"I will warn you one last time," Harres' eyes sharpened as he tightened his grip on his sword. "Step aside!"
Merry didn't answer nor move. She held her position, always protecting those she considered important—someone precious to her.
Negotiations were over. If Merry insisted on standing her ground, then she was on Leah's side, and in Harres' eyes, Leah was someone evil. At least, that was what he believed.
With his hand tightening around the glowing silver sword, Harres intended to slash them both.
The blade fell. Just before it could reach Merry's neck, a voice called his name.
"Harres…,"
The voice was weak—it was Aleeora. She had regained consciousness.
"What happened?" The girl's eyes immediately darted to the chaotic scene. Children fainted, Merry shielding Leah with her body.
Harres dropped to one knee, checking Aleeora's condition in panic.
"Are you alright?" he asked, brushing the top of her hair gently.
"Aleeora, are you alright?" Harres asked again, cupping her cheeks. His tense expression softened at once, melting into a relieved smile.
"I'm alright," Aleeora said, trying to remove Harres' hand from her cheek. "But… what happened to all of them? Did a storm hit this place?"
"Thank goodness."
The man hugged Aleeora tightly, his tears almost falling. He was genuinely relieved.
When Aleeora began to turn her head toward the others, Harres quickly stopped her and turned her gaze back to him.
"Nothing happened, Aleeora. You don't have to worry about anything. I'm here."
His smile faded. Harres stood up while carrying Aleeora, and only after staring at Leah with pure anger did he finally speak.
"We need to talk."
He drove his sword into the ground, his fist clenched tightly around the handle.
Leah swallowed hard, trembling in fear.
"Ma'am, forgive me. Can I leave this girl with you?"
Merry, her mind still chaotic, responded late. "A-ah… very well."
"Lady Merry, you don't look alright. What happened to you?"
The old woman shifted her gaze to Aleeora, forcing a small smile onto her face.
"Nothing happened, Aleeora," she said gently, though her smile was strained—leaving the girl confused.
A cold breeze swept through, brushing past Harres as he stood facing Leah with a hardened expression.
The bright light that had illuminated the area earlier now dimmed—likely due to the presence of that monstrous being. Fortunately, no major damage had been inflicted. Harres had handled the situation remarkably well.
Leah used his hands to push himself up, dusting his clothes before stepping toward Harres.
Leah walked first, entering the church, followed by Harres—who glanced at Aleeora with a reassuring smile, as if telling her nothing serious had happened.
When the door closed, silence enveloped the area, filling Aleeora's mind with countless questions.
"What is that?" Aleeora pointed upward, noticing something terrifying in the sky.
"That is nothing, young lady," Merry whispered softly as she caressed Aleeora's cheek. "Nothing at all," she repeated with a pained smile.
Meanwhile, Harres and Leah descended into the church's underground chamber—a place even Merry never knew existed.
Leah gripped the wooden door and slowly pushed it open, letting out a creaking sound.
"Now tell me, what is your real plan? What is your purpose behind all of this?"
Leah didn't answer immediately. Instead, he waved his hand slowly through the air, conjuring a glowing crystal that emerged from a cloud of smoke he created.
"All my memories are inside this crystal," Leah said, gazing straight at Harres.
"And? What about it?" Harres was confused—this did nothing to answer his question.
"It all began back then…" Leah inhaled shakily. "When I arrived here with that old woman…"
His voice trembled, but he continued.
"At that time, I was only ten years old. That old woman and I tried to escape from demons that destroyed our village."
"She was dying. I tried to save her, but I failed."
The crystal glowed, projecting the events of that day.
"Until someone mysterious appeared."
The crystal showed a cloaked figure holding a wooden staff.
"He offered to heal the old woman… in exchange for me forming a contract with that creature."
Leah lifted his head, tears falling as he looked at Harres.
"You know… that old woman now isn't the same woman who was with me back then. She's someone else. But I still agreed—hoping one day she would return to me."
Harres' eyes widened. Whether this was truth or lies, he had never sensed any magical aura inside Merry from the beginning.
"I didn't do this because I serve demons," Leah wept, the crystal showing the destruction of his home. "I did it because I believed… this was what I needed to do."
He sobbed as he continued, "And everything that being gave me—felt real. The old woman came back to life. She smiled when she saw I had survived."
"What about the children? They clearly aren't human."
Leah wiped his tears.
"They are manifestations of my illusion magic. Their souls are not human souls—but fragments of that creature's."
That explained everything. their behavior, their sudden changes, their forms.
Harres folded his arms and leaned against the wooden door. "Then what about that creature?"
"That being once told me something."
Leah rotated his hand above the crystal until it shone brightly.
"If I managed to free it, the old woman's soul could return."
"Is something like that even possible?"
"I don't know… but I did everything for her."
The crystal showed a terrifying figure giving an apple to someone.
That apple granted whatever the eater desired—immortality, unmatched strength, or salvation.
Leah also explained that before being imprisoned, the creature—Duriel—had given an apple to someone long ago.
That person caused chaos in the past. He served neither demons nor humans.
He simply walked his own path—the path he believed was right, even if the whole world opposed him.
"Will you still judge me?" Leah asked, ending the visions in the crystal.
"If I were a royal knight or judge, I would have killed you already," Harres exhaled deeply. "But I'm neither of them. After everything you've shown me… judgment will still fall on you."
"I don't care anymore. Everything has already ended. The moment this contract fails… both the old woman and I will die."
Harres remained silent, pity in his eyes. It was difficult to pass judgment on someone like Leah. But he also refused to ignore the consequences of Leah's actions.
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
Leah snorted softly. "What else do you want to hear? I've given you everything I know."
The ground suddenly shook.
The roar returned—this time louder.
Only one thought struck Harres.
Aleeora.
Harres grabbed Leah's collar, chanting, "Uliona Lukio."
They vanished instantly and reappeared on the church's front courtyard.
The creature had risen again, roaring violently—but one thing confused Harres is
Merry, the children… and Aleeora were gone.
He couldn't sense even a trace of Aleeora's magical presence.
They were far away.
Harres looked around frantically, ignoring the creature's increasingly violent roars.
Harres roughly seized Leah's collar again, shouting, "Where are they?! Did you do this, huh?!"
"I've been with you this whole time! Why would you think I did it?!" Leah shouted back, trying to overpower the deafening noise.
"One thing is certain," Leah said, turning his gaze toward the creature . "They're over there. I can sense the children's souls."
Harres glared at the creature with pure fury. His veined hand ripped his sword from the ground and hurled it with all his strength—straight at the monster.
"You're coming with me."
Harres grabbed Leah again by the collar—and they vanished in an instant.
"Wait for me Aleeora, I'll save you soon." As soon as Harres caught the sword he had previously thrown, he threw it again, this time further — into the hole where the creature lived.
"I will not let a single wound remain on my daughter's body. I will make sure to kill anyone who dares to do that."