Internally, I was bewildered, yet I forced myself to appear calm. Time was up. There was no room for hesitation.
As we approached the lake, instinct guided me: the Central Sanctum had to be somewhere near. And then I saw it. The sight tore through me—tall, blackened towers, corroded as if touched by some living decay, their shadows stretching across empty streets. The Gothic horror of it all made the heart falter. My eyes were drawn to the lake's center, where jagged towers rose like the spines of some colossal creature, a nightmarish skyline that dominated the waters.
Peripheral vision caught movement: the others paused, uncertain andbcalculating. I was about to call to Gwen and Jason but I stopped myself, exhaling a quiet sigh.
Jason, it seemed, was already heading toward the Aristocratic Front, toward his father, his steps reluctant but inevitable. I didn't dwell on it considering situation we are in , I beckoned Ghien to follow me as we threaded along a narrow path that felt eerily familiar, like a scene lifted from a popular novel my mother had once read aloud—a story set by the sea , where main character of the story moses parted the sea . A strange, uncanny echo of fiction now mirrored our reality, a subtle anomaly that made the hairs on my neck rise.
We reached a cluster of cathedrals, and I marked one roughly in the center. Every step inside, I felt eyes burning into the back of my head, most likely from our early capture of a strategic position. I ignored the stares. Crossing the threshold, the interface blinked to life before me:
"YOU HAVE ENTERED SCOURGEFIELDS. ONCE ENTERED, YOU CANNOT EXIT UNTIL COMPLETING THE TRIAL OF THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS."
"DAY CYCLE: THREE HOURS OF BEAST TIDE, ONE HOUR OF REST. THIS PATTERN REPEATS FOR TWELVE HOURS."
"NIGHT CYCLE: ONE HOUR OF BEAST TIDE, REMAINING TIME IS REST. THIS PATTERN REPEATS FOR TWELVE HOURS"
"PARTICIPANTS WILL BE REWARDED FOR EVERY KILLING."
"YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED WHEN YOU COMPLETE THE TRIAL."
I read the message aloud. Silence followed, thick and oppressive. A trembling unease settled over me—not of the body, but the mind. I muttered, almost to myself, "Right… seems simple enough. Stop the beasts."
Before Gwen could respond, a scream pierced the cathedral. Gwen's voice quivered as she smiled nervously and moved toward a charred window, whispering "Not simple enough."