A wasteland for as far as the eye could see. There were no mountains or hills anywhere. At most, it was just a mound or a hillock. A tall structure, Aedan had said when he was asked about the core’s location. The four searched high and low for any sightings that could be considered tall. There were none, until they were just about to give up and rethink their plan of action. There it was, a tall structure in the distance. Erin and Davos swore that they had not seen such a structure just a few minutes ago when they were looking in that direction. Nevertheless, they didn’t argue or complain. They hurriedly headed for the tall structure.

“And we’re finally here,” said Aedan as they reached the steps leading up to the perched structure. It was an obelisk of rocks and the dark energy that seemed to permeate this wasteland, standing over twenty feet tall.

Erin groaned wordlessly beside Aedan.

“Tired already? I thought your body was stronger than this. And we didn’t encounter any pesky demons in our search. What gives?”

“It’s mentally exhausting.”

Aedan shrugged. “I suppose it kinda is. This place is very depressing after all.”

“This is the core?” asked Davos.

“...Yes?” Aedan answered with a hint of uncertainty after sparing a single glance at the obelisk.

“You don’t sound sure.”

“Cores don’t always look the same. In fact, they have never looked the same. The only similarity is that they tend to be tall and thin structures, oozing out hell energy.”

“So, if we destroy this, everything will be back to normal?”

“Usually, yes.”

“Usually? You are full of certainty, boy.”

“Life is full of uncertainties.”

“This is no time to be jesting,” Erin reprimanded. “Will everything go back to normal if we destroy this thing, yes or no?”

“It’s not that simple, my dear Erin. Do remember that we are underground. If all things went back to normal, we might face a structural collapse as the structural integrity has been compromised by the corruption.”

Erin stared at Aedan in disbelief. “You’re telling us this only now?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on saying anything.”

“You weren’t? Then, what were you planning to do? Hope for the best after we destroy the core?”

“...Yeah? It’s not like we have any other choice but to destroy the core if we want to escape this place.”

“He’s right,” said Mary. “Sir, we have no other choice. We either spend our days here or we take the risk.”

Davos nodded. “I agree, Mary. The longer we spend in this hellhole, the further Marsh will be able to run.”

“If it’s Marsh you’re worried about, you don’t need to worry too much,” said Aedan.

“And why is that?” Davos questioned.

“We have friends on the outside. You have met two of them, didn’t you? As we speak, those would have handed the evidence to a very influential friend of mine. Once the evidence is handed over to the court, there will be an army looking for him.”

Davos gritted his teeth. “All the more reason that I have to hurry.”

“Huh?” Aedan blurted out. “Why?”

“If the crowned prince’s faction is the one who got to Marsh first, the truth will be buried, and Marsh alone will be made into the sole scapegoat. Marsh isn’t working alone. No one can work alone with an operation of this scale. There will at least be three principals in this illicit furtive operation other than the central figure, who is Marsh. The one providing the funds, the one giving consultations, and the one making sure that all eyes are turned away. No doubt the crowned prince is the latter. I will not let this scandal be buried.”

“Well, we'd best hurry, then. Shall we destroy the thing now?”

“Done,” said Erin.

“Huh, what?” Aedan turned around and saw the upper half of the obelisk sliding off the lower half.

“I took the liberty to act first. We are racing against time, are we not?”

“...We are.”

“I destroyed it. What happens now?”

As soon as those words left her lips, the world lost all its light, and everything was dark— for a while. Then, something tore through the darkness and ripped it from everyone’s sight. Lights flowed back into the world, and they were greeted by the sight of falling rocks from the ceiling and an immense tremor.

“Oh, shit,” Aedan muttered.

“The whole place’s coming down!” Mary shouted.

Erin wasted no moment in running. She had prepared for this. She scooped Aedan into her arms and dashed for the door. She didn’t know where she was. All she knew was they were in a room and the room was collapsing, and there was only one door. It was the only place that she could go. She sensed the two knights behind he,r but she paid little attention to them. She barely knew them. She paid just enough attention to them on the off chance that they proved to be untrustworthy and hostile.

Immediately after going through the door, the collapse spread. The corridor was meeting the same fate. In fact, the whole dungeon was. As the dame said, the entire place was coming down. Thankfully, the collapse was starting from the room instead of the entire dungeon. There would be no escaping if such were the case. Erin took off sprinting down the corridor to the right. She didn’t know where to go. All she knew was that if she stayed, she would suffer eternal agony. She wouldn’t die and that was the worst part. She didn’t want to know what it would feel like to be stuck on a thin line between life and death forever.

“Bollocks,” Erin cursed when she looked ahead. It was the end of the straight corridor. There were two ways she could take, left or right. She didn’t know which would lead out of the dungeon.

“Left!” Aedan shouted.

Erin did as Aedan said, and she took a sharp left. “You remember the layout of the dungeon?”

“I don’t. I’m just following the prayers.”

“Prayers? From whom?”

“Anyone who prays to the Dragon God. Prayers are like water. They flow from somewhere to me. I just need to follow where the flow came from.”

“You can do that?”

“I can, but it’s annoying. I have to hear their overbearing and preachy thoughts, and I need to focus.”

They reached another end.

“Right!” Aedan said.

Erin took the turn and she heard a loud crash behind her. She glanced behind and saw that a big piece of debris had blocked the way backwards. The two knights were nowhere to be seen— for only a second. The debris exploded into pieces and the two knights plunged out of the smoke. Erin heaved a sigh of relief and continued to focus on her own running. She didn’t particularly care if the two would make it out, but undoubtedly, she would feel a tad guilty if they didn’t.

With Aedan’s continuous guidance, they navigated through the collapsing dungeon with great efficiency. In no time at all, they reach the long steps that led them out of the dungeon. They quickly climbed the stairs as the collapse was just a few inches behind their steps.

“We’re out!” Mary cheered once they stepped foot onto the surface, which was an empty room in Marsh’s mansion.

“We’re not out of danger yet!” Aedan warned.

The stairs crumbled behind them and the devastation continued to spread to the surface.

With Aedan still in her arms, Erin dashed out of the room. Her sudden appearance shocked the soldiers and servants who were stationed near the room. They would be fearful and cautious of them if they weren’t so drained by the demon-summoning ritual from before. Quite a few of them had regained their consciousness but some were still asleep.

“W-who are you—” one of the guards tried to ask for identities.

“Forget about all that! Just run!” Erin shouted at them, but she didn’t stay and wait for them to take in her words. There was no time for that. Even if she wanted to save them, there was no way for her do so without sacrificing Aedan in the process. In the end, she chose Aedan over all others. She ran past the dazed servants and soldiers as the collapse began to rear its ugly head.

“Don’t just stand there! Run!”

Erin heard Davos shouting behind her, but she didn’t turn to look. She feared her resolve would be shaken if she did. She started hearing the cries and screams of the servants and the soldiers. They were too late in running. The collapse had taken them.

Perhaps hearing the screams of their peers, the servants Erin encountered further on were more receptive to her warnings. However, they couldn’t fast enough. Erin made it out of the mansion. Davos and Mary were close behind her. Some of the soldiers made it out too, but the same couldn’t be said for the servants. They had all perished in the collapse.

“It’s not stopping,” Davos gasped. The collapse was hungry for more. The mansion was not enough. It intended to consume the entirety of the estate. “That damn Marsh! He planned this!”

“Save it for later,” Erin said and continued running. This time, she didn’t stop until she reached a small hill that was half a mile away from Marsh’s estate.

From atop the hill, she watched as the estate gradually sank into the ground. The collapsed eventually stopped after it swallowed the entire estate. At the edge of the massive hole that was now formed from the collapse, she saw a few soldiers slumped on the ground, completely exhausted from their running. There was no sign of a single servant. None of the combatants had made it out.

“Fuck…” Erin muttered.

“You can let me down now,” said Aedan.

Erin did as she was asked. She let him down by spreading her arms. Aedan dropped right down onto the ground.

“Ouch!” he yelled. “Gently, damn it.”

Erin tutted and slumped down on the ground beside him. “Oh, shush. You’re not even hurt by the drop. You’re in way better shape than… them.”

Aedan saw Erin’s expression and smiled wryly. “You—”

“Shut. I don’t want to hear it. There’s nothing you can say that will make me feel better. I made my choice, Aedan. I chose to let them die… I chose you, Aedan.”

“And I am very grateful for that. You chose me over them. A difficult choice, and I won’t lie. I won’t pretend like I feel terrible about this. I don’t. I’m glad that I meant so much to you. Besides, there’s no guarantee that you will be able to save them even if you try.”

“...I should at least try to save some of them… but I didn’t.”

“Neither did I,” came a deep voice from behind. It was Davos, with Mary following closely behind. “Don’t blame yourself, Lady Erynthea. You did not cause this.”

“But I did, and I did it knowingly. I know there were people on the surface. I know the risk. I know what would happen. I chose this path, nonetheless. And now, it shall be my cross to bear forever.”

“Perhaps it shall be… but before that, the one responsible for all these will have to pay first. Will you join me?”

Erin glanced at Davos’ extended hand. “...I won’t.”

“You won’t.”

“You’re too slow.”

“I outran an underground collapse. I am far from being slow.”

“I’m not talking about your physical capability.” Erin rose to her feet. “I will go after Marsh with my friend here at once.”

Aedan frowned and stared at Erin. “Do I not get a say in this?”

“Right now?” Davos asked. “But you have just escaped from something so devastating. You fought through hell, literally. You must be exhausted.”

“He has escaped his due punishment long enough. Before the end of the day, I shall bring him to justice. I will drag his corpse to the chopping block if I have to, just so I can relish in desecrating his corpse.”