Forsaken.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Only the dim torchlight flickering against the stone walls remained as a witness to what had just occurred.

Rael steadied himself, forcing himself to move. He reached out, but there was nothing left—no trace of the portal, no lingering energy, no blood or remains. The village elder had been erased from this place entirely.

Gale let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as if trying to shake off the unease settling over them. "That just happened, right?" His voice was steady, but his grip on his axe was tight. "That wasn't some kind of illusion?"

Rael's mind raced. It had been real. The elder had been taken. But why?

"Someone—or something—claimed him," Rael said at last, still staring at the empty space where the portal had been. "The deal he made… it didn't end with him simply betraying the village. It was never going to let him go."

Gale sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Shit. What now?"

Rael turned his attention back to the altar, where the dark crystal remained embedded in stone. Even with the portal gone, it still pulsed, an abyssal core drinking in the faint light of the shrine. The whispers surrounding it had softened, but they hadn't disappeared.

"This crystal," Rael muttered, stepping closer. "It's not just a remnant. It's still connected to something."

Gale tensed. "You saying that thing—the one he made the deal with—is still here?"

Rael's fingers hovered just above the surface of the crystal. The energy radiating from it wasn't just residual—it was alive, shifting like something aware of their presence.

"He was a pawn," Rael said. "And whatever he was serving… it hasn't left."

* * *

Stepping back outside, the chill of the night was far more noticeable than before. Or maybe it was just the weight of the situation sinking in.

The village remained deathly quiet, save for the distant howl of the wind. Earlier, when they had arrived, people had peeked from behind shuttered windows, too fearful to step outside. Now, those windows were closed. The village had retreated inward, curling into itself like a wounded animal.

Rael could understand why. Even without knowing the full truth, the people felt it—something was wrong in their home.

It wouldn't be long before fear turned to panic.

Footsteps crunched against the dirt path as a figure approached. A paladin, clad in silver armor that gleamed under the moonlight, strode toward them. His sharp gaze swept over the scene before settling on Rael and Gale.

"You there," he called, his voice firm but measured. "I was sent to investigate the disappearances. Tell me everything you know."

Rael met his eyes. "You're with the Order?"

"Sir Aldric," the paladin introduced himself with a short nod. "I arrived earlier today, but the villagers had little to offer beyond rumors. If you have something concrete, I want to hear it."

Rael didn't waste time. "We came to this village because of the missing people. At first, we thought it was a simple case of disappearances—maybe bandits, maybe a cult at work. But we found something worse."

Aldric's expression remained unreadable, but Rael could see the tension in his stance.

"The missing villagers weren't taken," Rael continued. "They were turned."

Aldric's brow furrowed. "Turned into what?"

"Demonic creatures," Rael said grimly. "Twisted, inhuman. We fought them inside the temple."

The paladin's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "How many?"

"Not sure," Gale answered. "Could've been all of them, or just the unlucky ones. Either way, they weren't people anymore."

"They didn't speak," Rael added. "No sign of memories, no hesitation. Just instinct—kill anything that wasn't like them."

Aldric exhaled sharply, his face hardening. "And the source?"

"There was an altar inside the temple," Rael explained. "Hidden beneath the main shrine. A dark crystal was embedded in it, pulsing with corrupted energy. It wasn't passive—it was feeding something. That's what changed them."

Aldric let out a slow breath, his expression grim. "A crystal like that doesn't appear on its own. Someone placed it there."

Rael nodded. "The village elder. He knew about it. He'd been keeping secrets."

Aldric's expression darkened. "Explain."

"When we confronted him, he admitted to making a deal," Rael said. "Something offered him power, and he took it. But it wasn't done with him yet."

Aldric's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"

"A portal opened," Rael said. "Right behind him. Something reached through and pulled him in. He didn't resist, but it wasn't his doing. It took him, and then it was gone."

The paladin remained silent for a long moment before finally speaking. "I had reports of disappearances and unrest, but nothing about the elder's involvement. If he was making deals, it means this corruption has deeper roots than I thought."

Rael folded his arms. "If the transformation was strong enough to change people, it didn't start with the elder. He was just a piece of it. Something is still out there, and it hasn't stopped."

Aldric's grip tightened on his sword. "I was going to request reinforcements from the nearest church, but if portals are involved, we don't have time to wait. We need answers now."

Rael already knew where this was going. "You want us to investigate."

The paladin nodded. "If you're willing. I'll still send for reinforcements, but I don't know how soon they'll arrive. In the meantime, if you can track down the source of this corruption, the Order will compensate you."

Gale sighed, rolling his shoulders. "And here I thought we'd just be hunting demons."

Rael glanced at him before turning back to Aldric. "Where do we start?"

Aldric gestured toward the eastern side of the village. "There's an old house at the edge of town. According to reports, the elder was seen entering it multiple times over the past month, but no one knows why. The villagers avoided it."

Rael exchanged a look with Gale before nodding. "Then that's our next stop.

Without another word, they turned and made their way toward the outskirts of the village.

The structure stood alone, isolated from the rest of the village. It was smaller than most houses, its wooden frame darkened with age and exposure. Unlike the other homes, its windows were covered—not with shutters, but with thick, tattered cloth. The door, however, was slightly open.

Rael and Gale stopped a few feet away, scanning the area. There were no signs of life. No movement in the windows, no candlelight flickering from within.

Gale tightened his grip on his axe. "This is a trap."

"Probably," Rael muttered. He approached first, sword drawn, and pushed the door open.

The air inside was stale, thick with the scent of dust, wax, and something faintly metallic—blood, long since dried. The single-room interior was cluttered with stacks of books, melted candle stubs, and parchment scattered across a wooden desk. In the center of the room stood an ornate mirror, its frame twisted into unnatural patterns.

Rael stepped inside cautiously, eyes flicking from the desk to the mirror. The glass was dark, almost pitch black, but when he moved closer—

The surface shifted.

For the briefest moment, a shadowed figure stared back at him. Cloaked in darkness, featureless yet undeniably aware. Watching. Waiting.

Then it was gone. The glass returned to a normal reflection, showing only him and Gale.

Gale let out a low curse. "That's not normal."

Rael's gaze fell to the desk. He stepped forward, scanning the scattered notes. Many were written in a rushed, uneven hand. But one, smudged with ink and dried blood, caught his attention.

The pact is sealed. The gate will open when the stars align. The price will be paid in blood.

Beneath it was a crude map. A location marked just outside the village.

Rael traced the ink with his finger. A ritual site.

"Looks like we have our next destination," he said.

Gale cracked his knuckles. "And here I thought we were just playing detectives."

Rael turned to face the mirror one last time. Whatever had taken the elder… it wasn't done yet.

And now, they were on its trail.

The deeper they went, the more the air changed.

Dark miasma clung to the forest like an oppressive fog, curling around the gnarled roots and pooling in the spaces between the trees. The ground beneath them felt wrong—damp, yet not from moisture, as if something else had seeped into the very soil.

Gale exhaled sharply, adjusting his grip on his weapon. "You feel that?"

Rael nodded. It was more than just a feeling—it was wrong. The very essence of the place gnawed at his senses, like a pressure creeping under his skin. The trees were twisted, their bark peeling in jagged, unnatural patterns. Shadows stretched in ways they shouldn't, warping the light of their torches.

Then they saw it.

Beyond the miasma, past the deadened trees, stood a ruined structure—half shrine, half prison. Blackened stone jutted from the ground like jagged ribs, enclosing a space suffocated by pulsating energy. Thick chains, covered in engraved symbols, coiled around the stone walls, rattling with an unseen force.

And there, kneeling in the center of it all, was the elder.

His back was to them, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. His robes, once simple and clean, were now torn and stained with something dark.

Gale took a cautious step forward. "Elder…?"

The man flinched, his breathing uneven. Slowly, he turned his head—not fully, just enough for them to see the glisten of tears on his wrinkled cheeks.

"I… I never wanted this," he whispered. His voice was thin, fragile, barely carried by the stagnant air. "I only wanted to save them… I—"

Then his breath hitched.

His body convulsed.

Rael stepped forward, instincts screaming at him, but before he could react—

A sickening crack split the silence.

The elder's head twisted unnaturally, snapping backward at an impossible angle. His mouth curled in a grotesque, frozen grin, while his eyes—flipped downward, pupils rolling into the back of his skull—stared blindly ahead.

A deep, gurgling noise rumbled in his throat.

Then the transformation began.

Bones tore through flesh like breaking glass.

Skeletal arms—too many, far too many—burst from his back, stretching unnaturally as they clawed at the air. His once-human form twisted and stretched, ribs breaking and reforming into jagged protrusions. Flesh blackened, peeling away in patches to reveal something far worse underneath—a body held together by raw malice, sinew and darkness woven into a grotesque shape.

His fingers elongated into talons, his spine arched back, snapping into a monstrous posture. A thick aura of corruption poured from his body, drowning the air in suffocating miasma.

Then he roared.

A notification flashed across Rael's interface.

[WARNING: Hostile Entity Detected]

Anxas, The Forsaken - Level 38

"He sought salvation, but found only damnation."

Gale scoffed, taking a step back as he sized up the grotesque abomination before them. "This was supposed to be an easy turn-in quest," he muttered, shaking his head before breaking into a dry laugh. "I swear, every time we take a job, it turns into some cursed nightmare."

Rael didn't reply. His focus was entirely on the creature. The boss's jagged form pulsed with corrupted energy, skeletal limbs twitching erratically as if struggling to contain the sheer malice fueling its existence. The ground beneath it withered, black tendrils creeping outward like veins infecting the earth itself.

The air felt wrong.

A heavy, oppressive weight settled over them, thick as tar. Breathing was harder, each inhale burning slightly, and Rael could already tell—this wasn't just some ominous aesthetic. His muscles felt sluggish, reactions dulled just enough to matter. His stamina wasn't recovering as fast as it should. And worst of all, there was something gnawing at the edges of his mind, whispering doubts he knew weren't his own.

Some kind of miasma effect. Debilitation through attrition. If they stayed in here too long, it wouldn't just be a physical disadvantage—this thing would start crawling into their heads.

The creature's body convulsed, skeletal arms twitching at unnatural angles. Its jaw hung open, eyes burning with eerie blue flame. But it was the voice—the overlapping whispers, layered with pain and accusation—that truly unsettled him.

"You left me… you let them take me…"

"I wanted to be saved…"

"Why didn't you stop them?"

Then the creature moved.

Its claw slashed toward him, and he barely sidestepped—

Then the afterimage followed.

A fraction of a second later, a second attack landed where he had dodged to. An unavoidable staggered strike—randomized delay.

Rael Soulstepped out of range, but Gale wasn't as lucky. He had reacted to the first attack, bringing his sword up to block—only for the second slash to cut into his side a heartbeat later.

Gale stumbled back, cursing. "What the fuck was that?!"

Rael's mind worked quickly. Unpredictable attack patterns. Delayed strikes that don't match the initial swing. If it's random every time, I can't preemptively dodge.

The creature lunged again, but instead of attacking—it bent backward at an impossible angle.

Its chest split open, ribs unfolding like a grotesque maw. From within, something dark coiled, shadows weaving into tendrils that slithered outward, reaching for them.

Rael slashed through one, but the severed tendril didn't dissolve—it moved, crawling along his blade like a parasite. He flicked it off before it could reach his hand.

Gale wasn't as fortunate. A tendril wrapped around his ankle—then yanked.

"Shit—!"

Gale drove his sword into the ground, barely keeping himself from being pulled forward.

The creature's chest opened further, and this time—Rael saw what was inside.

Faces.

Twisted. Screaming. Wailing.

And then—black, spectral hands erupted from the void within its ribs, clawing at the air, reaching for Gale.

Rael moved. His sword flashed, severing the tendril around Gale's leg just before the grasping hands could take hold.

The creature twitched, its body convulsing violently. The flames in its eye sockets flickered—

And suddenly—

The world changed.

The shrine, the cracked stone beneath them, the corrupted remains of the altar—all of it vanished.

They stood in a void, surrounded by shattered fragments of the village—floating debris, warped remnants of houses, a distorted landscape of what once was.

Gale exhaled, gripping his sword tightly. "I really take back everything I said."

The creature stilled. Its hollow gaze fixed on them. And then, slowly—deliberately—it smiled.

The real fight was only beginning.

The creature's ribcage cracked open, widening like the jaws of something unspeakable. From within, a torrent of black miasma erupted, flooding the battlefield in a rolling wave of decay. The thick fog clung to their bodies, sapping their strength. Rael felt it bite into his muscles—a sickly, numbing sensation crawling along his limbs.

His stamina regen slowed further. His grip on his sword felt just a little heavier.

Across from him, Gale spat on the ground, shaking his head as if trying to clear his thoughts. "This stuff's getting worse."

Rael didn't answer. His eyes were locked on the boss. The way it twitched—a jagged, unnatural motion like a marionette with severed strings. It let out a low, distorted whisper, words overlapping in a chorus of voices:

"You will join us."

Then it moved.

Rael barely had time to react before the creature surged forward, its multitude of skeletal limbs clawing through the air. He parried the first swipe, twisting his body to avoid the unpredictable afterimage strike that followed—

But the moment he did, another arm extended from its back, too fast to dodge.

The claw slammed into his torso, sending him skidding across the stone.

Rael gritted his teeth, rolling back onto his feet. The moment he steadied himself, he saw it—

A black sigil had burned itself onto his armor. The moment he noticed it, a pulse of pain shot through his body. His health dropped—not from an attack, but as if something had taken it directly.

A curse.

"Shit," Rael muttered.

Gale had his own problems. The sword-wielding warrior was fighting toe-to-toe with the monstrosity, every heavy strike forcing the creature back. But it didn't react like a normal opponent—it twisted, arms bending at unnatural angles to dodge when it shouldn't be able to dodge.

And then—the afterimage attacks.

Gale barely brought his weapon up in time as a delayed slash from nothing raked across his armor. He staggered, eyes narrowing. "You seeing this? It's like it doesn't even follow its own rules."

Rael's mind raced. Unpredictable attack patterns. Curses. Miasma weakening them over time. We're on a timer here.

He couldn't afford to play this defensively.

His fingers clenched around his weapon. Then, in a single motion, he stepped forward—

—and vanished.

Rael Soulstepped into the creature's blind spot, reappearing behind it in a blur of speed. His sword flashed, cleaving through corrupted flesh. The creature shrieked, staggering forward as a chunk of its body disintegrated into black ash.

He pressed the advantage, slashing again—and then his blade met resistance.

Then Anxas caught his sword.

It didn't move like something that had been injured. It simply stopped reacting. Its many limbs stilled, its chest cavity snapping shut with a sickening crack. The blue flames in its hollow sockets flickered, narrowing like a thing with intent.

Rael immediately Soulstepped back, instincts screaming at him.

And just in time.

The moment he moved, the creature unleashed something new.

A low, distorted hum filled the air—a sound that didn't belong in this world. A pulse of sickly light gathered in its ribcage, twisting, expanding—

Then, with a guttural roar, it released it.

A sphere of compressed void energy exploded outward.

Rael barely managed to cross his arms in front of him before it hit.

The impact sent him flying.

He crashed into the stone floor, skidding before finally grinding to a stop. His health dropped—a solid chunk ripped away in a single instant.

But that wasn't what made his breath catch.

It was the cracking sound.

Slowly, he looked down.

His sword.

Thin, jagged fractures ran along its length. A single, ominous crack ran from the base of the blade to the tip, spiderwebbing out like shattered glass.

For a moment, he just stared.

Then, with a sharp snap, the blade shattered.

Rael sucked in a breath. "Shit."

Across from him, Anxas straightened itself. More miasma leaked from its chest, its unnatural whispering returning in a chorus of overlapping voices.

"Break. Fall. Shatter. Despair."

His weapon was gone. Their health was still draining. And the boss was at 72%.