmes, its form unmade, vanishing into the abyss from which it had come.

  Jason took a shuddering breath, his body trembling from the weight of what had just happened. The chains were gone. The voices were silent.

  His fingers brushed his throat, where the Harbinger’s colr had burned into his skin.

  No chains. No whispers. No ghosts pulling him back.

  For the first time in years, the silence wasn’t empty.

  It was peaceful.

  His knees buckled.

  “Jason!” Maggy lunged forward, catching him before he hit the ground.

  His vision swam. Maggy’s voice was distant, frantic, but warm.

  Maggy shook him, her voice breaking. "Jason, don’t you dare. Don’t you leave me!"

  His weight sagged against her, his breathing shallow.

  "Dammit, Jason—stay with me!"

  And then, everything went dark.