“It talked?”

“What’s happening? How could an Aberration speak like us?”

The town guards slowed down right and left, but Reinfried did not hesitate or flinch. Noticing that the formation was breaking apart, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Don’t stop now if you want to live!”

His words were powerful and accurate. It was too late to stop or retreat. We needed to attack together to achieve victory. Otherwise, we would be at the mercy of the monster.

My horse leaped over a stream as if it had been crossing a line of no return. The air became suffocating. I could feel my heart racing, beating against my chest as if it were trying to escape its lifetime prison.

The giant Aberration was no longer passive. As its eyes followed me, it swung its long arms and tossed the town guards into the air. It knocked riders and horses alike, and even those it missed toppled backward like dominoes.

“Why are you silent?” the Aberration screeched. “You hear my voice, but you ignore it.”

Most of the town guards turned around or tried to avoid the Aberration’s arms, but Reinfried and I had a different idea.

“If we can’t bring it down,” I said.

“Then we should go up to it.” Reinfried completed my words.

“I knew we had the same idea,” I laughed.

Our horses charged straight at the Aberration. Its hands reached for us. It wanted to wrap its fingers around our small bodies. But I stopped my horse and dismounted with a jump, landing on the Aberration’s wrist. Reinfried did the same and stood next to me after a forward roll.

“Why do you oppose me?” the Aberration screeched.

Its face was contorted with anger because it realized that it couldn’t move. Its arms had slid on the muddy ground, and its body was stretched. It was on all fours, trying to balance itself.

“After you,” Reinfried said, and I nodded.

The Aberration’s stretched arms formed a bridge that connected the ground to its head. We started running up its slope, lowering our swords to slice through the dark-red flesh. We created a trail of black blood and reached the Aberration’s shoulders.

The men on the ground looked up at us.

“They’re crazy!”

“Maybe just enough to do it…”

“Aim for its eyes,” Reinfried said.

He leaped forward and slashed the Aberration’s right eye. The monster cried out in pain, thought only of immediate revenge, and aimed an attack at Reinfried. Its mouth opened wide, and its eager teeth were about to split Reinfried’s body in half.

“I won’t let you.”

I rushed forward, stabbed the Aberration’s mouth from below, and forced it shut. Then I spun around and slashed its left eye with one of my knives. The Aberration cried out again. It couldn’t bear the pain and raised its arms. It may have been trying to stop the blood from flowing out of its wounds, or it may have been trying to attack us. Either way, once its arms rose, its whole body started falling toward the ground.

“Hang on tight, Lance,” Reinfried said.

We planted our swords into the Aberration’s back and clung to them. Nothing else prevented us from falling to our doom. On the ground, the guards were scattering as the mountain collapsed. The Aberration’s stomach hit the ground. Then its chest flattened the earth, and its arms broke under the pressure of its head. A cloud of dust formed, and I couldn’t see anything. All I could do was hold on to my sword and wish for luck.

After the noise of the crash, there was an eerie silence. Was the Aberration dead, or did everyone die under the weight of its body? The dust began to subside. I opened my eyes, stood up, and looked around me. I was alone on the Aberration’s back. Was Reinfried safe? Did he make it?

“Reinfried!”

“You’re too loud,” his voice said.

I turned around and found him standing a few steps behind me.

“We did it,” I smiled. “It wasn’t a big deal, this Aberration. All bark and no bite.”

“Yeah,” Reinfried said. “We were lucky.”

I noticed that he was holding his left arm. “What happened?”

“I twisted it during the fall. It’s a light injury,” he said. “Let’s gather the men and decide our next move. We should make sure this thing doesn’t stand up again.”

“I agree.”

We walked until we reached the edge of the Aberration’s back. Looking down from there, we saw the survivors. They waved their newly lit torches and cheered for us.

“You did it, Sir Reinfried.”

“The guy from the guild isn’t as bad as I thought.”

“Yeah, he’s not as useless as I thought.”

“Azuria is full of weird people.”

“Are these even compliments?” I snapped at them. “And that last point has nothing to do with the battle!”

Reinfried laughed and slid down to the ground. I followed him with a smile on my face. The town guards clapped me on the back and welcomed me with their friendly jokes and congratulations. They were already in the mood for lavish celebrations.

“The battle isn’t over,” Reinfried said. “We need to confirm that this thing is dead.”

“There’s no way it could’ve survived the fall,” one of the guards laughed.

But then we felt the earth shaking again, and the Aberration screeched, “Why must I crumble night after night?” The words took us by surprise. Was it standing up again? I raised my sword and turned around, and so did Reinfried. But there was nothing behind us.

“The Aberration… vanished?” I said in disbelief.

“Where did it go?” Reinfried said. “Did anyone see what happened?”

No one answered.

“It’s back!” a guard shouted and pointed at the giant remains, which had suddenly reappeared.

“What’s happening?” Another guard fell back to the ground. “Is it recovering?”

“Are our eyes playing tricks on us?” I asked.

“No.” Reinfried stepped forward and touched the Aberration. When his fingers receded, several heads peeked out. There were ghosts—similar to the ones that had attacked me before. The Aberration’s body was made up of ghosts!

“Reinfried, we have to retreat,” I said. “Quick!”

“What?”

“There’s no time to explain. These ghosts can—”

A loud screech interrupted me: “You will regret your insolence, mortals.”

These words struck terror into our hearts. Suddenly, black fumes erupted from the Aberration’s wounds, and hundreds of ghosts escaped from inside. They wheeled in the air and crowded the sky while the Aberration’s corpse turned into ashes.

“We have to retreat,” I repeated.

“Gather the horses,” Reinfried said.

“Yes, sir!”

The town guards fired three flares and began to search for the horses, which had scattered during the chaotic battle. Some had stopped near the stream, and a few were hiding behind trees. The task took longer than Reinfried expected, especially since the horses needed to be calmed down.

“Are these the ghosts that attacked you?” Reinfried said as he and I waited.

“Yes.” I looked up at the ghosts that circled the flares. “We’re in trouble.”

“Why aren’t they hovering above us? Are they…”

“They’re waiting for orders,” I said. “The ‘witch’ must be nearby.”

Suddenly, the men who were gathering the horses began to scream. Their vocal cords tore, and their voices broke in agony. We turned toward the desperate noise. And what we saw was painful and grotesque. The men were on the ground. Their arms were being bitten; their faces were being crushed under hooves; their bodies were becoming fodder.

“This is a nightmare,” Reinfried murmured.

The ghosts had taken control of our horses and turned them into Aberrations. Our only means of escape were attacking us with ferocity and ruthlessness. Their eyes turned crimson; their manes grew longer and turned lime green; and their heads gained three bony horns.

“Kill the horses!” Reinfried shouted. “Don’t hesitate! Kill the horses!”

The guards began to carry out the new order, and a battle unfolded.

“The ‘witch’ is smarter than we thought,” I said as I waved my sword.

“I’m sorry, Lance.” Reinfried deflected an attack and killed a mare. “I should’ve predicted this.”

“I can’t accept your apology. You’ll have to try again when we’re back in Ashenbrook.”

He pulled his sword out of another dead horse. “You’re not giving up?”

I defeated a rampaging stallion. “No. Someone told me I should look death in the eye.”

We delivered simultaneous stabs.

After the last horse had dropped to the ground, however, the ghosts shifted their attention to us. They flew among the surviving humans and took control of their bodies. Reinfried and I were not spared. He relentlessly waved his sword, and I slashed one ghost after the other, but our struggle was in vain. The apparitions re-formed even after they were shredded into thousands of pieces.

“Lance,” Reinfried cried in pain.

I looked behind me and saw him on his knees. Three ghosts were invading his body, and another two were looming behind it. I rushed to help him, but the ghosts surrounded me too. I fell to my knees next to him, and he put his hand on my shoulder. We winced as pain shot through our chests. The world turned pitch-black, and I remembered my despair when the Laikos attacked me in the fog. The same despair was returning now—but so was the saving light.

“What is this heat?” Reinfried said.

It happened before. I was saved by this warmth before.

Our bodies heated up. The ghosts began to flee—wriggling and spinning like fish caught on a line. The fast ones escaped, but the rest burned and disappeared from existence. Reinfried and I stood up again and raised our weapons. We were saved by an inexplicable miracle, but the scene around us was grim. There were no other survivors. We had regained our eyesight, only to stare at a sea of corpses.

“This carnage…” Reinfried limped and looked around him. “It’s all my fault. I led them here tonight. I told them to fight.”

A lot of young men had lost their lives in this prolonged battle, and the burden of these deaths was heavy on Reinfried. When I looked into his eyes, I saw dismay, regret, pity, guilt. He was remembering the men who trusted him and followed his orders till the last moment. He was counting the sacrifices and questioning whether he could’ve saved a single soul—whether the outcome could’ve been any different.

“It’s not your fault.” I grabbed his arm and stopped him from wandering among the corpses. “We knew little about the danger, and we had to protect the town. We couldn’t retreat.”

“I killed them.”

“It’s not safe here. We need to head back to Ashenbrook.”

“I can’t go back.” Reinfried dropped his sword and looked up at the sky. The flares were still shining, although those who had launched them existed no more. His left arm hung at his side, and his legs barely kept him standing.

“I know one healing spell. It doesn’t do much, but it eases the pain.” I started reciting an incantation, and Reinfried was enveloped in healing light. “It will quicken your recovery too.”

“Thank you,” he smiled sadly. “At least, I’m not alone.”

“It’s not the time to get emotional,” I said. “The night isn’t over. We need to move.”

I heard the grass rustle and began to scan the area illuminated by the flares. My eyes couldn’t detect a threat, but I heard footsteps inside the fog. I prepared for combat again and said, “Reinfried, we can avenge your men. Their murderer has come for punishment.”

“Punishment?” a voice laughed. “This is comical—exceptionally hilarious—exquisitely, brilliantly parodic!”

A man stepped out of the fog. His head was shaved, and he wore black robes that had a white drawing of a headless sheep. His right hand carried an open grimoire, while his left remained free. He had no weapons, so I concluded that he was a mage. The puppeteer had finally taken the stage.

“I dare say you two will not be punishing anyone. On the contrary, I will be exacting revenge. Your actions destroyed days of hard work. And you’ve even escaped the Soul Clutch. How? No, it is foolish to ask. What happened is past. The present rests on my palm, and your future is—”

While the mage rambled on, I suddenly saw a dagger flying through the air. It was thrown with power and accuracy—indignation and dexterity. It interrupted the mage while he was speaking and pierced his shoulder, forcing him to scream in pain. I looked behind me and saw Reinfried holding his sword again. His shaggy hair covered his eyes, but I knew that they were blind with rage.

“We don’t need to take him in for questioning, Lance.” Reinfried pointed the tip of his sword at the mage’s head. “Scum like him will be interrogated in hell.”

“Ah, the pain! It’s so sweet.” The mage pulled the dagger out of his shoulder and licked the dripping blood. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long. It’s high time you disappeared.”

“You’re the only one who’s going to disappear,” Reinfried said.

“You think you’ve got me?” the mage laughed. “You think I’m here just to be killed by the two heroes? Not so fast! Look around you. Look really carefully.”

Muscles twitched; fingers moved; teeth clattered.

“They’re reporting for duty, Sir Reinfried,” the mage laughed again. “Give them orders. They will follow you through thick and thin.”

Suddenly, Reinfried and I were surrounded again. This time, the threat was taking a heavy toll on our hearts. The dead town guards had turned into zombies—puppets in the hand of a contemptible master.

“I won’t forgive you.” Reinfried tightened his grip on his sword, and it started to shine. “You’ll pay for everything you’ve done.”