The Lion's Dead Cub

The hidden passageway was dark and narrow, its walls echoing with the soft footsteps of Turai and the rescued children.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

As they emerged from the depths of the underground lair, their eyes fell on the crumpled form of Otto Boomsgath, lying unconscious on the cold ground. The once-mighty fire mage, who had terrorized so many, was now a broken shell.

Turai barely spared Otto a glance. The man's fate was sealed, and there was no need to dwell on him any longer. His focus was on the children, guiding them towards safety.

The kids also noticed the figure but seeing him not even flinch as they moved past him, they felt relieved. Some still believed he could wake up any moment and attack them for trying to run so they stuck close to Turai.

"It's fine. He won't be moving for a while." Turai comforted when he noticed their discomfort. He even went ahead to kick one of Otto's legs to prove his words to the kids.

As they made their way up the winding corridors, Turai sensed that Hubert, Gareth, and the others had finished their battle above. The children would be safe with them.

But as they reached the final set of stairs, a sudden unease settled in Turai's gut. His instincts, honed by countless battles, told him something was wrong. He stopped abruptly, causing the children to look at him in confusion.

"You all go ahead," Turai said firmly. "Head up to the others. They'll take care of you."

"But…" One of them raised his voice to speak but was cut short.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you guys shortly."  Turai convinced the kid before he successfully sowed seeds of worry and fear in the minds of the other kids.

"Then return fast and safe." A charming smile radiated from one of the children.

The children hesitated but obeyed, climbing the stairs toward safety. Turai watched them go, his eyes narrowing as he turned back. "I won't stay long," Turai whispered to himself.

Something in the chamber where he'd left Otto called to him, a nagging sense that there was unfinished business.

Retracing his steps, Turai returned to the dark chamber where Otto lay. The room was as he had left it, with Otto's unconscious form in the center. But the air was thick with a sense of impending doom.

Turai knelt beside Otto and sent a jolt of magic through his body, waking the man from his forced slumber.

"Gahh!" Otto's eyes snapped open, wild and furious, locking onto the boy who had bested him.

"I'm back to tie up loose ends," Turai said quietly.

Otto responded with a laugh—manic and hollow. "Hehe… Hahahahaha!!" The sound echoed off the chamber walls, growing louder and more unhinged. "Hahahaha…"

Then suddenly, Otto stopped. "You've killed the lion's cub, boy," Otto whispered, his eyes gleaming with madness. He looked dead into the eyes of Turai but his gaze seemed to peer past the young boy. "Now you'll have to face the lion's wrath."

Turai frowned, trying to decipher Otto's cryptic words. "What do you mean by those words of yours?" Turai asked with a raised brow.

"You'll see, kid. You'll see." Otto chuckled and then Turai watched him bring his hand to his mouth.

Turai didn't notice him putting something in his mouth, only noticing at the last moment. "Wait!"

However, before Turai could react, Otto's body began to change. His skin darkened, veins bulging as a dark fluid pulsed beneath his flesh. Within moments, his entire body turned black, rotting and decaying before Turai's eyes.

"Be prepared." With one final breath and warning, Otto Boomsgath died, his body crumbling into a pile of blackened remains. The stench of poison filled the air, and Turai stepped back, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

The cryptic warning, the grotesque transformation—something far darker was at play. "It better be worth it." Turai sighed as he took steps away from Otto's corpse.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Footsteps echoed from the corridor, and Hubert appeared, his eyes immediately falling on the blackened corpse. "Turai, are you alright?" Hubert asked, concern filling his voice. "And what the hell is that?"

"I'm fine," Turai replied, though his mind was still reeling. "That's the leader of the bastards that had the kids kidnapped for their personal reasons, Otto."

Seeing that his explanation only revealed the identity of the man and not what had led to the man's current situation, Turai added, "he changed before he died. And it sure wasn't normal."

Hubert stepped closer, examining Otto's remains. His gaze fixed on something at Otto's nape, and he suddenly froze. There, almost hidden beneath the blackened skin, was a small tattoo—an image of a horse with two horns.

"This is the mark of the Black Bicorn," Hubert whispered, his voice tight as he pointed at the drawing. "A dark organization, known for forbidden magic and assassinations."

Seeing that Turai was invested in the tattoo rather than his words, Hubert added. "Otto was connected to something far more dangerous."

Turai's eyes widened as Hubert's words sank in. Otto's cryptic warning wasn't just mad rambling—he had indeed killed the cub, but the lion was still out there, waiting.

"We need to leave," Hubert said urgently, placing a hand on Turai's shoulder. "This isn't over, Turai. Not by a long shot."

Turai nodded, his resolve hardening. The battle with Otto had been brutal, but it was also a wake-up call. There were forces at play far more dangerous than anything he had faced before. "I'll wait for them. No matter how many they are, I'll take them down." Turai mumbled with hands folded into fists.

As they turned to leave, Turai cast one last glance at Otto's remains. "They'll be joining you soon." The man had been a monster, but even he had feared something greater. And now, that something was out there, watching.

"Let's go." Hubert patted Turai's shoulder.

Turai and Hubert walked side by side, their footsteps echoing through the underground lair as they made their way back to the surface. The children were safe, but the danger was far from over. A storm was brewing.