W.A.S. HEADQUARTERS.

  "Now... let us begin," Glock said as he and Terror reached the spot where the guards stood.

  Glock raised the security tape, ducking under it as they passed by the guards.

  "Why aren't they stopping us?" Terror asked, gaze shifting from the guards to Glock.

  "We've Agnis to thank for that," Glock replied as they stepped into the building.

  The ground floor was filled with people clad in formal wear, going about their activities.

  By the right side was a large counter where the male receptionist sat, eyes glued to his computer, and far ahead stood the elevator leading to the upper floors.

  "Arrgh, the nostalgia," Glock exhaled.

  He walked forward, reaching the centre of the floor where a golden chandelier hung from above.

  Glock inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

  "Announcement, everyone!!" he shouted, grabbing everyone's attention as they turned to him.

  The room instantly fell silent.

  "Huh? Who the hell's—"

  "What's that behind him?" Someone said as he saw Terror. "Is that a human being?"

  "G-G-Glock Harbinger," the receptionist suddenly exclaimed, tone shaky, as he darted a finger at Glock.

  "Eh? What's he talking about?" Everyone turned to him.

  "Aww man, I wanted it to be more of a surprise," Glock purred, gaze dropping. "I mean, most people know Glock Harbinger, but they don't know how he actually looks."

  "No offence taken," Glock said, shrugging. "I mean, I'm not so popular like the other first-tiers."

  "Wait, is that really him?" "There's no way..." "Why'd he show himself all of a sudden?!" The people whispered amongst themselves, alarm and fear filling their tones.

  "Anyway, let's go straight to the point!" Glock said, grinning. He slowly raised his hand and pointed it towards the receptionist.

  "Ah.." the receptionist staggered backwards in trepidation.

  What followed was a visceral splursh. His body twisted and immediately exploded in a spray of blood and gore.

  "Holy Aethrauzon." A woman immediately covered her mouth.

  "What just happened?!" Another worker exclaimed.

  "Hehehe," Glock chuckled, gaze darkening. "This is the plan," he began.

  "Everyone in this vicinity already has a worm implanted into your bodies," he announced.

  "A worm? When did that happen?"

  "What's he talking about? That's a lie—" a man screamed, but mid-sentence, his body was immediately reduced to blood pulp, as his remains splattered on the walls, ground, furniture, and some faces.

  "Ugh!" A wave of horror descended upon everyone. Sweat poured down their faces, the air heavy with the stench of blood.

  "Man, I hate it when someone cuts in while I'm still talking," Glock purred, eyes burning.

  "Let's continue," he said, demeanor instantly changing back to a jovial one. "As you've seen, these worms have the ability to explode bodies just by a snap of my finger."

  "Ahh.." a lady whimpered, tears pouring out of her eyes as her knees gave out.

  "Now now," Glock cautioned, waving in mock concern. "I'm not such a brutal killer that I'd waste innocent lives," he muttered.

  "If you do what I want, then you can walk out of here happily, like nothing ever happened. What I want from all of you is very simple," he announced, eyes slitting and framing a sly smirk. "If I'm right, the W.A.S. meeting should've already concluded by now, so I'm giving you all one mission."

  His lips curled further into a wicked grin. "If you don't wanna end up like those two men, kill every sorcerer in this building!"

  "What? How could we possibly do such a thing?!"

  "I should've seen this coming," Glock murmured and dipped his pinky into his right ear. "Humans and your thinking," he sighed.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Why don't I make this easier for you," he said and darted his palm at the people.

  ...

  Rooftop, W.A.S. Headquarters.

  The wind howled and whistled over the floor. At the centre was a helipad on which an helicopter sat silently. Far behind it, toward the setting sun, stood Sir Zoldrak and Lady Anastasia, discussing.

  "Sometimes, I tend to believe that I'm not fit for this position," Sir Zoldrak muttered, resting on the balcony.

  A soft wind blew through the terrain. Beside him stood Lady Anastasia Welles, eyes fixed on the setting sun.

  "Why do you think so? The Royal Families entrusted it to you," Lady Anastasia replied, gaze unshifting.

  "Yeah, I try to convince myself with that," Sir Zoldrak said as he exhaled. "But deep down, I know it shouldn't have been me. Down through the history of Eldrid, all the Sorcerer-generals were either Ackerman or Welles."

  "It wasn't luck, neither was it merit." Sir Zoldrak's voice fell to a whisper. "It came at the cost of lives. I rose to the top through a bloody climb. I don't think I'll ever be free from that guilt," he grimaced.

  "What does it matter?" Lady Anastasia cut in calmly. "The important thing is that you're trustworthy enough to be handed authority over the lives of many."

  ...

  "You should have no problem doing this if you're no longer human," Glock added.

  "No longer human? Is he planning to turn us into demons?"

  "Th-that's impossible," someone whispered shakily, his fingers vibrating.

  "Agnis. Your call," Glock whispered, and as he did, the hearts of everyone standing before him thudded at once.

  “Ah... urgh!” The people screamed as their eyes slowly went bloodshot.

  One man staggered back into a marble pillar, hands clawing at his face, the screams of those around him echoing through the hall. He lunged for the telephone on the desk, and hurriedly dialed some numbers. However, as he raised it to his ears, he soon realized there was no longer a head sitting on his neck.

  "What's happening to my body?!" A woman screamed as she watched her entire being twist grotesquely, neck spinning until her head had turned 180 degrees, tongue sprawling out, eyes popping.

  “Ahh…” a lady whimpered, knees buckling. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the door handle, but the handle had already melted in her grip.

  The overhead chandelier flickered, security monitors sparked, and the rising stench of gore became choking.

  A state of lull set in.

  "Arr.. now that's better," Glock whispered, staring at hordes of transformed humans before him.

  Their bodies had been converted to shapeless, writhing, and squelching lumps of flesh, with worms pouring out of every orifice of their body.

  Glock stretched his arms wide and declared: "Let the carnage unfold!"

  ...

  "Hahaha," Sir Zoldrak chuckled lightly. "I'm totally sure you'd be a better Sorcerer-general than I am," he said.

  "Unlike your cousin," he added.

  "Van?" Lady Anastasia asked, brushing her hair aside.

  "Yeah," Sir Zoldrak nodded. "You can never know what's going through his mind." A slight smile crept onto his lips.

  "Reminds me of his elder brother-Gin," he murmured. "You don't act so different from Aurelia too," he said to Lady Anastasia.

  "I'm glad I got to meet those two." He nodded his head as a memory of the three of them flashed through his mind. "Now, I'm just an old man who's lost his edge," Sir Zoldrak said. "Heck, good thing my life can still serve a purpose."

  Another gust of wind whipped past, flailing Lady Anastasia's dress. A few seconds of silence passed.

  "I should get going now," Lady Anastasia said, turning to leave. She bowed slightly.

  "I see you're as busy as ever," Sir Zoldrak chuckled, the smile not reaching his eyes.

  The elevator's bell chimed as Lady Anastasia reached it, then she suddenly glanced back.

  "Hmm. That's strange," Sir Zoldrak muttered, eyes narrowing. "No one comes here except me," he said.

  The door finally swished open, revealing what stood inside; a twisted creature crouched next to a man's body, gobbling up his parts.

  Lady Anastasia blinked coldly at it. The creature's gaze raised until it locked with hers. His face was smeared with blood and gore.

  "Hehe," the creature grinned, revealing his bloodied teeth.

  "How disgusting," Lady Anastasia mouthed, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket. She gently used it to clean the blood off the creature's face before tossing it onto the floor.

  "Nyah?" The creature gasped, staring at the drenched handkerchief.

  After this, all it saw was a glimpse of Lady Anastasia's fist, and before it could understand what was happening, its skull exploded, brain matter splurting out and smearing on the wall.

  Sir Zoldrak’s eyes widened as her fist met the creature’s skull. 'So precise… even in this chaos, she remains calm'

  "Humph," Lady Anastasia sighed, watching as its headless body fell to the ground. Lady Anastasia pulled another handkerchief out of her pocket, using it to clean her fist.

  "I wasn't expecting him to be here so soon," she muttered, glancing at Sir Zoldrak. "Glock has arrived."

  ......

  A destructive tremor ripped through the building. The entire floor trembled, as light flickered.

  "What the hell?!" Nico exclaimed, rising up.

  "Is that what I think it is?" Sage said quickly, glancing about.

  The doorbell rang and the entrance door gradually opened, as while smoke oozed in.

  Everyone's eyes shifted to it, quickly sighting the creature as he took theatrical steps into the room. A grin strung across his face, running from ear to ear. His eyes were slitted wickedly, while blood painted his lips.

  "Hello," Aghnis greeted, tone draggy.

  "What's that?" Alpha exclaimed, almost jumping.

  "A demon? How did it make it to this place?" Nico said.

  Aghnis chuckled, voice like a cranked engine. "Glock Harbinger's in this building somewhere," he announced.

  "Whaaat!" Sage exclaimed and switfly rose to his feet.

  "He's already penetrated?" Blaise muttered, brows knitted. "Unbelievable!"

  "Where the hell's he right now?" Nico demanded, tone desperate as she rushed toward the demon.

  However, Aghnis didn't reply, instead, his body began to contort. "I don't know. Why don't you find out yourselves..." He growled, before his body melted into a thick dark liquid.

  "Fuck. We couldn't get any info from him," Nico hissed.

  "Blaise, contact the rest of the guild!" Sage commanded, rising to his feet.

  "Roger," Blaise nodded, turning away to call.

  "We can't wait until they arrive, y'know," Nico protested.

  "We've got no choice but to act now," Arthur said, voice calm and collected. "Our top priority's protecting the key's guard; Sir Zoldrak."

  Alpha's eyes darted about in panic.

  "Don't worry Lady Alpha, I'll protect you," Peridot reassured.

  "Everyone, prepare for battle, and find Sir Zoldrak!" Arthur declared.

  Screams echoed down the halls. Sounds of glass shattering ripped. Alpha’s eyes darted to the elevator, Nico’s fists clenched. Sage could hear himself breath, as cold air blew out of his throat.

  Every heartbeat was a countdown.