Ares's voice, a gravelly rumble that usually suggested impatience, was surprisingly level. "What's the plan, Athena? We're losing daylight and precious time."
Athena's eyes were fixed on the chaotic scene before them. The seriousness of their situation ain't something to ignore. "We have to avoid hurting them, Ares. That's important, while we find a way to break the curse."
It was mere moments after we reached the final checkpoint, something felt wrong, like a shroud of stale air. The landscape itself—a patchy valley floor jammed with thorny scrub—it was unsettling enough, and we noticed the eyes of the other participants that truly felt strange. They were wide open, unfocused, and it feels like someone had scraped away the humanity from them, leaving hollow, milky holes. There was no pain in their vacant stares, only a terrifying rage, as if their souls had been gouged out along with their pupils.
Fortunately, it was Elios, with his wide knowledge of the mountain's lore, who immediately identified the source of this creepy incident: the Herx Bane. "It's the infamous flower of the Lord of Sloth," he said, his voice taut with urgency. "Once the bloom is picked—even a single, unwitting touch—it releases a subtle, aromatic scent that doesn't just poison the body, it controls the victim's mind. They become convinced that everyone around them, friend or foe, is a monster that needs to be killed." He pointed to a nearby group who's viciously attacking a boulder. "Their primal combat mode is activated, their judgment gone. They're fighting shadows of their own fear."
"We need to move before this psychosis spreads," suggested Ate Clydelle, her gaze swept over the frantic, uncontrolled combatants. "Let's split up. We must capture and restrain every infected individual. We need to make sure they don't sustain fatal injuries fighting those phantom 'monsters' they perceive."
The strategy was risky. We all nodded our grim agreement and melted into the chaotic place.
I darted through a bushes of weeping willows, the low-hanging branches stinging my face. I managed to corner a victim—a little girl wearing a dress and ornaments. I recognized her, the Fairy Princess. Her eyes were just as dead as the others, her movements sharp, desperate, and dangerous. With a burst of focused strength, I managed to use a length of enchanted rope to bind both her wrists and ankles. Around me, the sounds of struggle intensified. The others—Ares, Athena, and Elios—were struggling to subdue a trio of the notoriously powerful Holy Knights.
I could only hope that the fates were kind and that my next encounter wouldn't be with anyone significantly stronger than me.
And speaking of fates— the universe seemed determined to make fun of me. Right as I was securing the Elf Princess, a tall, imposing figure with a sigil of the celestial scale on his breastplate showed up next to us. He was a member of the Holy Knights, and worse, he is the man who could alter someone's fate.
"Of all the people..." I forced a weak, strained grin. This was not a fight I could win with brute force. My hand shot out, triggering my rare, desperate ability: I paused the flow of time just as he began to mouth the complex incantation for his signature spell.
The world went silent, bathed in an eerie, static grey. I moved and approached the Knight, his features frozen. Working with frantic speed, I bound his body tightly with more of the enchanted rope and, as an extra precaution, placed a piece of Raven's Vain to temporarily suppress his incantations over his mouth.
"Just stay put," I mumbled to the unhearing figure.
I resumed the time.
The world snapped back into vibrant sound and color. But my triumph was agonizingly short-lived. The Holy Knight, imbued with a power beyond ordinary mortals, easily tore through the Raven's Vain in a single, explosive movement. His eyes, though still clouded by the Herx Bane, burned with residual power as he finally unleashed his spell:
"Laplace Art: Bloody Twist of Fate!"
A rippling, crimson barrier instantly began to form around me, a magical cage designed to warp the very odds of my survival to zero. But just before the ominous enclosure could snap shut, I felt a familiar tug on my arm, a dizzying displacement of air and matter. I was teleported away from the hostile barrier.
I landed, a slight cough escaping my lips as Stephen lowered me gently to the ground. His posture was casual, almost annoyingly nonchalant.
"Need my help, Sari?" he asked, a faint, mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"You have no idea," I admitted, rising quickly. "I don't want to lose my life here, not now. I've only just decided to truly immerse myself here."
"Well then, it's a pleasure to be a temporary part of your quest," he chuckled, straightening his tunic. "So, what's the plan?"
I looked at him blankly. "I... don't have one."
His hand went up to his forehead in a melodramatic slap. "O-ohh, I forgot about that thing about you. The legendary reckless lady."
"Too noisy," I shushed him, my eyes scanning the terrain, my gaze settling on a narrow, fast-moving river nearby. "I always have a plan, but I don't think you're going to agree with this one."
"Really? Then tell me before that walking fate-bender realizes you're gone and comes after us."
It took me a moment to locate the Knight's position and analyze the terrain around. I took a deep, shaky breath, attempting to calm the primal fight-or-flight tremor feeling in limbs. "Okay," I finally said. "See that weird, crimson barrier fading where you pulled me out?"
"Yeah. It's almost gone."
"On a count of one, we're going to ambush him."
Stephen's jaw dropped. "Okay, sure—wait... that's the PLAN?!" he yelled, his voice cracking with utter disbelief.
"One!" I shouted, not giving him another second to protest. My body reacted automatically, driven by adrenaline and desperate logic. I launched myself from the riverbank, sprinting flat-out toward the Holy Knight's still-confused figure.
"SARI! THAT'S DAN—" Stephen's frantic warning was abruptly severed.
Too late. I had already triggered the time-pause once more. The Holy Knight was frozen, mid-turn, still close to the river's edge. The stillness was heavy. I strained every muscle in my body, finding it a bit difficult to drag the massive man and subdue him in the rushing water.
"Hope a cold bath works on you," I mumbled, my breath hitching, before snapping my fingers and resuming the time.
"—GEROUS!" Stephen finished his cut-off sentence with a horrified gasp, his eyes wide with panic when he realized I had vanished from his field of vision.
"Over here!" I called, a triumphant wave of my hand barely visible above the riverbank.
He teleported to my location in a shimmer of silver light. The sight before him—the Holy Knight thrashing weakly in the river, his magical aura dampened by the water, the Herx Bane curse momentarily stalled by the shock—elicited the exact reaction I expected: a potent mix of fear and utter confusion.
A knot of confusion tightened Stephen's brow. His voice, a strained rasp, barely cut through the distant clamor. "What did you do?"
"Hold on," I said, drawing a deliberate breath. "Well... while I was looking around the river, something unexpected caught my attention. My cousin, Tyler, accidentally threw a guy straight into the river." I paused, letting the image settle. "That wasn't the catch, though. What struck me was the trail of violet smoke coming out of the body of the person that was thrown at the river. So, I used my ability to give myself enough time to analyze the scenario. I processed what I've seen—the knight, the water, the strange smoke—and reached a clear judgment."
"And then?" Stephen leaned in, his confusion transforming into an intense anticipation.
"...look." I didn't waste another word, simply jabbing my finger toward the river.
The surface of the water stirred, then a figure emerged, slick and dripping. It was a Holy Knight, a faint wisp of violet smoke curled off his body, with the mist rising from the water. The hollow, vacant look that had clouded his eyes was completely gone. His gaze was now sharp and clear.
An almost childlike comprehension burst across Stephen's face. His mouth dropped open, and he slapped his forehead with an audible thwack. "OHHH! THE WATER! It woke him up! Of course! The river of this mountain was blessed by the Goddess Korenani! It's a holy ward!" he exclaimed, utterly delighted by the simple solution.
"H-hey, what happened?" The knight stammered, shaking his head as if clearing water from his ears. His voice was raw with disorientation.
"You were under the spell of Inertia," I explained, keeping my voice steady. "I threw you into the river. Luckily, the blessed water of Korenani acted as an immediate, powerful counter-agent and broke the curse."
"I… I can't believe it," he muttered, his eyes wide as he looked from the powerful river to my relatively unassuming figure. "I am saved by a mere mortal." The words sounded loud, laced with a lingering, incredulous shock.
"That's not important now, Mr. Holy Knight," I said, flashing him a reassuring smile. I reached out and gave his armored shoulder a friendly, solid pat. He actually shuddered under the touch. "We have a lot of infected to help!"
Leaving the recovering knight blinking—still shocked, I quickly turned and sought out Tyler. I relayed the critical information, and he, in turn, wasted no time, shouting the breakthrough to ate Clydelle and the others. The undo-the-curse-operation was officially underway.