Lancel and Rhea travel through the city looking for the Inn, but Lancel had last been in the city hundreds of years ago. Because of this, he no longer knew where anything was; both of them got lost. Luckily, they were surrounded by thousands of people to ask for help. Everyone was trying to get their hands on as much food as possible. Food had been scarce in the region ever since the Southern Empire, which supplied the Entangina empire with grain, was now destroyed. Rhea noticed Lancel’s grim expression, the look of a lost child. She knew they were lost, so she decided to take charge.

“Hey uh, Lancel?”

“Huh? Yes! The inn. Uhm..”

“Yeah, the inn. Where is it?”

“I have to admit. I haven’t the faintest idea of where it is.”

“I can tell……” said Rhea with a sarcastic tone.

“HEY! it’s not my fault these humans moved the city around!”

“UGH! you know I’m on the job, right? We are wasting time! swallow your pride and ask someone for help.”

Across the road from them was a shop that sold food. Hundreds of people have gathered around, trying to take as much food as possible. They were pushing each other around to get in the front of the line, and even then, it was difficult to purchase anything since everything would be either stolen or bought immediately.

Rhea and Lancel approached the crowd but getting any of their attention was going to be challenging. Instead, they decided to talk to an old man behind the crowd for guidance.

“Lancel, you talk to him.”

“This was your idea. You talk to him.”

“It’s your fault we are lost!”

“Whatever! okay, I’ll talk to him.”

The old man notices they are coming toward him, stands up from the ground, and proceeds to walk away quickly.

“Hey!!!!!!! OLDMAN! Where are you going?”

“Lancel! Wait up!”

“Sir! please wait!”

“The old man turns around towards the two. He had a peculiar mustache and a girly voice.”

“Yes? How may I help the two of you?’

Lancel and Rhea catch up with the old man but notice something weird about him. He reminded them of someone they had met months ago. The old man realized his cover was blown, so he decided to play along with the situation.

“Heyy! Rhea! Don’t you recognize me?”

“No? who are you?”

“It’s me! Alinta!”

Alinta takes off her makeup and cover to show them it’s her. Lancel jumps in front of Rhea with his sword, suspicious of where Alinta’s allegiances lay.

“Rhea! get back! you’re in danger!”

Alinta was sent on a secret mission by God, and she needed to maintain her cover as their ally. She quickly tries to reassure them of her intentions, but Lancel wouldn’t believe her words.

“Rhea, whatever she says, don’t believe her. Anyone who talks with God and returns unscathed is partnered with him.”

“Please! listen to me for a moment,” Said Alinta. “I come bearing no ill will. You must believe me.”

“Lancel, I mean, she did save me after all. Let’s hear what she has to say, at least.”

“Rhea, come on!! She has already picked her side.”

“If she was here with bad intentions, I’m sure she would have already unsheathed her sword.”

Lancel looks at Alinta’s sword. While they were in the army, Alinta’s sword radiated positive energy. Alinta has always been a bright individual, and the blade reflects her character.

“If your intentions are good, let us see your sword.” Said Lancel.

“I would rather not unsheathe my sword with all these people around. Why do you want to see it?”

“Rhea, let’s leave. A knight’s sword demonstrates where their heart belongs. She does not want us to see it.”

“I want to listen to her, though. Let’s just hear what she has to say.” Rhea turned to Lancel’s ear, which shocked him as well, elves did not have the tradition of whispering, but she whispered to him, “Hey, I mean, if all ends well, we could ask her for help. We are lost too..”

Lancel Whispered back, but he didn’t know how to do it properly, and his sound could be heard. “Fine. But I’m telling you! it’s a bad idea!”

Alinta starts laughing, mainly at how stupid Lancel sounded and the fact that he couldn’t even whisper.

“Ahahahahahaha! Ahahaha! Hah hah! You’d think after all these years of pretending to be a soldier; you would learn how humans talk!”

“Now look what you’ve done, Rhea! She’s full of herself!”

“Alinta, just tell us why you’re here.”

“Ahaha, ahaha. haha.” Alinta just about finished laughing and returned to her scheming attitude. “I came here because I had nowhere else to go to.”

“What do you mean?” Said Lancel in a confused manner.

“Well, it’s not like I can just go back to the Holy Kingdom, so I thought I would just hide out somewhere.”

Lancel had enough of Alinta’s lies. “Enough of this nonsense. You took one of our horses and charged towards God. What the hell happened back there?”

“I charged towards God and was sure he would kill me back there, but when I finally reached him, for some reason, I decided not to fight him.”

“There must be more to this story, surely.” Said Rhea disappointed at Alinta’s journey.

“No, that’s about it.”

“Do you think us fools? If God didn’t kill you, you must have struck a deal with him.”

“What? You think God is some lowly demon that makes deals?”

“OHH! I knew it! look how she is protecting him even in a conversation.”

Rhea whispers to Lancel and tells him not to reply. “Something shady is afoot here. But we are lost too. Let’s just ask her for help and interrogate her later.”

“Speaking of! Alinta! Sorry, but we are lost here. Lancel told me we would go out to eat, but we got lost. Do you know the way around here?”

“Oh, I see. Don’t worry about that. I’ll help, unlike this incompetent loser.”

“Hey! Don’t say that about Lancel.”

“Rhea, thanks, but I don’t need anyone to defend me. Anyhow, where do you go about calling others losers? You didn’t even dare to face God.”

Alinta paused for a moment debating whether or not her actions were justified.

“I mean, come on, you call me a loser, but you cut those kids’ heads off no problem. Were you too weak to fight back, or did you enjoy doing it!”

“ENOUGH! shut your damn mouth!” Cried out Alinta. “I had no choice! It was either those kids or my head! What sort of sick choice was that! Why didn’t you step in if you are so brave, huh!? You guys just closed your eyes! When Varis burned down the village, the soldiers made me watch as they killed everyone. But luckily you didn’t have to! Isn’t that nice! Not only that! Varis even told us to protect you, Rhea! Isn’t that something?”

Lancel and Rhea quieted down as they watched Alinta have a mental breakdown in front of them.

“Lancel, perhaps we were too rough on her. She’s been through a lot worse than we have.”

Lancel feels pity for Alinta and thinks, “Perhaps I’ve been too rough on her.” He reaches out his hand to Alinta with a napkin to dry her tears.

“Hey, Alinta, I’m sorry for what I said….”

“YOUR SORRY? NO, YOU ARE NOT SORRY! YOU ELVES ARE NEVER SORRY FOR ANYONE BUT YOURSELVES.”

“Alinta, we both are sorry. The people Varis killed were the people of my hometown, remember? I feel sorrow every day at the loss of everyone I know. Luckily though, there is one more person left.”

“What exactly is your meaning?” Said Lancel in a confused tone.

“I met with someone from my hometown. His name is Doctor Bango. He taught me how to use my magic for good causes and is a second father to me. Unfortunately, his kids were burned back at the village….”

Alinta, pained by the guilt of being the one to cut the heads of the children back at the village, began to cry.

Rhea and Alinta stepped back as Alinta continued to cry.

“Maybe we should just leave her. I doubt anything good will come from her.”

“We can’t just leave her out here. Did you forget we are lost?”

Alinta gets back up, still in tears, and says, “You know what, screw you. Find your own damn way around the city. I couldn’t care less.”

Alinta starts running away and uses the spell to mask her physical form temporarily. Rhea tries to pursue her, but Lancel stops her from going after her.

“Lancel, it’s getting late….. maybe we should just go do the task I was given. We can go to the Inn later.”

“I guess we could find a city guard and ask them to help us. But your right. I didn’t expect an encounter with Alinta. Be careful of her, though. I don’t think she is a reliable person to trust.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll keep my guard up around her.”

“Good, You should.”

Lancel and Rhea eventually find a city guard and get directions. The guard tells them that the destination was close by, but due to a recent remodeling of the Inn, they might have missed it. Both the Inn and Doctor Bango’s home were close in proximity, but due to a lack of time, they were going just to finish the quest first. They both quickly set their path toward Bango’s home.

After about ten minutes of walking around, they finally reached their destination. The same old shabby-looking house put a smile on Lancel and Rhea’s faces.

“There it is!” Said Rhea, excited at the thought of finally completing her first mission at the capital.

“What was the quest anyway? Just curious what we’re walking into.”

Rhea remembers that Bango told her to keep this mission a secret and lied about what the quest entailed. “Oh, I was just supposed to gather some materials for him. He is trying to make a potion or something.”

“A potion, huh? The town apothecary has been vacant. Perhaps he can apply to hold an office there.”

“I’m sure he’d love that.” Said Rhea. “Let’s go then.”

Doctor Bango opens the door to greet them with great excitement as well. The day he had been waiting for had finally arrived, and he and his wife could finally be reunited.

“Heyy! Rhea! I have been awaiting your arrival. Please! Take a seat anywhere. This gentleman here with you, who is he?”

Lancel reaches forward with his hand and shakes hands with the Doctor. “I’m Lancel, an acquaintance of Rhea for a while now. I heard much about you.”

“You have?”

“Why, of course, you are a great alchemist with magical knowledge from what I hear. With your help, I think we could even give God a run for his money.”

“What nonsense. I walked the path of the alchemist before. All it leads to is selfishness and sadness. God, on the other hand, is a supreme being! I know he doesn’t do anything good, but his power is undeniable. What we have is essentially trash compared to the power he wields.”

“Why is it that you love God so much? You know he is worse than the demons that kill for fun, right?”

Rhea immediately realizes that she forgot to mention Doctor Bango was a big-time God Fanatic, like Varis but a much less harmful version. “Perhaps I should tell him to stop before he offends Bango too. But to be honest, he isn’t wrong.” She thought.

“To think you can fight against the powers God wields is a fast way to an early grave.” Said Doctor Bango.

“What? So, you expect us to lie down quietly and die?”

“We were created to serve that purpose, so if God wills it, then so be it.”

“If God gets satisfaction from us murdering each other for amusement, then he is just a damn tyrant.”

Rhea jumps from her seat at the thought of comparing God to a tyrant. It made perfect sense from the actions God had displayed so far. “A tyrant, huh?”

“I won’t hear more of this heresy in my home. Either stop insulting God or leave.”

“Lancel!! Please behave! this man means a lot to me!”

“Fine, so much for being a man of science; you’re as crazy as they come!”

“Would you be quiet?”

“Ugh, your so stubborn, fine. Rhea, give him his stuff, and let’s leave.”

“Why leave so early? You just got here. Please stay with me for a while.”

“Lancel, let’s just stay for a while. By the way, Bango. I got the necklace you asked for.”

“OH, HOW WONDERFUL! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! WHERE IS IT?”

“It’s in my pocket.”

“What necklace are you guys talking about?”

“Oh yes, I suppose you don’t know what we’re doing. Thank you, Rhea, for conducting this secretly.”

“You know I would do anything for you, Doctor.”

“Let’s get right down to business then, shall we? Please, if you would, follow me.”

Doctor Bango leads Rhea and Lancel into his laboratory underground. Strange mystical objects floated about, radiating sinister energies. The moment Lancel saw what was in his basement, he turned pale.

“Doctor Bango? What in the world is all this?”

Lancel pointed at small jars that had eyeballs inside, presumably human. Hearts, lungs, livers, and other body parts were also preserved inside the magically sealed jars.

“Oh, that! Don’t worry about those. They are artificially created body parts using magic.”

Lancel turned to Rhea to see her reaction, but she didn’t seem surprised. The sight was horrid, yet Rhea was undeterred. He thinks that perhaps this is what most mad scientists do for fun, and there wasn’t anything to worry about. However, he quickly returns to reality when Rhea hands the doctor necklace.

“Doctor Bango, I believe this is for you.”

“Oh, how lovely, now we can finally begin our first phase of the experiment.”

“Rhea? Where did you get that necklace?”

Doctor Bango looks at Lancel in suspicion. He had heard that the royal family were elves, but he didn’t think the elf in front of him was the prince. If that were the case, he would undoubtedly be able to identify the necklace.

“Rhea? Are you going to tell him?” The doctor asked.

“That necklace looks strangely close to the one my sister wears, Doctor. Could I examine it for a moment?”

“Lancel, I’m sorry….”

The Doctor puts his hand on Rhea’s shoulder to reassure her that what she is doing is right. “I’m glad that you decided to help me, Rhea.” The Doctor goes to the podium in the middle of the laboratory with a red grimoire lying on top. He chants a very short spell named Temporal Chains, and on activation, before Lancel could even draw his sword, magic circles encircled him, preventing him from moving.

“RHEA! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!”

Confused as to why Lancel is so upset, Rhea asks Lancel why he was throwing a tantrum.

“That Necklace is the lifeline of my sister Rhea! If that necklace breaks, we are all doomed!”

“Doctor Bango? What is the meaning of this? You lied to me!”

“No? I don’t remember lying to you. I told you that I needed the necklace for an experiment. I didn’t say anything about this being Queen Grismala’s lifeline.”

“What are you planning to do with it!” Asked Lancel as he struggled to break through the temporal chains using his magic sword.

“Don’t worry. I’m not foolish enough to break it. Please, I think it’s time. Take a look.”

The Doctor brought forth the orb he used to communicate with God. He used this device to visualize all the humans trapped in his basement.

“Over the past few months, I have been gathering humans to attempt necromancy, you see, but I’m not adept in the dark arts and whatnot. In simple terms, every human down there is a failed experiment or zombie. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to revive them to their former glory.”

“And why do you need Grismala’s Necklace for?!” Yelled Lancel.

“Ah! Grismala’s Necklace. Now that I still don’t know. While I was deciphering this book here,” The doctor pointed at the red grimoire, “I was able to establish a connection with God. He told me about the path of necromancy and a way to reunite with her.”

“You’re mad! You can’t trust a word that God says! he is using you as a pawn, don’t you see!?”

“Regardless of the matter, this is my only path forward. I cannot turn back now.”

“Doctor Bango. What would happen to Grismala if you used the necklace for your experiment?”

“Logically speaking, she will die.”

“So, you sent me on a secret quest to murder my friend? Can’t you see, Lancel is right. God is toying with you. Please return the necklace.”

“I cannot do that. Please behave yourselves for a moment.”

Doctor Bango uses the power inside the orb to cast (Silence), which completely mutes everyone in the surrounding area.

“I’m sorry, Rhea, but I have to restrain you too. Just bear with me for a moment.”

Temporal chains surrounded Rhea, preventing her from interrupting the spell he was about to cast. The Doctor Raises his hand on top of the Podium and cuts his finger. Blood trailed around the room in a circle and a pentagram shape in the middle. The blood began to glow, and evil energies flowed into the room.

“God! I make this offering to you! Please accept it!”

The spell had finally begun, and the hour of reckoning was close. Sinister energies radiated at a hectic pace into the room, causing confusion, anger, hate, and all other aspects of dark sentiments within the hearts of those outside the circle. Underneath them, the stone floor suddenly became see-through because the magic circle showed them the captive humans. Under the influence of evil energies, the captives begin consuming each other.

Horrified at the sight, Lancel falls unconscious. Rhea closed her eyes tight and tried her best not to hear the screaming pain of those underneath them.

The doctor laughs hysterically as he circles around the room and screams. “HAHAHA! LOOK AT ALL OF THEM! CONSUMING EACH OTHER LIKE ANIMALS! AND TO THINK I DEVOTED MY LIFE TO SAVING THEM. GOD! WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP! CONFIDE IN ME. YOUR GREAT PLANS!”

The orb suddenly turned pitch black, and a God spoke through it. “You have done well, Doctor, and as a reward, you deserve to be reunited with your wife. The final step is now before you. Once our communication ends, break this orb, and with its shattered crystal, channel all the evil energies bounded by the blood ritual into the necklace. Once the necklace has completely consumed the corruption, your wife will be resurrected.”

“Oh, thank you, my lord! Thank you!”

“Doctor! Pleaseee! Stop this madness! You are being tricked! God does not care for you!” Said Rhea in a last-ditch attempt to bring some sense into the doctor.

“Be quiet you! I’m about to be reunited with my loving wife, and no one can stop me!” The doctor shatters the orb on the ground, and the corrupted spirits screamed in pain, trying to escape the circle.

Emperor Lucious kicked through the laboratory door, and two grandmaster paladins charged through the opening.

“Cease them at once!” Yelled Emperor Lucious with a commanding voice.

“No!! The spell is not done! It is not done! Wait!” Cried out the doctor as the paladins pressed his neck into the ground, confiscating the necklace.

Emperor Lucious walked towards the center of the room and cast advanced Dispel magic. To his surprise, the spell failed miserably, draining an incredible amount of life force and mana, causing him to collapse on the ground.

“Emperor! are you alright!” Said one of the grandmaster paladins.

Confused about why his spell just failed, he quickly decides what they should do. “Escort all of us out of here safely immediately. There are too many sinister energies to deal with alone!”

“Yes, my Lord!”

The Paladins used paralysis on Rhea, Lancel, and the Doctor, unsure of what was happening. As they were escorting everyone out, one of the paladins asked Emperor Lucious, “What are we supposed to do with these lot?”

“We have to interrogate them. A great many things fog my judgment. We must clear this fog before we move forward.”

“Yes, your excellency.”

The paladins safely took everyone out of the affected area. After a while, the sinister energies inside the laboratory grew weaker, and on his second attempt, Lucious was able to dispel all evil magic in the area.

Emperor Lucious returns to the people they assumed were behind orchestrating the entire event and says, “Do you have any idea at what you have done?!”

The doctor tries to look away, but Lucious reaches forward and grabs his face like he is some sort of object, “DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?”

Rhea suddenly bursts into tears, “Doctor! I told you don’t do it! Why did you do this! All those innocent people you killed! For what! You told me that no one would get hurt! why did you lie to me?”

The doctor finally realized the horror he had unleashed with this experiment, “How could I do such a thing? I don’t understand.” He tried to look back at Rhea, but his guilt overpowered him, causing him to look away. “I’m so sorry, Rhea. I’m sorry for all I’ve done!”

“Isn’t that nice! If only you could realize what you were doing was wrong before we head to come personally.” Said Lucious as he observed the mess around them. “I ask you again, do you know what you have done?”

“Believe me! I was only attempting to bring back the dead, please! My wife! take me to her!”

“Where is she?”

“In the basement! we must go fast!”

Lucious takes a moment to analyze the situation thinking, “Perhaps it would be wise to see the source of all that corruption that caused my spell to backfire.” Setting his mind to go and see the source of the corruption, he says. “Very well, let us go, lead the way, doctor. We will kill you on the spot if we sense any wrong move.”

As they were about to go to the basement, Lucious turned around, remembering that Rhea and Lancel were still there, and commanded the second paladin to stand guard while they went to the basement.

Rhea stood up, wiped off her tears, and said, “Please take me with you.”

“Are you sure about this?” Said Lucious. “The sight we are about to behold is not for the faint of heart.”

“Yes! I must go!”

“Very well then, you may come with us.”

Rhea, Lucious, and Doctor Bango made their way to the basement. The basement consisted of various hallways leading to a large central chamber. The room was locked with an enormous metal door with warnings and demonic seals to prevent unauthorized access.

Lucious takes out his Holy weapon. *The Staff of Tranquility*. A magic weapon of 8th tier. This holy magical item can naturalize any demonic spell under 5th tier and gives the user access to enhanced holy magic.

Lucious used the staff of tranquility and cast Purifying radiance, a 7th-tier holy magic that shattered the door's demonic effects.

“It seems we are safe to pass now.”

Surprised at the power displayed by the Emperor, Rhea remembers the stories her father told her about him.

The three of them walked into the room. The room was covered with blood, but no corpses were left behind. In the corner of the room was a small red creature, composed of a flesh-like substance with small arms and legs coming out of it. It had one eyeball and a small circular mouth to breathe.

The doctor was the first to take notice of this creature and yelled, disgusted at sight, “WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?”

The tiny creature began crawling toward them at a snail’s pace. Tormented with pain, it cried in a high-pitched voice, but a sound could be distinguished from all the crying. “BAAAAAAAAAANGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

Doctor Bango ran towards the creature and held it in his arms. The animal in front of them was a failed experiment, but the soul of his deceased wife had been linked to the dying creature. “Everything is ok, my love! Stay with me!”

“IIIIIII MISSSSSEDDDDDDD YYYYYYYOUUUUUUUUU”

“Hush now, darling, everything will be okay, I promise. Save your strength.”

Emperor Lucious looked disgusted at the creature and mumbled, “What sort of a sick individual would do this, and what sort of God would permit that abomination.”

Rhea felt pity for the doctor. She knew that the creature was in agony and killing it would prove to be an act of mercy at that point, so when she heard Emperor Lucious talk about killing the creature, she decided she won’t stand in his way.

Lucious gracefully walks across the pitiful-looking room and puts his hand on the shoulder of the doctor. “I suggest you make peace with your wife.”

“Please, no! we can keep it alive with my medicine.”

“You can no longer look at that thing as you did with your wife. Even now, you just called that creature “it.” Even you cannot see her as a human anymore.”

“Oh, my darling. How could I ever do this to you! How could I tarnish our loving memory with such sickening sight?”

Rhea watched as the doctor put the blob back on the ground. The creature looked back in silence and was slightly sad. A small tear dropped from its eye. As the doctor went to give the beast one last kiss, Emperor Lucious stabs the creature with his staff, killing it.

“Why did you do that!” Said Bango, “We could have at least waited it out!”

“I’m tired of this sick joke. I did your wife a kindness. If you want to be with her so bad, I can reunite you here and now.”

“Then do it! Kill me, you bastard!”

Lucious prepares to cast a fireball at the doctor, but Rhea intervenes.

“Please! Do not hurt him!”

“Get out of the way, Rhea!”

“Please! I beg of you! Don’t kill the doctor. He is the only one I have left.”

“And what of the young elf?”

“He is my companion... No, he is a friend. But Doctor Bango has been like a father to me. That’s different.”

“Very well then, I must return this necklace to its rightful owner at once. Doctor Bango! Please, let the past go. For the sake of Rhea here, you must step towards the future.”

“I……. I understand”

“Good, then I'll be off. But you cannot get out of this so easily. You must repent for the crimes you have committed today. Once you are ready, my knights will escort you to the capital, where you will be held to await trial.”

“Peace be with you!” said Doctor Bango in a thankful manner.

“It seems that your friend is still unconscious; let’s go treat his wounds. Rhea, I want you to know I’m sorry for all I’ve done.”

Rhea and the doctor walked back upstairs. In the living room, one of the paladins stood guard next to Lancel. Doctor Bango goes into the kitchen, grabs a few medicinal herbs, and tends the wounds caused by the temporal chains. “Although temporal chains cause no damage to human bodies, they do damage magical creatures. Luckily, Lancel was strong enough to endure for so long.”

Rhea was impressed by Lancel’s physical endurance and further motivated to keep him by his side.

“Thanks a lot, doctor. I don’t know what I'd do without you.”

“I’m sorry. It’s because of me we are in this situation in the first place. Anyhow that should take care of his wounds for now.”

“Don’t worry, doctor, you’re doing the right thing.”

“Thanks for understanding. Take care of him for me, will you? It seems that I made these knights wait long enough already. Paladins, please take me to wherever I need to go.”

“Let’s go then.” Said the paladin.

The paladin put handcuffs and chains on his legs so he could not escape. He quickly carried the doctor outside and threw him on the back of his prison transport carriage.

Rhea watched through the window as the paladin sat in front of the carriage and whipped the horses. The horses began to move, and in a few moments, the carriage was no longer in her sights.

Lancel moves around a little, still in pain from the Temporal Chains eating away at his magical skin.

“Please don’t move. It will only make it worse, Lancel.”

“What the hell happened back there?”

“It’s a long story. Please just recover. I will brief you in on the details later.”

Lancel closes his eyes and tries to rest. As nighttime approached, Rhea decided to sleep on the couch across from Lancel after reapplying medicine to his wounds before bed.

“Thank you… Rhea... and... Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Lancel. Sleep well.”