Storm, Plan, and Deception

The light rattle of breaking logs spread from the fireplace along with the heat sparks flying off to the sides passing before the eyes of the keen watcher while the crimson fire burned vigorously warming the stone manor where only the most important people could be.

"We took you in, but have you no manners? You're just a dirty savage." Lorana snorted irritably.

The reason for her displeasure was quite simple, they were sitting at a round table as heads of the group, but Morbia's feet were thrown up on the table, her boots were muddy, pointed in Lorana's direction.

A sly smirk appeared on Morbia's face as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hah, I sit however I want. If you don't like something then leave, you stupid bitch."

Enraged, Lorana slammed her palms on the table, her face red with humiliation.

But... before anything could happen...

"Calm down."

A commanding voice covered the room at the root ending their clash.

Leather boots strode down the old wooden staircase, gradually revealing Gex's silhouette, a rare bottle of wine in his hand, holding a tray with five glasses.

"We're allies now, and if I were you, I wouldn't argue with Second Stage Sinner." Gex said, approaching the table.

"You may be right, but her powers are sealed! If I want to, I'll rip that smirk off her face!"

Gex nodded.

"Sure, physical strength alone isn't enough to handle you, but that's why Morbia didn't come here alone, as she realized the consequences."

Without saying anything, Lorana shifted her gaze to Tron, who unlike them was not at the table, his chair was empty as he sat in front of the fireplace staring at the flames as if it was the first time he had ever seen such a thing in his life.

Hygon waved his hand, speaking in a low voice:

"Tron, would you like to join us?"

"No, I like it here. The fire, it's so warm and nice, moving differently each time, it's enticing..."

Hygon didn't bother to ask a second time. He shrugged with a deep nod, accepting Tron's stance.

The cork flew out of the bottle as the crimson liquid began to gradually fill all five glasses.

"Your companion is not the most common man." Gex smirked, finding himself behind Morbia while he filled her glass with wine. His silhouette like a shadow covered her, his green eye glowing in the darkness.

Trying to intimidate her was pointless, only a slight smile appeared on her face.

"Yes, I wouldn't take an ordinary man as my partner."

Then, Morbia glanced at Tron as her gaze deepened.

During their conversation in the center of the village, Morbia realized something important about Tron - he wasn't stupid, he just lacked experience.

When Gex asked him if he had killed that Harbinger, Tron managed to find the right words without resorting to lies he hadn't mastered yet. He just needed time to get used to the world he had entered less than twelve hours ago.

"I wonder what crime he was put here for?" Gex asked casually.

It seemed simple curiosity, but it was a way of extracting information, Morbia understood it.

"Well..." Morbia's gaze grew darker, "None of us would want to be here for the same reason as Tron, that's for sure."

Not wanting to continue the small talk, Gex nodded and took the two glasses straight to Tron.

Leaning over, Gex held out one glass to Tron.

"Here, I doubt you'll be surprised, but I made sure to choose a rare wine for this evening."

Tron tilted his head, in confusion.

"Wine...?"

Soon, a pleasant aroma reached Tron's nose, the smell of peach appealing with its sweetness.

"Yeah, don't tell me you don't drink, or are you afraid there's poison in here? In that case, I'll take the first sip!"

Oddly enough, Tron didn't even look at Gex who was trying to prove the honesty of his intentions, instead Tron just took a sip even faster than Gex.

He was only driven by one thing - to find out if this drink tasted better than coffee, which he didn't like at all because of its bitterness.

The rich, fruity flavor made Tron's eyes go wide.

"Oh... It's so much better than coffee.... such a sweet flavor similar to sugar, but liquid, I want more!"

"Comparing wine to coffee? Hah, you're a curious guy." Gex smirked, holding out his glass to Tron, "Since you want more so badly, take it, I'm not greedy."

Without hesitation, Tron took the glass. Gex shrugged and returned to the table. For some reason, he walked around, staring intently at the bottle of wine, at the flickering reflections of many silhouettes...

"Well, we can discuss the plan without him. Morbia, you said you had some important information. Do you know the location of the Sacrificial Crystals or something similar?" 

Morbia became more serious.

"In fact, I know where five of the seven crystals are, considering you have the crystal with an eye," her confident voice filled the room.

It wasn't an assumption but a statement.

"What a surprise, we know about five of the seven too. Let me guess, you don't know where the head and heart crystals are, do you?" a sly smile accompanied his guess.

"Well, well, it seems I can't impress you with that. In that case, I have information that none of you are sure to possess." Morbia lifted her chin arrogantly.

With a slight sigh, Gex narrowed his eye, sharp as a dagger, staring intently at Morbia.

"Don't rush into an answer. Think it over carefully. I accepted Tron because of the Rule of Blood, but you're only here because you came along with him. If you prove useless, your status will change from equal partner to slave."

"Pfffft, you can threaten me all you want, because if we don't get out of here soon we're all going to die.

"In 72 hours though... no."

Morbia glanced at her broken watch, every second was important.

"There are only 67 hours left before disaster strikes that will endanger the lives of every Sinner of the Kyrexo Loop."

Hygon furrowed his thick eyebrows.

Lorana slammed her fist on the table with an outraged face.

"Bitch, what the hell are you talking about? I've been here for seven months and nothing critical happened! But, now you're saying we're all going to die in three days?!"

A shadow overtook Gex's silhouette, he scrutinized Morbia's reaction. "Calm down, she's not lying, I'm sure of it. So in 67 hours, there will be a disaster, but... do you know what it is?"

Morbia rested her cheek on her hand before speaking slowly:

"Third Stage Sinner, one of them will break free of his captivity and hardly anyone will be able to stop this monstrous force full of anger and the will to destroy, spilling rivers of blood."

A shiver ran through their bodies, followed by a chill. The wrath of the Third Stage Sinner was beyond their capabilities.

If any of them were to break free of their captivity by getting their powers back, they would easily escape the Kyrexo Loop, destroying everything in their path.

But... why 67 hours exactly?

Well, because, unlike Tron, Morbia was a superb liar who mastered the art to the peak.