On the day of celebration, the village overflows with joy.
The scent of fresh flowers and ripe fruits blends in the air.
Mushroom people and humans dance together in the village square.
Virgil, sipping fruit juice, watches them quietly.
His group members laugh and dance, signalling for him to join.
Cynthia, the raven-haired beauty of their group, gathers her courage and asks him for a dance.
Virgil, lost in thought, is about to decline.
But he notices Chief Polo watching him.
Refusing Cynthia might attract unwanted attention.
Cynthia's emerald eyes meet his, and he offers his palm with a smile.
Every boy in the group admires her, but she has remained distant.
Virgil suspects her interest in him comes from his growing strength.
They dance for a few minutes under the shifting lights.
During the dance, he catches the moment Chief Polo disappears.
When the song ends, he escorts Cynthia away from the crowd.
He walks toward Vincent and Mira, who are huddled and whispering.
They fall silent the moment they notice him.
Vincent says sourly, "I thought you forgot about our mission."
Virgil smirks. "Are you jealous?"
Vincent snorts. "Who is jealous?"
Mira raises her hand, voice firm. "Stop! This isn't the time to argue. We could die in a few hours."
Virgil sobers, the weight of the night returning. "How's Lola's preparation?"
Mira answers, "She said everything is ready. An hour ago, Lila was moved to the chief's house, locked in a coffin. Lola's already unlocked both the chain and the lid."
Vincent, already informed, doesn't react.
Virgil nods. "How is the chief going to subdue us?"
If they resisted, the sacrifice ritual could fail.
Mira says, "According to Lola, the food is laced with Nightangle flower sap. It doesn't affect the mushroom folk, but even a drop can knock us out."
Vincent asks, "Any solution?"
Mira holds up three small pills. "Keep this in your mouth while eating. It'll neutralise the sap."
Vincent glances at the celebrating villagers. "They all seem like good people. Won't they stop the chief when he tries to sacrifice us?"
Virgil looks at the smiling mushroom folk dancing under the lantern light.
He doesn't answer.
Are they truly kind people?
Or just good at pretending?
A few hours later, a long table stretches down the central path of the village, starting from the square, covered in food, with villagers seated on both sides.
Chief Polo sits alone at a raised table on the square's edge, facing the celebration.
He stands and raises his arms. "Another year has passed since our village's founding. Let us celebrate our continued safety."
Applause and cheers echo through the air — mushroom folk cheer for their home, and humans join in the joy in the air.
Everyone begins eating and chatting, laughter mixing with clinking cups.
Virgil sits beside Cynthia, their shoulders almost touching as they speak of likes and dislikes, the conversation flowing like two people slowly falling for each other.
A faint mist begins to settle over the village.
One by one, the humans slump forward, heads hitting the table with soft thuds.
The mushroom people rise silently, their eyes glazed, swaying into a ritualistic dance.
The mood shifts — solemn and eerie.
Spores drift from their caps like silent ash.
Chief Polo remains the only still mind, standing and walking calmly into his home behind him.
Moments later, he returns, dragging a coffin, placing it between his table and the central feast.
He straightens — and the coffin bursts open.
Lila, the black rabbit, erupts from within, her claws wreathed in swirling dark mana.
The mana claw slams into the unprepared chief's stomach, his body flinging back as he screams in agony.
The black rabbit leaps from the coffin and charges at him.
Chief Polo slams his staff into the ground. "Spores Shield."
Spores rush in from the surroundings and form a glowing barrier — Lila crashes into it, stopping her assault.
The chief chants again, "Acid Arrow."
A corrosive bolt shoots from his staff.
Lila dodges, and the arrow burns a hole through a mushroom house, hissing into the air.
One spell after another rains from the chief, but the black rabbit evades each, steadily guiding him closer to Virgil.
With his back turned to Virgil, the chief raises his staff. "Vine Trap."
Thick vines burst from the ground, twisting toward Lila like serpents.
She notices Virgil rising, spear in hand.
To hold the chief's attention, she deliberately reveals an opening — the vines wrap around her, locking her in place.
The chief sneers. "Now let's see where you escape. I offered a painless death, but now I'll burn you in holy fire."
At that moment, Virgil hurls his spear at the chief's back — no mana, just pure precision.
But a shimmering energy shield appears, blocking the strike.
The spear fails to wound, but the impact disrupts the spell — the vines shrivel, and Lila is free.
The chief roars, "Who?"
Flames burn in his eyes as he turns and spots Virgil.
"You humans are with the black rabbit," he growls. "All my life, I never saw a single human — and now that I'm ready to sacrifice this sinful beast, you appear."
He chants, "Plague Blast."
Virgil's senses scream — a dark green ripple of energy shoots toward him.
A second-order spell.
He could dodge — but Cynthia and the others are behind him.
If he runs, they die.
He channels mana into his spear and thrusts it at the incoming spell to weaken it.
The blast hits.
It explodes on contact — Virgil and his spear are flung across the square, crashing into a mushroom house.
His stomach churns, his body burns, and exhaustion clings to every limb.
The chief turns back to attack Lila — but, noticing Virgil still alive, fires an Acid Arrow to finish him.
Mira and Vincent rise together, countering the spell with their own.
Vincent charges to help Lila, spells flashing in his hand.
Mira rushes to Virgil and chants, "Heal."
Warm yellow light washes over him — wounds mend, but the fever stays.
Then a second spell, green and bright — "Remove Disease."
Lola appears, swaying as she drags Virgil's spear, which is twice her size.
The fever lifts, and strength floods back into Virgil's limbs.
Virgil takes his spear.
Lola steadies herself beside him.
Together, they rush back into the battle.
Five against one — the pressure on the chief becomes unbearable.
But he refuses to fall quietly.
Vincent collapses first, ribs cracked from a mana wave.
Mira follows, struck down mid-chant.
Lola shields Lila, but a venom strike drops her to her knees.
Lila, bleeding but standing, staggers aside as Virgil breaks through the chief's guard.
With a roar, Virgil kicks the chief to the ground.
His spear tip presses beneath the mushroom cap — the vulnerable place where the brain lies.
"Chief," Virgil pants, "the fight is finished."
The chief exhales slowly, his head dropping to the earth.
But then — a flash.
A blast hits Virgil from behind.
He's flung through the air and slams hard into the ground.
This time, he doesn't rise.