Rei's eyes opened slowly, lids heavy with fatigue. The room was dim, painted in hues of orange and gold from the low flickering light of the aura-powered lamp burning on the small wooden table nearby. Instinctively, his gaze drifted to the corner where a faint, glowing clock was embedded in the wall.
"Holy shit... it's already 3:52 A.M.," he muttered under his breath.
He sat up and ran a hand through his hair before scanning the room. Zay and Naomi were still motionless in their beds. The jungle outside was eerily silent, save for the occasional chirp of some distant insect or the rustle of leaves stirred by the wind.
Then he noticed something just beneath the soft light of the lamp, a piece of paper laid neatly across the table.
'What the hell is that?'
Rei reached to the ground, retrieved his leather cloak, and pulled it around his shoulders. The air in the stone building was cool and damp, heavy with the scent of moss and dust. He stepped over to the table, crouched down beside it, and stared at the paper.
In bold red ink across the front were the words: Demons of Red.
His eyes narrowed. He immediately sat on the floor, legs crossed beneath him, and reached for the letter.
'That coachman mentioned a letter would arrive in the morning... is this it? But it's so early. And who else would know to leave something here? Who knows this building's location or that name?'
His mind was still fogged from sleep, but curiosity took over. Turning the paper over, he realized it wasn't a flat sheet but a carefully rolled scroll. He unrolled it and began to read:
...
"The objective of "Via-Nyx" is to explore the ancient ruins within the surrounding jungle and retrieve a book known as Rituals of Fred. This is a highly dangerous ritualist tome. It must be secured before the Seven Fathers Church learns of its presence.
"Red Dawn trackers have located it to a certain degree, though its exact position is obscured by a high-level barrier placed by Mr. Leon himself. According to our records, this book contains rituals of such gravity that they cannot be described even here on paper. What can be stated is this: if any ritual within Rituals of Fred is performed by someone without direct connection to the Red Dawn, the results will be immediate and irreversible. Their body will ignite from within, their heart will be shattered into nine pieces, and their soul shall be bound to turn.
"The phrase "bound to turn" remains unclear. Its meaning is lost in interpretation, but I do not imagine the fate is pleasant. Proceed with extreme caution.
"There are also three known artifacts scattered: Dragon's Left Claw, Staff of Lost Hope, Necklace of Saint Loros
"Secure the artifacts. Secure the book. If other findings are discovered, acquire them as well.
A carriage will be sent to collect the three of you in one year."
— Red Dawn's Queen
...
Rei paused, letting the silence fill the room again. A soft rumble echoed in the far distance. Thunder. He turned his head toward the cracked stone wall, watching as a faint flash of light briefly illuminated the vines curling near the window opening.
He waited a few seconds, watching and listening, but the jungle remained still.
'This Rituals of Fred... it sounds dangerous. That phrase "soul will be bound to turn" what the hell does that even mean? Some kind of eternal curse? Transformation? Binding? And the Ruins of Leonard... that has to be where we are now. At least I have a name to match the place. Gives me something to work with. A year though... that's annoying.'
His eyes scanned the scroll once more, rolling downward until he reached the list of artifacts. The names alone carried weight.
'Dragon's Left Claw. Staff of Lost Hope. Necklace of Saint Loros... All sound powerful or old enough to be cursed ten different ways. If these are here, then what the hell else could be here? I need to make sure I'm prepared for anything before charging in recklessly. I need to... slowly investigate like I did at Ironcloud.'
He re-read the final lines again slowly, then rolled up the scroll and opened his Arbiter: Vault. With a flicker of light, he placed the letter inside and sealed it.
When he turned back toward the beds, his eyes widened largely in surprise.
"Well, I'd be damned. It's about time!" Rei stood up and made his way to the bed in the center of the room. Zay blinked up at him slowly, eyes still adjusting. Rei paused, noticing something slightly off about Zay but after a moment of hesitation, he shrugged it off.
He extended a hand, and Zay accepted it. As Zay rose to his feet, he swayed slightly and blinked several times, nearly falling backward before catching his balance.
"Are you alright? You've been passed out for quite a while," Rei asked, his voice quieter now, tinged with caution.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing softly within the stone walls. A moment of silence followed before Zay gave a tired nod.
"Everything's fine. Just... a very long dream."
Rei studied him for a few more seconds, his eyes moving over Zay's face, then down his arms. Something still felt strange, but he couldn't quite place it. A quiet breath left him as he reached into his Arbiter: Vault and pulled out the note from earlier.
"We got this while you were out. The next task in this endless nightmare of a sequence. Once you read it, we need to prepare for whatever the hell is waiting out there."
Zay took the note and began to read, his eyes scanning the paper with practiced focus. His night vision flared softly, sharpening the clarity of the lettering under the low light. When he finished, he handed it back to Rei without a word.
Rei returned the letter to his Arbiter: Vault and sat back down at the table, the wooden surface cool beneath his fingertips.
"So, what's the game plan?" he asked, his eyes flicking up to Zay.
"Have you gone out yet to check our surroundings?"
"I just woke up maybe ten minutes ago. I haven't had time," Rei replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "But good call. I'll take a look now. Should we both go? Might be smarter. We could cover more ground that way."
Zay gave a slow blink before nodding.
Rei stood up again, and the two walked over to the wooden door. The old hinges creaked softly as they pulled it open and stepped outside into the humid predawn air.
It was still dark, the stars barely visible behind low-hanging clouds. But on the horizon, the faint edge of the sun had begun to rise, coloring the sky with a thin ribbon of violet and gray. The air smelled of wet stone and distant flowers. To their right, a small pond shimmered beneath the pale moonlight, its water clear enough to see the rocks settled at its bottom. Three horses slept nearby, tied to a stone pole just outside the building, their bodies rising and falling in peaceful rhythm.
Rei inhaled deeply and closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the clean air.
"I can't believe there's actual oxygen here," he said with a smile. "Feels like the first time I've breathed without snow hitting me in the face."
Zay took a breath as well, exhaling slowly. He gave a quiet nod before walking a few steps away, scanning the edge of the jungle.
Rei watched him move, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'Something's...'
But before the thought could fully form, a deafening roar erupted from deep within the jungle. The sound was guttural, and filled with pure rage. Zay turned instantly, locking eyes with Rei.
"Let's get back in the building!"
Neither of them hesitated. They sprinted back to the door, slipped inside, and slammed it shut behind them. The roar came again, louder this time.
"What the hell is that?" Rei asked, catching his breath. "Sounds like a gorilla high on some kind of experimental drug."
He looked around the room again, but nothing had changed. The beds, the table, the aura lamp—they were all still there, unchanged and silent. Rei pulled off his black cloak and dropped it onto the floor before sinking back into the chair.
Zay moved to the table as well and sat down across from him. He tugged off his cloak and then pulled off his tunic, revealing sweat across his chest and shoulders.
"This damn heat," he muttered, ignoring Rei's question entirely.
Rei leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, his fingers drumming quietly. The roar still echoed faintly in his ears, though it was growing distant.
'That wasn't a natural creature... Whatever it was, it felt wrong. We need to move fast before it finds its way here. We need to prepare—quickly.'
Zay blinked a few times, swaying his hand in front of his body, "Get some water in you. We head out in an hour."