Episode 55 – The Holy Rite of the Oath of Light
The sky over Arcanium had been turning strangely dull long before the ritual even began.At first, they thought it was just clouds — but as soon as Lian's party stepped into the plaza, the air pressed down on them.
The square filled fast —black and crimson robed followers kneeling in tight rows.
At the center stood an altar,its surface carved with the eye-in-triangle and black flames.Banners snapped in the wind,casting unnatural shadows over the crowd.
The priests rose.Their chant began —low, drawn-out tones filling the plaza.Every follower bowed,not a single head unbent.
At first, it almost felt like peace.A simple prayer,a soft light blooming on the altar.
But the longer it went on,the more the tone twisted.
The chants deepened.The sky darkened.A gray haze crept in.Faces changed —not serene, but hollow.Eyes losing focus,lips moving in words they didn't know.
Lian watched,a chill crawling down his neck.
"Is this really just a ritual?Something's wrong."
The priests raised their arms.A light burst from the altar —but this time,the warmth vanished.
The glow turned cold,a strange, sickly radiance spreading over the plaza.The chants grew more feverish,followers' breaths coming quick —like their souls were being pulled.
Serin's voice trembled.
"This feels… wrong.Like something is pressing into my chest."
Kaïren's face hardened.
"It looks peaceful,but the heart feels uneasy.Is this really 'salvation'?"
Lian's eyes moved across the crowd.Dozens — hundreds — sinking deeper into the prayer.The danger wasn't in swords or spells,but in what the ritual was doing to their minds.
Meanwhile, Ivela wasn't watching the altar.She was scanning faces.
She had seen him when the ritual began.A man in black.A familiar frame.A familiar stride.
Her heart pounded.
"It was him. I know it."
She forced her way through the crowd —but he was gone.
"I saw him… I really saw him,"she muttered, breath short."Not a mistake. He was here."
But no trace.No glimpse.Her urgency turned sharp.
"Brother… where are you?"
The ritual drew to its close.
The altar's glow dimmed.The priests lowered their hands.Followers lifted their heads —their eyes still glassy,like people waking from a dream they couldn't remember.
Lian saw their faces.
"Nothing happened on the surface…but this ritual —this wasn't just prayer.Look at their eyes."
Kaïren nodded slowly.
"They look like they just walked out of another world.Something's beneath all this."
The sky stayed dim,even as the crowd dispersed.
Ivela stayed where she was,searching one last time.
Nothing.
Her knees hit the ground.Tears slid down her cheeks.
"Why… why can't I find you?I know I saw you.I know it was you…"
Her voice cracked,grief twisting into obsession.
Lian came to her side,offering his hand.
"Ivela. This isn't over.Something's happening —and we'll find it."
She took his hand.Tears still there —but resolve behind them now.
The party hardened their will.The Oath of Light was hiding something.And if Ivela's brother was caught in it —they would tear the truth out,no matter what.
Episode 56 – Whispers from the Outskirts
The streets of Arcanium grew tense.Uneasy murmurs spread.Strange sounds from the outskirts,people fleeing villages,wounded and terrified.
Lian and his team met them along the main road.Bodies covered in cuts,clothes torn,blood dried in streaks.
Their eyes were worse.Wide.Shaking.Afraid to even look back.
Serin whispered.
"These people… they're in bad shape.What happened out there?"
Lian touched a man's shoulder,examining gashes along his arm.
"Something big happened beyond the walls."
Voices drifted from the crowd.
"A horrible cry every night…""A black shadow covering the village…""I heard relics were stolen too…"
One merchant, pale-faced and trembling,blurted out:
"The sound from the outskirts…it drives you mad.Everyone ran…"
The rumor spread like fire.Adventurers grabbed weapons and shields,heading for the outskirts —some eager for a challenge,others hiding their fear.
Kaïren watched them go.
"That look…something really is out there."
Lian nodded slowly.
"We were going to dig deeper into the Oath's rituals —but we need to see this first."
Preparation
The team moved fast.
Lian returned to the inn, checking every strap and buckle on his gear.
Ivela and Serin ran between blacksmiths and shops, restocking supplies.
The city was chaotic as adventurers rushed out,but they finished their preparations.
Ivela packed the last bundle, glancing up.
"So many left before us.But we shouldn't rush.We don't know what's waiting out there."
Serin tightened the bundle of herbs in her hands.
"The energy's shifting.The city could be next."
Kaïren stood still,feeling the air.A monk's instinct.
"Something unnatural is stirring.This isn't just noise.The balance is breaking."
He closed his eyes, breathing deep.Monastic teachings urged restraint.Avoid violence.But when he opened his eyes,they were sharp.
"If I must…I'll use force."
Lian surveyed them,his voice firm.
"People went ahead.But we'll be ready."
Into the Outskirts
Leaving the city,they passed more refugees —faces even more haunted.
Serin's breath caught.
"This is worse than I thought.Whatever we're walking into…it's more than danger."
Kaïren felt the ground-breeze.
"The energy's darker.Not natural.Something covers the land."
They reached the outer village.
Silence.
Burned houses.
Shattered furniture.
An empty square.
No voices.
Serin pointed.
"Look at that."
In the plaza,a black-and-red sigil,the mark of the Oath of Light.
Ivela scowled.
"The Oath…they did something here."
Serin traced the sigil, murmuring.
"This isn't just spell residue.This darkness blanketed the village.It came from this."
The Sound
Then it came —a sound from the edge of the village.
Not wind.Not beast.
A deep,drawn-out,painful cry— like it came from the ground itself.
Lian drew his sword in one motion.
"Everyone. Stay sharp.Something's coming."
***
Episode – The Satyr Assault
The moment that dreadful cry echoed through the village, the air grew heavy.Far off, a sound rose — the scraping of hooves against stone.
At first, a few scattered steps.Then, a chorus.The sound swelled into a thunder of hooves, dozens pounding the earth at once.
The First Presence
From the crimson sigil in the plaza's center, black mist coiled upward.And then—it stepped into view.
Goat horns.Beast's eyes.A body taller than any man.
A satyr.A creature where human and beast blurred,a massive axe slung over its shoulder.
Its eyes gleamed — a mix of hatred and mockery —and they swept across Lian and his party.
Lian gripped his greatsword tight, voice low.
"So you're the one who trampled this village…"
The satyr gave no answer.Instead, it raised its axe high —and brought it down.
KWAANG!
The plaza shook.Stone shattered,dust exploding outward to cover them all.
The Fight Begins
Lian moved first, body blurring forward.He met the satyr's swing head-on,greatsword clashing against the giant axe.
CRASH!
The shockwave cracked the ground,Lian's boots grinding back a step —but he bit down, shoved forward,and forced the axe aside.
Lightning's Spear
Ivela seized the opening.
Her new javelin crackled in her hand,lightning dripping from her fingers.
"Javelin… take this!"
The spear flew —cutting the air,piercing the satyr's leg.
The creature howled,but didn't fall.If anything, its rage grew,axe swinging even wilder.
The Flow
Kaïren darted low,his movement smooth, like water.He slid under the axe's arc,his voice sharp.
"Now!"
His fist ignited —Burning Lion's Fist.
A red blaze struck the satyr's ribs.
BANG!
The beast staggered sideways.But it didn't collapse.The axe came up again,heavier, angrier.
Binding Nature
Serin's hands spread wide.From the ground, roots and vines erupted,snaring the satyr's ankles.
The creature bucked,ripping them apart.
Lian's shout cut through the chaos.
"Don't stop! Push together!"
More Hooves
Then—another sound.
Thud… thud… thud…
From the treeline,more satyrs poured out.
First three.Then five.Then more,until the plaza's edges were thick with horned silhouettes.
Kaïren's jaw tightened.
"More than we thought…"
Chaos Unleashed
Serin: summoned vines again, tangling legs and weapons.
Ivela: raised her spear and roared,
"Storm's Herald!"
Her javelin struck ground —
KRAK-BOOOM!
A storm of lightning blasted outward,electricity racing across the wet earth,satyrs convulsing in arcs of blue fire.
Blades and Fire
Lian didn't waste the moment.He switched — greatsword into twin blades,speed spiking.
Two quick flashes —two satyrs fell.
Kaïren let their axes flow past him,the techniques of the Water Tribeturning heavy strikes into harmless waves.
"Your strength… I'll send it back!"
He struck —another Burning Lion's Fist,a storm of hits breaking through their guard.
The Finish
The satyrs faltered.Roots wrapped their legs again,and Ivela's spear called lightning one more time.
Lian roared: "End it!"
He fused the lightning's leftover charge into his greatsword,steel now a blade of stormlight.
He leapt —and struck.
FRAKSHHH!
The central satyr's skull split —a roar of pain as its body crumpled.
One by one,the rest collapsed.
Aftermath
The plaza reeked of blood and smoke.
Ivela panted, breath unsteady.
"We… did it.The village is safe."
Serin retracted her vines, scanning the wreckage.
"Safe, for now.But this… this might just be the start."
Kaïren flexed his hand.His strikes tonight had been different —not just strength, but flow.
"Brute force alone wasn't enough.But water's flow… I felt it.I'll refine it."
Lian slung his greatsword over his shoulder.
"We won tonight…but this isn't over.The Oath of Light,and the true purpose of their rituals—we'll uncover it."
They caught their breath,staring at the fallen beasts.
Then, without another word,they turned and walked on.Their next step was already waiting.
**
Episode – The Return of Alexis's Company
The village plaza still smelled of smoke and blood.
The stench of scorched wood hung heavy in the air,
dirt was splattered everywhere,
and adventurers whispered in uneasy clusters.
Then—
hoofbeats.
From beyond the square, the rhythmic thud of horses drew every eye.
"Make way!"
A mounted party rode into the plaza,
black cloaks whipping, silver insignias flashing.
At their head—
Alexis Lumir.
■ A Tense Reunion
The moment Lian saw that face, his jaw tightened.
"...He showed up again."
Serin narrowed her eyes, sensing the shift in him.
"You know him? Judging by your tone, you're not exactly friends."
Lian let out a short breath.
"Alexis Lumir.
A noble from Luminaria.
Picks the easy battles, then plays the hero afterward."
■ Old Resentment
Ivela froze the instant she saw him.
Her fingers stiffened on her javelin.
"Alexis… a name I haven't forgotten."
Lian turned to her.
"You know him too?"
Ivela's voice dropped, sharp and hard.
"He came to our village once.
Laughed in our faces.
Mocked the women warriors.
Said, 'What difference does it make when a woman picks up a blade?'"
Her eyes narrowed, cold and cutting.
"We humiliated him that day.
Knocked him down a peg.
And as he left, you know what he said?
'I won't forget this disgrace.'"
■ The Confrontation
Alexis slowed as his horse reached the plaza.
He spotted them, reined in,
and swung down from the saddle.
Two companions followed:
Castre – smiling too wide, always there to flatter.
Piel – silent, eyes scanning, face carved in stone.
Alexis approached.
His gaze locked with Ivela's.
Alexis: "It's been a while. Still carrying that javelin, I see."
Ivela: "Your mouth's still as big as ever."
A faint smirk curled his lips.
Alexis: "Did you think you humiliated me that day?
No—
that day I realized something.
I had to climb to a bigger stage."
Lian stepped forward, his tone flat.
"Boast all you want.
But don't gamble with people's lives."
■ Side Comments
Castre clapped too loudly, grinning ear to ear.
"Ha! That's the Alexis I know!
Who could possibly stand against you on this continent?"
Beside him, Piel only nodded once,
eyes flicking briefly toward Lian's group.
■ Kaïren's Quiet Look
Kaïren said nothing.
But his gaze lingered on Alexis and his men,
calm on the surface,
yet sinking just a little deeper—
a warning, unspoken.
■ The Parting Provocation
Alexis swung back onto his horse.
A glance at Lian.
A smile—more like a blade.
Alexis:
"You'll see soon enough…
who the real hero is."
Hooves struck stone again,
and Alexis's party rode off,
leaving the plaza heavy with uneasy silence.