Jennifer couldn’t tell how many hours it’d been since the council had arrived, but it felt like many. She watched the magic flicker as the various figures vanished from the chambers, one after the other as the talks finally ended.

Only a few members remained in the chamber. The [High Priest], Viel and Anghul had already left t a while back. She’d been asked to stay, and so she’d remained, wondering just how much longer she’d have to wait.

“Guild head Zaress. I’d like to have a talk with the Mark of Time. I’m sure you have a lot of preparations to do as well,” Prince Laiken spoke up, his hands held behind his back. The prince still looked as if he’d come out of a refreshing walk in his garden, a smile still etched onto his face.

Somehow, that scared her more than the many intimidating people around her.

Guild head Zaress grunted, not bothering to respond as he turned around. With a wave of his hand, the remaining members left, leaving Irwys, Nathaniel and Jennifer in the chamber, alongside the prince.

“I hope you don’t mind having a talk, Jennifer?” the prince asked. Jennifer stood awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

It’s not like I can say no to a [Prince]

“It is a pleasure, if anything, your highness,” she said, bowing in the appropriate courtesy. She regretted not paying more attention to her mother’s lessons.

“Can I? Umm, have a moment? Please? I’m a bit dead,” Nathaniel said, leaning on his chair in the corner of the prince white room. A chair Jennifer was sure hadn’t been there the last she saw it.

“It is of no bother, Magus Nathaniel. My mages are capable of sustaining the spell from this side, so long as you keep holding the connection from your end,” the Prince said with a smile.

“Ah, Sera’s grace, thank you Prince Laiken,” Nathaniel muttered, as he drank another vial of mana potion and closed his eyes.

Jennifer just realized that she hadn’t seen Magus Peiross show any signs of strain despite keeping the spell remaining active for hours.

The more I look, the more monstrous everyone here becomes.

“You can lift your head, Jennifer. There’s no need to be courteous. Treat me as you would any other Mark. I’d prefer it that way. And if you could, maybe teach Irwys to do that one day too,” the Prince said, turning towards Irwys as his smile widened.

Jennifer looked at Irwys, who leaned against the wall, a stoic expression set on his face. “Your highness should not waste this opportunity,” the [Knight] muttered at last.

“If only you weren’t always so right Irwys,” the Prince said, turning to Jennifer. “While we have already met now, allow me to formally introduce myself to you Jennifer. I am Laiken Re’an Zandria, the crown prince of Zandria, and the holder of the Mark of Fate.”

The silver Mark on the prince’s head lit up with ripples of magic. She stared, dipping her head in response.

“I’m Jennifer Laine, just a regular [Enchanter],” she replied.

The prince’s smile widened upon her words as he stared at her. For a moment, Jennifer almost felt like the prince would walk out of the communication array and step in front of her.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you Jennifer. And as Fates would have it, a delightful opportunity presented itself. Say, this place is quite dreary, would you like to go on a walk?” the prince asked and Jennifer stared at the man.

A walk? Where?

Jennifer turned to look at Irwys for a moment, before turning back towards the Prince. “A walk? Err, that is, I’m not sure what you mean, your highness?”

“Laiken is fine, and you’ll see. It should be better than a dreary chamber, no offense intended, Magus Nathaniel.”

“None taken,” Nathaniel replied in a weary voice.

“So, what do you say?” the prince asked, his red eyes shimmering. Jennifer almost took a step back from his presence.

She stared around her, struggling to come up with a response. “Yes?” she replied at last, looking uncertainly at the prince.

“Excellent! Step closer then, Jennifer and take my hand,” the prince said, and Jennifer walked closer, as she hesitantly took the Prince’s hand, feeling the mana tingle as the spell tingled against her skin. She looked up at the man to see his shining golden blonde hair, covering his ruby red eyes.

“Let me take you to a special place today Jennifer,” the prince said, as he grasped her hand.

“[Sanctuary of Fates].”

The world rippled around Jennifer and the ground slipped away out from beneath her feet. Jennifer screamed in horror and surprise, watching darkness spread in all directions into an unending abyss.

“What have you done?” Jennifer said, staring around. No longer was she in the room with Irwys and Nathaniel looking on. Instead, she stood in a dark space dominated by a silver and gold throne up ahead.

Ethereal threads of silver extended from the throne, stretching towards scenes that hung from the walls like paintings with borders of mist. The scenes so vibrant and real, she felt like she could walk into them.

Wars played out in front of her eyes, coronations that witnessed the rise of legends, swords flashed in battles as arrows blotted the sky. She watched the cycle of a kingdom.

“This is the skill granted to every crown prince of Zandria. A skill formed by Zandria itself. Here lies the living record of the foundation of this kingdom, right till the last heir to inherit it,” the Prince said, his arms sweeping across the space.

“Beautiful isn’t it? The fate of each person in Zandria has a string attached to this place. All its history and legacy, tied by the strings of fate,” he continued.

Jennifer stared mutely. Skills that could create a secluded space were exceptionally rare, and often unbreachable by normal means, but this? This was not just a chamber, it was an entire kingdom's legacy. The skill of a [Prince].

Jennifer eyed the man next to her, her mind still struggling to fathom the strange twist of fate that brought her here.

The prince wasn’t too tall, standing less than a head taller than her. Neither was he built athletically. But she felt the pull of his presence, stronger than anything she’d felt before. He didn’t use his aura. He didn’t need to. This was a [Prince], and she finally understood what it meant to stand before one.

She hoped she only ever stood in front of him as an ally.

As she looked around the chamber, her eyes noted a particular image that stood out from the rest. An image not on any side of the room, but behind the throne instead. No strings of silver tied the image to the throne, yet the image still shimmered on the wall, projecting power.

“Ah… so you can see it too. My, aren’t you full of surprises,” Prince Laiken said, walking forward, gently brushing against the pristine throne.

“Those are the titans. A people of old and great magic that once called Zandria home, before the kingdom had ever been founded. They were the greatest seers of their time, not just witnessing the fates of worlds, but guiding them. All of Zandria still lives under the shade of these titans, hoping to match the glory they once possessed.”

The image was old, brimming with strength and power. And every so often, it shifted, showing her the titans walking the earth, roaring as they fought. She watched the last of their kin die. Their blood marred the ground a deep red, as the proud creatures fell to armies of humans much smaller than them.

Jennifer turned to look at the Prince. “Why did- why did we kill the titans?” She recognised the army as the predated version of the current Alliance’s army.

“We didn’t. Our forefathers did. And even they didn’t know what they were truly up against. The Alliance was just beginning, still led by the Old Order of Archmages that had first united the continent against ‘monsters’ - Any who weren’t blessed by the system - and the titans were one such race,” Prince Laiken said, his hands behind his back as his smile took on a hint of sadness. He turned to Jennifer. “Let’s take our walk shall we?”

Nodding, she followed him through the seemingly endless throne room, passing by many painting-like scenes that Jennifer would’ve gasped at in awe and reverie if she weren’t so numb from the visage of the titans still lingering in her mind.

“Mark of Time,” Prince Laiken called. Jennifer stiffened up, turning towards the prince, who returned an amused smile. “Should I call you Jennifer? Mark of Time sounds all stiff.”

“Sure- yes, I mean. No. Umm that is…” Jennifer fumbled with each spoken word, and soon, she just stood silently, her face a burning red. “Jennifer is alright, Your Highness,” she pushed out. The prince laughed, and Jennifer almost ran away to hide somewhere far away.

“Very well Jennifer, if I must do so. Then I insist that you call me by my name as well,” the Prince said, grinning at her.

Jennifer began to feel sympathy for Irwys.

“Alright, Your high— Laiken,” she said, wondering if she was about to lose her head when the prince laughed once more.

“Good, it is a pleasure to meet you Jennifer. Many have met the Crown Prince of Zandria, but only few have met Laiken Re’an,” the prince said, his lips curled in an odd expression of both grief and joy.

“Why have you brought me here, Prince Laiken?” Jennifer muttered.

The Prince eyed her for a moment, but didn’t comment on her addition of the title to his name. “I’ve kept an eye on you Jennifer. Ever since you’d mentioned the future, and called Irwys’ name, I’d been interested in meeting you. I had suspected that you’d been hiding some secrets, and had wished to see them for myself. But after arriving here, I realized that you were a far bigger anomaly than I’d ever expected.”

Jennifer paused. The Prince stood in front of her, and his Mark began to glow.

"I, and the many [Seers] of Zandria have been divining the outcomes of this war, or what would lead to a war from the aggression on Lienmont. The signs had been chaotic, as is the case with many wars, yet there had been something tying them together, something outside our sight,” the prince’s eyes met hers. “You.”

“You claim to have seen the future. To have seen a war that threatened your city. The Alliance has already sent hundreds of scouts to discover the scope of the war and you may have single handedly shifted the fate of the continent with this information. You are tied to this far far more than most. Yet, why is that when I see your future Jennifer- all I see is darkness? Even dead people leave an impact on the world. Death is not the end of one’s destiny after all. But somehow, just for you, I cannot see what your fate holds.”

Jennifer stared at him, her heart pounding.

“There are eight Marks. Eight who were chosen in this trial that spans centuries. Yet now, suddenly, there are nine,” the prince turned, staring at Jennifer.

“Who are you, Mark of Time?”

Her Mark pulsated as the Prince’s Mark glowed with an increasing intensity. It brushed against her Mark in a comforting welcoming manner.

“Let me show you something Jennifer. The thread on which all our fates are hanging from,” Laiken said, his red eyes lighting up. The Prince turned, silver threads extending into the endless sea of darkness. The mist pooled together and formed a moving vision.

Silver threads carried Jennifer through the darkness. The familiar blue tinged walls of the dungeon passed by, soon followed by its deeper layers until they reached a narrow chamber, at the dungeon’s very heart.

The vision twisted, rippling chaotically. Jennifer struggled to see what lay in the darkness. Shivers crawled up her arms, her chest tightening as rumbles shook the ground of the vision. A massive shadow shifted in front of her.

Then, it opened eyes larger than her entire body, filled with burning rage so hot she felt she was burning alive.

Undulated terror shook her heart as she stared at the wispy shadow, feeling her legs tremble. She had seen death, felt its numbing cold embrace. Yet, standing in front of the beast,she found even death to be comforting.

“Sera take me,” Jennifer whispered, perhaps meaning it for the first time ever.

“We don’t know what the beast is,” Laiken said. “We don’t know where it came from, or how it got here. Yet, all I see beyond the end of this month is endless darkness, and millions of threads of fate being cut short,” Laiken said, turning towards Jennifer, his eyes grim.

“Mark of Time,” the prince continued. “The fate of many lies upon your shoulders. It is a heavy burden to carry, but it is the one you are destined to. Being the Crown Prince of Zandria, and the Mark of Fate, I know a thing or two about carrying the fate off thousands. As such, I have only one request of you today.” Jennifer listened intently, her own Mark glowing brightly.

“Would you be willing to share this burden with me?” The Prince asked.

An ache bloomed in her heart. In front of her, Jennifer saw a young man, of twenty five or twenty, with the weight of a kingdom, and perhaps the entire continent, on his back. She saw someone who understood, who more than just understood. Someone who could guide her through her own fate.

Silently, Jennifer extended her hand and the Prince grasped it. Their Marks intertwined, pulsing as one, and a smile formed on her face.

“I will, Laiken.”

[Bond: Fated Strings] obtained!

Mark of Time:

The Mark of the Chosen of Time.

Bond of Fate: Fated strings|

A Bond born from the union of Time and Fate

Abilities: Time Reset

Resets: 1

Integrity: 99.16%

Tier: Undefined

The world expanded before her, silver threads stretching to infinity. Jennifer's Mark burned as magic spread all around her. She stood in the midst of a hundred possible futures, seeing various possible worlds.

In one world, she roamed the flaming remains of her city alone. In another, she talked with the prince as he excitedly shared stories about his kingdom and his aspirations and she laughed at her unlikely friend. In another, she watched from afar as her mother grieved her dead daughter.

Magic spread through her arm, her Mark pulsing with each breath as she lived the same moment a thousand times over.

And then, with a sudden blink, it was all gone.

Jennifer stumbled, heart pounding as she internalized what she had just witnessed. The Prince stood still nearby, frozen in place with his eyes wide. Slowly, he turned towards Jennifer.

“I was too late,” the Prince muttered and Jennifer felt her heart sink. “But you… you can go back in time. Perhaps, if it is with you. If I send you back now would it be enough?” The Prince muttered and Jennifer stared.

Send her back? Was he going to… Jennifer dared not think of the possibility, not after what she’d seen in her vision, but her heart thundered regardless of her wishes.

Red eyes turned towards her, as the Prince stared at her, his eyes regarding. Gently, he extended his hand to her shoulder. “You need to run. It is far too late, but I still wish for you to survive. My Mark should protect you.”

“What? I don’t understand. Run? Where?” Jennifer blurted as the world around her began to shake.

“There will be an attack on the guild by the demons soon, and we're far too late to stop it," the Prince said, his mouth curved downwards in a glower. "You carry many fates, and it would be a lie to say that I do not wish for you to sacrifice yourself here. To forfeit your life, and return in time once more, to save us. But I have given my word, and the Prince of Zandria is no liar,” the prince said, as cracks spread around the throne room.

“Run Jennifer, and live. As long as you remain, our hope remains. But if the time comes where you must return, and try to save us from our follies, then listen to my Mark, and it shall aid you,” the prince said, turning towards her with a smile full of sorrow.

“It was good to meet you, Jennifer, may the Fates be by your side,” the prince whispered as his body faded. With a threatening shudder the throne room collapsed, breaking apart into pieces.

***

With a snap, Jennifer was back inside the council chamber. The world spun in circles as her legs buckled from the sudden transition. Coarse hand arrested her fall, grabbing her shoulders and Jennifer looked up in gratitude to find Irwys staring back at her.

Jennifer stared at Irwys, her mind still reeling from everything that had happened. She struggled to form words, fumbling as the [Knight] held her upright, a concerned expression on his face.

“I apologize if Your Highness caused you any trouble, he can sometimes—”

“No!” Jennifer said, interrupting Irwys as her mind finally began to catch up to the events around her. “We need to run. Everyone needs to run. The Prince warned me of an attack on the guild.” Jennifer looked up to meet Irwys’ silver eyes. “The demons are going to attack.”

The [Knight] frowned, his eyes shining with magic for a moment. “I can’t reach His Highness,” he said, turning to the side.

Jennifer glanced to the side and found Nathaniel standing amidst runes that circled around him in an array of intricate and complex mana.

“I can’t either. The Prince, or anyone for that matter. No message spells either. Sera, this is bad. There’s an interference field over the guild,” Nathaniel said, as the runes faded from around him. “Take Jenn and bring her to safety. The upper chamber of the guild should be secure,” Nathaniel said, as Irwys gave a nod.

Jennifer turned towards Nathaniel. “What about you?”

“I’m on overtime today,” Nat said with an amused smile. Magic swirled around him as he shot out of the chamber.

Irwys grabbed Jennifer’s hand, nodding to her, and Jennifer nodded back as the two of them dashed out of the chamber.

The ground beneath their feet rattled, magic coursing through it. Blue shimmering wards shot up all around the guild as shouts and cries began to fill the chamber. Adventurers stumbled out in confusion as the building shook from the onpour of mana, staring at their surroundings.

“The guild is under attack!” Jennifer screamed as she ran past onlookers, unsure of what was happening.

“Why aren't we warning them?” Jennifer shouted towards Irwys.

“They’re adventurers. The civilians and staff will be protected and guided. We need to get you somewhere safe first,” Irwys spoke, his words hurt and Jennifer found herself failing to come back with a suitable response to his words.

Frustration bubbled in her chest, mixing with fear. The smell of burnt flesh and blood refreshed itself in her mind. She didn't want to live through that night again.

I thought we had time. I even went to the guild. I warned everyone of the coming invasion. All these people, and adventurers. How did this happen?

Jennifer cleared her head. She had no time to think over the what and why of her situation. Dragging her feet was only going to endanger her further. Drawing on her mana, Jenn quickly weaved Agile Wind together. A burst of wind accelerated her forward.

Jennifer let her spell run wild, glass mana pouring into the spell matrix. Little shards of glass followed her trail as she followed behind Irwys. Together, they rushed towards the upper floors.

The building shook once more. The wards on the guild’s wall flickered, their mana supply running dry. [Enhanced Mana Sense] flared in Jennifer’s mind, the sensation of a tidal wave of mana pouring out almost knocking her off her feet.

“Teleportation wards breached! Tier-8 spell!” a mage screamed as the building vibrated with overflowing mana. The walls glimmered a light blue, spell threads latching onto each source of power within the guild.

Mass Teleport- that should be impossible, the spatial anchors should stop any teleports. Unless it has been taken over somehow?

A sinkhole of mana opened in Jennifer’s senses within the guild, sucking all the mana in its vicinity. It drained her core and she struggled to prevent the mana leakage from within.

Runes flickered underneath her feet, spreading out in a wide array as Irwys stopped running. Amidst the shouts and screams in panic, the two of them stood in tense silence, watching the spell from around them.

A bright flash flared from the spell underneath. Dark, misshapen figueres rose from the spell, surrounding them on all sides. They stood and bloated, screeching, roaring and hissing as they shot towards any human nearby. Demons.

Jennifer’s heart raced but her mind had no time to catch up. She quickly pulled up her spells, taking stock of her environment as the training from the past few weeks kicked in.

“[Sword Art: Mistblade],” Irwys said. Wisps of mist covered his sword. A single slash turned into three, tearing through the demons nearby.

Corrosive hissing smoke rose from their corpses, rising to take the form of smaller imps that shot towards the two of them. With each passing second, the demons began crowded together, cutting off their pathways. The two of them struggled to hold the horde back.

“The pathway ahead is blocked. We need a new place to go to,” Irwys said in between his swings. With a twirling motion the demon’s insides were put on display for the world. Jennifer held back a gag at the stench.

Glass shards spun around Jenn. Mana bolts shot at the smaller imps that tried to reach her. She kicked the little misshapen pests off her ankle, launching blades of glass that slashed through the demons whenever one got too close.

“The library! It has wards that could keep the demons out,” Jeninfer said, her back set against Irwys as she fought the slithering forms.

“Stay close,” Irwys muttered, sheathing his sword. The demons leapt in, taking the chance when the [Knight] burst into a fog of mist.

The same spell he used in the Trial.

Irwy’s hand grabbed Jennifer amidst the thick fog, as the two of them ran through the horde of demons. With a sudden flicker, a piercing screech shot through the mist. Jennifer felt her [Enhanced Mana Sense] detect something behind her.

A dark figure bubbled and boiled, rising from the ground. The shadows around her shifted, turning into scythes aimed for her throat. On instinct she formed a collar of glass around her throat.

With the cracking of a whip the tendril struck her throat, breaking the glass. Jennifer was shot off her feet, thrown to the floor as she clutched her neck. Pain shot through her entire body.

“[Piercing Edge]!” Irwys screamed the next moment. His sword slashed through the shadowy wraith.

Jennifer remained curled up on the ground, blood rising in her throat. Absently, she felt at her waist, taking out the vial of healing potion that she tipped over onto her lips. Struggling to open her mouth, the liquid poured down her jaw, soaking her chest and neck. The potion did its job, the familiar sensation of tingling mana covering her throat and healing the injury

Irwys grabbed her hand, lifting her up as Jenn gathered her bearings. With some support from the [Knight] she began to run once more.

Jennifer’s heart thundered, her spirit shaken from the near death experience. She’d almost died there, just like that. Without a moment’s notice, she would’ve been gone. What if she hadn’t returned?

The urgency of her situation was the only thing keeping the lurking fear in her heart at bay.

A trail of mist covered their path as they ran to the library, when a familiar scream halted Jenifer’s steps as she ran, her eyes darting around before they finally settled on familiar red hair.

“Rumina! How did you get here?!” Jennifer screamed.

The red-head stood nearby, holding a dagger with her clothes slashed and blood soaking them red. Rumina’s eyes widened as she saw Jenn, the girl rushing towards her until demons blocked her path.

Irwys grabbed her hands, pulling her ahead. “We need to go.”

Jennifer stood, frozen, and pulled her hand back from the [Knight]. Irwys turned to look at her, and Jennifer stared at the knight, as she spoke in a voice filled with ice.

“I’m not leaving my friend to die.”

A moment of silent consideration, Irwys shot towards the girl, his blade humming as arcs of mist shot out.

Jennifer flooded her mana pathways, weaving glass storms and mana bolts together. She channeled using Nat’s technique, drawing on her weeks of training as she stacked the two spells atop each other. The spell hummed in her mind, the matrices colliding with one another as she coaxed one to merge into another. Then, with a light nudge, she let the glass explode out.

Glowing blots of glass mana swirled in a storm spreading from Jennifer’s hand as they tore through the demons. Mana bolts flew, piercing and stabbing through the slithering shadowy demons that lashed out blindly from within Irwys’ mist.

Red hair soon appeared from within the mist as Irwys walked with Rumina next to him. Jennifer leapt at her friend, hugging her tight.

“Head to the library now!” Irwys screamed as Jennifer let go of Rumina, grabbing her hand as she ran ahead. Dark shadows coalesced behind them, and a roar shook the corridor.

A giant amalgamation of demons stood behind, fire burning within its maw as the beast swept through the adventurers, shaking the floor with each step. Irwys stood in front of the beast, his sword flashing in arcs of silver.

Jennifer let the spell dissolve. Pouring her mana in Agile Wind, she rushed ahead. A few moments later, she reached the library, its gates shimmering with the wards. She crashed into the gates, pulling Rumina in as demons chased behind her.

She shot a quickly weaved glass blade towards the gates, shutting them as the demons arrived. In a rush, Jenn stumbled closer, setting her hand against the door. Pouring her mana, she activated the wards within the library, locking it from the inside.

Screeches and screams sounded out as the demons slammed against the door, but the lock had set, not budging an inch. Jennifer turned to stare at her friend, blood covering Rumina's face as her hands shook.

Many questions burned in her mind, yet she put them to the side and rushed to her friend's side, wrapping her in a hug.

“J-Jenn. I-” Rumina broke into a sob as she hugged her friend. The scent of blood pervaded Jenn's senses and she felt tears dampen her shoulder. Jennifer’s heart raced, her body shaking from nervousness as she pulled her friend in a tight hug.

“It’s fine. It’ll be fine. You’re alright Rumina,” Jennifer soothed, her own voice cracking as the tense knot of emotions melted in her stomach. She felt the blood pouring down Rumina’s back, staining her hands, the torn blood soaked cloth that broke apart from a touch.

Just how her friend gotten to the guild? How had she been so injured? Questions burned in her mind as Jennifer patted her friend’s back.

“I didn’t even talk to you Rumina,” Jenn said, feeling her voice quiver. “Ever since I joined the guild, you just vanished. I felt as if you weren’t ready to talk to me. I didn’t even see you in the shop, and I just. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you everything, and I wanted to tell you what I had seen. But I was busy trying to prevent it, to be better and to not let this happen again. I failed Rumina. I failed again.”

Tears flowed down Jennifer’s cheeks, as she hugged her friend tight. “I should’ve talked to you before this. Before all of this. I just- I’m sorry,” Jennifer spoke, as her friend hugged her silently. A few minutes passed as worry began to grow in Jenn’s heart.

“Rumina? What’s wrong?” Jennifer asked, pulling back to look at her friend’s face.

“I-I’m sorry Jenn,” Rumina said, her eyes staring into hers. The redhead leaned in closer to her ears and whispered in her ears.

“Goodbye.”

Dread crept through her chest as a searing hot feeling embedded into her gut. Fire erupted in her nerves as Jennifer twitched, her eyes wide in shock. Jennifer pushed Rumina away with bloody hands and looked down at the knife embedded in her gut. Blood poured out of the wound as searing pain flared with each breath.

“W-what…why…” Jennifer rasped, as she coughed blood. The world spun around her, a dark liquid on the knife burning her skin. Yet the pain may as well have been a respite.

Something tugged within her soul, unseen silver strings that wrapped around her Mark. With a sudden pulse, they burned a bright silver as they blasted her friend away and formed a protective shield around Jennifer. She felt her bond, the [Fated Strings] that tied them together. The silver strings wove around her in a frenzy, touching at her wound to help with the damage.

She watched with muted disconnect as her friend rocked back. Rumina's face rippled, the flesh distorting and what stood in her place wore a twisted smile, its face peeling off at the corners of its mouth.

Jennifer tried to scream, but there was no voice in her. She watched silently as the monster walked closer, wearing its twisted smile with cold eyes. It was here again. The monsters in the dark, the nightmare she'd lived through. Her soul screamed at the presence of the Mark that stood in front of her. She watched the dark red Mark on its neck, glowing slightly now. It bore its imprint upon her, a vile twisted thing, as a name rose to Jennifer’s mind.

The Mark of Deceit.

“Fate as well. We should’ve killed you the moment we saw you,” the monster hiss, its face pulling back like a mask of skin that had been slashed through. “Wasted killing that girl and taking her form. Now she must reside in us,” the monster hissed, as a dozen voices sounded, a screeching tone to them all. The creature’s body warped as a dark being of shifting faces stood in front of her, the Mark on its neck shining with a threatening red glow.

Rumina is… I…

Another tendril rose from the ground and pierced Jennifer’s chest. She stared in surprise, as the tendril went through her body, as she realized the onset of her own death. She felt no pain, all sensations drowned by the shock. Blood poured freely from her wounds, her body losing strength as Jennifer tried to crawl back.

The monster walked calmly towards her.

“All that effort, all that preparation. Gone. A Mark with future foresight that appeared out of nowhere. Not Psyche but different. Should've eliminated sooner. But not anymore. The Mark shall be ours. One with our Deceit.”

Another tendril pierced her shoulder as Jennifer felt the beast claws reach her. Jennifer clenched her teeth, feeling her body losing strength. She was dead. There was no saving her. It had all been for nothing.

Yet it wasn’t despair that bloomed in her chest, but instead, fury.

She hadn’t even been there when her friend’s life had been taken by this monster, who wore her skin and spoke in her voice. Even down to the very mannerism with which she spoke, the monster copied her. She imagined Rumina at the demon’s mercy as it took her life, and something snapped within her.

Mana boiled in Jennifer’s core, rising like a torrential tide as she screamed. Her howl’s rang with mana, and her mana pathways ruptured, unable to hold the torrent of mana back. Blood turned to glass, rising from her chest in jutting shards of crystals that shot towards the demon, stabbing it through the chest.

Jennifer stared at the mangled body of her friend, the demon’s eyes wide as blood flowed from Rumina's chest, pierced by blood-red glass. The creature’s mouth opened and an inhuman wail of agony tore through.

The demon lashed out, tendrils jutting out towards Jennifer. The last thing she saw was Rumina’s face, bleeding, its features twisted in anger. The next moment, dark tendrils pierced through Jennifer’s skull and she knew no more.

[Class: Resourceful Enchanter] has reached level 17!

[Skill: Blood Shard] obtained!