Rosie's Games

500  Edepes Kingdom

"It was in the Edepes Kingdom," these were Belisarius' words when he arrived inside Lucas' study.

"Edepes?" Rosalind, who was inside Lucas' study, immediately frowned. In the past, the war had started because of Edepes as well. She could not help but wonder if this was all related.

"The dark matter is starting to spread... whatever is inside that place is summoning demons, and we need to destroy it," Belisarius then turned toward Rosalind. "Edepes is no more. Hordes of demons have now invaded the place. It was dark and... a place where low-level demons could live."

"Low levels... were you able to spot a higher demon?" Lucas asked.

"Unfortunately not. I suspect... it is already in one of the Empires. We cannot be too careless this time," Belisarius added.

"How are you going to stop this dark matter from spreading?" Rosalind asked. She could vaguely remember something like this in the flashes of memories.

If she was right, this dark matter would destroy everything in its wake. All plants and even the land. The sad thing about this was the fact that once the dark matter is already there, the land can never go back to what it was in the past.

She tried to recall one specific memory where she saw the dark matter. At that time, they were fighting hordes of demons and... "The dark matter would help demons multiply... The demons are born from that dark matter!"

The realization left her speechless and scared at the same time. She immediately got up and looked at Lucas. "How are we going to stop it?"

"We need to find the source and..." Belisarius sighed. "We need to destroy it. However, I suspect that the source is in the middle of Edepes, surrounded by demons. It would be very hard to retrieve it."

Once a demon died, another demon would rise from the dark matter. This was something that Belisarius wanted to say. "Lachlan and Josephine are already going to Korusta to inform Lachlan's father. They are planning to stop the current battle against Sloryn to have a meeting about this matter."

"Once we retrieve the object and destroy it then... the Howling Mountains would also calm down," Belisarius added.

"So... how are you planning to fight the demons?" Lucas calmly asked.

"Are you not going to help us?"

"Help?" Lucas eyed Rosalind. "I will help."

"I believe we need to check Edepes first," Rosalind uttered. She needed to see if the dark matter that he was talking about was the same as the dark matter that she saw in the memories.

This time, Lucas had no objection. They used Belisarius' ability to teleport and landed in a nearby valley just a few kilometers away from Edepes. Rosalind's heart pounded in her chest the moment she laid eyes on the place that was once called Edepes.

In the past, Edepes was surrounded by a thick forest. The place that prided itself on its beauty and rich culture now lay in ruins.

The ruins of Edepes were shrouded in an impenetrable darkness that seemed to have a life of its own. It clung to the broken walls and crumbling structures like a malevolent cloak, swallowing all traces of light and hope. The very air felt heavy with despair, and a nauseating stench of decay hung in the atmosphere.

Amidst this darkness, grotesque demons lurked, their appearances a nightmarish collage of twisted forms and hideous features. Some had elongated limbs that terminated in razor-sharp claws, while others possessed multiple sets of eyes, each filled with a hunger that sent shivers down Rosalind's spine.

Their flesh was a sickly blend of putrid colors, and oozing sores and pustules covered their bodies, weeping foul liquids onto the ground.

The demons moved with an eerie, fluid grace, their movements unnatural and unsettling. Their whispers, a cacophony of sinister voices, echoed through the ruins, creating an unsettling symphony of malevolence.

She could not help but stare at the demons one by one and realize how twisted their forms and features were, each more nightmarish than the last.

The first demon she spotted was a hulking monstrosity with three gnarled hands, each ending in hideous, clawed fingers. Its skin was a sickly shade of mottled green, covered in rough, scaly patches that seemed to writhe and pulse with a life of their own. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Its gaping maw was filled with large, jagged fangs that dripped with viscous, greenish saliva. It moved with a slow, deliberate gait, its three hands flexing ominously as it approached.

Another demon had a crown of twisted, obsidian horns protruding from its misshapen skull. Its face was a nightmarish canvas of pockmarked flesh, covered in countless, oozing holes that seemed to pulse in rhythm with its labored breathing.

Each hole exuded a vapor that hung in the air like a toxic fog. Its eyes glowed with an eerie, malevolent light, casting an eerie pallor over its grotesque visage.

A third demon had the unsettling distinction of possessing a multitude of eyes that covered its bloated body like a nightmarish mosaic. Some eyes were small and beady, while others were large and bulging, all of them moving around with an insatiable hunger. The eyes blinked and twitched independently, creating an unsettling, rhythmic dance of frightening malevolence.

Another demon she saw that sent shivers down her spine was something that looked like a spider. Its humanoid face was a stark contrast to its arachnid body, and the mixture of human and insect features was deeply unsettling.

Its multiple, spindly legs ended in sharp, serrated appendages that clicked ominously on the stone floor as it moved. The demon's eyes, too numerous to count, covered its face like a chaotic collage of madness, and its chittering mandibles clicked with an eerie intelligence.

She turned her head away. As if on cue, Lucas held her waist. He was standing behind her like a knight in shining armor. He was not saying a word, but she could feel his warmth as if a cocoon was trying to protect her from behind.

She looked at him and could not help but smile.

"I thought I would feel something, anything. Am I wrong to think that?" Rosalind asked. If she could feel the demons on Howling Mountains then... why cannot she feel anything now? She frowned at the realization. "I believe, the object that you are looking for is not in that place." The reason why she was able to feel this place was because of the demons. It was not because of the reason for the summoning.

"You cannot feel a thing?" Belisarius asked.

"Not a thing."

"Whoever summoned the demons intentionally placed the object away from this place," Lucas said. "Humans are not stupid, Belisarius, and you are well aware of their cunning."

Belisarius pursed his lips.

"Is there a way to pinpoint the location of the object?" Belisarius looked at Lucas.

"Perhaps, the

higher-ranking demon has it," Rosalind already thought about this earlier. For her, this reasoning actually made sense.

The demons seamlessly acted like humans. It would be logical for the demons to hide the object by themselves to avoid detection. Then, they would watch as the humans tried to destroy the horde of demons on Edepes thinking that the object was there.

"You cannot sense it if... the demon will not use it again," Lucas calmly explained.

"We only have a few more hours before the barrier breaks...," Belisarius explained. "I believe it is best that we come up with a better solution to save this continent."

"Is there any other way?" Rosalind asked.

"Perhaps, you can get rid of the dark matter if you can use your light and dark blessings at the same time. Once that happens, the one who summoned them would naturally feel it and might reveal itself," Belisarius said.

"Or, they use that object to summon more demons," Lucas added.

"That would be impossible. Whatever that object is... I am almost certain that it would need a lot of sacrifice for the demon to be able to use it. Just like us, the demons' abilities have been sealed the moment they arrived in this place. So... their abilities are limited," Belisarius said.

Hearing this, Rosalind could not help but look at Lucas.

"Then I will try your method...," Rosalind uttered.

"Once you use your ability, the demons will surely come...," Belisarius said. "We will stand by your side."

Rosalind looked at Lucas, and he nodded without saying another word. Although Rosalind was pretty certain that Lucas would probably teleport her out of this place if a mistake happened. Still, she thought Lucas's approval was good enough.

"If you cannot do it...," Lucas uttered. "There is no need to force yourself. We can just run away."

"Run away?"

"I know a place where demons cannot come."

"Lucas, is this really the time to speak such nonsense?" Belisarius interjected.

"A place where demons cannot come?" Rosalind could not help but frown. However, Lucas only shrugged, choosing not to delve into the topic.