Chapter 10: The Tour 3

As Warden Greaves moved through the corridors of Floor 5, his senses both physical and spiritual were on high alert. There was tension in the air, the kind that came with attempting to subjugate a potentially powerful entity. The others were silent, their faces focused as they scanned the shadows, every one of them clutching their swords tightly. They had yet to sight the entity, But Greaves couldn't shake the feeling—no, the certainty—that the damn thing was watching them. He could just about feel its dark gaze settled on them, probably sizing them up from within the shadows.

"Hello, Warden Greaves." A deep voice, smooth and composed, cut through the silence.

Everyone froze. The entity had identified him by name. Intelligent—far more intelligent than he'd hoped it would be. And entities this intelligent were at least Ghast class; and if that was the case, it meant it was as smart or smarter than any human. His name and who knows what other information was probably obtained from Donovan West, so there was a high chance he was dead.

"You seem to know who I am, how about you show yourself and tell me your name" Greaves requested, gripping his sword tighter. His squad shifted beside him, aiming their weapons in different directions, eyes darting to catch any hint of movement.

But the voice only chuckled, a sound that seemed to echo from all directions. "Zez'Thorah. My name is Zez'Thorah." the entity said, his words smooth yet threatening at the same time. "Let's get straight to the point, shall we?" After a brief silence, it resumed. "You see, I've been trapped in this place for a very long time. And in light of my newfound freedom—" the voice paused, almost savoring the word "—I'm in a generous mood. So to celebrate, I'd like to make you an offer."

"An offer?" Greaves replied in surprise. He had no idea where this was going, but he pressed on. "And what offer are you proposing... Zez'Thorah?" He asked while trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

"The offer is simple, you all get to keep your lives today." Came the entity's cold reply. "All you have to do is lift the lockdown and let me flutter away, and you and your... squad, live to fight another day."

Greaves' eyes narrowed. "So you want me to open the front door for you, just so I could live?" Greaves asked sarcastically. "That wouldn't make me much of a warden or an exorcist, don't you think?"

"No?" The voice sounded closer, still hidden, but its presence was overwhelming. "Think of it as a courtesy, Warden Greaves. I'm offering you a choice: walk away, and I'll let you all live. All you have to do is lift the seals off this fine establishment of yours."

"And if we refuse?" Greaves replied, holding his ground. His squad stood firm, too. Perhaps the entity was not that strong, or weak from years of confinement, that was why it was hiding and proposing an offer to let them live.

"Oh, that's the simple part," the entity replied, his voice softening. "What'll happen is you all die, uselessly and painfully, yet so quickly none of you will have a chance to cast a single spell... and guess what? I'll still get to walk out of here anyway."

The silence echoed out between them, as the squad exchanged tense, uneasy glances. Greaves clenched his jaw, feeling the weight of his responsibility pressing down on him like a mountain. He didn't really know what this creature was capable of but definitely wasn't going to just let it waltz out of there. That went against everything he personally believed in.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he replied with a slight chuckle. "You're not going to be leaving."

Greaves's refusal hung in the air, a loud silence settling over them as he and his squad readied themselves. Then, faint but unmistakable, the sound of slow, approaching footsteps echoed through the facility. The exorcists tightened their grips on their weapons, and their breaths paused as the steps grew louder, each one seeming to increase the fear in their hearts. Greaves felt his heart pound, and he knew his squad felt it too—a dread that intensified with each step, It was finally showing itself.

Then, out of the corridor directly in front of Greaves, it emerged.

Zez'Thorah could be accurately labeled a nightmare. Towering, they had to lift their heads to see it, his grotesque, elongated four limbs moved with fluidity that made him appear both graceful and grotesque. Multiple tails that seem too long for any creature, trailed behind him, each one slithering lazily in the air. Multiple large insect-like wings spread behind. His skin, blue and the large glowing gem on his bony chest, seemed to make the place a bit brighter.

The exorcists couldn't look away—yet a part of them screamed to flee. There were no eyes, nose, or mouth on its face, only a large spiral that seemed to be rotating. only a spiral groove twisted endlessly at its center, pulling the gaze of whoever was staring at it towards its nonexistent depth. This was the first time anyone had sighted the creature since Seb Knov.

And as his gaze settled upon Greaves, Zez'Thorah's voice sounded, smooth and cold.

"Well, Warden Greaves," he said, almost mockingly. "It appears my offer was... unappreciated." He paused. "You were a prodigy, I'm sure you had a great future ahead of you. The Luther sword clan will be saddened to hear of your passing."

In the face of such a monstrosity, each member of Greaves's squad felt the crushing weight of dread. Zez'Thorah was intelligent, and that intelligence shone through its words and the way it carried itself They all knew that this was not some mindless poltergeist. This thing—did not belong in a low leveled facility such as Sanctum 13.

Greaves steadied his breath, "You've finally shown yourself huh?" He said casually. "Unfortunately we'll not be taking you up on your offer."

"Alright then," Zez'thorah replied with finality.

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Zez knew that the chances of that working were slim. But he just tried anyway.

His biggest obstacle to leaving this place was something called 'purification'. According to Donovans' memories, if a situation happens where an entity breaks free, and neither subjugation nor elimination is deemed possible and all options fail, then the so-called 'purification' is activated.

Now that was what he tried to avoid by offering them to spare their lives. Because the purification was a total wildcard. After all the exorcists believed it was enough to wipe out the facility itself and all entities inside. If that was the case, then it was sure to be dangerous and he did not know if he could go unscathed in such a situation. There was no memory of an actual purification or its effect in Donovans' memory after all. Perhaps it was a massive explosion or something else, he wouldn't know yet until it happened.

'But since it's come to this, I might as well take care of them and take it from there' he thought to himself as he got ready to wipe out Greaves and the rest of them.