The Gamer's POV

’What sort of ritual is this?’ Cedric questioned as the boy fully turned to the demonic-looking being.

The little child seemed to be in a lot of pain and had fallen to the ground, writhing and screaming in agony. Saliva dripped out of his mouth and even his gray eyes bled until the irises turned crimson.

Creak.

The heavy sword dragged along the floor, screeching against the stone as the bulky man closed the distance to the first child, who had flowers coming out of her mouth.

Then, in a voice that was almost inhuman, he spoke in a foreign language.

Confused and curious, Cedric leaned closer and asked, ’What is he saying, Aika?’~

It was silent for a few hesitant seconds, and then Aika’s voice echoed, ’I think he said three failed and one passed, though the one who passed is still far from being perfect.’~~

’One passed? So the criterion for passing whatever this is... is turning into a demon?’ Cedric muttered under his breath.

The man slowly reached out with his right hand and wrapped his thick fingers around the stem of the rose. Then, deliberately, he began to pull the plant out of the girl’s mouth.

The girl choked as the stem tore free, and by the time the roots cleared her lips, Cedric could see that the bottom of the rose had split into two distinct, leg-like branches. The roots began squirming wildly, proving the horrific plant was fully alive in the man’s grip.

He could also hear a screeching sound coming from the mandrake-like roots.

The man threw the plant on the ground, and before the creature could scurry away, he raised his sword and brought it down hard, killing it.

In front of him, the girl had already dropped to the ground, unconscious. Although she didn’t look like she was dead... yet.

At the same time, some of the men dressed in hooded robes who were standing by the perimeter walked up the platform and grabbed the limp girl, beginning to take her away.

While this was happening, the armored man moved onto the next terrified child and repeated the horrific extraction.

By the time he got to the last boy, he bent down, studying the boy’s newfound demonic features with cold interest.

Then, he spoke again in a deep voice that vibrated through the hollow stone platform.

When he was done, Aika translated in a hushed voice. ’He says: This is not merely enough to grant immunity against the plague. Only his appearance is changed. He is still human at his core.’~~

Cedric arched a brow.

’Wait a minute... plague?’ he thought, as a suspicion crossed his mind. ’Are they trying to forcefully turn humans into demons?’~

This situation was awfully similar to what had happened with Argentos and his people.

While he was still trying to process the horrifying implication, Aika spoke, ’You asked where this is.’~~

She paused for a brief moment, her tone turning solemn. ’This is a place in the Second Ring. You must already know of the city Xinthrea, yes?’~~

Cedric’s eyes widened.

’This is a prison in Xinthrea,’ Aika added, and her voice carried a distinct edge of bitterness. ’That godforsaken place.’~~

Cedric fell silent as a heavy realization washed over him.

’Xinthrea?’

That was the city he planned to visit if he got the chance in the Second Ring!

Another thought suddenly struck him.

’Come to think of it, all the realms were corrupted by the Aftermath. So of course, it makes sense that the plague, which the Gods were wary of, ravaged not only the Hortus Conclusus, but the other realms as well.’

While he was still in thought, a small fog rolled back in, obscuring Cedric’s sight, and by the time it cleared, he found himself standing on a narrow stone walkway built high into the prison walls, right outside a long row of iron-barred cells.

There were many people of various ages, from young children to full-grown adults and a few older individuals. Looking at them, Cedric could see that all of them shared a similar trait, which was that they all had white or silver hair and gray eyes.

At that moment, he turned to see two of the guards holding the first limp girl by the arms and dragging her to one of the cells. Cedric could see that this cell already had other prisoners inside it. In fact, a lady in her thirties was gripping the iron bars, crying out as the heavy footsteps approached.

"Maya! Oh Goddess, Maya!"

The guards opened the cell and threw in the unconscious girl like a sack of unwanted grain. Before she could even hit the cold stone floor, the lady rushed forward and caught her, cradling her close to her chest.

As the two guards locked the door and walked away, Cedric stepped closer to the cell.

There was another girl in the dark corner, who had been sitting silently in the shadows, cradling her knees. She also had the same silver hair and gray eyes. She seemed to be around fourteen and was only slightly younger than the limp girl.

When she saw her sister brought into the cell, she rushed forward and knelt beside them. She was crying, asking the lady if the girl was alright.

Cedric arched a brow.

When he saw her, he couldn’t help but feel that she looked really familiar. He tilted his head to get a better view, and the more he stared, the more his eyes widened in realization.

Wait a minute...

"Aika?!" he blurted in disbelief.

That looked like Aika!

At that moment, he heard Aika sigh.

’Yes,’~~ she confirmed in his mind. She paused for a brief moment before continuing. ’It turns out that before I became a bond, I was human. That girl is me. I used to go by the name Thalia. The one unconscious seems to be my older sister Maya. And the woman is my mother, though I can’t recall her name.’~~

Cedric was stupefied.