The task 2

The worried lines that had formed on the individuals' faces when they were told where their first task was situated soon changed into their neutral expressions after they were given arms and each of them received assigned portals that transported them to where they could find their way to the Blackstone sanctum.

The dense, foreboding forest that shrouded the pathway seemed less daunting now that they had the means to defend themselves, in addition to their individual talents. 

As the groups ventured into the Blackstone Sanctum, they moved in unison, determined to stay together and support one another. Marilyn, now the appointed group leader, took the forefront, with the others closely following behind her.

Octavius had hoped to walk alongside her, intending to gather more information and potentially form a mutually beneficial alliance. 

But, his plan was foiled as he found himself instead walking beside one of the other participants - a young man who he remembered boasting of his exceptional speed earlier on.

As they journeyed deeper into the forest, the group had walked a considerable distance, with some participants wandering ahead or diverting onto alternate paths in their quest to be the first to uncover the aetherstones. Meanwhile, Marilyn led her group with quiet confidence, taking her time as she strolled and scrutinized their surroundings.

The group eventually arrived at a fork in the path, where two distinct routes lay before them. Marilyn stepped forward, her expression skeptical as she contemplated which path to take. She gazed down one pathway, her eyes narrowing as she considered the possibilities, before turning to the other, her brow furrowed in thought.

"I don't think we should take either of the pathways," Marilyn said finally, her eyes still scanning the surroundings. "There must be another route that leads to the Blackstone Sanctum."

One of the participants who was walking beside her stepped forward. "What? Why? We've walked a straight distance, so this has got to be the only route around here."

Marilyn shrugged, stepping aside. "I don't think either path is safe to walk, but feel free to do whatever you want."

The participant looked hesitant to venture off on his own, so he remained still, asking instead, "Why do you think neither pathway is suitable?"

Marilyn's gaze returned to the pathways, her eyes narrowing. "For one, both pathways are eerily silent, and they're clean."

The participant turned to glance at the others, a hint of amusement on his face before he turned back to Marilyn. "You're suggesting we don't proceed because the pathways are clean? So, what's the issue? I mean the ones we've walked on so far were pretty tidy, but that didn't stop us."

Marilyn rolled her eyes before pointing to the route they had walked from. "You see that path?" she asked, and the others turned to observe it. "There's overgrown grass, objects scattered carelessly on the ground—"

"Shouldn't that make it even more dangerous?" another person asked, raising an eyebrow.

Marilyn didn't respond to the question, instead continuing with her explanation.

"That path we came from showed no signs of recent human presence, which makes it somewhat safer," Marilyn explained, turning her attention back to the two pathways laid before them. "Meanwhile, look at these routes. The grass should be standing, not lying flat. There are no sharp objects on the pathways, no birds chirping about. And I'm quite certain no one in their right mind came here to tidy up the environment and left the path we came from untouched."

Octavius observed the difference and understood the reasoning behind Marilyn's concerns. However, there were no alternative pathways to follow, leaving them with the decision of proceeding with one of the two routes. 

"So should we turn back?" he asked aloud.

Marilyn's gaze settled on him for a moment, and she shrugged, seemingly contemplating the same thing. 

But the idea of turning back and not accomplishing his objectives didn't sit well with Octavius, so he proposed an alternative. 

"We have arms with us, and a pistol that can send us back if needed, so we might as well give it a try."

Octavius hesitated, his eyebrows drew together in worry as he weighed the risks. 

But he couldn't turn back now, not after suggesting they press on. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, his gaze meeting Marilyn's momentarily, and she looked on without breaking contact before Octavius made his way past her.

Octavius scanned both routes before he sauntered towards the left route. The others fell in behind him, their footsteps quiet on the eerily clean path.

[Right? Never go into a pathway that says the 'right' way, ] Void muttered as he walked alongside Octavius.

"Does that mean I'm going the better route even though it's the left?" Octavius asked hesitantly, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

[Fuck, no] Void replied bluntly.

Octavius stopped dead in his tracks, making the others also come to a standstill.

"What do you mean by that?" Octavius asked Void, ignoring the numerous questions that were being asked by his fellow participants.

[Well, for starters… let's say we just walked right into the sanctum. The demon's sanctum.]

Octavius's eyes widened in alarm. 'Why do demons have a sanctum in Wysteria?' he wondered. 'Or was Void trying to play a fast one on him?'

[Don't worry yourself too much, these pathways have just half-breeds. The other pathways would have been way worse.] 

Void's nonchalant tone did little to reassure Octavius.

"How's that helping? And why didn't you say anything sooner?" Octavius demanded, his frustration growing.

Void shrugged, with an unrepentant expression. 

[Well, you didn't ask.]

Just as Octavius turned to retrace his steps and warn the others, Void sensed his intention and swiftly intervened. [Don't even think about it. It's too late for that. Let me show you what you're dealing with.]

Void's hand flashed across Octavius's vision, and when his sight cleared, he was met with a gruesome spectacle. The area was teeming with twisted, corrupted creatures - they were demons.

They were humans, or at least, they had once been human. Now, their bodies were battered and bruised, their faces contorted in agony.

Octavius swallowed hard, his heart racing as he felt the faint whisper of a creature's hollow breath on the back of his neck.

"What is it?" he kept hearing Marilyn and the others echo their concern but Octavius remained frozen, his eyes fixed on some unseen horror. 

He couldn't speak, couldn't move, his only response was the repetitive swallowing of his own saliva as his mind struggled to process the terror that surrounded him.