Uriel walked a few steps ahead; his stone back was a wall separating him from everyone else. But his sharp ears caught every word whispered behind him.
"Have you lost your mind, Seres?" Gaellum's voice was a low, tense murmur. "Getting that close… it was dangerous. He could have crushed you by accident, or that… thing in his head."
"It wasn't a 'thing,' Gaellum," Seres replied, her tone firm but weary. "It's him. A part of him. And he wouldn't have hurt me."
"How can you be sure?" Lycor interjected, his voice always an edge. "We saw what he did to the rock. That's not the power of someone… stable."
"It's not," Seres admitted without hesitation. "He's broken. Mentally. What's inside him isn't an external specter; it's a wound, a deep trauma that gained its own voice. He's lost his sanity."
Uriel felt a chill that had nothing to do with the night's cold. Lost his sanity. The phrase was a precise dagger.
"And that's why you trust him?" Gaellum asked, disbelief painted on every word. "A powerful madman is the most unpredictable threat."
"I don't trust his sanity," Seres clarified, and her voice dropped even lower, as if fearing Uriel wasn't listening, knowing he was. "I trust his pain. And that his pain led him to us, seeking the fragment. He is not our enemy. He's our only guide to defeating the Guardian of the Sixth Fragment."
A brief silence fell. Uriel could picture them looking at him, weighing his bulky, cracked silhouette against the princess's fragility.
"Fantastic," said Gretel, and her sarcasm was like a whip. "So our fate hangs by the thread of a statue's sanity that talks to itself. I feel tremendously secure. Will his master plan against the Guardian be to have a philosophical debate with his hallucination?"
Gaellum muttered something unintelligible, like a final reproach toward Seres. The conversation died at that moment when Uriel's voice reached their ears.
"We're here," he said.
The group looked forward, observing an ancient cathedral that was partially destroyed but mostly intact and safe from the corrupted creatures roaming freely.
"This is a safe place. The monsters don't come here. So you can rest," said Uriel, entering the cathedral.
The group looked at each other for a few moments before entering the interior, following the stone saint. Walking into the gloomy corridor, they saw the darkness begin to recede, allowing the moonlight to enter through the enormous stained-glass windows that illuminated the inside.
The hallways were surprisingly clean, with no traces of dust or monsters inside, although there were a few dried bloodstains on the floor.
They advanced through the corridors, following the stone saint, until they reached a large hall where there was a statue of the goddess of storms in the center.
In the middle was an ancient fireplace that had been used long ago. On the walls, they noticed deep carvings and runes.
Gretel approached the runes that had been deeply carved with what seemed like a knife or a fingernail.
"I'm sorry," "I'm sorry," "I'm sorry," "I couldn't keep the promise," "I'm sorry," "Forgive me," "Forgive me," "Forgive me," "I don't want to die," "I don't want to be alone," "I'm sorry," "I tried," "I tried," "I tried," "I failed," "I failed," "I failed them all."
Gretel looked away. The same runes with different words extended across the length and breadth of the wall without stopping. It was a display of deep and absolute desperation.
The light of the fireplace, when lit, caught everyone's attention. They saw the stone saint bringing a tray with meat, as well as cups made of clay and a jug full of clear, sweet water.
"Here, you must be hungry from your journey. Eat as much as you want; I have plenty of meat."
To prove the meat wasn't poisoned, Uriel took a piece and devoured it under his helmet, as well as the water.
The group approached the fire and began warming the cold meat. Soon, a delicious aroma filled the hall, and the group of five began eating the tasty meat and sweet water.
"This is delicious," said Seres.
"Not bad," Gaellum expressed.
"Where did you get the meat?" asked Gretel.
"From the only place I can get it: from those corrupted creatures. There are no animals, and although I don't need to eat, drink, or sleep, sometimes I do to calm myself."
"Calm yourself?" asked Gaellum.
The Stone Saint shuddered.
"Yes. I often have… memories. Bad and terrifying memories that scare me and make me feel a great despair."
Gretel glanced at the wall of runes.
"That wall over there… did you write that?"
"I don't know," Uriel looked at the wall; the red flames in his helmet's visor flickered slightly.
"Do you know what city this is?" asked Gaellum, changing the subject.
"Yes," he said quickly. "The name of this city was Ydrat. It was a prosperous city before, but then everything changed and it was destroyed by the corrupted creatures. It was…" Uriel fell silent. The red flames of his eyes dimmed, and his body shuddered with a strong spasm before sighing slowly and heavily.
"It was horrible. That's all I can remember." The stone saint looked around before drawing his legs to his chest, gazing at the firelight in a meditative posture.
The group watched this for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts. No one said anything for several minutes until Lycor broke the silence.
"Why don't the Beasts of Light enter this place?" he asked, remembering the Titan that had moved away, refusing to enter the night.
"That's because of sorcery. There's something that prevents a creature from passing from one area to another. If they do, they'll die."
"Then why are you alive?"
Seres shot the bird-man an angry look, which he ignored.
Uriel thought for a few moments before answering.
"I don't know. I suppose I just can do it." Then he stood up.
"It seems that thing has returned. Please don't leave the cathedral. It will be dangerous outside for a while," he said in a fearful voice, his body trembling slightly from the fear and terror he felt.
"Why can't we go out?" asked Gaellum. Even Seres looked at him.
"Because it's a very difficult creature to deal with, and it has annoying powers, and its appearance is unpleasant," With those words, the stone saint left the group, merging into the darkness. The next instant, a scream made the entire cathedral tremble, generating an earthquake.
The five looked at each other for a few seconds before hearing the sounds of combat.
They stood up and advanced through the corridors, arriving at a collapsed section of the roof. Using the stones, they climbed to the top.
After reaching the roof, the moonlight illuminated their surroundings, and what they saw made their eyes widen like saucers.
A creature made of pure darkness, with enormous sacks of darkness hanging from its neck, huge golden horns. Its head was a cervid skull. Wherever it moved, everything was corroded. It was currently engaged in a violent fight against something else.
It was an enormous stone saint, materialized from the darkness, as tall as the darkness creature.
The two entities clashed, struck, and pushed each other across a vast battlefield shattered by the intensity of the combat.
The enormous stone warrior blocked the black tendrils with his shield and then brandished a titanic stone sword that cut the creature.
The creature opened its bony jaw, unleashing a jet of darkness that was blocked by the shield. An instant later, chains of darkness wrapped around the creature. The giant stone saint raised its sword and executed an incredibly fast slash that struck the abomination, sending it to the ground.
A huge earthquake shook the world, causing the five to lose their balance. Dust rose, covering the battlefield of both beasts. An instant later, the dust dissipated by the strong wind. The stone saint was no longer there, and in its place was an enormous black centipede, about 50 meters tall, with incredibly sharp legs like blades capable of piercing mystical steel like paper.
The five shuddered at the scale of the combat.
"That at least should be some kind of corrupt demon," expressed Gretel, feeling some fear.
A new earthquake shook the entire cathedral beneath their feet as the centipede fell and the horse swallowed it whole. A moment later, a huge wound opened from within it, emerging as a different creature: a powerful black wyvern that released a sea of black flames.
The flames burned the corrupt creature, which let out a deafening roar, lunging against all logic at the wyvern, starting a fierce aerial battle.
The five, knowing that watching more would be dangerous, returned inside the cathedral, only hearing the roars and the clash of powers between the two creatures.
"I told you. That's the one who appeared in my vision," said Seres.
"To think that such a fearful creature possesses such devastating power," said Gaellum, still stunned by the combat he had witnessed.
Lycor remained silent, as did Gretel.
The group waited for several hours while the combat continued until, after a time, the intense battle stopped.
The moonlight still illuminated the corridors, and the fire was still burning, consuming the large amount of wood. The tray where the meat and water had been was now empty.
Each member of the team was busy with their own affairs. The witch Gretel studied the runes carved on the wall, trying to piece together the enormous puzzle of phrases and give them meaning.
Gaellum was training, wielding his weapon. Lycor was meditating in silence. And Seres was exploring the hall.
The group heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the darkness, making them ready for battle. But a moment later, they heard the familiar voice of the stone saint.
"I-I'm sorry for scaring you. It wasn't my intention," the voice sounded fearful, as if he had made a mistake that deserved punishment.
Soon, the stone saint emerged from the darkness, but something was different. His rocky body had new cracks from which ruby dust emerged. A part of his side was missing, as if bitten off, as was his arm, which lacked large chunks.
It was as if he had been beaten again and again.
"Are you okay?" asked Seres, concerned.
"Y-yes, don't worry. They're just wounds. I'll heal… with time. I'm sorry for the noise; I'm a bad host," the stone saint's voice was sad.
"It's okay. We've heard louder things before," said Seres, looking at Gretel and Lycor.
"Really?" asked Uriel like a small child. "What is the world like outside the walls? Do you know what a horse is? Or a ship?"
The group blinked. Previously, they had the impression that the stone saint was a fearful being, mentally broken from being alone. Then it changed to something incredibly terrifying, capable of fighting a corrupt devil. And now it changed again to someone innocent who knew nothing about the world.
"A horse is a four-legged animal used as transportation to go from one place to another faster," explained Gaellum.
"Oh, and a ship?"
"Um… something built that can navigate rivers and seas, keeping people safe inside."
"I see… I see. That sounds incredible."
Uriel approached the fire, noticing that the water and meat had run out.
"I'll go get you more food and water."
"With those injuries?" Gretel pointed out.
"They're nothing. I'll be fine after a while." Uriel bent down, picking up the tray with utmost care, but a piece of his body fell to the floor.
"Oh," he said before picking up the piece and trying to put it back where it fell, uselessly.
Everyone watched this with pity for the stone saint. If they had doubts before, it was now clear that the stone saint was harmless to them. It was even sad to see him.
Gretel, moved by pity in her heart, approached the stone saint, touching him gently with the staff of her spear. A greenish light covered the stone saint, beginning to repair the cracks in his body. They watched as the stone began to mend, adopting its original form.
After a minute, the stone saint was as good as new.
"T-thank you," the voice sounded happy but also embarrassed.
Then he picked up the tray and the jug and began to walk.
"Can I come with you?" asked Seres.
"Princess," said Gaellum.
Seres looked at her knight, who, upon seeing her eyes, sighed.
"I don't think your companions like the idea," said Uriel.
"It's okay. Will you hurt me?"
"No. You are people. You are my guests. Just the fact that you're here, even if you distrust me, makes me happy."
Seres looked at the others, who sighed and nodded.
"See? They agree."
Uriel looked at his guests for a few seconds before walking toward the corridor. The darkness began to recede, making way for both of them as they advanced in silence.