— Why... — the boy mumbled through tears, choking on sobs and saliva.

The creature approached on all fours, sank its teeth into his neck, and tore away half the skin, spraying blood in all directions. Cleveland writhed, dying quickly.

Outside the house, as the brutality unfolded, Ferry tried to hide in the church. However, she was surrounded by the horde. There were so many monsters that even they could barely distinguish humans from enemies.

But her escape didn’t last long. She was struck by an extremely sharp knife that slashed her back down to her waist. She fell to her knees, unable to withstand the massive wound. The goblin responsible dug his clawed fingers under her skin, tearing it open even further. Ferry screamed in agony.

Her scream attracted the monsters, who devoured her alive until only blood, torn organs, and a few fingers remained on the ground.

In the house with the most men, they resisted for a time using barricades and tools as weapons. However, the number of creatures was overwhelming. One by one, they were killed as they tried to flee or fight to the end.

Philipe was ready to die if it meant even one person could escape. He was saved by someone who pushed him at the last second. Thrown into Liz’s house — strangely untouched — he understood why.

— I don’t believe it... — he murmured, in tears.

Liz’s mother, a practitioner of magic, had protected the house with a spell. Once considered paranoid, she always said the village wasn’t as safe as people thought. In the end, everyone could have survived had they sheltered there. Philipe understood, with rage, Dereck’s behavior. In the end, he had been right.

— Wherever you are, you bastard... — he muttered through gritted teeth. — I’ll kill you.

— Philipe? — a female voice called. Turning around, he saw Liz, Beta, and Payton.

— I don’t believe it... — he said, breaking down in tears.

Philipe hugged them tightly, crying on the children’s shoulders, who didn’t understand what had happened.

— Listen, my kids... You have to leave here at dawn. There are horses hidden in a secret barn, cared for by me and Jonathan. There are only two, but they should be enough — he said, his voice trembling.

— Why are you crying? — Payton asked, concerned.

The question, so innocent, broke him even more inside. The tears wouldn’t stop. And even with the monsters dispersing, danger still loomed.

Through the window, almost covered by curtains, they saw small pink fragments falling like rain and vanishing before touching the ground. The protective seal was fading. Someone had nullified it — someone with immense power.

Before he could react, Philipe was struck by a decomposition spell to his kidneys, part of the blast hitting Payton.

— Run... through the back! — he shouted as blood flowed through his armor.

The spell, extremely powerful, corroded his protection and gravely injured him. With one last burst of rage, he managed to drive his sword into the head of the witch responsible, killing her instantly.

— When morning comes, you must escape and head to Bétula Village.

— We’re not leaving you here! — Beta shouted, crying.

— Ah, kid... — Philipe said with a smile, blood spilling from his mouth. — I’ve already lived what I had to live. Please, obey me... just this once.

—... Alright — Payton replied after a few seconds of reflection.

— What!? — the other two shouted in unison, completely against it.

— Be rational... there’s nothing left for us here.

— No... — Beta replied before fainting immediately after.

Payton suspected another attack but soon realized Philipe had used the last of his strength to knock both children unconscious, making it easier for her to carry them to safety.

— Listen, Philipe, I can't carry both of them… — she said, holding Beta in her arms.

— What…? — he murmured, pale.

— Liz’s mother could show up at any moment, so… I’m going to leave them in a safe place.

— Where?

The same place where, in the past, the child had been abused in every way imaginable. Philipe walked with difficulty to the house’s basement — a protected, lit, and secure place.

— Liz’s mother will be completely shocked by what she finds here… but I hope you live to meet us again in Bétula Village, sir — said Payton, trying to remain composed as tears streamed down her face. Then, she left, carrying Beta on her back.

— Goodbye… my little one — said Philipe with a peaceful smile on his face before closing his eyes, appearing to have finally passed. Liz remained unconscious a few feet away.

Internally shattered, Payton climbed the stairs with the brown-haired boy on her shoulders, heading to the barn Philipe had mentioned before knocking them out. She mounted one of the horses and, with her friend on her back, rode toward Bétula Village as the sun rose over the ruins of the village.

While riding out of the village, the girl noticed something near a tree — a female body leaning against the trunk. She got off the horse with the boy in her arms and ran to the presumed corpse.

— S-Sarah…? — she stammered, her voice trembling.

Her friend was nearly unrecognizable. What remained of her curly hair was soaked in blood and mud. The left side of her face had been corroded, revealing the skull, and her eye socket was gone. Her right arm was broken, and her left leg had been torn off, clumsily bandaged with her own dress, leaving her almost naked. Her entire body was covered in scratches, deep cuts, and infected wounds.

— Sarah…? — she called again, falling to her knees, crying.

— Pay… — the girl murmured, slowly waking up.

— SARAH! — she screamed, dropping the boy to the ground. — What happened to you!? Where are the girls!?

— Monsters… fire… Dereck… — she struggled to speak.

— Dereck? What about Dereck!? — she asked, distressed.

— Monsters… said… his fault… — she said, tears falling from the only eye she had left. — Catarina… burned… and Car… — she coughed blood and a few teeth, collapsing onto the grass.

— D-don’t say anything else, please… — she begged, desperate.

— Carla… abused… many times… — she murmured, her lips trembling. — I… tortured… — she began to cry, her whole body aching.

— Don’t cry… — Payton held her, crying with her.

— I… I’m going to die…

— Sarah… — she held her tighter, feeling her friend's body go limp.

The child, who was still trying to return the hug with the few fingers she had left, let go, lifeless. Payton broke inside. She asked herself why all this was happening, drowning in doubts about her future and the reason behind so much suffering.

She couldn’t even make a grave for her friend. The magic that had hit Philipe had also slightly affected her own body — more precisely, her chest, near the heart. If she pushed herself too hard, she might not survive.

Lifting the unconscious boy from the grass, she got back on the horse and rode away from the village bathed in blood. Blood of innocent, hardworking humans — but also of monsters that had fallen in battle, both against the villagers and among themselves.

×

Walking calmly toward the village after a few minutes, the destruction caused during the night was evident. Upon entering the church, he noticed that the improvised barricade made with the bed was still in place.

Climbing up from the outside, he saw that the trapdoor was no longer there. He descended, going to meet his former partner — now unrecognizable and completely mangled — though still in better shape than Ferry, to be honest.

— So you chose to die for the village, huh, Tate? — he sighed, disappointed and disgusted as he observed the signs of the battle.

As expected, the window had been shattered. There were remains of a spider, a zombie, the wing of the creature that killed Cleveland, and even a goblin still breathing — though without arms or legs.

— Hmphf — he grunted, ignoring the creature as he noticed something curious.

Even in death, Jonathan still managed to surprise him and stir a reaction on Dereck’s face. He was exactly as he had been left — body intact.

— I guess you won’t be needing this anymore, right, Tate? — he said, crouching before his friend’s body and removing the dimensional ring from his finger. — I’ll be taking this — he added, standing up with one last glance at the destruction before departing.

×

— I always knew I’d die the same way I entered this line of work, but I never thought it would be in such an... unfair way — he lamented to himself. — At least I’ll see you again, Jonathan — he murmured with a smile, closing his eyes.

A movie played in his mind as his pulse weakened little by little: the first time he became interested in exploration, his childhood and adolescence, his first sexual experience, the inner and family conflicts...

He remembered the day Jonathan saved him in the dungeon where he was supposed to have died. They were so young, full of dreams and hopes — a true friendship.

As traumatic as it was, his memories of that day were vague. What stood out most was the mission’s reward, some faces of adventurers... and the betrayal.

Trapped in a labyrinth full of paralyzing beasts — merciless monsters that looked more like giant green worms — they were surrounded and on the brink of death. Finding a gap in the path, everyone fled while being chased by one of the creatures.

There was a chance to escape, and so they did, leaving behind the last person in line: Philipe. As they passed the exit, they destroyed a huge rock blocking the way, preventing him from getting out.

He was swallowed by the monster. No miracle saved him from that. But inside the creature, he was still alive, carefully searching for the monster’s heart, which he managed to kill after hours.

Without supplies, weapons, or elixirs — everything was left with the group. Philipe was trapped underground, surrounded by indescribable poisonous creatures whose skin and flesh exuded toxins.

He survived for almost three weeks solely on rainwater that, luckily, fell frequently during that time. But his body needed protein — something he didn’t have.

To make matters worse, he was surrounded by Seekers — monsters with a human appearance and cannibalistic behavior. He was about to die.

Accepting his end, he closed his eyes. He didn’t see the attack launched against the Seekers, but when he opened them, Jonathan was before him. A solo adventurer who fed him, explained about an alternative entrance/exit of the dungeon, and got him out of there. There a bond of friendship was born that united them so deeply both gave up their careers.

At first, Philipe was blinded by revenge. He wanted to see all the traitors pay. But as he grew closer to Jonathan, the idea dissolved... until it vanished.

Now, his thirst for revenge returned — an even bloodier betrayal, with no chance for redemption. He didn’t know if Jonathan was still alive, but given his power, he imagined meeting him again in heaven... or wherever souls meet.

As he left this world, the last thing he heard were hurried footsteps coming toward him. He assumed it was help — but it was too late. Philipe died at that moment.

The one who had arrived was Liz’s mother, completely confused amidst the chaos. Seeing that her daughter was still breathing, she approached calmly... and violently kicked her ribs.

— You’re useless even to die — she said, pulling her by the hair.

But Liz was armed. With a hunting knife hidden at her waist, she slashed deeply across her mother’s neck. The woman immediately released her, clutching the wound, staggering and bleeding profusely.

She crawled toward her bag where the healing elixirs were. But she couldn’t reach them — Liz had already grabbed them and took them to Philipe. She used almost all of them trying to save him, in vain. She was alone again.

Two people who meant family to her were dead: one trying to protect her, the other breaking her day by day.

Liz left the house completely detached from reality, walking on foot toward the village of Bétula. Her hope was to reunite with her friends.

She completely ignored Sarah’s lifeless body.

†

†

What Sarah tried to explain to Payton but couldn’t was everything that happened that night. While hiding in the woods, they were caught by a horde of monsters — curiously, not aggressive at first.

It was a strange feeling. In all the stories and reports, creatures like those were wild, driven by destructive instinct. But there, they seemed calm... almost too calm.

Among them stood an unusual figure: a zombie in perfect condition, wearing an impeccable suit. He slowly walked up to the girls and crouched before them, studying each face with a sinister calmness. When he stood up, he issued a sharp command — and then, the monsters changed behavior in the snap of a finger. They became furious beasts.

Dereck appeared among them. Instead of helping, he watched with his arms crossed, a dark smile on his face. The girls screamed for help, but he remained unmoved, as if watching a macabre show.

Carla was captured by an orc. The brutality was such that her bones broke, and she, wrapped in pain and panic, soon succumbed. The trauma she endured was beyond bearable. Her young body couldn’t take it.

Before the others suffered the same fate, a flaming sphere tore through the forest darkness. The explosion engulfed several monsters in flames, including Catarina, who couldn’t move in time. Paralyzed by fear, she was swallowed by the fire.

The zombie, with empty eyes, whispered something into Dereck’s ear. The two retreated, leaving behind one last order: torture the survivor until life left her.

Sarah was reduced to pieces of pain and suffering. She had a fractured arm, her leg torn by crude blades, and her whole body marked by deep cuts and wounds. The monsters seemed to enjoy her agony. Her face was disfigured, her left eye ripped out amid screams of anguish. A blow to the face destroyed part of her teeth, and some fingers on one hand were brutally torn off.

Even so, she survived.

Disoriented and in shock, she managed to crawl to the edge of the village, where she leaned against a tree, waiting for dawn. Her body trembled and her mind spun in confusion. All she could think about was Dereck’s betrayal. He, who should have protected them, had allied himself with the monsters. Why? What reason would anyone have to become an accomplice to such cruelty?

Payton left the village with only fragments of that story. She knew Catarina had been burned alive, Carla had died in brutal circumstances, and the last survivor was slowly agonizing. She didn’t understand everything, but she had the mission to bring the truth to Beta.

She needed to warn him as soon as possible — his injury was severe, and death was approaching. Maybe there wasn’t much time left.

†

†