Shen and Liliana slowly ceased their pace as they entered the barn. The smell of something rotten was all over the place.

Liliana's chest expanded repeatedly as she breathes in air through her nose, then she watched Darwyn and the Treant fighting outside.

It was needless to say that Darwyn overwhelmed the battle, but the Treant was not giving up without a fight. After returning her pulse to normal, Liliana nodded at Shen and the two explored the barn stealthily.

They are facing an unknown enemy, they must be careful. As the two delved deeper into the heart of the barn, Shen's ears twitched back and forth.

“I hear something.” Shen gracefully closed her eyes to enhance her hearing. “There's someone singing...?” Leading the confused Liliana, Shen took the front as her fist was ready to strike anytime.

The soothing voice of a woman soon whispered into the ears of Liliana. It was melodic, sad yet joyful. Various emotion was building up inside her, her feet and arms wanted to dance, to express her feelings but Shen stopped her.

“Don't pay to much attention to the song. It's a charm to trick what eyes can see.” Just like the magic of the high-class bards, the song of that woman has the power to entice people.

After taking more quiet steps, the two finally saw the source of the sound. A naked woman was facing them with her back. Her brown hair was covering her shoulder blades, down to her plump behind.

Her hands were moving depending on the emotion of her songs. “Oh! Oh! What pain it is!” The woman sang.

Shen squinted her eyes at the sight of the woman. “That's a dryad... But there's something wrong...” Shen was sure that it was a dryad.

A creature that spawned inside the forest, they are beautiful but they like to capture young men just to be their lovers. But there was something eerie about this particular dryad.

“To see what a maiden in-love can do!” It continued singing, but the tone of her voice was noticeably worsened. She sounded like a broken instrument being played by a lunatic.

“Oh! Oh! What pain it is!” Then her hands went down along with her voice. “To see a whole village got eaten by me!” The Dryad turned to them with only her head while the body remained on the other side.

“I kill them I kill them all! I'm so happy I'm so happy I'm so happy I'm so happy I'm so happy I'm—”

Liliana felt a prickling sensation behind her, like thousands of needles piercing her all at the same time. Liliana was shrouded in terror.

“L-Liliana!” Shen positioned her palm at the chest of Liliana.

Shen perceived the disturbance of chi that flows through Liliana. Anxious, Shen twisted her hand like opening a key.

“Ah!” Liliana exclaimed, her complexion returning to normal. Her once clouded mind can now think properly as she looked at Shen in confusion.

“W-what happened?”

“Don't look at the dryad directly!”

“What the do mea—Ah!” Her sight was blocked by Shen quickly. “Geez, how many spells can you use right now?” Shen said with an exhausted tone.

Liliana counted her finger, one, two, the sighed. “I can still remember two of my spell.”

It can't be helped. Shen shrugged her shoulder. She knew how trouble and hard for a wizard to cast a spell without preparation. They are, after all, defying the very logic of the world with the weave of mana.

“Fine, it's up to you how to use the spell.”

“Okay! J-just be careful out there.” Her eloquent yellow eyes looked up to Shen.

“He-he-he!” Shen patted the smooth head of Liliana, messing her wizard hat.

How sweet. Shen thought. It hadn't been a week since the two of them met but the affection this girl has for her was true.

Gentle and sweet, I could see why Darwyn want to protect this girl so much.

“I won't die, I promise.” Her bewitching smile asserted Liliana.

“D-do that,” Liliana said with all seriousness. “He-he-he! Look who's imitating Darwyn right now.”

“It's not like that!” Said the frowning Liliana. Having a little banter made the two relaxed a little. The sound of disturbance caused by Darwyn and the Treant served as a reminder that the two of them still have some fight to deal with.

Shen piqued a rattle from the Dryad when she entered its territory. The forest maiden jolted its limbs in all directions, opening its mouth with disgusting sounds of thick liquid.

From its open lips, a puppet made of wood unfolds, crawling its small hand through the ground. Liliana gritted her white teeth. Yuck! So the puppet came out from her! I know I shouldn't have touched that thing!.

Shen faded momentarily, then appeared before the Dryad. Pushing forward her palm while her other hand raised upwards. A hole was bored into the body of the Dryad along with the generated gust of wind.

The Dryad's face was twisting in pain—smile... She was grinning from ear to ear, spinning its head around in joy.

“Tsk, normal attack won't work.” Shen retreated while evading and attacking the wooden puppets produced by the Dryad. The hole inside the Dryad's body closed, like string fabric creeping and tangling to each other.

“Maybe acid will work!” Liliana exclaimed like it wasn't obvious. It was well known that even the most prominent regeneration capabilities of a troll have no match against acid. Recalling the Acid Arrow spell in her mind, strutting her wooden staff, she recited the spell “Acere...Arcus...! Acid Arrow!”

Her catalyst in hand dispersed then her green arrow materialize in front of her. Launching the arrow with the movement of her staff, she hit the Dryad.

“AAAAAHHHH!”

The Dryad wiggled like a worm on salt, the sizzling noise of her body mixed with her suffering voice managed to damage Liliana mentally.

The puppet around her convulsed violently as they fell into the ground completely helpless. Her foot grappled the ground, forming throbbing skin-colored roots and as if sucking something in, it grew bigger in size and screamed.

“AAAAHHHH!”

“That's her true form! She's not a Dryad! A high-class mimic! A shapeshifter!”

They said that if a monster can copy types of furniture, then that was a mimic, and if can assume a humanoid form, then that was a doppelganger, and if it can copy anything, then run, for it was a servant of the dark gods.

The aberration's roots pointed at Liliana, the girl who caused the thing to experience such pain. Shen's ears twitched up and down, then she dashed in front of Liliana.

Surrounding her hand with chi, she deflected the almost transparent projectile of the aberration. She knew that something had hit her, but didn't know what it was. The brittle roof was suddenly blown away by that something.

Debris fell as Shen observed her hand turned black, shuddering in pain. Darwyn was still fighting outside so they cannot rely on him this time.

Shen stared at Liliana, smiling seductively as always. “You better not die, okay?”

“W-what... H-hey, what are you planning!”

“I might not defeat it, but I can buy enough time for Darwyn to come here...” If it's him. A servant of the dark god versus a servant of the law, it was a shame that she cannot see how Darwyn will defeat this monster.

She giggled with her airy voice, then inhaled deeply. A monk can only use a limited amount of chi before resting because if they pushed themselves, the flow of chi inside them will crumble and will destroy their body.

Moving her hand in a circular motion, she created a yin and yan with it. Her eyes glowed white, her hair floated like it was underwater. It was a technique that she hasn't mastered yet, nor she will have the time to master it after this.

She knew for sure. I will die. But even so, she proceeded without hesitation. Shen's body, all of a sudden, was filled with strength, perhaps surpassing even Darwyn.

Her veins emerged from her smooth skin, her senses were heightened. She flung into the air with flickering motion, then hit punched the aberration with full force.

The monster's shoulder was blown and torn into pieces. Her punch packed not only pure raw power but magical forces that sustain her life as well.

Then she clutched the head of the aberration and hit it with her knee. The head was cracked, but not destroyed. Then a low kick came down on the roots of the monster. Her feet were like a sharp knife cutting leaves, her leg went through the hard flesh without a problem.

Black tentacles came from its eyes socket, ears, and mouth, heading to the defenseless Liliana. Seeing the thing from the distance, Liliana had enough time to react and jumped on the other side, landing her body flat.

It doesn't make sense. Shen watched as the tentacles retracted back to the holes of the aberration. Everything the aberration does not stay consistent. At first, it was a Dryad with powers only accessible to Dryads, then it became this... This thing.

It was because they are chaotic, that they do not make sense.

“Guh!” The burden on her body was finally too much to handle. Blood escaped from her mouth and nose, her eyes,though still glowing, was dripping red liquid.

“Shen!” No matter how much she screamed, her voice can only do little to this situation. Desperation and frustration swell in her chest, Liliana gripped her staff and used it as a device to help her stand.

Just looking at that thing chip away her sanity, but even so, she didn't take her eyes off. One spell, she can only cast on more spell before becoming useless in this fight.

A spell that, not kill the enemy, but to help them buy time. She could hear the rumbling outside becoming weaker, it means that someone was winning the fight.

“Eleila... Yerpe... Elemental Orb!”

A colorful orb manifested itself and headed to the aberration as it wobbled. Shen kept the monster busy so it didn't notice that the ball of ailment was heading to its way.

With a small bop, the orb exploded into beautiful lights, scattering its color, and striking down the aberration with a bolt of lightning.

The convulsing aberration let out a shaky cry as it struggled to stay still. Shen was far from staying and watching it dance weirdly, no, she twisted her body and kicked the aberration while spinning in the air.

The mere impact of her kick caused a small shockwave and the sound of an explosion, sending the aberration deep in the ground.

That was her final attack, Shen fell into her knees while coughing blood, her hand hid her mouth.

“Shen!” Liliana shouted as she galloped her way to Shen, but the monk raised her hand as if telling her to stop, of which she did.

In the midst of silence, a black tentacle rose below, piercing She's chest.

“...”

“...”

Both of them are quiet and confused. A small thud came from Shen, her body facing the ground as her face was expressionless. She was still breathing, but well, soon enough that will not be the case.

The aberration appeared from the underground, letting out a terrifying scream once again.

Anyone. Liliana felt something hot flowing from her cheeks. Please save Shen... Anyone, please... She wanted to say those lines, but the words wouldn't come out.

Liliana stared at Shen, the memories of the two played inside her mind. The time they spent together was short, yes, it was too short.

Her body would not move, not even if she wanted to. She just stood there, waiting for the aberration to come into her way.

“Dar...wyn...” Her voice trembled. “Darwyn! Please help us!” She screamed the loudest she can. She didn't stop shouting until all the air was gone inside her lungs.

It was more like a call for desperation rather than asking someone to help them. But nothing happened. The sound of fighting can still be heard outside, the aberration still making its way... Until a flying metal shield burst the barn wood walls and hit the aberration, cleaving away its flesh.

The sword and scale tattooed into the shield were majestic as ever. Through the whole that the shield created, a certain man can be seen. His ragged breathing caused the fog to formulate through his visor. Dirt was clinging to him here and there, his sword and hand shaking.

A giant tree was laying next to him, it was the Treant and its hallow eyes signaled no life. Stepping into the battlefield, Darwyn gripped his sword tighter.