My legs felt like they were made of stone by the time I saw it.
A staircase.
It rose along the edge of the corridor, spiraling upward toward a faint light above. Compared to the endless maze of underground passages, the sight of it felt almost unreal.
An exit.
Hope surged through my exhausted body.
"Come on," I muttered breathlessly.
The Nightbound Beast ran beside me, its claws scraping against the stone as we climbed the stairs together. Behind us, the distant echoes of movement still carried through the underground prison. I didn't know if the corpse-like creatures were still chasing us—or if Velmorth had already escaped the slime's grasp.
But I knew one thing.
If I stopped now, I would die.
The staircase ended at a heavy wooden door reinforced with iron bands. Faint daylight slipped through the cracks around its edges.
My hand trembled as I pushed it open.
The door creaked.
Light flooded my eyes.
And the moment I stepped outside—
A sharp metal tip stopped just inches from my forehead.
I froze.
A spear.
The blade hovered directly in front of my head.
Standing before me was an old man.
His weathered face was calm, but his eyes were sharp and steady. The moment I saw him, recognition struck instantly.
It was him.
The same old man from the forest.
The man who had pointed a spear at my chest the night before while Nightbound Beasts chased me through the darkness.
My hands immediately shot into the air.
"P-please—!" I stammered. "T-they're behind me!"
The old man didn't move.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Bow your head," he said calmly.
Without thinking, I obeyed.
The moment I lowered my head—
The old man moved.
His arm snapped forward.
The spear left his hand like a streak of lightning.
WHOOSH—
A sickening impact echoed behind me.
I turned instinctively.
The pale-skinned creature that had been rushing up the stairs collapsed onto the stone ground. The spear had pierced straight through its skull, pinning the corpse-like monster to the ground.
The creature twitched once.
Then went still.
The old man watched the corpse quietly.
"Undead," he muttered.
His gaze darkened.
"So he's here."
The old man slowly clenched his hand, the muscles in his fingers tightening.
"…Velmorth."
The name left his mouth like a curse.
Before I could say anything, the sound of heavy footsteps approached. Several armored guards rushed toward the entrance from the street outside.
"Sir!" one of them shouted. "What's happening down there?"
The old man didn't even look at them.
"Seal the underground immediately," he said coldly.
The guards hesitated.
"But—"
"Now."
His voice left no room for argument.
The guards quickly moved to obey.
The old man finally turned and walked away from the stair entrance.
"Come," he said without looking back.
I didn't argue.
Together with the Nightbound Beast, I followed him outside.
The moment I stepped fully into the open air, I froze again.
There were people everywhere.
Dozens of them stood gathered near the building as if they had been waiting for something. Merchants, travelers, townsfolk—everyone stared toward the entrance of the underground passage.
Toward me.
Toward the monster beside me.
I felt every pair of eyes land on us.
Uneasy whispers spread through the crowd.
But none of them approached.
Slowly, I reached down and placed my hand on the Nightbound Beast's head.
Its fur was rough beneath my fingers, but the creature didn't pull away.
Instead it stood quietly beside me.
That was when I noticed something.
Around its neck was a collar.
A simple metal tag hung from it.
I leaned closer and read the engraving.
Shadow.
My eyes widened slightly.
"So you already have an owner," I murmured.
I looked at the beast beside me.
"Shadow… is that your name?"
For a moment the creature remained silent.
Then it let out a low rumbling growl.
Not threatening.
Almost… confirming.
I couldn't help but smile faintly.
"So your name is Shadow, huh?"
Shadow's red eyes gleamed softly as it stood beside me.
For the first time since escaping that underground nightmare—
I felt like I wasn't alone anymore.
—
A sudden explosion shattered the tense silence of the street.
BOOM.
The inn behind us burst apart in a violent blast. Wooden beams snapped, windows shattered outward, and smoke poured into the air as the entire front of the building collapsed. The ground trembled beneath my feet.
A deep, monstrous growl echoed from inside the ruined building.
Shadow reacted instantly.
The Nightbound Beast lowered its body and bared its fangs, a low rumble vibrating in its throat as its crimson eyes locked onto the smoking entrance of the inn.
Then they appeared.
The pale undead creatures from the underground prison began crawling out of the shattered doorway. One after another, their twisted bodies dragged themselves into the light, their hollow eyes scanning the street before lunging forward.
The guards were ready.
"Hold them back!" one of the soldiers shouted.
Steel flashed as the guards charged forward to intercept the creatures. Swords cut through rotting flesh while shields slammed into the undead bodies. The clash quickly filled the street with chaos.
For a moment, it looked like the guards had things under control.
Then another figure stepped through the smoke.
My chest tightened the moment I saw it.
That one was different.
Tall.
Thin.
Its limbs were stretched unnaturally long, and its pale skin looked almost translucent beneath the daylight.
I knew immediately who it was.
Velmorth.
One of the guards rushed toward him with a raised sword.
"Die, monster!"
The soldier swung his blade.
Velmorth didn't dodge.
Instead, she calmly stepped closer.
And then—
Her long finger shot forward.
CRACK.
The guard's skull was pierced instantly.
Velmorth's finger went straight through the man's head as if bone and armor meant nothing at all. The guard's body collapsed lifelessly onto the street.
Velmorth slowly pulled his hand free.
Blood dripped from the tip of his finger.
Then she looked up.
Her glowing eyes locked onto mine.
A slow smile spread across her face.
And she began to laugh.
"Veeeeiiiin."
Before I could even react, she moved.
Velmorth lunged forward with terrifying speed.
My body reacted on instinct.
"Run!"
Shadow was already moving.
The Nightbound Beast darted beneath me and lifted its body upward in one smooth motion, pushing me onto its back. I grabbed onto its thick fur as it surged forward like a bolt of living darkness.
Shadow ran.
Fast.
Its claws struck the stone streets of Velmora as it sprinted forward with incredible speed, carrying me across the deserted road like a warhorse.
Behind us, Velmorth followed.
She did not fly.
She ran.
But her speed was monstrous.
Her long limbs carried her across the ground like a hunting predator as she chased us through the empty streets.
Shadow and I raced through Velmora together. The once-busy market streets were now eerily silent as people fled into their homes. Doors slammed shut while windows were hastily barred.
The city had become a ghost town in moments.
But Velmorth was still behind us.
I glanced back.
She was getting closer.
Closer with every passing second.
Her laughter echoed through the empty streets.
And the distance between us continued to shrink.
An idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
It came so suddenly that I almost doubted it would work.
But before I could even act on it—
Velmorth appeared beside me.
One moment she had been behind us… and the next she was already running at my side.
Her twisted smile stretched across his pale face, her violet eyes gleaming with excitement like a predator that had finally cornered its prey.
For a brief moment, fear froze my body.
She was too close.
But instinct took over.
My hand shot forward and grabbed Shadow's head.
"Sorry, Shadow!"
Using every bit of strength I had left, I forced his head to turn sharply.
The Nightbound Beast reacted instantly.
Shadow spun around—one hundred and eighty degrees.
Our entire direction flipped violently as his claws scraped across the stone road. In the next instant, she burst forward in the opposite direction.
Velmorth's eyes widened.
She clearly hadn't expected it.
By the time she realized what had happened, we had already rushed past him. Unable to stop in time, she crashed straight into the side of a nearby house with a loud impact that splintered part of the wooden wall.
Shadow growled angrily beneath me.
The beast clearly didn't like having his head grabbed like that.
"Sorry!" I said quickly. "I didn't have a choice!"
Shadow snorted irritably but continued running.
For a moment… I thought we had escaped.
Then—
BOOM.
A blazing fireball slammed into us from behind.
The explosion hurled both of us across the street. Heat and smoke filled the air as my body crashed onto the stone ground.
Pain shot through my ribs.
My ears rang as I forced myself to look up.
"Shadow…?"
The Nightbound Beast lay a few meters away.
He wasn't moving.
Panic surged through my chest.
I dragged myself forward, crawling toward him.
"Shadow… get up…"
My hand stretched out toward him.
Then suddenly—
CRACK.
A sharp pain exploded through my palm.
A long black claw had pierced straight through my hand, pinning it to the ground.
Blood spread beneath my fingers.
My breathing stopped.
Slowly… I looked up.
Velmorth stood beside me.
She had appeared without making a sound.
"Oh, Vein," she said softly.
Her voice carried the same amused tone as always.
"Where are you trying to go now?"
Her fingers brushed across my shoulder before slowly sliding across my chest, as if she were examining something valuable.
"This beautiful body of yours…" she murmured.
"…will soon belong to me."
Her lips twisted into a delighted grin.
"Are you excited?"
Then she laughed.
Velmorth suddenly drove her claws into his own chest again.
She ripped through her own flesh with manic excitement, tearing her body open as if it were nothing more than fragile cloth. Blood splashed across the ground—yet the wounds immediately began to close again.
Muscles shifted.
Skin stitched itself together.
Her body regenerated as if nothing had happened.
Velmorth laughed louder.
Then she raised her claw toward my throat.
But just as she thrust her hand forward—
CLANG.
A flash of steel split the air.
Velmorth's claw was cut apart.
Her long nail split cleanly into two pieces.
Velmorth jumped backward instantly, landing several steps away.
Standing beside me—
Was the old man.
The same old man from the forest.
But this time he held a sword.
The blade gleamed coldly in the dim light as he stepped between me and Velmorth.
Velmorth stared at him.
And slowly… stepped back.
—
Smoke from the ruined buildings drifted slowly through the air, carried by the weak evening wind that passed through the empty streets of Velmora. Broken wood and scattered debris littered the ground around us, remnants of the destruction Velmorth had caused moments earlier.
The once lively city street had fallen into an eerie silence.
Only four figures remained standing there.
Me.
The old man.
Velmorth.
And Shadow.
Shadow slowly rose beside me, shaking dust from his dark fur before letting out a deep growl. His crimson eyes locked onto Velmorth, every muscle in his body tense as if ready to leap at any moment.
Velmorth didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
She simply stood there, staring at the old man who had stepped between us.
Then her lips slowly curled into a smile.
"Oh… Johan."
Her voice carried a strange warmth, almost nostalgic.
"It's been a long time since we last met."
Her violet eyes glimmered as he looked at the old man from head to toe.
"And now look at you."
Velmorth chuckled softly.
"You've grown old."
She tilted his head slightly, as if recalling something pleasant.
"Ever since that… wonderful incident."
Johan's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.
The old man's knuckles turned white as his fingers clenched harder, as though he were trying to crush the memory Velmorth had just mentioned.
It was obvious.
There was something in the past he did not want to remember.
But his voice remained steady.
"And now look at you."
Johan's sharp eyes locked onto Velmorth.
"Running through the middle of the city without even wearing proper clothes."
His gaze briefly shifted toward me before returning to Velmorth.
"Chasing a defenseless teenager through the streets."
The blade of his sword slowly rose.
"Do you realize that your behavior has long since crossed the line of simple crime?"
For a moment, Velmorth simply stared at him.
Then suddenly—
She burst into laughter.
A loud, delighted laugh that echoed through the ruined street.
"Oh, Johan…"
Velmorth wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye.
"Do you have any idea how miserable my life was inside the capital prison?"
Her smile twisted slightly.
"They locked me away like an animal."
Her glowing eyes slowly turned toward me.
"But now…"
Velmorth's grin widened.
"I'm finally free."
She pointed casually in my direction.
"And I even met someone very entertaining."
Her head tilted as she looked at me with that horrifying smile.
"Isn't that right, Vein?"
A chill ran down my spine.
Johan stepped forward slightly.
The sword in his hand lifted fully now, its blade pointing straight toward Velmorth.
"If you want to reach him…"
His voice was calm.
But there was something deadly hidden beneath it.
"You will have to step over my corpse first."
For a moment, Velmorth stared at the sword pointed toward him.
Then slowly—
She smiled again.
The claw that had been cut earlier suddenly twitched.
Before my eyes, the split nail began to grow back together. Flesh regenerated, bone knitting itself together as if the wound had never existed.
Velmorth flexed his fingers slowly.
"Ah…"
She looked pleased.
"It seems my body is in excellent condition today."
Her glowing violet eyes lifted toward Johan again.
"Shall we?"
The air between them suddenly felt heavy.
Shadow lowered his body beside me, growling softly as his red eyes moved between the two men.
And as I watched them standing there in the ruined street of Velmora—
I realized something immediately.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was the beginning of a deadly duel between two enemies who had hated each other for a very long time.
A battle between old rivals—
Was about to begin.