Deep into the night, the sky was burning white. The forest, along with the ashes, dust, charcoal, and flames that once formed it, now scattered chaotically like a colorblind painter’s canvas across this remote mountain village.
Amidst it all, four men walked through the flames.
A man, Angelo, blocked a falling wooden pillar with his shield and stepped back. Meanwhile, another man passed by his side, stabbing the base of the tree with his sword. He soon picked up a shiny stone.
“This is David’s mark. He must have caused this mess.”
“If it was David, he must have had a reason. Pedro, go east with Hermino. Kirilz, stay with me and head straight. Pedro, how far to the target point?”
“35 meters.”
“We’ll approach the target from both sides. If no enemies are confirmed at the entry point, we abort the mission. Regroup at Rendezvous Point-1.”
“Glory.”
“Glory to Vaitas.”
The two men, Pedro and Hermino, disappeared into the bushes. Angelo and Kirilz drew their swords and advanced.
The village entrance was half-collapsed, crumbling in the flames. The long walls surrounding the village had partially collapsed, and among the thatched houses visible inside, only the distant bell tower remained intact.
The bell tower, engraved with the emblem of Vaitas’ Keyblade, must have once been the heart of the village.
Angelo and Kirilz stopped for the first time after entering the mission area. They gazed at the half-destroyed village entrance. Corpses were tied to the burning pillars at the entrance.
With strange scars carved into their foreheads, their bodies were so twisted around the pillars that they could hardly be recognized as human, except for their heads.
“David’s alive…”
“He must be alive.”
Cutting off Kirilz’s casual remark, Angelo spoke mechanically. ‘Newbies.’ But Angelo didn’t show it.
A leader’s emotions are poison to subordinates. But they are vipers and daggers of Vaitas, only poisoning demons, heretics, and witches.
Angelo swung his longsword, cutting down those entangled in the pillars.
-Crunch.
It sounded more like charcoal falling than bones or corpses.
Angelo meticulously stabbed each of their skulls one by one. Then he stepped into the village.
“Ah, Angelo. Pedro’s team isn’t in sight yet.”
“The target position is the bell tower. Kirilz. If you want to back out, you can leave now, but at least follow me until the bell tower. Someone needs to inform the Church about this. The more accurate the information, the better.”
Kirilz made a face, unnerved by the thick stench of death implied in Angelo’s words. He slowly followed Angelo into the village.
The sound of the burning village was eerie, mingled with screams that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for anything else, screams that resembled the wind, and other screams mixed with the wind. Sometimes close, sometimes far. Men’s, women’s, children’s.
“All things evil, fear Lord Vaitas. Sons of man, ‘Found it?’ Praise the Lord. And in His steps…”
Kirilz recited a hymn in a low voice, slightly slurring the end. Angelo didn’t bother to interrupt Kirilz’s prayer. After all, praying itself could be positive in this situation.
Though, if he’s praying while trembling in fear, does it even mean anything? Angelo ignored it and slowly scanned his surroundings, walking straight toward the bell tower. Now 10 meters.
“Sons of man, now prove ‘Found it?’ When you rise and pray, be pure as you follow the Lord. The Lord sees you ‘Found it?’ always ‘Found it?’…”
Angelo suddenly clutched his head and staggered. A headache. Flames, sorcerous screams, the bright and dark night sky, and the forest. It felt like everything was calling out to him.
Kirilz’s prayer felt distant. But he was looking straight at Angelo, following him. He was still quietly muttering the prayer.
“Found it?”
“…What did you say?”
Angelo tightened his grip on the longsword and looked at Kirilz. Kirilz tilted his head and stopped in front of Angelo. He pointed toward the bell tower, still holding a rosary in one hand and a sword in the other.
“Angelo, now ‘Found it?’ is less than 7 meters away ‘Found it?’. But Pedro still ‘Found it?’ Should we turn back ‘Found it?’”
“Hmm.”
Angelo lowered the hand clutching his head and slowly, very slowly, gripped his shield. He stepped a few paces away from Kirilz and said.
“Demon-class mental contamination entity. Brother, abandon the mission and return to the rally point. Receive the purification sacrament and report this to the Church. I will continue the mission.”
“Found it? Found it? Found it? Found it…”
“Enough. If you don’t attempt to return within 3 seconds, I will consider your mental contamination progressed and begin exorcism. 3, 2.”
Kirilz hesitated at Angelo’s words, then stumbled and ran back. Good. Angelo muttered to himself.
Kirilz wasn’t contaminated, or at least not as much as he himself was. He shook his head a couple of times and turned back toward the bell tower.
“Found it?”
Right in front of his nose stood a man. He had appeared silently, staring at the bell tower, muttering something continuously.
Angelo decided to ignore his hearing, assuming the man might be saying something else. He carefully raised his shield and stabbed the man’s back.
“Found it? Found it? Chaaahaaahaaahaaahaa?”
-Crunch.
The man’s head snapped back… twisted, and made a bone-crushing sound as it turned completely backward. His body was still facing forward.
With a strange mark on his forehead, the face looking at Angelo was pale and bloodless.
“Found ittttttt?”
“Turn around and kneel. Brother.”
David stared at him without moving, grinning. Angelo sighed at the sight and slashed his sword. David’s head paused in mid-air for a moment before falling and rolling.
‘The smell of the demon is faint. I consider myself partially mentally contaminated.’
Angelo slowly watched David collapse.
