To Face the Void

Expecting the woman to run for her life in fear, Joseph was surprised when a sinister smirk crept up on her lips instead.

"Oh, Prince Joseph. You don't know what you're up against, do you?" the woman said, snapping her fingers, causing dark energy to spark from the crazed people surrounding them.

Their bodies twitched convulsively, jerking and writhing for a few seconds before stopping. With a screech, their forms erupted grotesquely, black veins pulsing under their skin as their eyes turned pitch-black, void of any humanity.

"These are not just puppets," the woman cackled, her voice filled with malevolent glee. "These are Voids, creatures that were once people but are now nothing more than servants for the No-Faced God."

She flicked her wrist, and the Voids slowly began to move. Joseph noticed how the Voids were now more coordinated, unlike the random, erratic movements from before. It was as if they were now connected to a single mind, one that controlled them all with precision and intent.

"You know my name, but it seems I don't know yours," Joseph said, his confidence unfaltering despite the ominous transformation before him. "May I have the pleasure of knowing who you are?"

"Flora," the woman stated with a smug smile. "The Flower of the Waste, bearing an ability that lets darkness grow from nothing or from everything."

The woman raised her arms on either side of her, her face lifted as she bathed in the pale light of the moon. The Voids bent down in uniform motion, before sprinting towards Joseph with unnerving speed.

"These things were once people, huh?" Joseph frowned, his disgust evident. "You're a monster."

He released more of his power, a sparkling wave of white energy dancing in his hands as he waved them around him. Without warning, Joseph launched his attacks, cutting down all the Voids that dared to enter his range.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

He heard the sound of flesh tearing from their bodies, sizzling and burning under the force of his power. The stench of their charred remains filled his nostrils, and his face scrunched in fury.

"How could you do this to them?!" Joseph yelled, his voice laced with anger and disbelief. "You sacrificed an entire street of people for your own twisted purposes. Why?"

"Because they were unworthy to serve the No-Faced God," Flora muttered, her voice devoid of any regret or guilt.

"You're insane," Joseph whispered, firing off another attack at the last Void. "You killed all these people."

Flora laughed maniacally, the sound echoing off the walls. "Technically, you did. You were the one who killed them. They were still breathing after what we did to them."

"And what exactly did you do to them?" Joseph glared at the woman, his eyes burning with rage. "What sick experiment did you perform?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Flora replied dismissively, spinning on her heel as if to leave. "I think we'll see each other again—"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence when a woman almost twice her height suddenly appeared in front of her. Flora fell silent as the other woman held a dagger to her neck, a gentle breeze of mist following her every move.

"Who are you?" Flora asked, her eyes darting around, searching for a way to escape.

"They call me Frozen Smile," the woman replied, her voice calm and collected. "The one who vanishes and reappears like a ghost."

"A Sheath?!" Flora gasped, her shock palpable. She gritted her teeth and, in a desperate move, bit down on the woman's dagger. Before the woman could react, Flora plunged her own dagger into her head.

Blood splattered from her skull as the blade pierced through her flesh and bone. The woman laughed, her voice filled with grim satisfaction, before she finally succumbed to death. "I won."

Joseph stood in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed. Flora had killed herself without a moment's hesitation, as if she had been confident in her decision to end her own life.

"What a crazy bitch," Joseph muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. He was about to leave when he realized the other woman was still standing there.

"Prince Joseph," the woman called out, gracefully jumping from the roof and landing in front of him. She knelt on one knee, her head bowed in respect. "I am Misty, one of the Sheaths of the Seat. I was sent to protect you, though it seems you didn't need my protection after all."

"I've regained much of my powers, so I was able to stand my ground," Joseph replied, sighing in relief as he recognized Misty. Finally, he was in the presence of an ally who wasn't as crazy as the others he had encountered.

"We were watching from afar, but I decided to intervene and end your confrontation with Flora," Misty explained, her tone serious. "She's a woman who can revive herself in a new body. I'm not sure how she does it, but it's something we've seen before."

"She said she served the No-Faced God," Joseph said, his curiosity piqued. "What's that all about?"

Misty shared what she knew about Flora and her cult. It turned out they had been actively pursuing the cult, trying to catch up with them. It was the first time they had killed such a large number of people in a single area, but it wasn't a secret that they had been abducting people from random places for some time now.

Nobody knew exactly what they did to their victims or what their ultimate goal was, but Flora was the one most often seen by the Sheaths and other organizations that hunted them. It was believed that she had a rogue-like status within the cult, doing whatever she wanted, regardless of the cult's broader plans.

Regal had been battling the No-Faced God cult for months after their first disappearance nearly a year ago. He had tirelessly forged pacts and agreements with various kingdoms, all in an effort to finally put an end to their madness, but he was still falling short of his goal.

"The others will clean this place up," Misty said, glancing around at the carnage. "For now, you need to come with me. You must be treated. King Regal will kill us all if anything happens to you."

"What if I just let him kill you?" Joseph teased, a small smirk playing on his lips. "I could say you arrived too late. What would happen then?"

"He would have my head," Misty said, her voice steady, showing no doubt. "He's a man who cares a great deal about you."

Joseph didn't know how to respond to that, but he couldn't deny the truth in her words. Regal did care for him, more than he cared to admit.

A faint spark of warmth ignited in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it, unwilling to dwell on such emotions.

"I don't have to feel anything," Joseph muttered to himself, steeling his resolve.