“Do you think it’s possible, Kal?” asked a girl’s voice beside him.

Kal turned to see two big lively green eyes looking up at him.

Trista!

She looked beautiful in her red Inquisitor robes with her long blonde hair was tucked away in the cowl that framed her heart-shaped face. Kal gulped, struggling to find the words for a reply. He didn’t expect her to talk to him, after all. Things had been awkward between them since the break-up. Their guild had been waiting at the same spot for nearly an hour in complete silence and it had been perfectly fine.

She tilted her head quizically when he didn’t say anything back.

“I… uhm… what’s possible?” Kal asked clumsily.

“To beat Obsidius,” she said as if it was obvious what she was referring to with her question. “Why else are we here, dummy?”

“Ow… well,... people have done it before, haven’t they?” he replied.

“Yeah.” she scoffed. “One party. And they didn’t even bother posting their notes online. Who knows if they even did do it.”

“They did. The deal-maker said so.”

“I could also say Santa Claus was my neighbor… doesn’t mean it’s true,” she retorted.

A smile crept up Kal’s face which Trista mirrored and they both chuckled. She always knew how to get a smile off him.

Why did I ever break-up with you? Kal thought for a second… then he saw the words floating at the corner of his vision.

The Deal

[Objective: Slay Dark Lord Obsidius.]

Ow, yeah... That’s why.

He had been stuck in GFO for nearly two years by now. At first, it was nothing but pure confusion and frustration. Kal had spent months cooped up in his quarters at the Honey Comb Inn and immersed himself in drinking and gambling with other players with the same disposition. The thought of his death was too big a hurdle to get over, especially considering what he left behind. But everything changed when he met Trista. Their first conversation was the first time he cracked a genuine smile in a long time and things, didn’t become easy, but at the very least became bearable. Tista even got him recruited in the Gilded Company guild so he would keep himself busy. She was like the spring sun slowly chasing away the cold and dark of a particularly brutal winter. But with the possibility of going home a reality, Kal was forced to make a difficult decision. It wouldn’t be fair to Trista knowing that he longed for the life he once had… longed to be with someone he left behind.

Why did The Deal have to happen? Why did I have to have that dream? Why was Sarah still waiting for me?

Trista looked away with a sad smile. She was probably asking her self some similar questions.

“How do you think it will work?” she asked after a moment of silence. “You know; when someone somehow kills Obsidius, how will we go back to the old world? Will it be like a reincarnation thing or will we be in the same body? Because I saw my family bury me in that freaky dream I had.”

Kal had thought about that as well and he had no idea what the answer was.

“Who knows…” he replied. “...but Damocles managed to bring us here looking the same, he could probably do it again. Right?”

Trista tilted her head to one side as if to mull the answer over then nodded.

“You got a point… maybe-”

“Attention! Attention!” came a man’s booming voice from the front.

Kal snapped his head forward and his heart skipped a beat. Standing in front of them was a tall well-built man with a mane of black hair streaked with white. The man wore the heavy platted armor favored by the Crusader class and was made of black steel trimmed with gold.

“That’s Enoch…” Kal whispered.

“What?!... what the hell is the guild vice-captain doing here?” asked Trista wide-eyed. “I thought Hannah was leading us.”

“Dunno. Plans must’ve changed… But if he’s here then it must be serious.” Kal replied.

Enoch was a level 81 Crusader and arguably the Gilded Company’s strongest player. His class build was notorious for absorbing absurd amounts of damage. So much so that Enoch became a celebrity in the GFO community back in the old world when he placed third in a global PVP tournament just by making opponents yield to the sheer durability of his godlike Crusader. He was famous enough that even his death was televised when it happened a few years back.

“... I know you weren’t expecting me.” started Enoch as he paced in front of them. “...but there had been some unforeseen events. Hannah, your squad leader, has gone missing.”

This news prompted murmuring between the players.

“Does that mean the raid is off?” asked Trista in a whisper. “What do you think happened to Hannah? She was supposed to be my team leader.”

“However,” came Enoch’s voice once more before Kal could answer. “...the raid will continue as scheduled. This is a co-op and the other guild involved is relying on us to be their bulwark. We cannot fail them. Our guild captain had assigned me to personally lead the charge instead.”

At this, there was an apparent air of relief that rippled among the players followed by hushed chatter. With Enoch the Godsader leading them, this raid was a sure thing… as long as the other guilds handle their end of the bargain of course.

“With that in mind, let us go over the plan once more before we proceed.” declared Enoch when the murmuring died down.

“In order to beat Obsidius, we first need to kill what is called the Seven Faces. Our opponent for today will be one of those seven. It is a level 75 raid boss named Gier the Collector. Just like Hannah, I too have completed this particular raid before back in the old world. It took my party several attempts until we finally beat it but beat we did... so I can safely say I know what we are about to face.”

Enoch swiped with his fingers and with a few motions, projected a map on the space in front of him.

“This is the raid map layout.” he declared. “There will be three stages. First, we enter Gier’s lair where we will face three waves of ten level 65 Hobgoblins. These things do little damage but have high P.Def. They’re basically a DPS check to see if you can do enough damage to the actual raid boss so don’t use any big spells at this stage and just let the Black Cat guild handle them. The second stage opens when the last Hobgoblin dies and we will be met by two dozen level 65 Reaper Goblins. They are very squishy but deal critical damage, inflict Bleed status and go invisible. So to all the tanks; take agro immediately and don’t let them get to our backline… and supports; keep your eyes open. Cleanse anyone with Bleed and ready any true sight skills. Understood?”

All of them nodded.

“In addition…” continued Enoch. “You will find ten level 1 Treasure Goblins wandering in this area. These don’t do any attacks and can be killed with one attack but they drop valuable loot. You can easily get a Gold Cache worth 1 million gold pieces and they also drop epic grade equipment and crafting material in some instances. In regards to this, I and the other guild representative agreed that it becomes a free for all… you kill it, you keep the loot to yourself.”

This incited an excited chatter among the Gilded Company.

“But it does have a catch; you only get to keep the loot when we finish the raid. Teleportation scrolls don’t work in raid maps so we have to kill Gier the Collector to get out which brings us to the final stage.”

Enoch zoomed in the very top portion of the map where it displayed a smaller circular chamber.

“This is Gier’s treasure room. Luckily for us, it will only be him inside. Gier won’t spawn any adds for the duration of the fight so that’s one less thing to worry about. Now, this is where we employ the tactic my party used to beat him.” Enoch paused to make sure everyone was following before continuing.

“Our squad is split into four teams of three players. Each team is composed of one tank and two supports. I myself will be leading team two. The raid boss will spawn at the back of the room and he will start to move the moment one of us enters his agro range. Be warned, he does significant amounts of AoE physical damage due to an unbreakable increased attack buff so do not try to dispel it. With that in mind, we need severe tanking ability in order to survive his physical attacks. I actually have Gier to thank for my notoriety because my build was specifically geared to withstand his damage.”

Enoch gave a proud smile before continuing.

“Furthermore, Gier periodically casts an AoE slow and armor break debuff every time his HP bar drops by a tenth so supports; keep that in mind. We will be at the forefront of the charge in the treasure room and team one will immediately take agro with the other teams waiting at the flanks. Now, as soon as the first team gives the signal to switch, team two will take over agro and so forth. That is our duty; to take the damage so that the Black Cats can do their part... To the healers and supports; please remember to keep to our own teams. Focus on keeping your teammates alive and trust that the other healers are doing their jobs properly. Do not cast spells outside your own group, understood?”

A “Yes, sir!” came in a sharp report.

“Good! Now, can the other team leaders step forward, please,” said Enoch.

Kal felt Trista shove him on the left shoulder and he realized he had momentarily forgotten that he was assigned as leader of team one. He quickened his pace to catch up with the other two team leaders already walking to the front of the group. Enoch scanned their faces carefully for a moment before speaking.

“Now, as the leaders, you are responsible for your own people and the call to switch with the next team in the rotation will be entirely up to you,” Enoch said. “Do not have second thoughts in making this decision… if you think your team is in danger then make the call but be warned; this is not the time to panic or be selfish. The lives of not only your guildmates but the rest of the other players brave enough to join this raid depend on us. Understood?”

Kal and the other two team leaders nodded.

Enoch looked over to the rest of the players gathered.

“Good!” he boomed. “I think we are ready! I know all of you here today share the same strong desire to go back to your old lives. Why else would you be here? That is the reason why we fight today! So keep that reason in your minds and in your hearts because once we enter the beast’s lair, there is no direction to go but forward. We, the Gilded Company are the shield of this raid. It is true that we might lose some of our brothers and sisters but without us, the attack will fail. Without us, many will die. Without us, returning to the old world will be nothing but a fantasy. So harden yourself for what is to come for today we take the first step to going home!”

An uproar rose from the gathered members of the Gilded Company.

“Let’s move out!”

***

They met the Black Cat guild at the mouth of a dark gloomy cave. All their levels were similar to that of the Gilded Company members, ranging from level 75 to 81, and they looked to be as well seasoned and experienced. Kal noticed, however, that the other guild’s squad composition was in the complete opposite of their own. In place of Crusaders, Lord Knights, and Inquisitors, the Black Cats had Wardens, Snipers, Warlocks, and only a handful of healers.

“Wow. They’re really depending on us to take most of the damage, aren’t they?” whispered Trista to Kal.

“Yep… that was the plan, Tris,” said Kal. “Let’s hope they do their part.”

“Purrgis!” exclaimed Enoch on greeting a tall dark-haired woman at the head of the Black Cats which he pulled in a tight embrace. “Are your men ready?”

“As ready as they’ll ever be,” said Purrgis the Warden as she wormed her way out of Enoch’s arms. “Did you get a word with Argenti?”

“Yeah. I did,” said Enoch with a sigh.

“And?...”

“He wished us luck and said he wanted nothing to do with it,” said Enoch in a strange tone.

“Really?” asked Purrgis quizically. “He didn’t even send a few of his men to help?”

“No… but we can do this without his support. The man’s a fucking coward if you ask me… ” said Enoch with a grunt.

“But Argenti did give his blessing for us to do this, right?”

“I did say he wished us luck, didn’t I?” answered Enoch.

Purrgis looked a bit unsure with the evasive response but Enoch quickly interjected before she could protest.

“Look, you yourself had completed this raid before too. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. How hard could it be to do this time?”

“Two other high leveled raiding parties got completely wiped by Gier already, Enoch,”

“But those parties didn’t have us!” Enoch exclaimed. “Come on! Think of the glory, Purr. The loot! Gier is the weakest of the Seven and you know for a fact that if we have a chance in beating any of them, it would be him.”

Purrgis thought about it for a moment and looked over to the Gilded Company squad.

“Well, I have to admit; I do feel pretty safe with all these meat shields in front of me,” she said with a smirk. “Fuck it! Why the hell not... Let’s do this!” she shouted facing her squad with a fist raised to the sky.

A cheer came from the Black Cats.

“Formation!” barked Enoch to the Gilded Company.

Kal moved to go to the head of the line but a hand on his forearm made him halt.

“Be careful, Kal,” said Trista, her brow furrowed with concern.

Kal noticed something drop to her wrist from the long sleeves of her robe. It was a familiar silver bracelet with a ruby lily flower,.. the only gift he had ever given her.

“You’re still wearing it…”

“For luck,” she said with a sad smile.

Guilt and shame settled in his stomach but now was not a time to think about it. There would be time for it later.... after the raid.

“We need every bit of luck we can get, I suppose,” Kal said with a forced smile. “See you later.” He said before turning his back.

“There you are!” said Cortus, a short dark-skinned Inquisitor, on seeing Kal. “Where the hell have you been? Our team’s first to the slaughter, remember?” he said with a wide joking smile.

“He’s been with Tris.” teased Macon, a very tall muscular boy that served as second support of their team.

“I thought you two broke up,” said Cortus.

“We did,” Kal said curtly.

Cortus gave a shrug. “Did you say your final goodbyes at least?”

“Fuck off,” Kal said goodnaturedly while chuckling. Cortus was always one for dark humor.

“Gilded Company!” Enoch’s voice resounded down the line. “Forward!”

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Kal said to his two teammates as he leads the column into the dark cave. Before entering he saw a few faded words that could only be seen up close scrawled at the right side wall of the tunnel opening.

Greedy hands dig their own grave.

That’s not at all ominous. Kal thought sarcastically before letting himself be swallowed by the darkness beyond.

***

“Call of the Martyr!” Kal cried. A flashing wave of red light bloomed out and engulfed the Hobgoblin before him. His foe was nearly ten feet of muscle with blueish skin covered in red tattoos and wielded a massive club the size of a small tree. The monster looked very intimidating but what Enoch had said was right; the Hobgoblins only did moderate damage and weren’t worth wasting big spells. They were there for the sole purpose of checking the damage output of their party and the Black Cats graciously obliged. Purrgis’ squad of a dozen ranged attackers annihilated the giant goblins one after the other with extreme ease.

This is gonna be easier than I thought.

The presence of Enoch the Godsader had given Kal reassurance but seeing the Black Cats at work gave him confidence.

“Cease fire!” Purrgis’ voice resonated in the stage one chamber.

Immediately the spells and arrows halted and the air became still.

A solitary Hobgoblin remained among the corpses of its dead comrades at the far end of the room. It only had a fifth of its HP bar left and yet it stood defiantly blocking the stage two passageway.

“Top up your HP and MP and buff up!” said Purrgis. “We head for the next stage as soon as the door opens!”

And with that declaration, the Black Cat commander notched an arrow, drew her bow back, and loosed a blurred shaft of steel that whistled through the air like a bullet. The Hobgoblin opened its jaws for a last defiant roar but it was quickly silenced when Purrgis’ arrow slammed with a force of a bomb on its chest. The Hobgoblin flew back and crashed against the stone wall behind it before sliding limply to the floor.

Full Draw[Active]

[Push your bow to the limit and unleash a powerful attack that knocks back any target struck and stunning them for a duration. If the target collides with terrain/another target, damage and stun duration is doubled. CD: 15s]

“Move out!” cried Enoch as he leads the charge to the next stage of the raid.

Kal followed as quickly as he could.

“Keep up!” he shouted over his shoulder to Macon and Cortus.

The moment they entered the stage two area, Kal saw dark figures darting in and out of the shadows. Enoch’s team was near the center of the chamber and the Godsader was already facing several opponents at once with Trista and the other Inquisitor behind him.

“They’re surrounded!” said Kal in panic as he started toward Trista. “We have to help them. Hurry!”

“But we have to stick-” Macon tried to warn.

Before Kal could make it a few more steps, he noticed that it got dimmer ever so slightly and realized a split second later that there was a shadow being cast over them. He turned quickly and saw the hooded figure of a Reaper Goblin midair right above Macon with twin daggers poised to strike.

“Watch out!” cried Kal, but he was too late and a step too far to block the attack.

Blood sprayed as twelve inches of cruel black steel buried itself in Macon’s neck and chest. The Reaper Goblin yanked its weapons free and pushed from its victim’s back with powerful legs, doing a graceful summersault to land a few meters away. Macon dropped to his arms and knees coughing out blood and gasping for air. He looked white as a sheet but he was still alive. What little was left of his HP bar, however, was being eaten away by the Bleed effect.

“Cortus! Patch him up and cleanse him. I’ll cover you!” shouted Kal as he placed himself between his comrades and their attacker.

The Reaper Goblin charged and Kal activated Guard to block the blow but another shadow appeared to his left and then another above him. In a split second, he was surrounded by three dagger-wielding assailants. Kal’s stomach dropped. He probably could survive taking on three of these things at once but he wasn’t looking forward to the number of stabs he was about to take before Cortus gets his skills up to help him. He hardened himself for the onslaught but as fast as his attackers had appeared, they were gone. Looking around in confusion, he saw the three dead bodies of the Reaper Goblins a few meters away riddled with arrows and smoking with hex marks.

“Focus, newb!” barked Purrgis’ reprimanding voice. “Stick to your own team, damn it!”

Kal looked behind him and saw another team of his own guild was protectively surrounding Macon and Cortus. He looked to Trista’s direction and found Enoch had already taken down two of his opponents. Things went very wrong very fast and all it took was for him to disobey their game plan for a second. Kal resolved to stick close to his team from then on.

The following battle could only be described as organized chaos. The Reaper Goblins kept popping out of unexpected places and their remarkable speed made true sight skills next to useless. Kal and the rest of the Gilded Company tanks were forced to stand their ground at the center of the chamber and just react to the attacks as they come to prevent any enemies reaching the Black Cat’s lines. After ten minutes of mayhem filled with the flash of daggers and clashing of steel, the battle was over.

“Sound off!” shouted Enoch after the dust settled.

Each of the Gilded Company team leaders called out to signal that all their members were accounted for.

“And that is how we do it!” exclaimed Enoch. “No man left behind!”

The rest of the squad cheered and even some of the Black Cats joined in.

“How about your end, Purr?” Enoch asked.

“We’re missing a few,” replied Purrgis grimly.

On hearing this, the cheering stopped and everyone became silent.

Kal scanned his surroundings and immediately something shiny caught his eye a few meters in front of him. He walked over to inspect it more closely and sure enough, he saw a pin in the shape of a cat’s pawprint attached to a white robe soaked in blood. The boy that was wearing it lay staring blankly upward at Kal with dead eyes. A large gash crossed his neck from ear to ear.

“Over here!” Kal called out with a shaking voice and several footsteps came running.

“That’s one of ours,” said Purrgis with a heavy sigh.

“He’s an Inquisitor… What the hell was he doing this far into the chamber?” asked Enoch. “He was supposed to be at the back.”

“Here’s your answer,” said Cortus kicking over a corpse of a Treasure Goblin right next to the dead Black Cat. “He must’ve chased after it.”

Purrgis let out an irritated scoff.

“Here’s another one!” came a voice off to the left. “It’s Kris… she’s gone.”

“Great... Now I’m down one Inquisitor and one Sniper…. Fucking idiots!” spat out Purrgis.

“I’m sorry about your men, Purr,” said Enoch in consoling tone. “But we can’t back out now. I have to ask; will this affect your part in the raid?”

Purrgis eyes snapped angrily to Enoch and she took a deep steadying breath before speaking.

“No… we brought healers just for a precaution and we have more than enough damage without Kris,” she said through gritted teeth. “We can proceed with your precious raid,” Purrgis added before walking off.

Enoch scoffed and turned to Kal. “You alright, boy?”

“Uh… yeah. Yes, sir.” Kal mumbled.

“Good. Get back to formation then,”

Kal followed along numbly. He felt like his head was floating and there was a constant ringing in his ears. He had never seen a dead body before much less one in a battle he just fought. Seeing someone die had put his mortality at the forefront of his mind.

That could have been me. He thought. That could have been Trista.

“Gilded Company! Formation!” Enoch boomed.

Kal walked to the front of the column along with Cortus and Macon.

“Hey, Macon...” Kal said as they reached the front. “Sorry about earlier… I.. I nearly got you killed.”

“Nearly,” said Macon with a shrug. “Just don’t make a habit of it,” he added with a smile in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Buff up!” barked Enoch.

Macon and Cortus placed their hands toward Kal and began chanting prayers. Kal could not only feel himself get stronger but see it as well as his status points increased with every buff he received. By the time they were finished, Kal felt unstoppable but he still could not get the thought of death out of his mind. He looked back to where the bodies of the Black Cats were and could not help but remember the words scrawled on the entrance wall.

'Greedy hands dig their own grave.'

“Ready!” announced Enoch. “Forward!”

They charged.

The moment Kal entered the treasure room, he knew something was very wrong. He felt the monster’s presence even before he saw it. At the other end of the chamber, two golden eyes opened, shining bright in the dim light of the surrounding torches.

Level ? Gier the Collector

First of the Seven

Raid Boss

Gier sat in a gigantic golden throne at the opposite end of the entrance and even from a distance he looked massive. He was near twice the size of the Hobgoblins they fought. His head looked very similar to a goblin’s but his skin was the greenish-gold color of neglected old jewelry and was speckled with different precious stones. Gier opened his jaws to reveal golded fangs nearly a foot long as he roared furiously upon seeing the trespassers enter his domain.

A chill came over Kal’s whole body and he froze in place so suddenly that his teammates ran into him. He could not say how he knew, -maybe it was sheer primal instinct-, but he was convinced that the chill he felt was the feeling that preceded death.

“What are you doing, team one?!” shouted Enoch behind them. “Taunt it! Now!”

Enoch’s voice snapped Kal out from his momentary paralysis and against all his instincts screaming at him to run away, he stepped forward. His legs were weightless as he ran toward his certain death.

Why am I doing this? He thought as his mind drifted to the dead boy and girl just in the other room.

Why the hell am I doing this?! He screamed in his head as his knees start to buckle with every step he took.... then the memory of the most vivid dream he ever had in his entire life flashed in his mind.... the twinkle of her eyes, the curve of her smiling lips, the melody of her laughter, the life he left behind, the life he could return to so long as he slew the beast before him.

I’m coming home, Sarah. Wait for me.

With his newfound courage, Kal did his duty.

“Call of the Martyr!” he cried as soon as he got in range.

Gier rose from his magnificent throne very slowly but then lunged with an unexpected speed that Kal barely raised his shield with Guard activated. The force of the blow sent Kal sprawling a few meters back and he immediately looked at his status bar. He noticed that half of his health was gone.

Not bad. He thought with relief. With two healers on me, I could take a few attacks before…

...it was then that he noticed it; a small icon of a cross with a timer blinked under his HP bar.

My Faith was triggered?!

Faith[Passive]

[By the grace of the divine, grants a chance to neglect a portion of incoming damage. CD: 30s]

That’s impossible… I’m level 80 already and my Faith was maxed out. It reduced 50% of the damage. That’s why I was picked as leader of team one... Kal thought incredulously.

This only meant one thing; it was pure luck that he survived. Even with all the buffs he received, a single attack would have been enough to kill him. But with his Faith passive in cooldown, there was no stopping Gier’s next strike from finishing him off. He saw his HP bar go back to full.

Macon! Cortus!

Kal had to warn them. They have to switch with Enoch’s team immediately. All the healing in the world wouldn’t be any good if one attack was enough to kill any of them.

“Fall back! Cortus! Macon! Fall BACK! Something’s-”

But his voice caught in his throat on seeing two bloody and broken figures a few meters away from him. They were barely recognizable but those lumps of flesh and bone were clearly his teammates.

No.

But if they were dead,... then who healed him?

“You stupid girl!” Kal heard Enoch’s booming voice to his left. “I told you to mind your own team!”

This made Kal turn to see Trista a few steps away with her staff pointed at him and Enoch pulling her back to their formation. She struggled to break loose from Enoch’s grip.

“Kal! Watch out! Behind you!” Trista shrieked. “Hand of God!”

Hand of God[Active]

[Pevent a target from dying for a short duration and grant them temporary invulnerability after receiving fatal damage. Catalyst Required: (1) Rosary. CD:1H]

Kal felt immense energy enter his body and for the briefest moment, he felt absolutely invincible before a blow with the force of a speeding train collided with his back. He went flying through the air like a rag doll before landing hard behind the Gilded Company lines. There was a single point left in his HP bar.

She saved me...

“God damn it! Team two, FORWARD!” Kal heard Enoch’s muffled voice off in the distance. The entire treasure room was spinning and shouts and screams came and went.

“Enoch! Stop! Something’s wrong! I can’t see his level!”

That’s Purrgis’ voice...

It took Kal all the strength he could muster to lift his head and he saw Enoch facing off with Gier the Collector. To everyone’s horror, all it took was one blow to bring the Godsader to his knees and two more to finish him off. No one even had the time to cast a single spell to save him.

No... Trista… run...

Kal tried to stand but his body wouldn’t cooperate. Every time he tried to move, a blinding pain would shoot through his muscles and bones. He inspected his body and found that a few rib bones were sticking out and the left side of his chest was completely caved in. It was remarkable how much damage the human body could survive in this world so long as there were still points in your HP bar.

With sheer will, Kal brought himself to a kneeling position. All he saw was death. Bodies were being thrown into the air and the walls were being painted with blood. The Black Cats had barely made a dent on Gier’s HP bar.

“This is impossible…” Kal whimpered.

Something glinting in the dim light got his attention among the chaos and when he realized what it was, Kal immediately broke into tears. A few meters in front of him on the stone floor was a familiar bracelet. It was covered with blood the same crimson of the ruby lily flower that hangs from the silver chain.

I’m sorry, Trista… I’m sorry, Sarah…

Those words of regret were the last thought that went through Kal’s mind before he was swallowed back by the void.

***

In the top chamber of Babel’s cathedral, a golden-haired man in an immaculate white suit collapsed in his carved wooden chair. Damocles gripped the armrests tightly as his chest heaved up and down with labored breathing. His breath became steady after a few seconds and he tried to compose himself.

“How disappointing,” he whispered into the emptiness of his quarters.

Damocles raised his right hand in front of him for inspection. The light of the setting sun shining through the painted window behind him revealed thin cracks forming across his pale alabaster skin.

“Oh, dear… it appears that I am losing.”