P;RAYE

Lyn and Alfaic ascended to the third floor of Llafiella, keeping a close watch on their surroundings for the Stalker. After dispatching more robed infected and parasitic knights, the duo found themselves ascending a circular set of stairs, blotched in black and white paint. Unintelligible whispers and mutters of gossip and rumors began filling the aura around the two. They continued, until they began to progress to accusations and yelling of death and condemnation.

After ascending the stairs to the top, an obelisk imitating a lightning bolt reacted to Lyn's Relámpago. She held the blade toward the obelisk, activating a towering white door beside her. She exited and found herself atop one out of many ivory towers surrounded by drawstring bridges.

Lyn traced the bridges toward the ultimate end; the gallant tree, supporting the palace with its mystical might. The tree stretched all the way to the horizons, splitting the clouds into a crimson oblivion toward the makeshift sun above.

"There!" Alfaic cried. "More of those infected!"

Lyn grasped Alfaic behind her and charged at the red-robed infected crawling toward her on the bridge. She darted forward, heels clacking on the wooden floor. She sliced the bridge as she charged through, holding onto the string until she reached the opposite side of the tower. The infected fell to their deaths as Lyn climbed up the tower.

"I can feel the tree's energy," Alfaic stated. "It's getting worse the closer we get. We have to stop her!"

Lyn flipped on top of the tower and continued rushing toward the central tower where the tree laid. The wobbling drawstring bridge nearly toppled as she sprinted at full speed.

"Lyn! Up ahead!" Alfaic cried.

Sliding through the wooden bridge with her heels, Lyn stopped in her tracks. On the opposite side of the bridge, the Stalker slide through, watching her with its haughty glowing red eyes peering toward her figure.

Lyn gritted her teeth and wielded Relámpago. The two charged at each other, clashing at the center of the bridge. The Stalker broke free and used its sturdy carapace blade arms to slash rapidly through Lyn.

After blocking both oppositions, Lyn flipped over it and stabbed it in the back of the head with Relámpago. Artificial blood spewed out as the Stalker cried, lashing out toward Lyn's face to shove her back.

After the Stalker spun around and glared at Lyn one last time, it bent forward until two massive carapace pincers pierced through its tough skin from behind. The pincers bled profusely until two sets of teeth appeared near its end.

The Stalker lashed forward with its tail-like pincers, attempting to bite through Lyn. Lyn deflected both of them and sliced the bridge in two, sending the Stalker flying to its presumed death. However, its tail snatched onto the bottom of the ivory tower she stood upon, and it continued its pursuit by climbing up.

Lyn dashed toward the massive tower's final bridge, leading to the tree. The Stalker reappeared at the center of the bridge, slicing the ropes apart to send the bridge downward.

Lyn leaped in time to grab the edge of the final tower in time, while the Stalker clung to the bottom of where she hung. As it ascended, Lyn struggled to pull herself up as the foundation above her began to crumble.

She peeked her head above and found massive ivy pillars moving on its own, forming plant-like tendrils around the surface. Lyn leaped upward and found herself near the entrance, blockaded by the plant tendrils. As she charged forward to reach the final door, the Stalker snatched her foot and attempted to drag her down to her death.

The four tendrils launched toward Lyn at lightning speed, about to strike and pierce her directly through the torso. Yet, the unexpected occurred; the tendrils slammed against the Stalker's face, dragging it above to the surface until one tendril grabbed each of its main limbs.

Lyn rushed forward to the door, activating another lightning-shaped obelisk beside it to open it. Lyn and Alfaic passed through it, leaving the Stalker behind in the grasp of the tendrils.

forgive

please

Pressure began to apply toward the Stalker's limbs.

i will

never

be

The Stalker's carapace began to detach and chip away in pieces.

a memory

The Stalker's monstrous laugh raged onward, finding the pain it caused to the past to be a mere joke.

i will

always

be a part

of you.

With one final pull, the Stalker's body separated into four, sending its poisonous blood falling from the sky. The tendrils released it, letting its final memories be nothing but what it originally was;

A failure at heart.