Inside of the chamber surrounding the mutated flower a group of armors stand each one brandishing their weapons pointed at the three. Glyn turns back as the sound of clanging armor echoes from outside of the room. Xia Bai reaches for her sword as Anluan steps forward. He stares at the flower in a rage as he gathers his magical energies.

  “Glyn, let me ask you. Will eliminating this flower diminish Morgan’s forces?”

  “Judging from the looks of things, it’ll take a chunk out of them. I don’t know how many of those things they may have lying around. But it takes time and effort to cultivate a flower like that.”

  He nods. “Then I’ll burn this plant to a crisp.”

  “Why so aggressive all of a sudden?” Xia Bai asks.

  “I remember it. I remember my fellows from my hive being fed to this plant. Their bodies were crushed and used to fertilize its soil. I remember hacking them apart and crushing them under those butcher’s orders!”

  Glyn stares at Anluan and nods. “Do what you have to.”

  “Thank you… My Lord.” Anluan steps forward. “Xia Bai. I’m counting on you to protect My Lord until I return.”

  She sighs. “Fine. Get it out of your system and hurry back then.”

  A few armors block the doorway as Xia Bai pulls out her sword. She shoots out at them, her body glowing hot with flames as she slices through their armor. She burns and melts the armor, leaving an opening that Glyn follows.

  “Anluan. My only order is not to die. You have to return. Your revenge won’t be complete with destroying one flower, after all.” Glyn turns and rushes down the hall.

  Anluan laughs. “Damn it. My Lord has rather high expectations if he wishes me to return after this. But I guess I can’t let him down.”

  The armors charge forward with two leading, the charge brandishing swords. As they draw in, Anluan holds out his hands and forms a barrier that blocks their attack. He unfolds his second pair of hands and forms another hand sign as the wind around him swirls. Cautiously, the armors leap back as if waiting as Anluan steps forward.

  “My power may not be what it once was. But with the Piece inside of me I can grasp at the power I once had. I am Anluan once I was the archmagus of my hive. And now I stand as your enemy, an avenger seeking the retribution of my kin. And a warrior fighting under the banner of Glyn Mattox! Come now, mindless monsters, let me grant you your end through glorious battle!”

  He takes the pair of left arms and swings them, sending a rush of wind to the left side of the room. The wind pushes the armors back as he takes his right arms and forms flaming spheres in his palm. He fires off the fireballs aiming for the plant. Before they can hit, a pair of armors leap in the way, taking the attack as the flames disappear upon contact with their armor.

  “I see. An interesting metal that armor is made of. But I will have to find a way around it. After all, I cannot allow such beasts to continue living in this world!”

  As Anluan battles, Xia Bai and Glyn rush down the fortress’s halls until the echoes of battle fade away into silence. They climb up a corridor to avoid any potential pursuers until arriving at another level of the fortress. Xia Bai scans for enemies as Glyn walks ahead, looking through the hall before them. Looking down, he notices how the stone turns into carpet and the beds in each of the rooms.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “We might’ve arrived where people were intended to stay.” He walks into a room and stares at the bed. “And people were staying recently.”

  Xia Bai looks around. “This area is somewhat familiar.”

  “Oh?”

  “I tried to do some snooping when I was escorted to and from the prison cells. I was moved through this area and it seemed like Morgan’s generals were living here.”

  Glyn nods. “Tell me about them. Her Pieces.”

  “What? There’s not much to tell. Their all originally servants of hers who followed her into the war. And judging from everything else, they are all likely possessed by Demons.”

  “True. But when did the possession begin? How advanced is it? And is this related to the fall of House Walsh?”

  “Fall?”

  “Didn’t you hear? Ten years ago, there was a disaster at the main house for House Walsh that left Morgan as the only survivor. Her father, mother, and brothers all died, leaving Morgan the heir. Her uncle is in charge of the house, its lands, and holdings for now, but when Morgan comes of age, she was supposed to take over.”

  “That’s weird. But there’s nothing too out of the ordinary about that. Sounds like standard noble infighting.”

  “That is, unless we add the demonic factor into the chain of events.”

  “Demon worshipers and their dumb cults are around to this day. Maybe one of them is responsible.”

  Glyn lowers his head and walks out of the room. “I can’t, but think there’s something more going on here. Something I’m not seeing.”

  As he walks down the hall, he stops in front of a large door. An ominous energy exudes from the door as Xia Bai walks behind him. He stops placing his hand on the door only for the ominous energy to dissipate and the door to creak open.

  “What just happened?”

  “My curse. Thanks to some lingering ancestral connection, I have a rather strong demonic curse on my bloodline. It's what prevents me from using magic standardly.”

  “That I know. And I know you're basically immune to miasma and junk, but what was that?”

  “The door was sealed with a curse. My curse overpowered it.” He shrugs. “When it comes to curses, I’m the most powerful curse breaker out there.”

  Xia Bai nods and pushes the door open further. “But what could be so important that someone would use a curse to seal a room?”

  Opening the door, the pair find a destroyed room with slashes in the stone walls, blood covering the floor and ceiling, a destroyed bed, and a single untouched desk with a pristine book at its center. Cautiously walking inside, Xia Bai approaches the desk and stares at the book, with Glyn not hesitating to take the book into his hands.

  “Hey!”

  “What?”

  “That thing could be dangerous!” She yells.

  He nods. “Yes. But I know it’s not cursed. And there’re no traps attached to it. It seems like just a normal book. But what kind of book is the question?”

  Xia Bai shakes her head. “Your surprisingly reckless.”

  “Well, I can’t advance without taking some risks. This whole endeavor is proof of that.” He opens the book and pauses, staring at it.

  “What? Is it cursed?”

  “No…. but….”

  “Well, what!?”

  “This is a diary. A diary from one of Morgan’s Pieces. Or more specifically, the person trapped within the clutches of the Demon.” Glyn turns a page and sees line after line in thick black ink, all stating one thing repeatedly. “Kill me.” He says, reading the book.

  Xia Bai turns away. “Those things are… the people they were before are….”

  “Awake and seeing every single second.”

  “That’s….”

  Glyn thinks back to the beach, back to the woman tied to the tree screaming and begging, then to Anluan and the other cloaks he and his group fought before. “It makes sense for Demons. They are a species that loves tormenting others. Keeping their hosts awake is another form of torture.”

  “Well, is the diary important at all?”

  “Maybe. It’s from her Queen Piece. The man who we know as Sebastian.” Glyn stares at the pages. “Or at least the man trapped within him.” He turns to the first page and reads. “And it’s an old one. Let’s take ourselves a look, shall we?”