In an atmosphere of apparent calm, a man stood with his fly still open, eyes fixed on the horizon above the toilets where he was emptying his bladder. A whistle slipped from his lips as he thought about the ordinary things of daily life. Suddenly, something shattered the tranquility: a blue portal opened beneath his feet, catching him completely off guard.
"Huh?"
Before he could utter another word, his eyes met Logan's and the man froze on the spot. An aura of command radiated from Logan, almost hypnotic, as if time itself slowed around them.
In a blur of motion, Logan shot his hand out, seized the man by the head, and smashed his face against the urinal. A dull crack rang through the restroom as the man collapsed, knocked out cold by the blow.
"Ahh!" Marie yelped.
Logan turned to look behind him and saw Marie, her cheeks tinged a faint, irritated red. Her eyes flashed with a mix of emotions, chiefly annoyance.
"What is it?"
"I got some on me!"
Logan gave her a warm smile, while Aria despite clearly trying to hold it in let out a small laugh.
"Aria!"
Marie swatted at Aria, but they didn't have time for that.
"Positions," Logan said, his tone snapping back to business.
The three lined up behind him Marie to his left, Aria to his right. Logan drew a deep breath, bracing himself to lead as he already felt people moving through his radar.
"Go!"
Logan surged forward, taking point. He burst through the restroom door with surprising agility and drive. No sooner had he stepped out than he came face-to-face with four alchemists in the entry hall. Time seemed to slow; the alchemists' faces wore a mix of surprise and incomprehension at the improbable sight. But Logan had anticipated them. He had already palmed several stones, ready to use.
He hurled them amplified aiming for a nonlethal but crippling spot: their knees. The projectiles struck almost simultaneously. One by one, the alchemists felt a fierce impact at their joints and before they could grasp what was happening, they were on the floor, howling in pain.
Without wasting a heartbeat, Logan dashed for the basement entrance a little farther down the hall, tucked out of casual view. As he neared it, he sensed movement. His radar showed three people ascending from below.
"Three coming up from the basement!"
"I'll handle it!" Aria declared.
A large sphere of water surged from Aria's hands, exploding into a torrent that blasted the door and sluiced across the basement stairwell. The men hurrying up the steps plunged straight into the flooding water, unaware of the trap awaiting them.
Without hesitating, Aria flash-froze the water around their legs. Ice locked their feet in place, immobilizing them completely. They struggled, but the frost held fast. Aria strode in and, with practiced precision, knocked each alchemist out cold.
With the entire upper building suddenly stirring and frantic movement erupting in response to their intrusion, Logan made a snap decision to seal the basement immediately preventing reinforcements from pouring in and complicating everything further.
Aria iced over the entryway, while Logan collapsed a section of the access tunnel they had used to descend. When they were done, roughly fifty people remained in the basement.
They sped down the stairs. The basement was bleak but lit more importantly, a dozen alchemists stood before them.
Logan had expected them, but this time Marie took point. Lightning rippled around her body; she hurled it forward and in the same instant vanished, reappearing among several foes. A handful of precise strikes later, every last one lay unconscious.
It happened in a heartbeat, but not beyond Logan's notice. He understood: she had driven lightning through her nervous system and muscles, supercharging her speed. Moments later, every enemy in the basement was neutralized.
With a closer look, the place revealed itself for what it was: a nightmare. Damp, crumbling walls bore the marks of years of neglect. Narrow, light-starved cells exuded an oppressive dread that raised gooseflesh.
The filth and desolation were unbearable but worse still was the condition of the test subjects. Dried blood stained floors and walls, testifying to the suffering that had taken place here. The air reeked acrid, putrid, nauseating.
Cells lined the decrepit corridors, each a vignette of long, unrelenting misery. The doors creaked shut with a sinister groan, as if sealing away their own secrets.
Inside the rooms, the horror was laid bare: macabre apparatus, operating tables splotched with indelible stains, shelves of vials filled with strange fluids everything spoke to the abominations performed in this cursed place.
The test subjects themselves were a vision from hell. Most hovered at death's door, eyes hollowed of expression, as if all hope had been drained from them. Their bodies were a map of wounds and scars, mute proof of the torments they had endured. Some had lost limbs mutilated in atrocious experiments left battered and broken at the mercy of pain.
Every corner whispered stories of agony and despair. One could only imagine the unspeakable suffering that had echoed within these walls the muffled cries and the lingering reverberations of horror.
Shock and revulsion washed over them as they measured the scale of the atrocities. Their hearts clenched at the cruelty inflicted upon such defenseless beings. They stood in a living nightmare, face to face with what humanity was capable of.
But time offered no mercy. Circumstances left no room for grief. They had to move now.
The team mobilized at once to execute an evacuation plan. They soothed panicked souls with calm words, explained the situation with empathy, and guided them in an orderly flow toward the exits.
Most were in terrible shape; they had to help nearly everyone through the portal, taking precious time to shepherd each one to safety. At last laboriously they cleared the basement and withdrew.
Knock, knock!
A door creaked open, letting a thin blade of light pierce the dark room and in that glow, Zem appeared.
"What's happening?"
"The Alchemists' Guild is under attack, Commander! The King orders us to intervene and the Church is already on the move!"
"Prepare yourselves. We're leaving!"
Back at the warehouse, another portal yawned open this time leading to their final objective. They had barely secured everyone when they were forced to move again; time had turned against them.
They plunged through and emerged atop a tall building. From there, the Bestial Palace sprawled in regal splendor, while the pleasure district below teemed with its usual life. Logan immediately recalled the location of Aria's mother's chamber at the very top.
"Hold on to me," Logan said at once.
Without hesitation, Marie and Aria seized his shoulders. Logan coiled every muscle and boosted his speed. He sprinted each footfall cracking the roof then leapt with superhuman force, vaulting into the night sky. In an instant, they were airborne, rising several stories. A few breaths later, they were level with their target and Logan shattered the wall before them.
Where the wall had stood a heartbeat earlier, a gaping opening now framed the outside world. Beyond it, the night sky glittered with uncountable stars, bathed in the mystical glow of two majestic moons.
Amid the near-fairytale scene stood the three of them: Logan, Marie, and Aria. Aria's mother watched them with tranquil poise and Aria rushed to embrace her.
"Mother!" she cried, her voice brimming with emotion.
They folded into each other, clinging with a fierce, sincere affection as if to make up for all the time stolen from them. Aria's mother gently removed her mask, revealing a radiant face softened by a tender smile.
Her gaze lingered on her daughter, struck by the metamorphosis since their parting. She traced every delicate line and expression, committing to memory how the girl she had not seen grow had become a young woman.
Their reunion was a tapestry of emotions joy, nostalgia, pride. In that private moment, the indestructible bond between mother and daughter drew even tighter.
"You've grown so much. I thought I would never see you again," said Elie, Aria's mother.
"I thought my life would end in misery, too."
She turned then to the masked man recognition coming easily.
"You truly came."
"Yes but we don't have time right now."
Logan stepped to her and laid a hand on her head. He hesitated, nerves prickling; Aria's screams still echoed in his memory. At her request, he had placed a slave seal on Aria to practice breaking it so he could later free others.
As expected, the trial had been grueling. Each attempt wrung harrowing cries from Aria. Her body seized with spasms and violent tremors. Logan's heartbeat hammered harder with each passing minute. He could scarcely bear to put her through such torment—when he was about to stop, she had seized his arm:
"No I can endure it. We keep going until we succeed!" she insisted, resolute.
It was more than admirable. She never complained not once and after every attempt, each worse than the one before, she said:
"Again. We'll get it."
Her iron will commanded respect; she was determined to play her part to the end. But it was still unbearable: at times Aria bled from the eyes and ears. Repeated attempts left her injured despite all Logan's care to avoid damaging her magical circuit irreparably. Often he stopped at the last possible moment, when her body was about to give out.
At last, after many painful trials, progress came. Logan slowly learned the method validating each step, refining the technique: stimulate the circuit just enough while temporarily reinforcing it, then isolate the artificial pathways of the seal bit by bit. And once fully isolated destroy it, freeing the slave from the curse. It sounded simple yet demanded enormous dexterity and unbreakable focus to perform correctly.
Sadly, the pain could not be removed from the process, no matter how he tried. Logan handed Aria's mother a strip of cloth to bite down on and continued.
After an agonizing stretch, the seal broke three minutes later. That was the best time he had achieved so far; the first attempts had taken up to an hour.
Once she was freed of the seal, Marie opened a portal to send her to the warehouse with the others.
"No please, let me help," she said, determination hardening her voice.
Unlike the other slaves, the palace girls were well fed to keep them pleasing for clients. Now that her seal was gone, she could fight without issue. There was no reason to refuse.
"Very well but we don't have much time. Free as many as you can and direct them here."
The plan had been set beforehand; everyone knew their role. Marie would remain in this chamber and sever it from the world with one of her skills.
[Spatial Lock: The user can cut a location off from the world, preventing anyone from entering or leaving at will.]
The problem with that ability was its extreme mana consumption—it could only be maintained for a meager thirty minutes. And that duration could shrink even further if the space was attacked, forcing the user to spend more mana just to keep it stable.
Once everything was set, the three of them launched into a frenzied dash through the building, freeing the slaves one by one, driving out clients, and knocking out guards, while Logan worked to lift the seals from each slave in turn.
Most of the guards were there only to monitor the slaves' behavior and punish them through the seals they weren't strong fighters. After all, who would ever dare to attack the Bestial Palace? Yet that was exactly what was happening tonight on this night when someone tried to activate Aria's mother's seal, only to realize it had vanished.
As a result, the group advanced swiftly and without hindrance. Eventually, Logan reached Lissia's chamber. He opened the door and found her sitting on her bed, dressed in the same elegant yet revealing attire as always. She immediately stood and threw her arms around him.
"You came, just like you promised," Lissia said, joy lighting up her face.
"I always keep my promises."
Logan then removed her seal and told her where to go.
"You'll join us soon?" she asked, worry flickering in her eyes.
"As soon as I'm done."
Reassured by his answer, she slipped away with a soft smile.
Meanwhile, Aria and her mother fought side by side as though they had done so all their lives. Their movements were perfectly synchronized dancing around their foes with effortless grace. One struck with sharp, rapid attacks while the other covered the enemies' openings with flawless precision. Together, their combined skill neutralized anyone foolish enough to stand in their way.
In their fury, they unleashed a glacial storm throughout the palace, freezing everything in their path. Massive blocks of ice erupted, shattering walls and collapsing entire sections of the building an overwhelming testament to their destructive power. The deafening sound of ice breaking and stone crumbling echoed through the palace. Any guards who tried to stop them were swiftly overwhelmed by their combined might.
Amid the chaos, the soldiers' panic led to disaster they accidentally set parts of the building ablaze as they tried to fight back.
The two women moved like twin storms swift, agile, unstoppable. Their attacks were pure, unrelenting force, driving back every opponent who dared approach.
Outside, crowds of stunned onlookers gathered, gazing in disbelief as the grand palace burned.
Inside, Aria and her mother revealed themselves to be true prodigies, continuing their onslaught without restraint.
"You've become strong, my daughter."
"It's thanks to him," she replied with a warm smile.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to thank that man enough… I'd really like to meet him."
"He's kind, handsome, and caring."
"Oh? Don't tell me you've fallen for him?" her mother asked with a teasing smile.
Aria immediately blushed beneath her mask, flailing her arms in a panic.
"N-no… I don't know what you're talking about!" she stammered, flustered.
"Ahaha, you're so easy to read, my dear girl," her mother laughed heartily.
After twenty-five minutes, most of the girls had finally been freed from captivity. The plan had worked flawlessly, their escape unfolding with remarkable speed. It was time to regroup with Marie and leave time to end this perilous mission once and for all.
"What have you done!" a voice suddenly roared.
It was a voice Aria and her mother could never forget—a sound etched forever into their memories. The man responsible for all their suffering. As they prepared to leave the enemy's lair, a familiar silhouette emerged from the shadows, calling out to them.
Vengus appeared with his men, facing Aria's group head-on. The air grew heavy, tension thick enough to suffocate. Both sides glared at each other, and Aria's heart began to pound violently as she turned to face the man's loathsome visage.
"My palace you destroyed it!" he shouted in fury.
"Aria, we're leaving!" Logan commanded instantly.
Her mother understood immediately and sided with Logan, suppressing her own thirst for vengeance.
"Aria, come on!"
But Aria stood frozen. Her companions' words no longer reached her. Her mind was drowning in the storm of her memories. Chaos, terror, and loss surged back with brutal clarity.
The cries and screams of her kin echoed in her ears as though the past itself had returned to life. The massacre, the horror it was all carved into her soul. Her loving mother had been defiled by vile hands. Her father, a wise and strong man, murdered before her eyes.
Every member of her tribe her friends, her family had been torn away, sold off like worthless livestock. The images of that tragedy replayed endlessly in her mind, looping without mercy.
A boiling fury erupted inside her, like a firestorm ready to consume everything. The pain and rage she had buried for so long clawed their way back to the surface.
Her teeth clenched so tightly she could feel her jaw strain. The fur along her skin bristled, a primal reaction to the surge of emotion and magic within her. The mana coursing through her body flared violently, crackling with raw energy that shimmered around her like lightning on ice.
Logan looked at her in alarm, realizing she was losing control.
"Aria, no! It's over we've done it, it's over!" Logan shouted.
But it was far too late. Aria had already given herself to rage and memory and lunged at them without restraint.
[Beast Fury Activated!]
"Venguuuuus!" Aria screamed as she charged.
A violent surge of ice exploded outward, shaking the entire building. Walls shattered and collapsed in a deafening cascade, the shockwave echoing through the entire district—a clear sign of unleashed magical might.
Far away, Zem and a mysterious man dressed in white and blue robes immediately sensed the surge of mana in the air. Without hesitation, they set out toward the source of the disturbance, ready to confront whatever power had just awakened.
Behind them, the Church and the royal knights also began to mobilize, preparing to enter the fray.