The ropes cut into Aj's wrists.
His hands were tied behind him, but his mind was sharper than his bindings.
Around him ,Neo's breath came shallow and quick, while Garbage shook like a trapped beast. Around them, the surviving adventurers sobbed softly, their tears echoing in the vast crimson hall.
He watched the throne hall with wide eyes—the crimson glow, the shifting walls, the woman with fangs gleaming like polished knives.
He tried to speak, desperation lacing his words. "Wait! We are just slumfolk. Dirt under your shoes. Not worth sacrifice… not even worth eating!"
In a blink, she was beside him. Her perfume carried the sweetness of blood. Her voice was silk and venom.
"Oh? You speak?"
Aj swallowed hard, forcing a shaky grin. "Yes… yes, I speak. But really—look at me. Skin and bones. If you feed on us, you'll get indigestion."
Neo groaned into his gag. Garbage trembled like a chicken in a butcher's hand.
The woman tilted her head, amused. Aj pushed harder. "If you must feed on someone, try him." He jerked his chin at Garbage. "He's fattened on royal food, maybe even wine. Much tastier than slum rats like us."
Garbage thrashed violently, his gag shaking with fury. Aj smirked.
But the woman laughed. "I never thought slumfolk were so funny." Then her gaze slid to Neo's chest—the pendant glittering faintly under the crimson light. Her eyes fixed on it as she walked toward him.
"Where did you get that?"
Neo's mouth went dry. "Prince of this country. He gave it to me."
Her smile sharpened, fangs flashing. "Impossible. If this ring left his hand, that can mean only one thing… that flashy guardian is dead. Which means—" her eyes flared—"no one stands in my way."
Neo's heart hammered. He yanked himself back. "I know nothing, it was… a gift. A valuable gift given to me."
He added quickly, "Aj has a ring too."
Aj growled, "You traitor. I have nothing."
Her grin widened, predatory. She released Neo and moved toward Aj. Her shadow stretched long across the crimson floor.
"Aj!" Neo shouted, heart leaping. "Let's make the sun shine!"
Aj didn't hesitate. From his cloth, he hurled three small clay balls. They shattered against the floor with a hiss. Smoke erupted, choking, blinding.
"Run!" Aj cried.
Hands free, he tore the gag from his mouth. Neo grabbed Garbage by the collar, dragging him along despite his muffled protests. The three vanished into the smoke, coughing, stumbling—yet alive.
Aj asked, "How did you know I untied my hands?"
Neo shot back, "Aren't we slumfolk? Then tell me—when did you know my hands were untied?"
Aj grinned.
---
When the smoke cleared, the throne was empty.
The woman's laughter echoed, thin and cruel, through the shifting halls.
---
They ran until they saw their pathway bend into impossible directions—four paths, each lit only by flickering candlelight.
Garbage spat his gag out and demanded, "Release me this instant!"
Neo ignored him, scanning the corridors.
Garbage's face twisted, but desperation won. "Fine! Please, free my hands. I'll help."
Aj smirked, eyes darting to the trembling knight. "Hah… look at that. Even a lion begs when it's hungry."
Aj cut the ropes loose. Garbage stretched his fingers, summoning his floating fireball. Flames swelled, casting harsh shadows across the stone.
The moment the fire touched the walls, the hall shuddered.
The ceiling groaned. The floor rippled.
And then the skeletons came.
Marching in hollow rhythm, their bones clattered as they poured from the darkness.
Aj seized a broken stick, swinging wildly. "Come on!" he shouted, knocking skulls loose. Neo swung his sling, pebbles cracking through brittle ribs.
At first, Aj laughed through the chaos. "Not so bad!"
Neo's voice cut him down. "Look—they're rebuilding!"
The bones crawled back together, reforming with grinding creaks. For every skeleton shattered, two more marched forward.
Aj's grin faded. "Garbage! Do something!"
The knight glanced at the sand clock tied to his belt. His eyes widened. "Not yet. Just hold them! Hold them—I'll give you what I can!"
"Not yet?! You're useless!" Aj snarled.
Skeletons closed in, their sockets faintly burning red.
"Run!" Aj shouted.
They dashed down a narrow hall, only to find it split into six, then eight twisting passages. The walls rumbled, shifting, rearranging like a living maze.
Skeletons filled every path.
Neo's voice cracked. "Nowhere to escape."
Aj wiped sweat from his brow. "Crap…"
Garbage's knees buckled. Tears welled. "Please… please do something. I—I beg you!"
Aj stared at him with disgust. "Seriously? You call yourself a knight?"
The skeletons raised their swords. Death closed in from every direction.
And then—
The world flipped.
Floor became ceiling. Ceiling became sky. They fell, screaming, into a pit above their heads.
---
When Aj blinked again, the crimson throne loomed over them.
The woman sat, smiling as if nothing had changed.
The remaining adventurers were there too, huddled and weeping for their lost comrade.
Aj's chest heaved, sweat dripping down his face.
In the pit of his stomach, dread coiled tight.
He whispered under his breath:
"I'm fucked."
---
The air stank of iron and smoke. Aj, Neo, and Garbage stood in the middle of that endless hall, their mouths dry as ash. The entire hall was filled with crimson light.
From the throne at the far end, she rose—the woman. Beautiful beyond reason, terrifying beyond words. Her smile gleamed, revealing sharp fangs that caught the red light.
"Hand me the ring. Your playtime is over," she said, her voice smooth as silk. Then her gaze slid to Neo. "And the pendant."
Aj swallowed. "If… if we give them, will we be free?"
Her lips curved, cruel and slow. Then, in a blink, she was before him, close enough that he could smell the sweetness of her breath. Her hand hovered above his—but stopped.
"You reek. Touching you would make me stink."
Aj's knees trembled. Neo pulled his slingshot ready, prepared to leap. Garbage whimpered.
The woman turned, her tone colder. "Someone. Kill them. Take what I asked for."
A sword clattered onto the marble floor. The surviving adventurers stared at it but didn't move. They were broken, pale, trembling.
Her eyes narrowed. "You, knight. Do it."
Garbage froze. "M-my lady, please… spare me! I'll feed you royal blood, I swear it!"
He bolted for the shadows, but invisible threads snapped him back, dragging him to her feet.
"You're a knight," she mocked. "And yet you won't even face me? I thought knights were meant to slay demon lords."
Aj blurted out before he could stop himself: "Wait—there are demon lords in this world?!"
The woman's head tilted, her eyes narrowing. "This world? What do you mean by that?"
Garbage seized the moment, grabbing the sword. "It's my time to shine!" he howled. He charged, blade raised. Invisible spears tore through his body—but he didn't bleed. The sword whistled through empty air, never touching her.
Neo tugged at Aj. "Run, you idiot!"
Aj grinned, fumbling a tiny blowpipe from his shirt. He spat poison darts into her chest. They bounced harmlessly to the ground.
"Seriously?" Neo shouted.
Aj flashed a peace sign. "Style points."
Neo dragged him away. "RUN!"
The adventurers stumbled after them, but the woman raised her hand. Invisible power hurled the poor souls across the room. Threw them toward Aj and Neo. Adventurers' bones cracked. Blood sprayed across the marble. Their screams clawed at Aj's ears.
Garbage still swung his blade in wild arcs, screaming nonsense at her. She didn't even flinch—it only acted as a screen.
Then her voice echoed like thunder. "Enough."
The invisible force ripped him in half. His scream cut short.
But in his last instant, his sand clock exploded with light. Flames burst into the room, searing, blinding.
Aj didn't think. He lunged, grabbing a fallen adventurer's sword. He screamed and rammed it into her face. The steel sank deep, the hilt rattling in his grip.
Still, she didn't fall. Her eyes rolled white. One hand shot out, gripping Aj by the throat, lifting him like a ragdoll. The other seized Neo, who had rushed in to help. Both brothers dangled, choking, kicking.
Aj's vision dimmed. His lungs screamed.
Then the ring.
It burned. Gold fire spilled from it, crawling up the woman's hands. Her flesh smoked. She shrieked, dropping them both. Aj and Neo hit the ground, coughing, clutching their necks.
Her body ignited, flames racing up her skin.
"No… I cannot die!" she screamed. "If I die, the world will fall into chaos! I can't disappoint my mistress. The entire universe will pay the price!"
Her gaze locked on Aj one last time, eyes blazing.
"What you have done is unredeemable. You are tampering with the universe itself—"
Her words ended in a scream as her body cracked, burned, and turned to ash.
The crimson lights faded. Silence returned.
Aj lay flat on the ground, chest heaving, throat raw. His hand trembled as he touched the ring.
"I'm so damn screwed."
Then, from the ashes, a figure began to take shape.
Aj and Neo froze as the smoke curled into a body—smaller, lighter.
Bare feet touched the floor. Crimson hair spilled down, red eyes glowing in the dark. Fangs gleamed when she smiled.
She looked no older than sixteen.
Aj's voice cracked. "What the… what the hell is going on?"
The girl only tilted her head, silent, her eyes fixed on him.
The silence pressed heavier than any scream.
Aj swallowed. This isn't over.