The vast dome encompassing Crowcairn loomed before Scarlett as she peered through the carriage window, murmurs of bewilderment rippling through the contingent of the duke’s men gathered outside. It was a sight that was far from ordinary, even in this world of dragons and magic. The greyish hue of the dome possessed an eerie luster, as though it repelled the very sunlight that tried to pierce its veil, offering only a distorted and colorless glimpse of what lay within.

The villagers of Crowcairn had activated the Sanctumbrum. They were no longer bothering to keep their existence a secret.

A few meters from the carriage, Scarlett saw Sir Home, clad in armor atop his horse. His gaze was fixed upon the barrier, his countenance grim. His lips moved, forming words inaudible to Scarlett, but eventually, he grabbed the reins of his horse and turned it around, sweeping his eyes over his troops.

“Our foe has revealed their hand!” he declared, his voice carrying over the large group before him. While Scarlett couldn’t be certain if all of them were as elite as the force assembled to confront the Vilewyrm, there were more people now than there had been then, including a significantly larger number of mages. “I do not have to be the one to tell you that this is no natural occurrence, but nor is it the work of demons! Its origin, however, is something almost equally sinister, for this is the doing of our empire’s most ancestral enemy, the Tribe of Sin!”

A wave of surprise swept through the ranks of soldiers and mages, flashes of anger and realization flickering across their faces. Everyone in the empire knew of the recent attacks by the Tribe, and there were few who considered them anything less than a scourge upon these lands.

Scarlett supposed she couldn’t fault their reactions, given the Tribe’s track record.

“Mages, prepare yourselves. This barrier is formidable, but that does not mean it has to be impenetrable. We shall commence our assault forthwith. The rest of you will begin fortifying our position.”

Sir Home guided his horse up alongside Scarlett’s carriage as they approached the village. Their heads were at the same level as Scarlett opened the window, letting the cool air inside and allowing the man to address her. “Baroness Hartford, it appears we finally have an answer as to the identity of our perpetrators. I must admit, I didn’t even consider the possibility of the Tribe’s involvement. Now that I see the truth laid bare before me, though, it feels painfully evident.”

Scarlett regarded the man. “I presume you have previous experience with the Tribe, Captain?”

He nodded gravely. “That I do. I fought against them in my youth and during my time as a Solar Knight. It’s been many years, but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen one of their accursed ‘Sanctums’.”

“Are you confident that your current forces will be capable of breaching it?”

“I cannot say for certain, but we have no choice but to try. I’ve seen them be brought down before, so there is hope. Leave this to us, Baroness, and conserve your energy for now. We will strive to forge a path forward.”

With those words, the man steered his horse away and began issuing more commands to his people, directing their efforts as they reached the outskirts of the Sanctum’s barrier and began setting up their defences a short distance away from its edge.

“Is it really the Tribe of Sin who’s responsible for this?” Allyssa’s voice sounded out, and Scarlett turned to look at the young Shielder sitting across from her in the carriage cabin.

“It would appear so, yes,” she replied.

Allyssa gazed out of the window towards Crowcairn, her face reflecting a mixture of emotions. The girl still seemed to struggle with coming to terms with what Scarlett had discussed with her before. “So, does this mean they’re holding the villagers hostage?”

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “That is unlikely.”

“Why’s that?”

She studied her, considering how to best present the situation.

“It’s probably one of their enclaves,” Shin said from beside Allyssa, looking at Scarlett. “Am I right?”

Scarlett briefly glanced at him, then nodded. “That does seem to be the case.”

Allyssa turned to him. “Enclaves?”

“One of the Tribe of Sin’s communes. In the past, they have often established covert settlements across the empire and other nations to gather information. Sometimes, they even built or assimilated entire villages like this one.”

“What? That’s absurd. How could people miss an entire village belonging to the Tribe?”

Shin shrugged. “I don’t know. The reasons probably vary. Sometimes, the Tribe’s been there for a long time. Other times, no one thinks to look. For some reason, their existence isn’t common knowledge. Every recent source I’ve seen mention enclaves said they were a thing of the past.”

Allyssa stared at him for a few seconds, then shifted her attention back to the grey barrier veiling Crowcairn. “Are you seriously telling me that every single villager there might be a member of the Tribe?”

“It is a plausible conclusion, given the circumstances,” Scarlett said.

Allyssa looked to her. “What about any children? The elderly?”

Scarlett met her eyes. “Were you under the impression that Tribe members materialized out of thin air and faded into nothingness when their purpose was complete?”

The girl remained silent for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. Then, her gaze returned to the Sanctum’s barrier. “…So, what’s our next step?” she eventually asked.

“Precisely as Sir Home said,” Scarlett answered, following her line of sight. “We will be conserving our energy while he and his men prepare to breach the village.”

In the game, the Phantom Sanctums weren’t always penetrable by the player, but there were instances where they could be pierced. Considering the size of Sir Home’s forces and the barrier’s relatively small size, Scarlett believed they had a fair chance of success, albeit perhaps not without a struggle.

Her attention drifted to the distorted and obscured image of Crowcairn within the Sanctum.

The rapid progression of events compared to the game had forced the villagers to expose their trump card prematurely. Conveniently, this meant that they lacked the resources or freedom to interfere with Rosa and Malachi, as they would have in the game once they discovered what was happening on that front.

In that regard, the current circumstances were almost ideal for Scarlett. Malachi had unwittingly played into her hands. She couldn’t have planned it much better herself.

She really wouldn’t have had much reason to complain if it hadn’t been for that nagging voice at the back of her head. The one that told her this situation was anything but perfect, leaving her with a sense of annoyed distaste for how things had unfolded. She couldn’t help but wonder whether this was yet another twisted manifestation of the original’s personality and strange obsessions, angered at the seeming loss of agency or some other nonsense, or if it was something that originated from her.

At this point, it was hard to tell.

Time passed as they remained in the carriage, watching as Sir Home and his men busied themselves. Some of the guardsmen from Bridgespell were erecting a rudimentary camp and basic fortifications facing Crowcairn, positioning wagons as a primary line of defence and digging shallow trenches. Scarlett and her carriage were positioned closer to the rear, away from the worst of the noise and potential danger.

On a slight hill overlooking the area, mages, under the command of one of the officers, began casting spells in a methodical, coordinated manner. It was a deliberate barrage—fire, water, earth, and other magical schools and affinities—assaulting the Sanctum’s barrier, gradually aiming at weakening it. No doubt, the mages would exhaust themselves of mana before the barrier gave in, but with over a dozen mages working in unison, they might be able to wear it down if they had the rest of the day.

Eventually, Sir Home approached the carriage once more, his focus locked on Scarlett. “Baroness Hartford,” he greeted her with a hint of awkwardness in his voice. “I’ve dispatched men to request further supplies and heavier ordnance from Bridgespell. With a bit of luck, we’ll have more mages and possibly even siege weaponry at our disposal before nightfall. That said…it just occurred to me that in our earlier conversation, I neglected to consider whether you might possess some knowledge or information that could aid our efforts.”

“I am afraid that I do not,” Scarlett replied. “While I have studied the Tribe’s capabilities and their Sanctums, this is my first encounter with one in person. I am unaware of any specific weakness that could expedite its collapse in this instance.”

“I see.” A flicker of disappointment crossed the knight captain’s face, but he quickly regained his composure. He turned his head, surveying the soldiers milling about. “I suppose it was too much to hope for. No matter. We’ll press on, may Ittar mark my words. The Tribe will not escape the consequences of their treachery, their heinous deeds, and their unholy alliance with demons.”

Scarlett observed the man silently for a few seconds.

The situation was now a race against time for both sides in this conflict. If the Tribe members were given enough time, they could escape relatively unscathed, leaving Sir Home—and the duke, by extension—with little to show for their efforts and limited insight into the Tribe’s activities in the area. However, if Sir Home could bring down the Sanctum’s barrier before that, the Tribe were the ones who would be at a disadvantage.

As for the exact timeframe of things, Scarlett couldn’t say. The Sanctum was a temporary measure the villagers had erected while preparing their escape. That much probably stayed true from the game. But how long those preparations would take and their exact costs weren’t details she possessed. Even had she known it from the game, she wasn’t sure such precise time durations translated well into this world.

“If anything, I commend your dedication, Captain,” she finally said. “I regret not being of greater assistance in this endeavor. However, if any further questions or concerns arise, please do not hesitate to seek my counsel. I will be here.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” the man replied, bidding her farewell with a curt nod before returning his attention to his duties.

As the steady assault on Crowcairn’s barrier continued, Scarlett and her party remained in the carriage, listening to the sounds of occasional spellcasting outside. Fynn utilized this period of calm to meditate, while Shin delved into the pages of one of his books. Allyssa, in comparison, sought refuge from the scenery outside by closing her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Despite the scant amount of sleep that Scarlett herself had gotten over the past two days, she felt surprisingly alert. It was a welcome surprise, though, since she had neither the time nor the opportunity to relax for the time being. Attempting to rest only led to her mind being flooded with distracting thoughts that served no purpose.

As Scarlett watched the efforts of Sir Home’s people through the carriage window, a sudden jolt from Fynn beside her caught her off guard. The young man lunged out of his seat from nowhere, shattering the relative peace in the cabin as he moved for the door and flung it open and leapt out. Almost immediately following that, cries of alarm echoed across the camp, piercing the air like discordant notes.

Scarlett’s gaze darted towards the source of the commotion, her eyes widening slightly as she spotted several black-clad figures emerging from the grey barrier surrounding Crowcairn like spectral apparitions. Their figures grew more defined as they exited it completely, and as a single group with a menacing air surrounding them, they converged towards Sir Home’s forces.

Soldiers standing amidst the hastily constructed fortifications braced themselves for the inevitable clash, their swords and shields raised in defense. But the Tribe members, numbering over two dozen, moved quickly and with force, several of them nimbly managing to press through before all the men around the camp had time to reinforce their compatriots. Their attack seemed to target the mages who were recovering their mana near a row of tents.

Sir Home and some of his knights immediately seemed to recognise this, moving to intercept the interlopers. The knight captain managed to block off three Tribe members by himself, but not all defenders could respond as quickly as needed.

Inside the carriage, Allyssa had woken up as she and Shin started moving, while Fynn had transformed into a steadfast guardian, positioning himself protectively in front of the vehicle in case any assailants chose them as a target. Scarlett scanned the area, relaxing only slightly after confirming that the Tribe members seemed to be ignoring them.

She wondered whether the villagers of Crowcairn were aware of her association with the Cabal, or if she would be a complete unknown to them. The latter seemed more likely. That meant that, since she was the one skirting the line of what the agreement allowed, these Tribe members would be well within their right to target her. Because of that, she did actually need to show some caution.

She couldn’t just stand idly by doing nothing, though. That would be far too suspicious. To avoid drawing attention, she started using her magic to subtly destabilize those of the Tribe members who were within her range and aid those of her allies who appeared in need.

Not that she needed to do much in the end. The skirmish ended up being a brief one. Even before Allyssa and Shin had the chance to fully join in, the Tribe members began picking up their own and retreated to the Sanctum. In their wake, they left behind a few injured—possibly killed—mages. However, Sir Home and his people had also cut down six or seven assailants, leaving it unclear which side suffered the heaviest loss.

Scarlett watched as the Tribe members soon disappeared inside the Sanctum, the grey barrier allowing their passage where it would deny any outsiders. She then shifted her attention to the camp, now in a state of mild disarray. Nonetheless, Sir Home swiftly regained control of the situation. As Allyssa and Shin busied themselves helping out where they could, the knight captain briefly approached Scarlett to assess her condition, urging her to exercise caution in case of potential future raids. From there, he began barking orders to his men as they got to treating the wounded and resuming activities.

A while later, as Scarlett sat in the carriage on her own, with Fynn playing watchdog outside, something else happened.

An intangible wave of pure violence slammed into her, the sensation penetrating her very core, compelling every fiber of her being to cry out as if violated. It lasted for but a heartbeat, but its source was unmistakable for someone like her who had encountered something similar. Echoed cries of distress and fear from the camp confirmed she wasn’t the only one to have experienced the unsettling feeling.

Looking out the window, Fynn was already there, serious-faced.

“I am aware,” she told him, turning her gaze to the distance. Not to Crowcairn, but north. To the horizon.

There, rising like a nightmarish apparition against the grey sky, stood a citadel crafted from pure obsidian. Its colossal spires pierced through the clouds, their jagged edges seemingly torn from the very fabric of reality itself. Even a mere glance at them provoked something within Scarlett to coil in displeasure. Bathed in an unholy crimson aura, the citadel exuded an otherworldly agony that felt nearly tangible. Its walls pulsated with a sinister energy, casting grotesque shadows that appeared to writhe and whisper in hushed, blasphemous tongues that carried across the considerable distance separating it from the camp.

However, even as it loomed there, blanketing the landscape with its oppressive presence, the dread fortress felt only partially real, as if it straddled the boundary between the infernal abyss whence it came and the land it now tainted.

Shackles that had been wrapped around Scarlett for far too long suddenly relinquished their grasp of her. She glanced down at her left hand, where a fading purple crest slowly disappeared. Returning her gaze to the harrowing spectacle on the horizon, a mixture of anticipation and apprehension churned within her.

Anguish’s citadel had finally clawed its way into the Material Realm, and the stage was set for an overdue encounter with its mistress.