"Blake…" Ash's voice cracked, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. He had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could continue. "Blake died. He was… devoured by cannibals." The words sounded wrong even in his own mouth, as though he couldn't make sense of them. "They attacked us out of nowhere, I tried to fight them—the cannibals. There were too many of them. And Blake…" He trailed off, shaking his head as if he could will the memory away. "Blake was right there with me. We were supposed to be in it together. But I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't save him. He died…"
Ash's voice broke at the end of his sentence. He hated himself for saying it out loud, but there it was. The truth. The thing he had buried deep down inside for so long.
"Do you think you're weak, Ash?" the therapist asked, his voice still calm and steady, but with a hint of curiosity.
Ash shook his head, looking down at his hands, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve. "I don't know. I don't think I'm weak, but…" His voice trailed off. "Maybe I am."
The therapist didn't respond immediately. He sat quietly, letting Ash's words hang in the air, giving him space to think, to process. Ash wanted to keep talking, to keep explaining, but the words seemed to falter. There was so much more inside him, so many things he wanted to say, but it was hard to make sense of them all.
Finally, the therapist spoke again. "Ash, what if you stopped running? What if you allowed yourself to grieve, to feel the pain, instead of pushing it down all the time? You don't have to carry the burden of all this alone."
Ash looked up at him, the words settling into his mind like a quiet storm. He didn't know if he was ready to face the truth, to stop running from everything.
"I don't know," Ash muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I guess… I guess I'll try."
The therapist gave him a small nod, a quiet acknowledgment that sometimes, trying was all you could do.
**
Dev's eyes narrowed, sharp and unyielding as steel. Ahead, the captured heroes lay sprawled out, their bodies strapped against twisted pillars of stone that jutted from the earth like fractured bones. They were unconscious, but breathing.
Dev's gaze went from one face to another, recognizing a few. Their bodies were battered, armor cracked and dented, blood crusted along the edges of their lips. It looked like they had been thrown against the rocks, over and over again.
But it wasn't just the heroes. Something else stood near them, it was humanoid, but only in the vaguest sense. Its limbs were too long, stretching like shadows that had escaped their owner. Skin like cracked marble, veins of black fluid spiderwebbing across its surface, pulsating with each heartbeat. Its head was elongated, almost like a crown of thorns made of flesh. It had no eyes, only empty sockets that oozed a viscous black substance that dripped onto the ground with a sickening hiss. Its mouth, wide, stretching ear to ear, was filled with rows of needle-thin teeth that seemed to shift and squirm when it moved.
Dev's hands tightened around the hilt of his sword. Ash whispered under his breath, almost as if praying, though his eyes stayed locked forward. Kesher, as always, seemed strangely unbothered, standing off to the side, his guitar still strapped across his back. Dev took one slow step forward. The creature's head snapped in his direction, that impossibly wide grin stretching even further, splitting the corners of its mouth, black ichor dripping from its gums.
"No sudden moves," Dev whispered. Ash nodded, though his hands twitched at his sides.. Dev didn't hesitate. His blade flashed in the dim light, a streak of silver that arced through the air with lethal precision.
The creature's head rolled away, still grinning, its mouth twitching in some mockery of life. Dev exhaled, sheathing his blade, but the silence didn't last. From the edge of the forest, shapes began to emerge. Dozens of them. Pale, elongated, each one grinning wider than the last, eyes hollow and dripping with that same black sludge. They moved with unsettling grace, limbs bending in ways that should have been impossible, heads tilting unnaturally as if sniffing the air.
"Shit," Ash whispered, his hand instinctively moving to the hilt of his sword. His mind raced, calculating distances, the pulse of adrenaline sharp and bitter. "Dev, there are too many—"
"I know," Dev cut him off, voice clipped. "You need to get them out of here. Now. Our luck might be bad, but it had some mercy. I know this place. We're near an outpost. Left from here, maybe a mile or two… if it's still standing. "
Ash's eyes darted to the trapped heroes. His feet moved before his mind had fully registered the command. He was fast, faster than almost anyone. His body blurred with motion as he crossed the distance, ripping away the bindings that held the heroes captive.
They were unconscious, as he hefted them over his shoulders one by one, his muscles burning with the effort. He glanced back, eyes catching a glimpse of Kesher standing there, utterly calm, guitar in hand.
Kesher suddenly smiled. He raised his hand, fingers pressing lightly against the strings of his guitar, and began to play. The creatures hesitated, their bodies jerking unnaturally as if pulled by invisible strings. One by one, their bodies began to disintegrate, turning to ash and dust, scattering on the wind.
Dev blinked in surprise, lowering his sword for just a moment. As he summoned creatures of his own. "Music?" he breathed out.
Kesher just shrugged, his fingers still plucking the strings. "Not all songs are meant for ears, my friend," he replied, voice soft and almost mournful.
Dev shook his head, forcing himself back to the present. "Keep playing then," he called out. "We need a goddamn miracle."
Kesher just smiled, his eyes closing as he let the music flow through him, fingers moving faster, the melody shifting from haunting to frenzied. The creatures wailed, clawing at the air as their bodies broke apart, screaming silently as they turned to dust.
Ash didn't wait. He bolted, the weight of the heroes heavy on his shoulders, his feet pounding against the earth as he broke through the treeline. Three unconscious heroes were in his arms, their bodies limp, barely holding on. He didn't dare stop.
Boom!
Something massive crashed through the trees ahead, tearing them apart like paper. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, knocking Ash off balance. His body twisted as the force threw him to the ground. The unconscious heroes were torn from his grip, their bodies rolling across the dirt.
Ash gritted his teeth, his body scraping against the rough ground as he skidded to a stop. He forced himself up, his lungs screaming for air.
And then he saw it.
A Lorder.