There was a saying from the Great Sage himself that went along the lines of: "Poking the bear might be dangerous, but it sure can be fun." And Leonidas found himself agreeing.

He nodded in his mind, staring at Willow, who was still glaring at him, only without her sword this time.

And as it had turned out, no god had appeared in her dream! It was all a sham, so she could hit Leonidas.

What a treacherous woman...truly despicable.

Still, he had managed to get Willow to calm down without very many consequences...only slight trauma, which Leonidas believed was a good enough deal.

He laughed, then slowly, his expression shifted, turning colder with every passing moment, until his face gave away nothing.

Willow was the same; her face a mask of ice.

"I suppose it’s time to address the elephant in the room."

He nodded to Willow’s words, feeling dread and hope in equal measure.

"Our minds are slowly being corrupted. Something unseen is actively trying to pry through my defenses, and it won’t be long before I’ll be a mindless thrall. I suppose it’s the same for you?"

His voice was calm, eerily so considering the fact that their own demise was so near....so very near.

He should have been panicking, perhaps dreading his very existence, but what point was there in panicking? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The current situation was different from the previous life-and-death battles he had been through. There was no immediate enemy he could battle, no sword to swing.

His enemy might not exist for all he knew! Maybe it was the very environment that was trying to corrupt him.

"Indeed it is, but the question is...what do we do?"

How to stop something you held no power over? How would they defend their minds against the invisible aggressor?

"Should we try to...run away?"

It was a valid option, especially considering their situation, but...

"That won’t work. Even if you run Art, that ’thing’ would never let you leave its clutches. As soon as I think about leaving, the strain on my mind suddenly increases...as if it’s being crushed."

Weird.

Willow spoke again after a short pause, letting him gather his thoughts.

"What I mean to say is that the creature is powerful enough to subdue us at any moment...it simply wishes not to."

What a horrid thing it was, playing with its victims, toying with their minds and wills.

Damned bastard...and I don’t even know you.

"We need to try something in any case, unless you prefer being a zombie. There is also the fact that we haven’t eaten anything in a long while."

"I forgot about food."

How could you even forget about hunger? Personally, Leonidas could never; he was far too much of a glutton to do so.

"Anyhow, pack up whatever you have, let’s leave."

His words, mere formality, were accepted by Willow. She wrapped the crimson fabric around her neck like a makeshift muffler, and they were ready.

"If you please."

He pointed towards the wall that Willow had transformed to seal the cave. She placed her hand on the rough rock.

A tremor passed through it, and it turned to a thick, viscous liquid. The flowing rock moved towards their feet, splashing as they stepped through it.

Leonidas cast one last glance at the cave they had spent the last day at, then started walking.

They trudged upwards, towards the mouth they had entered through, footsteps echoing in the silence.

Neither side said anything, letting their thoughts wander. Knowing what was happening and still being powerless to do anything about it...it was a depressing feeling.

Is this how Barbossa feels every time he uses his power?

Maybe, maybe not, Leonidas would never know unless he got out of the influence of the damned thing trying to turn him into a thrall.

His thoughts came to a sudden halt, so jarring that it startled even him. His instincts exploded, and the next second, something flew at him.

Leonidas ducked without thinking, dodging the black blur that passed overhead. He twisted, kicked Willow in the stomach, and jumped back, making distance.

"Please tell me this is a prank..."

Unfortunately, Willow didn’t respond, choosing violence over words.

Her blade lashed out again, but this time, Leonidas was ready. He unsheathed Blush, his pink blade rushing forward to meet Smooth Criminal.

He parried, spun, and swung again in seamless harmony, his body moving without thought. Alas, his opponent was just as masterful in the blade, if not more.

Willow, or rather the thing that had taken control of her, retaliated with a flowing, dance-like sword art, deflecting his strikes with little to no effort.

She dashed forward, meeting him in a storm of sparks. The two exchanged dozens of strikes in an instant, slashing, hacking, stabbing, and tearing into each other.

Cuts welled up on his body, while Willow’s own was protected by her infernal armor; despite that, Leonidas had still managed to draw blood.

This can’t continue.

It was madness. He was holding back to save her life; she was swinging to end his. Her eyes were empty, dead and glassy, reflecting his own panic.

A crystalline rose formed in front of Leonidas, blocking Willow’s strike, while he dashed behind her.

The woman spun, blocked the very air around him, and hurled a ball of pure flames at him!

It was insane how versatile Willow’s abilities were; thankfully, Leonidas still held the advantage.

He vaulted over the invisible walls of air and bloomed another rose into existence. The flower moved towards the incoming fire itself, while Leonidas turned to face Willow.

She was right in front of him, and this time, Leonidas resolved himself...he was going to attack with the will to kill.

Hesitation would only kill him...or worse still, cripple him further.

Their blades collided once more, Edicts firing off. Tendrils of [No Will] and [Free Will] lashed out, coiling around Willow and himself, respectively.

Feeling a surge of strength well inside him, Leonidas fought with renewed efforts, darting around the cave.

The dim, filtered moonlight shone near him.

The exit was incoming.