What emerged from both ends of the corridor was neither human nor Malged. It was something else entirely.
At first glance they looked almost human, but their proportions betrayed them. Each stood nearly twice the height of a man, with skin the color and texture of clay. Blood streamed steadily from their eyes, streaking down twisted faces.
Their bodies jerked with unnatural rhythm, every movement slow, uncoordinated, as if puppets dragged by unseen strings. Fangs jutted from their mouths, and when they opened them, guttural voices spilled out; broken and unpleasant, grating against the stone walls.
They wore tattered hospital gowns, men and women alike, pale fabric clinging loosely to their massive frames.
Eight shambled in from the left. Six more advanced from the right. Their eyes glowed with a ravenous gleam, every gaze fixed hungrily on the three trapped in the hall.
What are those? The thought slammed through Othrena's mind as she darted a glance toward Kuzen, who had already turned to face the left end of the tunnel beside her.
They carry the presence of demons… but their faces... Aria's stomach tightened. They still look human. Were they being experimented on.
Kuzen's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a grim mutter. "These aren't demons born… They're failed test subjects of humans being altered into demons. I've heard whispers of them before, but I never thought they were real. They are called Menins – artificial demons."
Aria's voice rose sharply from behind him, edged with anger and disbelief. "And where did you hear that? How come I've never heard of them before?"
"Stories," Kuzen answered flatly, not looking back. His gaze stayed locked on the approaching creatures. "In Aderfel, anyone will do anything to claw at power. Even this."
Othrena's voice cut in, her expression hardening. "I've heard of Menins too. They're said to be hollow; no memory, no identity. All they crave is blood. I thought it was just a myth… until the night two of them broke into our home while we slept." Her jaw clenched, eyes shadowed with old grief. "They killed everyone. Everyone except me."
Kuzen froze, stunned. He had never expected Othrena to speak of her family, least of all now, in the middle of a nightmare.
A low growl rolled down the corridor, dragging him back to the moment.
"Here they come," Aria muttered. She spun, eyes flashing toward Mira and Liana curled against the wall, still asleep, clinging to one another. Stepping back quickly, she shouted, "Hey…you two! Wake up!"
But neither Mira nor Liana so much as stirred. Not even a flinch.
"What's wrong with you two? Can't you hear this?" Aria's voice rose, urgent and sharp. "Wake up!" She shook her head, dread crawling over her. They didn't look asleep at all, they looked unconscious.
"They're out cold," Othrena muttered, stepping past them. Without hesitation, she bent down and pulled one of Mira's twin swords free from its sheath.
Aria's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on the slingshot. "How do you go from sleeping to unconscious?" she hissed, stretching the band until it cracked against her ear. With a sharp release, the shot flew.
It struck one of the towering creatures square in the skull. The impact pierced clean through with a sickening crunch. The Menin staggered a step, head jerking sideways then straightened again, fangs bared, still advancing.
What…? That had the speed of a bullet. Aria's eyes widened, disbelief knotting in her chest.
"Nobody said they can't die!" she muttered under her breath, snatching up the bat from the ground. Her slingshot wasn't loaded with stone or clay, it fired metal shot, each piece heavy, brutal, and launched at a velocity that could rival a gun.
Behind her, Othrena steadied her stance as the Menins lurched closer, jaws unhinged, their hunger obvious. They wanted to bite, to tear flesh and drain blood.
With a sharp spin of her wrist, Othrena flipped the blade back, then slashed across with all her strength. Steel met flesh, carving through one Menin's throat. For a heartbeat, the cut seared wide then stopped shallow, unable to dig deeper. Their skin was like stone.
A hiss of steam rose from the wound as it knitted itself back together, healing before her eyes.
Othrena's teeth clenched, lips biting down hard with frustration.
Kuzen's lips barely moved as he muttered, "Zei Shadows."
From the ground beneath him, a figure rose shaped like a man but composed of pure darkness, its form rippling like liquid night. Without hesitation, Kuzen shifted Grimbell from his shoulder and placed him into its arms. "Meyour," he called it, naming the shadow.
But before he could step away, pain lanced through him. A Menin lunged, its fangs sinking deep into his left arm. Blood spilled hot, the monster's jaw tightening as it tried to drink.
Kuzen didn't flinch. "Take him," he ordered the shadow, voice steady despite the pain. "And watch the girls."
Meyour turned, silent, and strode into the gloom with Grimbell slung effortlessly over its shoulder.
Kuzen's gaze snapped back to the Menin clinging to his arm. His hand shot up, fingers locking around its throat. "You love blood, right?" His voice was low, cold. "Then how about you drink in hell?"
With a brutal motion he hurled the creature into the wall, the impact cracking stone as it collapsed in a heap. Kuzen shook his bleeding arm once, then strode forward to stand beside Othrena.
Behind them, Aria risked a glance over her shoulder. For the briefest moment, she caught sight of the shadow, its form carrying Grimbell deeper into the darkness.
Sixth Generation…! Aria's breath caught, her eyes widening as the shadow melted into the distance. He's a shadow master? The sixth generation are rare… impossibly rare. But that aside. Did he somehow sneak his spirit into the woods? Or… has he just not yet formed a pact?
The thought lingered, heavy, as she turned back toward the advancing Menins.
Othrena limped forward, refusing to yield. Pain flickered across her face, but her hands stayed steady on the blade. Two of the towering creatures closed in, jaws parted, while three more pressed behind one in a line, their grotesque faces leering through the dark.
Her eyes narrowed. With a sharp twist, she spun the sword into the air. In the same motion she pivoted, driving her injured leg upward in a roundhouse kick. Her boot connected hard with the grip of the blade, launching it forward like a spear.
The weapon whistled through the hall, cutting the air with brutal speed before slamming into the first Menin's stomach. The sheer force carried it through the mass of bodies behind it, pinning all four against the wall in a screech of steel on stone.
Kuzen glanced over, eyes narrowing with the faintest trace of admiration. "You've got some skill."
Othrena straightened slowly, biting back the ache in her leg and stomach as she exhaled. "The blade was just long enough," she replied, her gaze steady on his back as he rushed past her.
Aria braced herself on the far end of the corridor, facing down six of the towering figures alone. Her grip tightened on the bat, spikes glinting in the dim light.
With a fierce swing, she drove it deep into the head of the first Menin. The creature crumpled, eyes still flickering and blinking even as it hit the ground.
She pressed forward, muttering under her breath, "Give me all you've got."
The bat cracked left... "Two," she muttered as she spun through. Another swing to the right..."Three." Then she lifted it high and brought it down with brutal force on another's skull. Bone cracked, and when the body collapsed, she struck again, a final blow caving its head into silence.
She paused, breathing hard, surveying the mess. Only one stood in front of her now. Wait… that's not all. Weren't there six?
Her gaze darted, searching until she froze. One of the creatures knelt over my still body, its fangs buried deep, drinking greedily.
"Hey!" Her voice caught, anger sparking, but before she could move—
Cold hands clamped around her throat.
The Menin loomed behind her, its grip like iron. It squeezed hard, cutting her breath short, choking her instantly as her bat slipped from her hands.
Othrena twisted sharply, her face blank, eyes dulled by exhaustion. The sword trembled in her left hand as she struggled to push back against three of the creatures. But the truth was clear, they weren't the ones pinned down. She was.
Their towering bodies pressed in, their weight and strength grinding her to the stone as she fought for inches.
Her gaze flicked desperately toward Kuzen, but he was already too far beyond hearing, beyond sight.
Across the hall, Aria's face turned crimson. Her throat collapsed under the crushing grip, air strangled before it could reach her lungs. The Menin's fanged grin widened as her eyelids fluttered, vision fading, hands clawing weakly at the monster's wrists before her grip slackened.
That was when Kuzen stopped. His instincts jolted like sparks under his skin, a wrongness biting at him. He turned just in time to glimpse Aria's choking figure.
But before he could move, a stone fist cracked against the side of his head. The blow sent him reeling, staggering backward as blood trickled down his temple. His voice rasped as he caught himself, words barely audible:
"Meyour… help her."
Meyour the shadow, had lingered at the edge, still and silent, as though without his Master's word he had no will of his own. But Kuzen's command had been enough.
Without sound, the shadow melted into the floor, dissolving into the darkness beneath. In the blink of an eye, it surged upward under Aria, rising like liquid night. It coiled around the Menin's legs first, then climbed, twisting tighter and tighter. Black tendrils bound its torso, its arms, even the claws clenched around Aria's throat. At last, the shadow swallowed its head whole.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then, with a low hiss, the shadow began to peel away.
What remained of the Menin was a skeletal frame, stripped bare. Every trace of flesh had been devoured, leaving nothing but bone.
The Menin's bones clattered to the floor, scattering in every direction. Aria collapsed as well, unconscious, but Meyour shifted beneath her, its form spreading like a sheet of darkness, holding her up as though it had become her bed.
What had just happened wasn't something Kuzen could explain if asked. But his shadow had used a teleportation technique. It wasn't supposed to, unless it was a spirit bound to Kuzen, and Kuzen wasn't spirit-bound either that one would claim the shadow borrowed the technique from the spirit.
A metallic clang rang out, Othrena's blade slipping from her hand as her body gave way. She hit the ground hard, her breath ragged. Kuzen staggered next, knees buckling, vision swimming. His head tilted toward her, and in that glance, the truth struck both of them.
They had been poisoned.
The Menins' saliva was poisonous. It burned through their veins, stealing strength from their limbs, dragging them down.
And as they collapsed, their gazes fell on the most horrific sight of all. – The Menin crouched over my body like a ravenous wolf, its fangs buried deep in flesh. It wasn't just drinking anymore. With guttural snarls, it tore away pieces, feasting hungrily, devouring me bite by bite.
"Go… to hell, you Menins…" Othrena muttered, her voice cracking as her body finally gave in to unconsciousness.
For a moment, silence hung heavy. Then the creatures twitched. One by one, the Menins they had fought began to stir, rising unsteadily from the floor. All of them except the one reduced to nothing but bones.