A shadow stretches out in front of the forest. Tall, the edges of its silhouette leak into the black trees behind it. Deer horns decorate its head like jewels and, unlike the monsters I faced earlier with Sieghart and my father, its form is strangely human.

  The monster in front of me is the one hiding behind the eyes that stare into the woods. The smell of sulfur that I sometimes smelled while going to the gym. The strangeness of lonely nights. The eyes that watched me in the dark. All these years, the feeling that something was approaching the village has lodged itself in my head and forced me to look out of the window sometimes. Now, I feel that the moment I had so long awaited and feared is coming true.

  My eyes widen as if I've woken up. I point the sword at the beast. So as not to risk taking my eyes off it, I move towards the soldiers to confirm that they are not here.

  “What are you?” I say. “Show yourself, coward, and I'll destroy you here!”

  A laugh echoes through the surrounding forest.

  “Ah, Elron.” Whispers join to form the thick voice that glides through the trees. “I've been looking forward to meeting you.”

  I inhale and spit out a laugh. “I didn't know I wanted to die that badly.”

  Another laugh. “Brave, even in the face of fear. You have the heart of a warrior. I respect that. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks like that, do they?”

  “It won't work. My father already warned me what you would try to do. Say what you want.”

  “Arlong, the man under Lugnir's possession. Brave. Very lively for his age. It's a pity he had to go to war to burn off his energy. If he had a wife, on the other hand--”

  “Shut up!”

  “Ah, child. I wasn't mocking your mother. In fact, I would like to honor her. Only she could mend such a barbaric man. It's a pity that human kindness can't overcome the evils that come from heaven.”

  “… What are you talking about?”

  Red eyes shine through the trees. With them, a smile.

  “Tell me, child, what do you know about Sieghart?”

  ***

  “Once upon a time…” the forest whispers, “there was a small, powerful boy, hated and despised.”

  Hoarse, the voice prowls through the woods and forces me to follow it with my staff. I can't cast a spell in this illusion, or I might hit the rest of the soldiers. Even worse, I can't get out of it.

  “His hands killed everything he touched. A strange misfortune for a strange child. He was blamed for it. Ostracized. Brutalized. Then something saved him.”

  I shouldn't have turned to follow it. With no idea where the pillar comes from or where it is, all I can do is wander around the field while trying to catch him, knowing that I could be standing still while suffering from the illusion in real life.

  “Pay attention, Sieghart. Aren't you curious to see how the story ends?”

  “The child gets tired of beggars who think they're important dictating the rules and decides to sort everything out for himself. When does the part where we fight come?”

  The voice laughs. “Despite your considerable pride, I'm afraid it's gone to your head. Are you so important, Sieghart, that everyone is beneath you? So wise, so powerful. Indeed, it is true that the child takes charge of her own destiny. Indeed, she goes in search of knowledge. However, I'm afraid of shattering her dreams. You are not the protagonist of this story.”

  A shiver runs up my spine and I turn onto my back, point my staff and sparks threaten to explode.

  Destroy everything. A voice whispers.

  I frown. “What are you talking about?”

  Don't fall for it, child. Morgana's voice rings in my ears.

  I concentrate and feel the aura flow through the field as the red envelops me. I analyze the illusion, trying to find a way to break the spell with my own magic. Complex as a labyrinth, it tangles like the deep roots of a forest and makes the task almost impossible.

  “The cycle repeats itself. Before time was time, The First observed paradise with pride and envy in his heart. Then he vowed power if they followed him faithfully. Devoured, the Lion took up his mantle, and vowed power if they followed him faithfully. They created a prophecy that said that one as them should be born under a Blood Moon, and together, they would rule over the world.”

  A presence. I turn again and see the silhouette staring at me, its boundaries held back by the darkness of the forest. Blue eyes reflect in the silver moonlight, a curved line represents its smile.

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  “Finally, before the waters drowned the earth and wiped the iniquity from its face, in a village in the middle of nowhere, created by people no one cares about, a slave rebelled and refused to die. Inside him, under the red light of a Blood Moon, the flame of chaos was born.”

  “Lies.”

  Another laugh. “But Sieghart,” he says. “Fairies don't lie.”

  I hesitate, but inhale. “It doesn't matter.” I say, and the illusion spell shatters like glass. Its dark shards disappear before the parting of the forest, which, under the silver light of the moon, glows emerald.

  “Dispelling an ancient being's illusion spell in your own domain. I expected nothing less from you, First.”

  My chest feels heavy. A bead of sweat falls down the side of my face. I spit out a laugh and check my breathing.

  Everything's fine.

  “Kill it!” I say to the soldiers without taking my eyes off the beast. “He's weak after using so much mana to keep us at bay! Don't believe your illusions, whatever the case you've just witnessed! Get into position!”

  But nothing answers. I look to the side and put myself between the creature and the warriors, but they watch me with empty eyes. Their wrists trembling with fear, Arlong grits his teeth and strengthens his grip on Lugnir.

  “… What are you doing? Arlong? El-”

  Elron stares at me. Apathetic, his gaze seems to pass right through me.

  Destroy everything.

  “… Hey! What are you doing?!”

  “Paralyzed, Sieghart. With fear.” Aldwyn says. “But not of me.”

  I turn to the fairy. “What's going on?!”

  “You, arrogant, decided that you would kill me. I politely showed you the story you decided to ignore.”

  “Story…?! Why would they believe-”

  The soldiers look around, taking deep breaths. They wait until the conversation is over, as if expecting an order to attack.

  “Why should I manipulate you with fantasies when I can do it with the truth? I'm weak, Sieghart, and breaking the obelisk will bring pain. If you destroy it, the Light you so desperately seek will realize your fear and blind you. I have shown them the truth, and they will prevent this from happening. They have turned against you. They are traitors, as are all those around us!”

  He smiles. “By my side, you'll have all the knowledge you can get, and you'll finally be able to stop depending on the wills of the gods who condemned you to eternal torment. Do you really want to return to darkness and doubt?”

  One more step.

  “Isn't that what you wanted? To dominate chaos? To take control? Deny the chance to those in the heavens, who would deny you if you begged them for help?”

  “ENOUGH!” Arlong shouts and interrupts his speech. The man withdraws his gaze from the weakened fairy and stares at me. “I won't stand by while you decide whether to kill us!”

  Frederic grits his teeth. “Arlong, what are you doing?!”

  Arlong points at Lugnir and prepares himself. “It ends here!”

  He bolts.

  I intensify and jump backwards—Lugnir glows blue and almost cuts my head off. At this distance, a master intensifier soldier can kill me before I can cast a decent spell.

  “Umbra!” I say a second before his sword digs into my chest. Solid shadow emerges from my own and forms a barrier that almost breaks. I envelop Arlong with the substance in the shape of a sphere and trap the chief warrior inside, only to have to dodge a hail of archers who have recovered their courage.

  “Stop!” I say, as I use the shadows to defend myself. The sphere cracks and then shatters, the light from the magic sword cutting through the defect resistance of the magic. Arlong advances again, and I point my finger at him. “Ifrit!”

  A column of flames emerges in the grass of the clearing and rises up. Arlong is forced to step back so as not to be burned by his surroundings, then he prepares to cross the wall.

  “What are you doing?! Have you forgotten why we came?”

  “Aldwyn can wait.”

  Arlong leaps over the barrier and shakes the ground. Quickly, the warrior launches a wave of slashes and forces me onto the defensive. The shadow is split by the light of the blade and streaks the white skin with red. I grit my teeth, flames burning in my chest as I conjure them into real life with every step the general takes.

  I stare at the amber obelisk and see Aldwyn's blue aura pulsating inside it. Protected by a simple and complex spell, the fairy had turned his prison into protection. I'd have to concentrate to destroy the structure and overcome the magic, but that's impossible when-

  Shout after shout, the remaining warriors join Arlong and overwhelm me with intensification. I cast shadows to throw them against the field and trap them, roll to the left to avoid Lugnir and cast a small Ignite to take two soldiers out of combat.

  Sharp pain runs down my back. I clench my teeth and push Arlong away once more, roll across the grass and remove the arrow from my shoulder. Blood leaks out and is stopped by shadow.

  “ELRON!” I shout. “Ask him to stop! Tell him Aldwyn is doing his head in!”

  The boy hasn't moved so far. His gaze wanders to the grass, then back to me. I feel time stand still. For a few seconds, the fight is gone.

  “Sieghart,” he says. “Is it true? Are you a demon?”

  “… What …?”

  Pain. Blue light rips across the horizon next to my chest. Blood leaks from the wound along with a roar of agony. It falls onto the emerald grass and makes it wither as my vitality fades. My steps falter and, in the next second, I find myself on the ground.

  Arlong raises the blade over his head, and the blue gleams against the silver of the moon. The rain splatters against the emerald and floods the clearing, which soon turns red hot.

  Memories. I thought I had them under control. My eyes roam the ground as I feel the reaper approaching. I remember the darkness that dwelled not only within the confines of hell, but within the hearts of those I avenged. But if that's what I did, then why do they still live?

  Demon.

  What does that mean?

  What-

  Destroy everything. The Lion's voice cries out in a thousand whispers.

  My body falls to the ground. The blade comes down, but doesn't hit me. Standing against the wind, my eyes look up at the heavens, which are watching the moment outside the limits of movement.

  Claws pierce the mantle of the heavens and open the stellar veil like a wound. The blue bleeds into red and consumes the ground in fire. He pushes through the clouds and passes through the hole created in the firmament of the material world, the eclipsed sun forms the divine halo of his defiance. The Lion watches me, angelic and plastered like a statue.

  Tearing his chest open, his own figure descends from the sky like lightning and stands in front of me, covered in the red cloak of a king. At the end of the forest, he walks calmly as he deforms his surroundings and drags me back into the realm of nightmares.

  “Tell me, child, how will you escape now?”