Chapter 6: An Old Enemy Rises

The soft light of dawn filtered through the curtains of Ryuto's room, casting a warm glow over the bed where he lay. He was still half-asleep, the events of the past few days swirling in his mind like a distant haze. His body ached from the battle with the wendigo, but for now, there was peace, albeit a fleeting one.

But that peace was shattered when Ryuto stirred, shifting slightly beneath the covers. The warm weight wrapped around him stirred as well, and within seconds, Celeste was awake, stretching languidly beside him. Her arms wrapped possessively around his chest, and she gave him a soft, contented sigh.

"Morning, my hero," she murmured, her voice laced with satisfaction.

Ryuto turned his head to meet her gaze, and the soft smile that tugged at her lips made his heart beat just a little faster. For a moment, he forgot about the cult, the wendigo, and everything else that plagued his mind. It was just him and Celeste, sharing a quiet moment of warmth and closeness.

She leaned in, her lips brushing against his in a slow, tender kiss. "I could get used to waking up like this," she whispered, her fingers tracing idle patterns across his chest.

Ryuto chuckled softly, his own arm wrapping around her waist. "Yeah, well, enjoy it while it lasts. The adventuring life doesn't exactly leave much room for lazy mornings."

Celeste pouted playfully but nodded, her expression softening as she gave him one last lingering kiss. "Fine. But I'll hold you to it when you get back."

With a reluctant sigh, Ryuto sat up, stretching his sore limbs before getting out of bed to dress. Celeste remained where she was, watching him with half-lidded eyes, her presence a silent reminder of how far their relationship had come. Despite the possessiveness that sometimes worried him, there was a deep connection between them that he couldn't deny.

"Stay safe today," she called after him as he headed for the door.

Ryuto glanced back, giving her a reassuring smile. "I will."

By the time Ryuto reached the guild, the day was in full swing. The usual crowd of adventurers bustled around, trading stories of their recent quests or planning their next one. But Ryuto's mind was elsewhere, still half-lost in the memory of the wendigo fight and the strange, growing intensity of Celeste's affection.

He made his way to the quest desk, where Elena greeted him with a wide grin, as usual. But there was something different in her eyes this time, something that made Ryuto's instincts sharpen.

"Good timing, Ryuto," Elena said, sliding a scroll across the desk toward him. "I've got something special for you today."

Ryuto frowned, picking up the scroll. "Special? What's that supposed to mean?"

Elena leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. "This quest was posted specifically for you. The client didn't give their name, but they mentioned they've been keeping an eye on your progress. The pay is… well, let's just say it's more than generous."

Ryuto's brow furrowed as he unfurled the scroll, scanning the details. The quest itself seemed simple, meet a contact at the Crossroads just outside of town and retrieve a package. But the reward listed at the bottom raised a red flag: 100 gold pieces.

"That's a lot of money for such a basic quest," Ryuto muttered, glancing up at Elena.

Elena shrugged, her grin never wavering. "I thought the same, but who are we to question easy money?"

Ryuto's gut told him something was off, but he couldn't ignore the promise of such a hefty reward. "Alright," he said, folding the scroll. "I'll take it."

Elena winked. "Good luck out there, hero. Watch your back."

Ryuto didn't go alone. He gathered his party, Roland, Nina, and Ruda, and told them about the quest. While Roland raised an eyebrow at the suspicious nature of it, he agreed to join without hesitation. Nina, always eager for action, was the same, though her usual chipper demeanor was tinged with curiosity. Ruda, on the other hand, simply smirked and shrugged, clearly unbothered by the details as long as there was a fight involved.

Together, the group made their way to the Crossroads, a secluded spot where two dirt paths intersected just outside of town. The sun was high, casting long shadows over the dense forest that surrounded the area. The trees here were thick and gnarled, their twisted branches creating an almost oppressive canopy that seemed to swallow the light.

"It's too quiet," Roland muttered as they reached the crossroads. "I don't like this."

Ryuto scanned the area, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Keep your guard up. We don't know who we're meeting."

Before they could move further, a figure emerged from the shadows of the trees. Cloaked in dark, tattered robes, the figure's face was hidden beneath a hood, giving them an eerie, faceless appearance. Without a word, the figure beckoned them to follow, turning down the less-traveled path leading deeper into the forest.

"This feels wrong," Nina whispered, her usual bravado gone. "Should we really be following this creep?"

Ryuto hesitated for a moment, his instincts screaming at him to turn back. But the allure of the reward and the need to uncover the truth kept him moving forward. "Let's just see where this leads. Stay close."

As they followed the cloaked figure, the forest grew darker, the trees closing in like sentinels guarding a forbidden path. The air grew colder, and the sounds of the outside world seemed to fade, replaced by an oppressive silence that set everyone on edge.

Suddenly, the figure stopped. Without turning, they spoke, their voice low and hoarse. "This is far enough."

The figure slowly turned around, and as they pulled back their hood, Ryuto's blood ran cold.

It was a woman, middle-aged, with a permanent, grotesque smile carved into her face. The skin around her mouth was stretched taut, her cheeks sliced open in jagged lines that revealed far too much of her teeth. The sight was horrifying, and her eyes, wide and glassy, stared at them with an unnatural intensity.

"We've been watching you, Ryuto," the woman said, her voice a sickly-sweet rasp. "For a long time."

Roland's hand shot to his sword, his face pale. "What the hell is this?"

The woman's twisted smile never faltered. "We've been waiting. And now… we wish to repay you."

Suddenly, figures emerged from the shadows around them, hooded, cloaked in black, and armed to the teeth. Ryuto's heart pounded as he realized what was happening.

"It's a trap," Ryuto growled, drawing his sword. "The cult found us."

The moment Ryuto's sword was drawn, the hooded figures attacked with terrifying precision. Blades flashed in the dim light, and the sound of clashing steel echoed through the darkened forest. Ryuto parried the first strike, knocking his attacker back before launching a counterattack, flames flickering along the edge of his blade as he cast a fire spell.

But the cultists were relentless. More of them emerged from the shadows, their faces hidden beneath black hoods, their movements eerily silent. Ryuto dodged a dagger aimed at his throat, countering with a blast of wind magic that sent his attacker flying back into the trees.

Nearby, Roland was holding his own, his sword moving in swift, deadly arcs as he fended off two cultists at once. But there were too many. One cultist managed to slip past Roland's defenses, slashing across his side with a curved dagger. Blood sprayed from the wound, and Roland staggered, his face twisted in pain.

"Roland!" Ryuto shouted, trying to push through the crowd of enemies to reach his friend.

Before he could reach him, a scream pierced the air. Ryuto turned just in time to see Nina fall to the ground, a crossbow bolt buried in her shoulder. She gasped in pain, her hand clutching the wound as blood soaked through her armor.

"Nina!" Ryuto yelled, his heart racing. He tried to move toward her, but another cultist blocked his path, swinging a poisoned dagger aimed directly at his chest.

Time seemed to slow as Ryuto realized he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. The dagger glinted in the dim light, its tip inches away from piercing his heart.

But just as the dagger was about to strike, a blast of raw magic tore through the air, disintegrating the cultist in an explosion of light and fire. Ryuto blinked, disoriented by the sudden attack, but when he looked up, he saw Celeste standing just a few feet away, her eyes glowing with barely contained rage.

"You dared to hurt him," Celeste whispered, her voice trembling with fury. "You dared to come after my Ryuto."

Her entire aura shifted, dark and oppressive, as she raised her hands. Her magic crackled with violent energy, and the air around her seemed to pulse.

The air around Celeste crackled with energy as her magic surged, the oppressive aura of her power thickening with every second. Her eyes glowed with a terrifying intensity, a dark, twisted rage that had overtaken her. Ryuto, still reeling from the close call with the poisoned dagger, could feel the raw power rolling off her in waves.

"You dare try to take him from me?" Celeste's voice was low, cold, and trembling with fury. "You'll regret ever laying a hand on him."

Before Ryuto could say anything, Celeste unleashed her magic.

With a single wave of her hand, the cultists nearest to her were engulfed in a torrent of dark fire. The flames were not the usual warm orange but a deep, unnatural violet that devoured everything in its path. The cultists screamed, their robes catching fire as the flames consumed them in seconds, reducing them to little more than ash.

Those that remained standing recoiled in horror, clearly not expecting the raw destructive force Celeste had unleashed. Her magic lashed out like a living thing, tendrils of shadow and fire wrapping around the remaining cultists, trapping them where they stood.

"Celeste!" Ryuto shouted, half-stunned by the terrifying display of power. "We need to capture them, not kill them all!"

But Celeste was lost in her fury, her eyes locked on the cultist leader, the grotesque woman with the carved smile. Her hands trembled with barely controlled energy, ready to tear the woman apart.

The cult leader, unfazed by the carnage around her, tilted her head and smiled wider. "So much anger, girl," she said, her voice a rasping taunt. "Do you think your little flames can burn away what's already done? You can't stop what's coming."

Celeste's eyes narrowed, and her hand shot forward, sending a bolt of dark energy straight at the cult leader's chest.

But Ryuto moved quickly. He surged forward, grabbing Celeste's arm before she could finish the spell. "Stop!" he shouted, his voice cutting through her rage. "We need information! If you kill her now, we'll never know what they're planning!"

Celeste hesitated, her gaze flicking to Ryuto. For a brief moment, the anger faltered, replaced by something softer, something that reminded Ryuto of the woman who had kissed him so gently just that morning.

Then she exhaled sharply, her magic dissipating as she lowered her hand. "Fine," she muttered, glaring at the cult leader. "But if she tries anything…"

Ryuto nodded, relieved that she'd pulled back. "We'll turn them over to the guild. Let them deal with her."

With Celeste's magic no longer raining down death, the remaining cultists were quickly subdued. Ruda, bruised but still standing, helped tie the survivors up with makeshift ropes while Roland clutched his bleeding side, grimacing but still upright.

"That was close," Roland muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "Too close."

Ryuto glanced at Nina, who was still clutching her shoulder where the crossbow bolt had struck. She gave him a weak smile, though her face was pale from blood loss. "Guess that wasn't the easy quest we thought it'd be, huh?"

"No, it wasn't," Ryuto replied, shaking his head. "But we made it through. Barely."

He looked around at the bodies of the dead cultists and those still alive, writhing in their bonds. The sheer number of them was unsettling, and Ryuto couldn't shake the thought that this was just the beginning. The cult had found him, and they weren't going to stop until they'd completed their mission.

The cult leader, the woman with the carved smile, was the last to be bound. As Ruda tied her wrists behind her back, the woman kept grinning, her eyes locked on Ryuto with a look of almost religious zeal.

"They'll come for you," she whispered, her voice a soft rasp that sent chills down Ryuto's spine. "You can't stop them. The more you fight, the closer you come to your end. The Demon King will rise again, and you… will be the first to fall."

Ryuto stared at her, his expression hard. "We'll see about that."

With the cultists subdued, Ryuto and his party began the long trek back to the guild, dragging both the prisoners and the bodies of the dead cultists behind them. The forest, once oppressive and filled with danger, now seemed almost peaceful in comparison to the battle that had just taken place.

By the time they reached the adventurers' guild, the sun was setting, casting long shadows over the town. The streets were quiet, and the sight of Ryuto's party dragging cultists and corpses through the city drew more than a few startled looks from passersby.

When they entered the guild hall, Elena was at her usual spot behind the desk, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw the grim procession making its way toward her.

"Uh… what exactly happened out there?" Elena asked, her usual playful tone gone, replaced with concern.

Ryuto dropped the quest scroll on the counter with a sigh. "It was a trap. The cult found us. These are the survivors."

Elena's face paled, her eyes flicking between the bound cultists and the corpses that had been dragged in. "Gods… the cult? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Roland muttered, leaning heavily on his sword, still nursing the wound on his side. "They weren't playing around."

Elena quickly called for backup, and within minutes, several guild members arrived to take the cultists into custody. The bodies of the dead cultists were taken away, but the leader, the woman with the carved smile, remained in the guild's dungeon for questioning.

Ryuto watched as they led her away, her eyes still fixed on him, that terrible grin never fading from her face.

Elena approached him, her expression grim. "I'll make sure the guild master hears about this. This is bad, Ryuto. If the cult knows who you are and they're willing to attack you this openly…"

"I know," Ryuto replied quietly, running a hand through his hair. "It's only going to get worse from here."

By the time Ryuto and his party returned to the Velclair estate, it was well into the night. The exhaustion of the day weighed heavily on all of them, and the lingering sense of danger clung to them like a shadow.

Ryuto slumped into a chair in his room, barely able to keep his eyes open. His mind, however, was far from restful. The cult's attack, the intensity of Celeste's fury, the near-deaths of his friends, it all spun in his head like a whirlwind.

Celeste entered the room a moment later, her expression calm but her eyes still glowing with that fierce protectiveness she had shown during the battle. She approached him slowly, her hand resting on his shoulder as she knelt beside him.

"You're safe," she whispered, her voice soft but filled with an unspoken promise. "As long as I'm here, no one will ever take you from me."

Ryuto met her gaze, his heart heavy with the weight of everything they'd been through. "It's not over, Celeste," he murmured. "The cult's going to keep coming."

"Let them come," Celeste replied, her voice fierce. "I'll kill them all if I have to."

Ryuto sighed, leaning back in the chair. He knew Celeste meant every word, but the thought of what lay ahead was daunting. The cult wasn't just after him, they were part of something much darker, and the fight that was coming would be unlike anything they'd faced before.