Curve 23: The Masked

Kei, Huno, and Yeji had finally arrived at the Goryeong Fortress, much to Kei's relief. As he attempted to wake Yeji, he discovered that she was still unconscious and unresponsive. Kei informed Huno of Yeji's condition and they decided to move on.

Huno, still half asleep, rubbed his eyes before getting up to help. Kei insisted on carrying Yeji on his back and they set off to find a calash that would take them to the Guild House. However, to their disappointment, they found out that there were no calashes available at this hour of the night. They had no choice but to continue on foot.

At first, Huno was a little bit hesitant, considering the distance from their location to the Guild House. However, since the road seemed quiet and cold, it made him feel comfortable about walking.

Suddenly, as they walked, they came across a woman who looked panicked and distressed. Her face was covered in sweat, tears streaming down her face, and her hands were trembling. Huno immediately went up to her and asked her what was wrong. The woman, unable to speak, could only cry and whisper, "My children... they were taken by a group of people. Please help me, save my child. I beg of you," before collapsing to her knees and pleading for their help.

"I'll help you, but I need to know first what do those guys who took your children looked like and where did you last see them?" Huno asked, his tone concerned as he comforted the woman.

"I don't know. Their faces were hidden. They wore masks, but there were four of them. They also abducted my husband, along with my three kids."

"Can you lead us to the location of the abduction?" Huno requested.

The woman's expression suddenly turned bright. "Yes. Thank you! Please, follow me," she said, encouraging Huno and Kei to hurry up.

As they followed the woman, Kei and Huno found themselves venturing into a part of the city that was vastly different from the well-lit streets and buildings they had just left behind. The air was thick with an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional screech of an owl and the sounds of insects chirping in the background. Suddenly, Kei and Huno noticed the flapping of a raven nearby, flying into the air before quickly disappearing from sight, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The streets were empty, and the only light came from a faint, sickly glow emanating from the twisted and gnarled trees and plants that lined the streets.

As they walked deeper into that section of the city, Huno could feel that they were being watched. He could not see anyone, but he could feel the eyes on him, following their every move. He tried to shake off the feeling, but the longer they walked, the more he felt like they were walking into a trap.

Fredred, Kei's companion spoke to him, "Kei, I sense something bad around here. Be careful and always remain vigilant."

"What are you sensing, Fredred?" Kei answered in his thought.

"It's corrupted..." Kei could hear Fredred's sniffing.

The woman then stopped walking, and because of that, Huno, too, stopped with her, which stopped Kei as well.

"Is this the place?" Huno asked the woman, his tone serious and urgent. He glanced at their surroundings but only found trees around.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her tone trembling in fear. "I have no other choice."

Suddenly, a group of mysterious people emerged from the shadows of the trees. Each of them wore a mask, and they were all armed with various weapons. Kei and Huno immediately tensed up, prepared for a fight.

Kei gazed at them, his eyes piercing and sombre. He whispered to Huno, "You think you can handle them?"

"They're many. I'll need some help," Huno replied, his voice low and determined.

One of the masked people recognized Huno's face and was taken aback after. "You're the second-in-command of the sixth conclave, aren't you?" he asked in surprise. Then, he quickly turned to the woman and harmfully grabbed her hair. "You bitch! Why did you take the spiritual practitioners here?"

The woman begged for mercy, tears streaming down her face. "I am sorry! Forgive me! I did not know! Please spare the life of my family!"

"Stop that!" Huno shouted, his voice filled with concern.

The masked man then grabbed the woman with arms, threatening to kill her. "Do not take a step, don't you dare! Or else I'm gonna murder this woman," he warned.

"Don't harm her. You've been warned." Huno's docileness had turned grave as his eyes pierced the soul of the man.

Without hesitation, Huno quickly summoned some vines from the ground and wrapped them around the masked man's arms, preventing him from harming the woman. His associates were alarmed and they too took the children and the husband, threatening to execute them.

"Stop it! Or we will kill these children!" they said.

Upon seeing the children and the husband at the mercy of those people, Huno was left with no choice but to surrender, thinking about the lives of the innocent children in grave danger. He removed the control of the vines on the masked man, but he took the woman with him. The masked man retreated in fright. He could hear his deep breathing. "You scoundrel! You almost killed me right there! Kill those children this instant!"

"No!" the woman screamed.

"No! Do that and I'm gonna end your lives for real," Huno threatened, his voice powerful and fearsome. The masked men, realizing that they had met a match they could not defeat, slowly retreated into the shadows, leaving Kei, Huno, and the woman to escape with the children and husband.

However, Kei was just observing them all from the distance before he stepped forward to stop them from retreating. He had spotted the masked individual among them who possessed a corrupted spirit energy. This individual stood out with an Oni mask and was wearing a long dark jacket and a pair of black gloves, and he was just standing behind his associates.

"Among them all, he's the only one that really poses a threat," Kei thought to himself. He then proceeded to face them all, but before taking them all on, Kei told Huno to carry Yeji for a while. As Huno carried Yeji on his back, Kei continued his actions.

He revealed his glowing blue eyes and the blue patterns on his face to the masked people. Although their faces were hidden by their masks, they seemed to have been both fascinated and frightened at the same time. All of them except for the one individual who possessed the corrupted spirit.

"It's midnight. Time for you all to have a good night's sleep," Kei said before casting a powerful spell with his eyes that knocked them all unconscious in an instant. All of the masked individuals fell to the ground, except for the one possessing the corrupted spirit.

Huno was shocked by Kei's actions. "Wow! He just knocked them all out in a second?" he whispered in disbelief.

The woman, children, and husband were also amazed by Kei's powerful abilities. They couldn't believe that Kei had managed to take out so many masked individuals with just one spell. They watched in awe as Kei prepared to face the remaining individual, the one with the corrupted spirit energy.

The last masked individual revealed a hidden ability, he pulled a young girl into his grasp using telekinesis, and held her hostage with a sharp dagger pressed against her throat. The girl's eyes were wide with fear, her body trembling in terror as she screamed.

"Do not make a move! Or she'll pay the price," the masked individual threatened, his voice dripping with insanity. The tone of his voice sent shivers down the spines of Huno and the others, it was clear that he had a great urge to kill.

Kei gazed upon him seriously, his eyes locked onto the masked individual's. He could feel the weight of the situation and knew that he had to act fast to save the girl's life. He carefully weighed his options, trying to come up with a plan to neutralize the threat without the girl getting hurt.

After careful consideration and assessing his abilities, Kei finally made a decision. He focused his spiritual power, creating a psychological link between himself and the masked individual. The link transported them to a dimension that the masked individual was unfamiliar with and gave him chills down his spine.

The masked individual was taken aback by the sudden dimension, he looked around but only found himself and Kei inside a dark and twisted realm. Kei's power was on full display as he controlled the environment, creating illusions and manipulating the masked individual's perception.

"I analyzed the extent of your power, and it was too weak to resist me. I have pulled you into this partial realm of my domain. Although it's not complete, it's still enough to trap you here," Kei said, his voice cold and calculated.

The masked individual trembled in fear, not knowing how to escape the psychological prison that had trapped him. "Get me out of here, you bastard!" he yelled, desperation creeping into his voice. He turned around and tried to break through the seemingly empty space, however, he just could not.

Kei was in full control of the partial domain, he intensified the pressure inside, causing the masked individual to drop to his knees in pain. He could feel the masked individual's willpower and spirit breaking as he increased the pressure, making it harder for him to breathe.

As the masked individual struggled to stay conscious, Kei pushed forward, not giving him a chance to escape. He could hear the masked individual's screams of agony, as the partial domain continued to crush his mind.

However, after a few more seconds, the incomplete domain automatically collapsed, and they were sent back to reality. The masked individual, disoriented and disarmed, realized he had lost his grip on the girl and found Huno summoning vines to restrain him. However, even though weakened and disoriented, the masked individual was powerful enough to break free and escape into the shadows.

As Kei considered giving chase to the masked individual who had fled the scene, he was torn between his desire to capture the perpetrator and his duty to protect the family that had been targeted. He knew that Yeji was still unconscious and that he couldn't leave her and the rest of the family in Huno's care without assistance. With a heavy heart, Kei reluctantly decided to let the masked individual escape.

As he turned back to the family, the young girl who had been hiding behind her mother came running towards him and threw her arms around his leg, expressing her gratitude for his heroic actions. The woman and her family, still shaken from the attack, thanked Kei and Huno profusely for saving them from harm.

Huno felt a sense of pride and warmth as the family thanked him for his help. He reassured them, "Please be careful from now on. If something like this happens again, don't hesitate to reach out to us. The spiritual practitioners of the Seven Conclaves will always be here to assist you." He then turned his attention to the unconscious masked men on the ground, binding them with his vines to keep them immobilized.

Kei suggested, "Let's imprison them and interrogate them once they're awake."

But before they could take any further action, the masked men lying unconscious on the ground suddenly and without warning, exploded in a terrifying burst of violence. Blood and gore sprayed out of their bodies as chunks of flesh and debris flew through the air. Kei, Huno, and the family were left in complete shock, staring in horror at the grisly remains of the masked individuals. It was clear that none of them had survived the explosion. The shock of the sudden, violent deaths was palpable, as they stood there, trying to process what had just occurred. The ground around them was littered with body parts, blood and debris, adding to the already gruesome scene. The air was thick with the coppery smell of blood, making it hard to breathe. Even Kei could not explain what just happened.