[18x FEATURED]
𝘛𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺.
Born out of sadness and despair, demonic beings known as "Outcasts" seek to corrupt human souls, posing a threat to humanity's innocence. Raia Allen, a remorseless warrior and healer, joins t...
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"We've arrived," Raiden declares, and the double metal door in front of him slides apart with a rumble.
The people inside stop dead in their tracks the moment the door opens and stare at the four figures standing by the entrance. Their gazes wander over the Aragons' unruly hair and blood-splattered uniforms. They stand in silence for a moment before breaking out in whoops and hollers.
The laity, staff, and even two Aragons rush to greet them with joy and relief. Endless questions are fired, and Raia and her team report on everything that happened, omitting one single piece of information: Nihar. Raia decides not to mention it since her comrades can't seem to bring themselves to discuss it yet. After all, it's a family matter, and she can't interfere. Announcing someone's death is by far the most difficult news to deliver to anyone. While she hasn't personally experienced such a situation, she is aware of how the loss of one person affects others. She's seen how other people react to someone's death; she's seen how it affects her comrades.
"We were gone for a month?" Raiden, Nathan, and Sunshine are stunned when they are told how long they had been missing.
Raia, too, cannot help but be in shock. A full month? So we were asleep for that long? A sudden flash of realization crosses her face.
"It's the spell," Raia breathes. She looks at her team. "We were trapped in a time warp."
Of course, they couldn't have slept for a month — the time inside that old church had been altered to the point where what felt like a day a month had already passed in the real world.
"The ability to manipulate time?" Raiden says in hushed tones that only the four of them can hear. "Is that also the power of that hooded Blood Demon?"
Sunshine knits her brows together. "That's strange. Does he possess another Curse? It's understandable in the case of that doll-like Blood Demon. The wooden sword doesn't appear to be all that special. It looked like a regular weapon that had been enchanted. But, explosion and time?"
Nathan nods. "Yeah, that's strange. Perhaps another Blood Demon cast the spell?"
Raia concurs with that. Since Cyrus told her that there are currently seven Blood Demons alive, and they just killed one, the time spell must be a Curse of another Blood Demon.
The power to manipulate time? That seems to be trouble.
Raia can't stop wondering about the Blood Demons' real motives. They kept them alive when they were in a particularly vulnerable situation. For what reason? Just because their plan was for them to become depraved? Raia is still unsure what being Depraved means, but she is certain it has something to do with an Elysian being corrupted. Raiden had already informed her that they were immune, and he had proved that to her. So their souls can be corrupted in a different way?
