Every step we took echoed in the hollow city. It felt as though not a single soul remained. What happened to them? I didn't know—but sooner or later, I'd find out. Each time I put on my armor, it hid Noelle's gift—but I never forgot it was there; it helped keep me going throughout the trial.
Stella and I walked at the front, with the others following behind. I had no idea where we were going. I turned to Stella and asked:
"Do you know where we have to go?"
She didn't look at me, her tone sharp as she replied.
"Yes. I've never been inside, but I've been near it. See that gate up ahead? It leads into the castle."
She pointed ahead, where a giant metallic gate was already opening. At first, it squeaked, then it slammed into a thunderous thud that echoed across the city.
The sound was ominous, crawling under my skin, as though unseen eyes watched from the castle walls.
When the gate stopped, two visor-clad guards silently signaled us forward with their weapons. Stella drew closer and whispered.
"Whatever it asks of you, deny it—no matter how tempting. I've heard some people never return once they catch the king's interest."
"Alright," I whispered, eyes still fixed ahead.
Our first step into the castle rang out, a metallic clank echoing through the vast hall. A swarm of bats burst past, nearly striking my face. In the back, I heard Val teasing Steph about getting scared. A vast Anatolian carpet stretched down the center, running the length of the chamber. On either side rose enormous glass pillars.
We kept walking. The hall had been long. Val even spoke about it at one point.
"The hall makes this place way bigger inside than outside, yeah?"
Steph then also decided to comment on it, but his voice was a little frightened.
I decided to go to the back, where Steph was almost hiding from everything.
He was looking at me as I placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Listen, Steph, don't be scared, we are all here, even though I forgot a lot, I know you can fight, I can feel it. Whenever you are scared or in trouble, I want you to look forward or even call my name, and I will protect you. You have my word."
'Now I can't get scared even though I did get spooked a couple of times today.'
I noticed his posture had improved, and he also raised his chin a little higher. I patted his back, before I walked away, he spoke.
"Thanks, I will."
I went back to the front where we approached the king. She sat on a chair that molded into the floor.
"A woman? Wouldn't she be the queen, not the king?"
We stopped before the stairs leading up to her throne and knelt.Her very presence made me shiver. Every part of me screamed to run, to never return. But I couldn't. I had to continue the trial.
I looked up at her—a woman of impossible beauty. White hair spilled around her face, framing lips the color of fresh blood. Her skin was pale, flawless, almost unreal. When her crimson eyes locked onto mine, I froze. They were the same shade as my own. The shadows concealed her garments, if she wore any at all.
Above her head floated a crown, dark and crystalline, as if it had been forged from blood turned to glass. It wasn't a crown of gold or jewels, but a grotesque thing—jagged, crystalline, soaked in crimson, as though blood itself had hardened into glass. It didn't rest on her head like a crown should. Instead, it hovered above, slowly revolving, dripping faint streaks of red light—as if remembering the blood it had once drawn.
I couldn't look away. She was lustful, captivating—so close I felt I could reach her lips. Everything about her drew me in. Without realizing it, my eyes followed the curves of her body as I drifted closer.
Something deep inside screamed, making my heart skip a beat. Before I realized it, my feet were carrying me up the stairs toward her. I glanced back—everyone else still knelt, statues locked in place, knowing their station.
'What was that? She almost had me, too.'
I quickly walked down and kneeled.
She laughed, the sound echoing through the hall. Her laugh rolled through the chamber, sharp yet strangely melodic. It carried a wickedness that should have made my skin crawl, but instead, it pulled at me—like a predator's call dressed in silk. Every note dripped with cruelty, yet lured me with a dangerous sweetness—I wanted to listen, even as I knew I shouldn't.
Then, at last, she spoke.
Her words carried no anger—only invitation. Her tone caressed my thoughts, turning defiance into the prelude of surrender.
The way she said it wasn't anger—it was an invitation. Her tone caressed my thoughts, pulling me closer, making it feel less like defiance and more like the prelude to surrender.
I fixed my gaze on the floor like my life depended on it.
She continued, "Resist me more. Never in my life has someone shown such self-control—it excites me. What is your name, warrior, that I may cherish it?" Her voice grew more seductive with every word.
"Damien, ma'am!" I blurted out, my throat tight.
Her tongue slid across her lips, slow and deliberate, as though savoring me. Then she whispered my name, drawn out and intoxicating. "Damien…" The way she spoke it made my chest tighten, like she had wrapped it in silk and fire. "Tell me… why have you come here to me?"
My thoughts tangled and slipped away. I could hardly breathe, let alone think.
"Can you restore my memories? I've lost them… that's why I came to you."
"No. I cannot."She didn't hesitate.
But I do require your service, Damien. Will you lend me your body?
I didn't hesitate either. "No! Sorry."
Her smile softened, and with it, her voice shifted. The heavy, intoxicating pull was gone, replaced by something smoother, easier to breathe in—yet no less dangerous.
"Oh well. I tried. But I still require something from you and your team."
Even in casual words, her tone carried an effortless seduction—woven into her very being.
"As you've noticed, nearly everyone in this country has perished."
I exhaled slowly, almost relieved she wasn't pressing against my mind so hard anymore. Still, even in this calmer state, there was no escaping the weight of her presence.
"You will go to my neighboring cities—two of them—and retrieve any survivors. I will provide a map and a carriage stocked with supplies to last months. However…" her crimson gaze narrowed, "…you must bring them all. Every single city must be visited. It matters little if some die."
Her voice never rose, but the softness in it carried more weight than a shouted order.
"You will travel on foot. Yes, it will take time. Understand this, Damien—I am not asking. I am telling you."
"We will do as you ask. When shall we leave?" This time, I wasn't afraid. I had to show the others I wasn't lost. Confidence burned in my tone.
"Today, now."
"I wasn't planning to linger anyway. We'll depart now."
We rose quickly and turned to leave. I glanced back—she had risen and was slipping into another chamber.
'Wait… is she naked? I can see—'
Stella suddenly covered my eyes, pushing my head toward the exit. When she let go, her face was tomato-red. She couldn't even look at me.
"D-Damien, stop looking at me, bastard!" Her voice was sharp, flustered—a mix of irritation and something she tried hard to hide.
'Bastard?'
"Uh… are you okay?"
She quickened her pace, leaving me with Val and Petra.
"Dude, she almost had you. If it weren't for that seductive voice, I'd have burst out laughing. You were literally lost in the sauce."
"Shut up, I resisted—didn't I?" My voice dropped lower.
"You'd better make it up to Stella. The way you stared at the king was insane. Honestly, I'd be mad too." Petra chimed in, making me worry even more.
"She's mad?"
In perfect sync, they both said: "Yep."