Chapter 88: Am I Seeing Things?

’Never mind! A couple of seconds is asking a lot!’

Peace’s slash had slammed into the Temple Knight’s shield and sent his arm recoiling, leaving him wide open.

He tried to regain his balance and dodge the overhead cleave coming towards him, but utterly failed and was forced to fall flat on his ass, the tip of the sword slicing through the air centimeters from his forehead.

The third Knight showed no mercy to the grounded Peace.

It widened its stance and stepped forward, thrusting its blade toward Peace’s ever-beating heart.

As Peace’s eyes followed the sword’s tip, no witty remark or callous joke slipped into his mind.

No thoughts of luck or bad luck.

Nor was his mind overtaken by pure instinct — a one-track drive to survive no matter the cost.

The only thing allowed to Pax Garnier in that moment was desperation — a desperation fueled by knowledge of what he stood to lose.

Throwing his head back, Peace lay flat against the floor, causing the sword to pierce empty air.

’Shit!’

Carried by momentum, the Temple Knight angled its blade downward, cutting into the white stone inches from Peace’s neck. It began dragging its sword sideways, the edge scraping across the stone toward his throat.

Throwing his arm across his body, Peace pinched the flat of the blade as hard as he could and began to push back.

At the same time, he tried to kick off the ground to slip out from beneath it, but one of the Knights stepped on his left ankle.

Another pop rang out, and horrible pain tore through Peace.

’Gah!’

Pinned. Unable to fully stop the sword from creeping toward his neck. The other Knight was likely going to join in on the execution, too.

There wasn’t anything Peace could do.

He threw his head back and saw nobody.

Yulis had taken Volkar. All Peace needed to do now was get to the stairs.

But, clearly, he’d never make it there by himself.

All hope seemed lost.

’Fuck...’

Then...

He saw someone’s head peek over the top step. A woman with a thick scar running from her eyebrow almost all the way to her chin. She lifted her right hand, which was glowing white.

"Move your ass, now!"

A moment later, a burst of white light slammed into the three Temple Knights, blasting them backwards.

’What in the absolute hell is she doing here?!’

With his left ankle snapped, he was forced to kick off the ground with his right. The pain was tyrannically intense, enough to make death seem like a relief, yet he refused to seek that solace, digging his fingers into the stone and dragging himself toward the stairs.

His eyes met those of the woman as she rushed up the remaining steps toward him.

"Dita?!"

The staggered Temple Knights were already picking themselves up.

The woman who had no business being there grasped his outstretched hands and began pulling as hard as she could, hauling him backward across the floor toward the stairwell.

Peace tried to help, pushing with his right leg, but each movement sent a fresh wave of agony through him.

And behind him...

The Temple Knights were closing in.

’Come on!’

Dita pulled harder, stumbling backward as she crossed the threshold of the stairwell. Peace’s shoulders had barely cleared the entrance when the first Knight reached them, slashing down at them.

It’s swords tip struck the stone where Peace’s head had been a fraction of a second earlier, scattering chips across his face.

’Shit!’

The second Knight was already raising its blade.

Dita had no time for caution.

With one final yank, she threw Peace over the edge of the top step and released him, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Then she threw herself after him, narrowly ducking beneath the second Knight’s sword as it swept through the air.

’Aragh!’

Peace’s back struck the first few steps before his body twisted sideways, his broken ankle catching against the edge of another.

’Gah!’

The impact sent a sickening jolt up his leg.

He tried to curl his legs toward his chest, but the movement only made it worse. His injured knee struck the next step, and for an instant, the pain was so intense that his vision went white.

Then his shoulder struck the stone.

His hip followed.

One step after another, each impact bringing a new kind of torment.

Peace didn’t care to look back and check if his pursuers had truly stopped.

Nor did he have it in him to question Dita’s presence.

All he could do was tumble and attempt to bear the pain.

Then...

His body twisted again, sending him headfirst down the remaining steps.

His arms flailed, searching for something to grab, but found nothing.

The next step rushed toward his face.

"Shit—"

***

A single guard stood in the rear gardens of the Nameless King’s Palace.

A Well of Eternity at his back, twelve corpses at his feet.

Twelve brave men and women who had sacrificed their lives so the researchers and officials could take refuge in the dungeon through the well.

That was all this was supposed to be. A covert escort mission. Guide the subject from point A to B, make sure he entered the dungeon without ever knowing where he was, then set up the barrier after.

So...

How did it come to this?

Why did it come to this?

A pale woman with long white hair, dressed in white, spoke to the shaking guard.

"Lorkel..."

"How do you know my name, Witch?!"

The Witch of Corruption hovered before him, having killed his comrades without showing a single ounce of mercy.

Lorkel didn’t even know what had happened. Their heads had simply blown off without warning, one after another.

Ignoring the blood spilling into the dirt, the Witch of Corruption spoke:

"I have a request of you..."

Gritting his teeth, Lorkel stepped forward and swung his blade at her.

"Silence, wench!"

But she vanished before his blade could reach her, reappearing behind him with her delicate hands resting on his shoulders.

Her lips hovered beside his ear, her corrupted saliva mere centimeters from touching his skin.

She whispered:

"Protect him."

She was gone.