That was news to Cassius. With each passing minute, he realized with growing gravity that his mission was becoming more complex. Seraphis’ presence wasn’t promising either, not after what had happened between them in the past. Seraphis, however, showed no inclination to bring it up just then. His focus was on Dreu, answering questions Cassius hadn’t heard. Cassius was teetering on the edge, ready to fall and lose everything. He couldn’t let that happen, he reminded himself once again.

"Only three in history have ever transcended after making a deal with the devil. The last one was centuries ago. Surely, you are mistaken," Dreu said, his wide eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts.

"You know better, monk," Seraphis replied. "Or have you forgotten your history and your code?" His tone had a bitter edge, hinting at old wounds and unspoken truths.

            "I know everything a monk has to know," Dreu said, his voice strained, eyes flashing bright in the dark night. "This whole ordeal is out of the ordinary."

"But not entirely unexpected," Seraphis concluded, turning to face Cassius. His words carried the weight of experience, a subtle acknowledgment of the recurring cycles of chaos and order.

Art above by Nelson Oga

"Cassius Perote Sadon," he greeted with a mischievous smile, a familiar expression that hadn’t changed. "When you disappeared, I vowed to find you again."

"For what purpose?" Cassius asked.

"You are my friend," Seraphis said, spreading his arms wide as he stepped closer.

"Was," Cassius corrected sharply. Seraphis' smile only grew.

"So you admit you once considered me a friend?"

Cassius clenched his jaw and glanced past Seraphis at Dreu. The monk seemed lost in thought, but the fire in his eyes betrayed his composed appearance.

"That’s not important right now," Cassius said through gritted teeth. "What matters is stopping Zenior. Whether I was your friend or not, we can sort that out later." His voice, though resolute, trembled with the burden of choices made and the uncertain path ahead.

Seraphis let his arms fall to his sides, his playful demeanor vanishing as a weapon materialized in his right hand. Cassius' eyes followed the sword, noting its uniqueness. As children, Seraphis had only been able to summon a Warhammer made of dark, stormy clouds with thunder rumbling within. Their time together had been brief, filled with Cassius wrestling to find his place in the world and questioning Seraphis' eagerness for friendship. Yet, he had learned a few things about the Thunderborne and his distinctive weapon in those moments.

Art above by Nelson Oga

All Thunderbornes wielded weapons summoned from their sheer will. While the hilt remained solid like other normal weapons, the blade itself could fluidly shift between forms, transforming in the wielder's hand into either a sword of choice made of pure white clouds or any other weapon aside from a sword made of thick storm clouds such as hammers, axes, polearms and so on.  As a child, Seraphis couldn’t command these transformations. But now, as Cassius watched the sword materialized in his hand, he acknowledged that Seraphis had reached a higher status among his kind, mastering the weapon's true potential of both sword and non-sword.

Art above by Nelson Oga

The hilt of Seraphis’ sword was wrapped in dark leather, providing a firm grip, and was adorned with an intricate filigree of vines and leaves. The guard curved into outstretched branches while the pommel remained plain. The blade itself was forged from ethereal wisps, appearing sharper compared to its appearance. Although the white sword, partly shrouded by the wisps, appeared slender and as light as a feather, its perfect balance and razor-sharp edge were beyond question.

Forcing his eyes away from the weapon, Cassius met Seraphis’ gaze. In that silent exchange, an unspoken understanding passed between them.

"You’re right," he conceded. "Sentiments like friendship and brotherhood can wait. Right now, we need to head to Sovervale. The report I received before joining you said the entire village has been wiped out."

"He has done it again," Cassius whispered, his voice laced with shock. "Is it because he’s transcended?"

"Transcending means that Zenior and Lard have become one," Dreu answered grimly. "They share one will, one goal, and one... soul."

"One soul? How is that even possible?" Cassius asked, his disbelief evident.

"When two minds begin to think as one, and their bodies move as one, it can be said they share a soul," Seraphis explained. "Do you truly not know what you’re up against?"

Cassius remained silent, struggling to suppress the rage boiling within him. The Axis of Seraphim had manipulated him, and he vowed to settle his scores with Maréchal Roflt Herman and Azemar Miphel once this ordeal was over. For now, stopping Zenior was his priority. 

“Where does it end?” He blurted out, his thoughts raging. 

“There’s no end,” Dreu answered, heading toward Aliss’ vibrant trail. 

Cassius followed because whether hired or not, he still had a heart that beat, and he couldn’t stand by while a devil wreaked havoc on the innocent.

They had lost precious time, Cassius realized. Aliss' trail was fading, and Seraphis had mentioned that his presence made it more discernible. Where Seraphis wasn’t, the trail was barely detectable. Cassius begrudgingly acknowledged that without the Thunderborne, they would have had no direction.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, Cassius began questioning Aliss' intentions. How had she managed to evade him from the barn to the forest's edge? Where was she headed? Was it after Adelard or with him? Had Adelard crossed to the Otherside? No, that couldn’t be. If he had, Dreu would have sensed it unless Adelard had grown strong enough to traverse the Otherside unnoticed.

The three of them moved fast, each as silent as a whisper of air, their presence barely perceptible to one another. Cassius kept pace with the monk and the Thunderborne, and his eyes fixed on the shimmering light that guided their path.

A few hours past daylight, the trail grew stronger.

"She’s close," Cassius announced, his eyes sweeping over the dense, unchanging trees until they landed on a pair of twin trunks, their rough, moss-covered bark intertwined. The branches stretched outward and upward, twisting around each other like roots. Even from a distance, Cassius noted the subtle clues: a broken branch here, a snagged piece of dark clothing there, a strand of dark hair. They all belonged to Aliss. These signs seemed oddly careless for someone as careful as she had been unless she was being taken forcibly and had tried to leave clues behind, hoping he would find her.

Cassius moved without hesitation. He could feel it; she was just ahead. Dreu and Seraphis followed with purpose, closing the distance behind him. Cassius passed the twin trees and stopped at the edge of a slope, where the land dropped down to a stream below. And there, beside the stream, lay Aliss, unconscious on the ground, with Adelard standing over her. His arms were outstretched, and he was chanting frantically.

Cassius’ daggers were in his hands before Seraphis even moved, and Dreu began to raise his staff to cast a curse. All three attacked Adelard at once without a word, and his shrieks rang out, breaking the forest’s silence.

Overnight, Adelard had grown more powerful. Cassius’ daggers sank deep into his rotten flesh, and Dreu’s magic pinned his arms to his sides as Seraphis’ strikes delivered enough damage to weaken him, making him easier to control. The man had transformed into something monstrous; his teeth were sharp, his eyes bulging, and his hair had fallen away, leaving most of his scalp bare while the remaining strands hung in tangled clumps. His skin had darkened, taking on a gray, deathly hue and black veins crawled across his body. He twisted and thrashed beneath their hold, foam gathering at the corners of his lips as his eyes bled red.

"He’s coming for you," Adelard growled, his voice thick and guttural. "He’s going to devour you all and reign over the Otherside."

"Does he even know about us?" Seraphis asked, his sword’s razor-sharp tip pressing into the beast’s throat, enough to draw out black blood. His query cut through the tension like a clarion call, seeking clarity amid mounting horror.

“Oh, he knows about every one of you,” Adelard tried to laugh, but the sword tip pressing into his throat cut it short. “But he wanted her first.”

Cassius glanced at Aliss’ unconscious body. She seemed unharmed at first glance, so he made no move to check on her.

“Why?” Dreu demanded, his voice low and dangerous. When Adelard didn’t answer, his grip tightened around his staff, and Adelard’s screams rang out once more.

“She’s a goddamn seer,” Adelard spat, “And she’s seen something she shouldn’t have.”

Cassius opened his mouth, ready to demand an explanation, but before he could speak, Adelard’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his skull exploded. Seraphis didn’t flinch, didn’t even move as gore splattered across him.

“Here goes our lead,” Cassius muttered under his breath.

“Not if he was your only lead,” said a weak voice from behind. All three of them turned to find Aliss awake. She remained where she was, visibly in pain from unseen injuries, but her eyes were clear and fixed on Cassius.

“I’ve seen enough through Adelard,” she said, her voice shaky but determined. “Zenior ordered him to bring me to him.”

“How?” Dreu asked, stepping toward her with his left hand raised, offering reassurance that he meant no harm. 

“Lard granted him some powers,” Aliss replied. “That’s how he was able to throw you off. But he forgot about me.”

“That’s why I could only detect your scent and tracked you all the way here,” Cassius said, following Dreu as he moved to help Aliss.

“As I knew you would,” Aliss said, smiling softly. Cassius looked at her, feeling a tiny pang of regret for ever doubting her.

“Where one door closes, another opens,” Dreu whispered, his hand resting gently on Aliss’ forehead to heal her. Seconds later, the forest was filled with her painful cries as her bones snapped back into place.

Cassius would make Zenior and Lard pay for what they had done to her. His vow echoed like a battle cry, solidifying his resolve to confront the looming darkness with every ounce of his being.