We didn't hesitate. The map had led us here, and the eerie presence lingering in the air made it clear that there was no turning back. The road ahead was dark and foreboding, as though every step we took brought us closer to something terrible—something we couldn't undo.
The closer we got, the more the atmosphere shifted. The smell of blood grew thicker, and the scene before us grew more macabre.
Dead bodies littered the ground. Hyacinth's minions, who had once been a threat to us, now lay in pieces. The bodies were fresh, the blood still dark and glistening, pooling around them. Some had no heads. Others were missing limbs, their bodies grotesquely mangled as if an expert assassin had torn through them with precision and rage.
I knelt beside one of the bodies, my fingers grazing the cold flesh. The sight was brutal—too brutal to even comprehend. But there was something more unsettling: the way the bodies were arranged. The slashes were clean, surgical even. Whoever had done this wasn't just a fighter; they were a master.
"They didn't stand a chance," the woman said quietly, her voice almost reverent as she surveyed the carnage. "This wasn't a fight. This was an execution."
I stood up, my stomach twisting. The bodies were scattered in a manner that suggested a massacre rather than a battle. It felt wrong. I couldn't explain it, but the precision with which they had been taken down didn't sit right.
"This is..." I trailed off, struggling to make sense of what I was seeing. "It's too clean. Too methodical."
The woman said nothing, but her eyes were sharp, scanning the bodies. Her gaze lingered on the remains, and I noticed the slight tremor in her hand as she reached for her weapon. She was on edge. Just like me.
"There's something else," she muttered, more to herself than to me.
I glanced around. I felt it too—something in the air, something heavy and dark. It was the same feeling I'd experienced in the abandoned church. The cold presence, the weight that pressed on my chest. I couldn't explain it, but I knew this wasn't just the aftermath of a fight.
"We're not alone," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.
She nodded, her expression grim. "I know."
We moved cautiously, stepping over the bodies as we continued down the road. The air felt thick, like it was closing in around us. It wasn't just the bodies—there was a heaviness in the atmosphere that made my skin crawl. Whoever had done this was close. They were watching us, or at least, I felt like they were.
---
As we continued our trek, the presence grew stronger, and the bodies piled up. Finally, we reached the end of the path, where two massive figures lay sprawled across the ground. They were unlike any of the minions we had encountered. Larger. More monstrous.
The bodies were fresh, their wounds deep and brutal, as if someone had crushed them with unrelenting force. These were no ordinary guards; they were Hyacinth's personal protectors, her elite. And they were dead.
I approached one of the massive bodies, my foot sinking into the soft earth beneath it. The stench of death was overwhelming, but what struck me the most was how quickly they had fallen. The strength in these guards was unmatched, but they hadn't been prepared for the brutality that had been unleashed on them.
I looked at the woman, my voice barely audible. "These... they were supposed to be her final line of defense."
Her eyes flicked to the bodies, narrowing as she processed the sight. "Who could do this?"
I didn't have an answer for her. But I knew one thing for sure. This wasn't just us against Hyacinth anymore. There was something else at play, something far more dangerous.
And then I saw it. The gate that had once stood as the final barrier to Hyacinth's lair was now wide open. It was as if we had been expected, invited even. The path was clear. There were no more obstacles, no more threats. The massive guards lay dead, and the gate stood like a silent sentinel, waiting for us to enter.
Its surface is adorned with intricate carvings—grotesque depictions of anguished faces, clawing hands, and writhing figures, as if the souls of the damned were trapped within its frame. The edges shimmer faintly with a sickly green hue, suggesting an aura of dark magic that guards the entrance.
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My heart pounded in my chest, my pulse racing as the realization hit me. We had arrived.
"We've made it," I said, barely able to believe the words as they left my mouth.
The woman's gaze was fixed on the gate, her expression unreadable. "We've been led here," she muttered. "But by who?"
I didn't answer, my eyes scanning the open gate. The feeling in the air was heavier than ever now. I couldn't tell if it was the calm before the storm or if something far more sinister awaited us on the other side. But one thing was certain—whoever was behind this, they wanted us to enter. And they were waiting.
The woman finally stepped forward, her voice low but resolute. "We're going in."
Without another word, she moved toward the gate, and I followed, my footsteps echoing in the silence.
