The third pilgrimage began.
Thomas took a deep breath, joined the march, and stepped into the fog. Power rushed through him at once, his body tensing as his muscles tightened and his vision sharpened. The pull toward his Glint form hit hard, threatening to take over.
From his hiding spot, Bryan tensed. "Damn it, Thomas, hold it back," he muttered.
Thomas clenched his jaw, forcing the surge down until the pressure eased and his body steadied, unnoticed by those around him.
Thomas clenched his jaw, forcing the surge down until the pressure eased and his body steadied, unnoticed by those around him.
It wasn't as hard for him as he expected. Maybe it wasn't hard for any Stage 2 Glint. When creating a fog weapon, he had to control the leaking aura and shape it into whatever weapon he imagined. There was one time he had drawn out too much, and even his transformation had started to react. That was when he realized he could pull and control the same fog power that triggered his transformation. This time, he used that idea again. He drew out not only his aura but also his internal power, holding it deep within himself, keeping it contained. The transformation had almost taken over when it suddenly stopped, and in an instant, his body returned to normal. He stood human again inside the fog.
His crew, watching from the shadows, stared in disbelief. Hearing Thomas say he could control his transformation was one thing. Watching him actually do it was another.
Bryan exhaled slowly. "No way... he actually did it."
Nevin muttered a curse. "Since when can he pull something like that off?"
Even Iris, usually calm and unreadable, hesitated. "I thought he was just bluffing."
Not far from the other side, Dante frowned. He couldn't hear their voices, but he noticed something shift. For a brief moment, Thomas's body had changed shape before settling back to normal. Dante's eyes narrowed.
He can control his transformation inside the fog? That wasn't supposed to be possible.
Dante's thoughts lingered on the scene below. If Thomas could really do that, it meant he wasn't just reckless. He was capable. Maybe even more capable than Dante wanted to believe.
The Fog Walkers led the crowd forward, their hooded figures guiding the believers toward the edge of the old city now covered by the Pink Fog.
Thomas blended in easily, slipping into the crowd without drawing attention. Behind him, Bryan, Nevin, and Iris kept their distance. They couldn't risk entering the fog and being seen by the pilgrims, so they stayed back. Bryan and Iris would transform into their Glint forms after only a few minutes, and Nevin would follow soon after. If they got too close, they wouldn't be able to remain hidden.
The deeper the group went, the thicker the fog became. Up ahead, a subway entrance from the old world appeared, its tunnels disappearing into the thick fog.
Thomas felt his skin tighten, but he forced himself to stay calm. No one else seemed bothered. No hesitation, no fear, just quiet obedience.
Is this the secret? he wondered. Are they about to show why they can walk in the fog unharmed?
Then he noticed movement.
Shapes appeared in the fog, humanoid creatures covered in hard, chitin-like plates. Their long limbs twitched under torn robes, and faint light flickered in their many eyes. Their mandibles clicked softly as they watched the crowd pass.
Fades.
At first, there were only a few, standing still at a distance. They didn't attack. They only watched, staying still as long as the pilgrims moved in order.
Then Thomas saw a larger figure in the center. It was hard to make out through the fog, but it stood taller than the rest, surrounded by what looked like dozens, maybe hundreds, of followers.
This wasn't a simple gathering. It was a lair.
Caller Fade? Or worse... a Boss?
He couldn't tell. The only real difference was in their numbers. A Caller commanded around a hundred. A Boss had twice that or more.
A sharp clicking sound echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the walls like a signal. The creatures around them froze, their heads turning in perfect sync.
Then, from deeper in the fog, she appeared. Larger than the rest. Her body was covered in thick chitin, her limbs heavy, her many eyes gleaming with both awareness and hunger.
Thomas drew in a sharp breath as it clicked in his mind.
It was a Boss. The size, the presence, the pressure in the air, there was no doubt. This was a Boss Fade, and this place was her nest.
The interface suddenly beeped to life. A red name appeared above the creature's head: [Queen Bee].
So this is the secret, Thomas thought, his pulse quickening. The leader wasn't just another Caller or a stronger Fade. It was a Boss. A real one. His first time facing one.
A chill ran through him. The idea of being surrounded by hundreds of Fades under her control made his stomach tighten, but he kept his expression steady. He couldn't afford to show fear now.
The Queen Bee emerged from the depths of the subway station, her towering form moving through the fog with heavy, deliberate steps. Thomas had seen many terrifying things inside the Pink Fog, but nothing like this.
She was huge, easily twice his height, her body covered in thick layers of dark chitin that gleamed faintly under the fog's glow. Along her back, faintly glowing sacs pulsed with each movement, spreading dim light across her armor-like frame. Several limbs twitched at her sides, some ending in long serrated claws, others thin and quick, shifting constantly as if searching for something to tear apart.
Her face was the worst part. A warped mix of human and insect, with mandibles that clicked nonstop, resin-like saliva dripping from between them. Multiple black eyes moved in different directions, scanning the crowd, each one sharp and aware.
Then, she shrieked.
The walls shook at the sound, the vibration hitting Thomas in the chest. It wasn't a simple scream. It was a command.
The moment it rang out, the insect-like Fades that had been standing still began to move.
The first victim didn't even have time to react.
A pilgrim at the front let out a short gasp before being pulled into the darkness. No one turned. The march continued.
Then another vanished.
A woman this time. A clawed limb dropped from above, hooking into her shoulder and lifting her off the ground. A single, wet snap echoed through the tunnel, and her body disappeared into the ceiling.
Thomas couldn't move. The attacks were too fast, too precise. The woman had been far ahead, out of reach. All he could do was watch.
He scanned the walls and ceiling. Shadows shifted along the tunnel edges, hints of movement with no clear shape. Nothing came for him. Not yet.
The Fog Walkers still didn't panic. No screams. No hesitation. They kept walking, eyes forward, completely devoted.
As the Fades dragged pilgrims into the shadows one after another, something else began to happen. Glint transformations to some. Maybe triggered by the Pink Fog's long exposure… or maybe by something worse.
A man collapsed just a few steps from Thomas.
He hit the ground hard, convulsing. His veins darkened, muscles bulged, and his skin hardened as bone shifted underneath. It looked like a normal Glint transformation at first, but it didn't stop.
Within seconds, the change pushed too far. His body warped, veins turning black, skin cracking under the pressure. His eyes went blank, the glow fading to nothing.
He was turning into a Fade.
Thomas reacted instantly, grabbing the man before the full shift could finish. The pilgrim's body jerked in his hands, arms stretching unnaturally, skin breaking as rough chitin began to push through.
"Fight it!" Thomas shouted, forcing his grip tighter.
The man didn't fight. Instead, he turned his head and smiled with lifeless eyes.
"I was chosen," he whispered.
The last hint of humanity vanished from his face. His body bent sharply as the change completed, slipping out of Thomas's grasp. In seconds, he disappeared into the fog, another Fade added to the swarm.
After the change finished, the creature lashed out at Thomas.
He barely dodged as its claws tore through the resin-covered floor, leaving deep marks where he had just stood. Thomas released his grip and stepped back fast.
He looked around and froze. More pilgrims were convulsing. Their Glint forms were activating all at once. One by one, their bodies changed past the limit, the light in their eyes fading as they turned into new Fades.
That's when Thomas understood. This wasn't a normal transformation. It was being forced.
The Queen Bee was triggering it herself. A Boss skill.
That was enough for him.
Thomas turned sharply, no longer holding back. The power he had been suppressing since stepping into the fog erupted like a breaking dam. The air shook. The ground cracked beneath his feet as his aura burst outward in a violent wave that clashed with the Queen Bee's influence.
Pilgrims nearest to him staggered. Some who had started to transform suddenly froze, their half-shifted bodies reverting, the forced mutation cut off by the surge of his energy.
The fog itself rippled from the collision.
Thomas's body expanded instantly, muscles swelling, veins flaring with red light. Black markings burned across his skin as his horns reshaped and his frame grew taller and heavier. In seconds, the Runebound Oni stood where he had been, towering and unrestrained, his presence shaking the tunnel.