The Hags all shared evil grins before the illusion faded away, revealing the Sword Saint kneeling fully armoured in the centre of their circle. Their figures were fully cloaked, concealing their true appearances.

Torrents of mana escaped from the Sword Saint's body, flowing through each sister in turn. Igniting green flames along the sprawling arcane runes covering the flesh of their exposed clawed hands.

The mana settled inside the belly of the third sister. A bump rapidly formed on her abdomen at an exponential rate. Simultaneously, the Sword Saint's hair turned white while his skin visibly deteriorated with every passing moment. He was transformed into a husk of a man with no substance to his body, looking like an animated skeleton.

His eyes suddenly sharpened into focus, burning with radiant vitality. Picking up his bloodied longsword lying in the dirt beside him, the withered Sword Saint pushed himself to his feet. He turned to confront the three Hags with barely concealed wrath.

"You witches have stolen something from me. I expect you to uphold your end of our bargain. Now. Or you all die where you stand," the Sword Saint angrily threatened, teetering on unsteady legs.

"Peace, Sword Saint. Thou will have thy wish fulfilled," the second Hag said.

"And more. For everlasting life, one must sacrifice thy own," the first Hag added, lovingly caressing the third sister's stomach.

"Prepare thyself, Sword Saint. Thou turn shall come. The spell hath been wrought. Encompass thy surroundings, changes are already in motion," the third Hag warned, placing a hand over her sister's. The Sword Saint ignored her instruction.

"What have you done, transform me into a lich?" The Sword Saint replied, holding up his shrivelled sword hand.

"Haha, death magick is not our domain, Sword Saint. Thou knows this well. A Hag deals in blood magick. A sacrifice must be made in exchange," The second Hag said, cradling her arms around her sisters to place her hands atop theirs.

"Shall we demonstrate? Here is thy squire," the third Hag said, gesturing to the temple entrance.

The Sword Saint followed her gesture, discovering the dishevelled figure of Eugene panting against the doorway. The young Adept Magus's hood was thrown back to reveal his exhausted appearance. His red hair was plastered to his brow by sweat. Chunks of his thick beard were missing with wounds crisscrossing his face and torso.

"Eugene! What happened to you?" The Sword Saint exclaimed.

"My lord? I see you were victorious as I knew you would be! I was also successful in ridding this city of vermin. No more Goblins reside within the walls of Rafiti," Eugene proudly announced.

"How is that possible? It would take an army to eradicate them all," the Sword Saint asked, staring at him in disbelief.

"Or a Magus of sufficient power. I made a bargain with the Hags," Eugene replied, motioning toward the three cloaked figures.

"You fool. What did they ask for in exchange? Look at how I've suffered at the hands of their so-called bargains," the Sword Saint said, brushing a hand over his armour.

"My lord appears to be in perfect health? I need only transit them away from this place," Eugene asked in confusion. Upon hearing his response, the Sword Saint looked down at his body, turning over his hand to inspect it.

It's true, my flesh has returned to normal. Did the Hags truely uphold their side of the deal? My mana pool is still depleted, but I need rest after my battle against the dragon, Akarad. Perhaps I misjudged them.

"It is time to collect our side of the pact, Eugene of Electria. Is thou ready?" The third Hag asked. Eugene turned to look questioningly at the Sword Saint.

"My lord, I gave my word," Eugene pleaded.

"Without keeping your word, honour means nothing. Go," the Sword Saint replied, waving him away.

"Hehehe, the heart of a true dragon for the fate of a forest. The breath of the Sword Saint for the creation of a life. The core of a Magus for transit across Nyre. I mark these as fulfilled," the first Hag said, her sisters echoing her words.

Immediately afterwards, Eugene clutched at his throat while falling to his knees. His expression was filled with panic as his eyes bulged in their sockets. His face was slowly turning purple from lack of oxygen.

"Release my squire from your foul witchcraft at once!" The Sword Saint shout, swinging his sword aimed at their heads.

A blade formed of mana erupted from his sword, travelling at incomprehensible speed toward the trio. They merely cackled in amusement, the third sister raising her hand dismissively. The mana blade dissipated into thin air before it could reach them, leaving the Sword Saint stunned.

He stared at the Hags with his mouth agape in disbelief before quickly regaining his composure. He firmly pressed his lips together while tightening the grip on his hilt. He suddenly disappeared, crossing the distance between them faster than the eye could follow. He moved at speeds that Dink's draconic transformation paled in comparison.

Before he could reach his target, the three Hags simply vanished. The Sword Said heard a thump behind him. Turning around, he discovered the lifeless form of Eugene. He was lying facefirst in the dirt with his expression frozen in horror. He rushed over to Eugene's corpse, collapsing to his knees beside him.

"Fuck. For this, you will pay dearly, Hags!" the Sword Saint roared into the sky.

His words reverberated through every corner of Rafiti. Shaking the walls of buildings throughout the city as if it were struck by a small earthquake. The vibration of the sound rattled debris loose in the temple ceiling above him, causing a shower of pebbles to pummel him.

Ignoring the barrage, the Sword Saint scooped Eugene up in a remorseful embrace. He pulled away after encountering unexpected resistance. Turning over Eugene's body, he found a large number of plant roots emerging from his back.

Climbing to his feet with Eugene cradled in his arms, he looked around himself. Moss and ferns blanketed the corpse of the black dragon, Akarad. It visibly expanded across the surface of the ruined temple, covering its walls in vibrant greenery.