Chapter 60

By the time Zephyrus had finished, Glenda was on the brink of death. He had subjected her to his twisted experiments, pushing the boundaries of the human body in his quest to create perfection. Zephyrus replaced Glenda's fingers with monstrous appendages, attaching extra limbs to her. Wings, reminiscent of those belonging to a beast, were sewn onto her back, while her original eyes were gouged out and replaced with those taken from horrifying creatures. A pool of blood pooled beneath her, her mind shattered by the agonizing removal of her limbs and the unspeakable surgeries she endured.

Stepping back, Zephyrus surveyed his creation. The guild master had been transformed beyond recognition, her body and appearance irreversibly altered. Only her face remained partially identifiable.

"I continue to astound myself with my creations," Zephyrus murmured to himself. "Though I may have lost the lich, I have gained a far more resilient subject. She has endured the reattachments admirably. Now, it is time to forge new memories for her." Zephyrus spoke in hushed tones, marveling at the figure before him.

He took out a translucent orb the size of an orange. Zephyrus raised it to his face and grinned, a madness igniting his features like a blazing torch. Holding the orb in both hands, he presented it as an offering, commencing a chant in an ancient tongue. The orb began to emit a radiant glow and levitated above his palms. Ancient symbols materialized in the air, encircling both Zephyrus and the orb. One by one, the symbols were drawn into the orb, vanishing as they merged. As the ritual reached its conclusion, wisps of blue intertwined within the orb. Zephyrus then approached Glenda, placing the orb into her forehead, and as if without obstruction, the orb seamlessly melded into her skull. Yet, Glenda's head jerked backward from an unseen force, her eyes rolling back into her head.

On the outskirts of Yosnad, a gathering of men had convened in a small, secluded area in a forest. Among them stood a man whose stature towered over the rest. This man was Magnus Ironfist, the guild master of Yosnad. Supposedly, he had fled with his nephew under cover of darkness, but it appeared that there was more to the story. Magnus engaged in conversation with four individuals: Lock, Rowan, Finn, and Aric.

"How is the plan progressing, Lock?" Magnus inquired, his gaze fixed upon the half-elf.

"All is well. The target has arrived in Sanctavia. There is no cause for concern. Our next move is to lie in wait near Sanctavia and ambush him upon his departure," Lock replied.

"Very good. Aric and I shall proceed ahead. Our duties in Yosnad have been completed," Magnus declared.

"By the way, Magnus... I fail to comprehend why you felt the need to demolish the guild house. Surely, there were more prudent ways to depart Yosnad without resorting to such drastic measures," Lock grumbled, taken aback by the guild master's decision to incinerate the very establishment he had dedicated over two decades to building.

"You do not need to know... but if you truly desire an explanation, it was an order from our leader," Magnus stated, his gaze piercing into Lock's eyes. The mere mention of their enigmatic leader silenced Lock, understanding that further inquiry would be futile. He realized that Magnus would divulge no additional information on the matter.

Magnus continued, "The enchanted scroll was bestowed upon us by our leader, with explicit instructions to reduce the guild house to ashes, along with all its contents. That's all there is to that, if you want to know why then you will have to ask the leader yourself the next time you see him."

"Changing the subject, Aric had verified the intelligence regarding the kingdom. Both the king and his general, along with the witch, had vanished. The castle lay in ruins, but somehow the prime minister had managed to restore a semblance of order." Magnus relayed the information to the men, observing Aric's nod of agreement as Lock and the others turned their attention to him.

"Does anyone know what occurred on the battlefield? It's perplexing for the general to suddenly vanish without a trace," Finn inquired, having attempted to communicate with the spirits in the vicinity, only to find their absence unusual. Although a half-elf like Rowan and Lock, Finn possessed a stronger affinity with the spirits than both of them combined.

"Not a soul returned from the battlefield," Aric responded gravely.

"It's unsettling... Should we seek answers from our leader?" Rowan proposed.

"I had relayed this update to our leader, but received no response regarding this matter," Magnus replied, his own curiosity was also piqued by the general's unexplained disappearance at the onset of the battle.

"I can tell you what happened," a voice suddenly interjected, startling all five men. They swiftly turned around, desperately scanning their surroundings for the source of the mysterious voice. Yet, no matter how intently they searched, they remained unable to discern its origin.

"Who are you? Reveal yourself!" Magnus bellowed, his fists clenching with heightened determination. Aric unsheathed his gleaming swords, while the elves cast protective barriers, encircling the group.

"Fear not, gentlemen. Had I desired your demise, all five of you would already be lifeless," declared a man who materialized from the shadows behind Magnus. The figure before them was none other than Harold, the infamous shadow knight of Yosnad.

"You! I had thought you perished on the battlefield... Harold!" Magnus exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment. The appearance of Harold left them all dumbfounded. Indeed, no one had witnessed his presence during the ferocious clash against the goblin king.

"We sought information about the shadow knight, but no soul spoke of your existence amidst the chaos of battle," Aric chimed in, his disbelief mirroring that of his comrades. Harold's unexpected arrival not only shocked them but also confirmed their vulnerability in his presence.

"The reason for that is precisely what you mentioned earlier: there were no survivors from the battle with the goblin king," Harold retorted, his voice tinged with suppressed anger.

"How did the general disappear from the battlefield? There should have been elite guards guarding and escorting him," Aric asked, his voice filled with confusion and concern.

"The reason was that an enormous shadow appeared in the area where the general was, and it swallowed him together with his guards almost instantaneously. I was at a distance when it happened," Harold explained, his voice trembling as he recalled the horrifying event. The memory of the shadow's sudden appearance had filled him with intense fear. He had been about a hundred meters away when the general and his guards were engulfed by the ominous darkness.

"It happened so suddenly and quickly. Even though the general was the strongest in Yosnad, he didn't stand a chance," Harold continued, his tone conveying a sense of disbelief and awe.

Magnus and the others exchanged incredulous glances. They struggled to comprehend the words that had come from Harold's mouth. The capture of the strongest man in Yosnad without any resistance seemed unfathomable. They had heard tales of General Lance's legendary conquests and his indomitable spirit.

"I hear what you're saying, but it's difficult to believe that such a man would be captured so easily, without putting up any fight," Magnus spoke, expressing the doubts lingering in his heart.

"I understand that it's hard to believe. If I hadn't witnessed it myself, I would never have believed it either," Harold replied.

"Do you know the source of the shadow?" Aric asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. "A goblin king shouldn't possess such skills. My sources indicate that the goblin king lacks formidable magic."

"I cannot ascertain its origin," Harold responded, his voice filled with uncertainty. "The incident occurred in a mere instant. The goblin king was absent from the vicinity, eliminating him as the culprit. There must have been a third party involved in this conflict between the goblins and the army of Yosnad."

"A third party?" Finn whispered softly, contemplation etched on his face. "That would explain the peculiar end to the battle, with both armies vanquished and the mysterious disappearances. It seems likely that an external force intervened at some point and caused all of this chaos."

"Yes, it appears that someone else was present on the battlefield, orchestrating the mayhem," Harold explained, his tone resonating with intrigue. He then proceeded to offer a brief account of his mission: assigned by the general to gather further intelligence on the goblins, he ventured into the heart of the goblin cave.

As realization dawned on Magnus, he inquired, his voice laced with anticipation, "The witch?"

"She is one of my prime suspects," Harold replied, his gaze fixed on Magnus with newfound interest. The fact that the elderly man had swiftly pieced together the puzzle indicated that his keenness of mind remained as sharp as ever. "Her sudden disappearance within the castle appears unrelated, yet no reasonable explanations have surfaced."

"You mentioned that she is among your suspects. Whom else do you suspect?" Magnus continued his questioning of Harold.

"Why don't you enlighten me, Guild Master Magnus? Surely, you must have conducted some investigations of your own, given that the country's top three scouts are members of your guild," Harold countered.

"Astaroth," Magnus replied. "That strange man Astaroth, I believe he is involved…. Somehow."