As the group walked along the winding path, the terrain shifted from the lush fields of Iram to

  the more rugged landscape leading away from the town. The forest’s cool, fresh air provided a

  stark contrast to the turmoil they had just left behind.

  Thalor, ever curious, broke the silence with a question that had been lingering in his mind.

  “Lily,” he began cautiously, “what is this ‘Hell’ you mentioned? I’ve heard the term but never

  really understood it.”

  The group fell silent, the weight of the conversation settling over them. Lily, with a thoughtful

  expression, began to explain. “Hell is a concept from Earth,” she said, her voice steady but

  tinged with introspection. “It’s believed to be a place where bad people go after they die—a

  realm of eternal suffering and torment meant to punish you for your sins.”

  Thalor’s eyes widened with intrigue and concern. “So, is it a real place, or is it more of a

  metaphorical concept?”

  Lily took a deep breath, her mind reflecting on her past beliefs and experiences. “On Earth, not

  everyone believed in Hell. Some saw it as a metaphor for the consequences of one’s actions,

  while others believed it was a literal place. I didn’t give it much thought when I was there; I was

  just trying to figure out who I was and where I fit in.”

  She continued, her voice softening. “But here, with the Marks and the forces I’ve encountered, it

  feels like Hell might be more real than I ever imagined. It might not be exactly like the Hell from

  Earth, but it seems like there could be something similar—a place where those who have

  committed sins end up. Maybe it’s not a literal place but a different kind of world with its own

  rules.”

  Elias, his face etched with concern, spoke up. “You don’t seem particularly upset by this.

  Doesn’t it trouble you that this world might be a form of punishment for those from Earth?”

  Lily met his gaze, her expression a mix of sadness and determination. “It’s unsettling, but there’s

  not much I can do about it. I can’t change what’s happened or the circumstances that brought me

  here. All I can do is try to make the best of it. Maybe Hell is partially right—it might be a place

  of punishment, but it’s also its own world with its own struggles.”

  Rylan, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. “But you weren’t born here, Lily. You

  came from somewhere else. And you’ve never met anyone with the Mark of Undeath before. If

  this world were truly Hell, wouldn’t you expect to see more people from Earth? People who died

  there and were bad?”

  Lily nodded slowly; her gaze distant. “That’s a good point. I’ve never encountered anyone with

  the Mark of Undeath, and if this were Hell, I would expect to see more people from Earth—those

  who had died and were judged as bad. But so far, it seems like the people I’ve met are just as

  varied as those from any other world. It makes me wonder if this place is more complex than just

  a simple punishment or if the connections, I see are only part of a bigger picture.”

  The group fell into contemplative silence, each person absorbed in their own thoughts. The path

  ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, mirroring the questions and mysteries they faced. Lily’s

  words lingered in the air, a reminder of the complexity and enigma of their journey.

  As the group halted on the path, Elias looked over at Lily. "If you feel like you're on some kind

  of path, we can change it," he suggested, his voice steady but thoughtful. "We've been heading

  west all this time, but it doesn't have to stay that way. We could go back... or go north, or south.

  It’s up to you."

  The group stopped walking, their boots crunching on the dirt road. For a moment, the silence

  hung in the air, broken only by the distant rustling of leaves in the wind. Lily glanced around at

  the others. Elias stood with his arms crossed, his gaze steady on her, Rylan at his side, her face

  unreadable but calm. Thalor adjusted his pack, watching her with quiet curiosity. Each of them

  looked at her, waiting, as if the decision was entirely hers.

  She took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the surroundings—the road stretching endlessly ahead,

  leading to the unknown west. It felt like the same path she had been walking for too long, both

  literally and figuratively. The weight of her Marks tingled on her skin, reminding her of the

  burden she carried.

  “North,” she finally said, her voice firm. “We’ll go north.”

  There was no hesitation from the others. Without a word, they turned off the road, stepping into

  the dense woods that bordered their path. The trees seemed to close in around them as they

  ventured deeper, their canopies thick with foliage, casting long shadows on the forest floor. The

  air grew cooler, the scent of earth and pine filling their lungs. The path they left behind seemed

  to disappear into the past, swallowed by the forest as they moved forward, into the unknown

  north.

  As the group ventured deeper into the woods, the landscape shifted around them. The trees,

  ancient and towering, seemed to stretch endlessly toward the sky, their thick trunks wrapped in

  moss. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled patches of light on the forest floor.

  The sounds of birds and rustling leaves filled the air, a stark contrast to the silence that had

  settled between the group.

  Lily led the way, her mind swirling with thoughts. She had made the choice to go north, to leave

  the road behind, and it felt like more than just a change in direction. It was a rejection of the path

  that seemed to have been laid out for her—a path full of Marks and sins and, possibly, some kind

  of destiny she hadn’t asked for. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder what awaited them in the

  depths of the forest.

  Behind her, Elias walked with his eyes scanning the trees, his hand resting near his sword. He

  hadn’t said much since the decision, but he seemed more relaxed here, away from the

  expectations of towns or the weight of his own past. Rylan, ever the silent observer, stayed close,

  her sharp eyes taking in every detail of their surroundings, though she occasionally cast glances

  toward Lily, perhaps wondering where this choice would lead them.

  Thalor, on the other hand, was unusually chatty. “This place is fascinating,” he said, more to

  himself than to anyone else. “I’ve read about these northern forests. They’re known for their

  hidden valleys and ancient ruins, remnants of a civilization long lost.” He paused, adjusting his

  glasses as he squinted into the trees. “There could be anything out here… treasures, forgotten

  knowledge…”

  Lily smirked at his enthusiasm. "You always have your head in a book, don't you?"

  Thalor chuckled. "Books are useful, but they’re no substitute for seeing the world with your own

  eyes. That’s why I’m here, after all."

  Elias let out a grunt of agreement. "It’s different when you’re out here, in the real world.

  Knowing how to swing a sword or memorize a map doesn’t mean much if you don’t know how

  to survive."

  Thalor smiled but didn’t respond, his eyes drifting back to the trees as if hoping to spot

  something that would prove his point.

  The deeper they went, the more the forest seemed to close in on them, the trail they followed

  turning into little more than a narrow path winding between trees. The sounds of wildlife grew

  fainter, replaced by the creaking of the ancient woods, as though the forest itself was alive and

  watching them. The air grew cooler still, and a strange unease began to settle over the group.

  Rylan finally broke the silence. “Does anyone else feel that?” Her voice was low, almost a

  whisper, as if she didn’t want to disturb the stillness around them.

  Lily stopped, turning to face her. “Feel what?”

  Rylan’s eyes scanned the trees again, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. “It’s like…

  we’re being watched.”

  Elias frowned, looking around with more intent now. "Could be animals, or worse. We should

  stay on guard."

  Thalor didn’t seem fazed. “Old forests like this one have a presence, a history. It’s possible what

  you’re feeling is the weight of the past.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, “Or it

  could just be your imagination.”

  Rylan didn’t seem convinced, but she nodded, and the group pressed on.

  After another hour of walking, the trees began to thin, and the ground sloped upward slightly.

  The forest opened up into a wide, grassy clearing. In the distance, Lily spotted something—an

  unnatural shape among the natural landscape. It looked like the remnants of a stone structure,

  overgrown with vines and moss, standing tall against the backdrop of the forest.

  “We should check that out,” Thalor said, excitement creeping into his voice. “It looks like an old

  ruin.”

  Lily and Elias exchanged glances. "Could be dangerous," Elias said, always the pragmatist.

  "Could be interesting," Lily countered with a small grin. "Let’s take a look."

  They moved cautiously toward the structure, the sense of being watched still hanging in the air.

  The ruin was more intact than they had expected—a large stone archway leading into what

  looked like an underground chamber. Symbols were etched into the stone, worn away by time

  but still faintly visible.

  Thalor knelt down, tracing the symbols with his fingers. “This is old… really old. Older than

  anything I’ve read about. This might have been here long before the towns we’ve passed

  through. Fascinating.”

  Lily stepped closer, peering into the dark entrance of the chamber. “I wonder what’s down

  there.”

  "Only one way to find out," Elias said, drawing his sword and stepping past her.

  Rylan, ever cautious, nodded. "Let’s stay close and be careful. We don’t know what we’re

  walking into."

  Together, they descended into the darkness of the chamber, the air growing colder as they went.

  The sense of unease returned, stronger now, as if the walls themselves were watching them. The

  faint sound of dripping water echoed through the space, and their footsteps seemed unnaturally

  loud.

  The chamber opened into a larger room, lit faintly by cracks in the ceiling that allowed shafts of

  light to filter in. The walls were lined with more symbols, and in the center of the room stood a

  large stone pedestal. On top of it rested an ornate box, its surface covered in the same symbols

  that lined the walls.

  Thalor’s eyes lit up. “This is incredible… a relic from a forgotten time.”

  Lily stepped forward, her curiosity piqued, but Elias held out a hand, stopping her. "Be careful.

  We don’t know what this thing is or what it does."

  Thalor nodded, but his excitement was clear. "We should take it with us. Study it. It could hold

  the answers to a lot of questions."

  Lily hesitated, feeling a strange pull toward the box, as if it was calling to her. But something in

  the back of her mind warned her to be cautious. This place, these symbols—they felt familiar in

  a way that unnerved her.

  “We’ll take it,” she finally said, her voice steady. “But we’re not opening it until we know

  more.”

  Elias nodded in agreement, and with that, they carefully lifted the box from the pedestal. As soon

  as they did, the air in the chamber seemed to grow heavier, and a low rumble echoed through the

  room.

  “We need to go,” Rylan said quickly, her hand on her dagger.

  The group hurried back the way they came, their footsteps quickening as the rumbling grew

  louder. By the time they reached the entrance of the ruin, the ground beneath them was shaking.

  They burst out into the clearing just as the ruin behind them began to collapse, stones falling and

  dust filling the air.

  “Well, that was close,” Elias muttered, sheathing his sword.

  Lily looked down at the box in her hands, a strange sense of foreboding settling over her.

  Whatever they had just taken from that chamber, it wasn’t going to be simple.

  The group stood in silence for a moment, taking in the decaying ruins around them. Moss clung

  to the crumbling stone walls, and the air was thick with the musty scent of ancient history. As

  they moved deeper into the ruins, the oppressive weight of time seemed to hang heavier on their

  shoulders. The architecture was unlike anything they had seen before—ornate yet eerily off, with

  strange symbols carved into almost every surface.

  Rylan was the first to speak, her voice low. “This place doesn’t feel right.”

  Lily nodded in agreement, her gaze drifting to the remnants of what might have once been a

  grand courtyard. Vines crept up cracked pillars, and small, twisted trees grew through the cracks

  in the stone. “It’s like it was abandoned in a hurry… something happened here.”

  Thalor inspected one of the larger structures, running his fingers over the carvings with a frown.

  “These symbols aren’t random. They’re like the ones on the box, but older. And they seem…

  forced. As if someone was trying to mimic the natural patterns of Marks.”

  Elias stood a bit farther back, keeping watch, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Whatever they

  were doing here, it wasn’t good.”

  They pressed on, weaving through broken buildings, some little more than rubble, others still

  standing with precarious arches that threatened to collapse at any moment. In one chamber, they

  found what looked like makeshift altars, charred from fires long extinguished, and rusted chains

  bolted to the stone floors. The sense of wrongness intensified.

  “These aren’t just ruins,” Lily said, her voice cold. “This was a place of suffering.”

  The group moved quietly now, their eyes scanning every corner, every shadow. Thalor’s

  curiosity was tinged with caution as he sifted through the debris of the past. In one room, they

  found tablets with detailed sketches of bodies covered in Marks, but the drawings looked

  incomplete, as if the subjects had died before the Mark could fully form.

  “Experiments,” Thalor muttered grimly. “They were trying to force Marks to appear… but the

  subjects—people—didn’t survive.”

  Rylan kicked a loose stone, sending it clattering across the floor. “So, they tortured people for

  Marks they didn’t earn? That’s beyond twisted.”

  Elias’s face darkened. “What kind of people would do this?”

  Lily remained quiet, her thoughts racing. The Marks were something deeply personal—earned,

  suffered through. To think someone would try to manipulate that process, to create Marks

  through force… it was monstrous.

  As they ventured deeper into the ruins, they came upon a large hall, its ceiling half-collapsed.

  The floor had caved in, creating a jagged hole that descended into darkness. Thalor peered into

  the abyss, shining his lantern down to reveal a lower chamber. There were more symbols etched

  into the stone, but they were different here, rougher and more chaotic, as if carved by desperate

  hands.

  “Something’s down there,” Rylan said, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make out shapes in the

  dim light.

  Before anyone could react, a low, guttural growl echoed up from the depths of the hole. Then

  came the unmistakable sound of something shifting below—bones scraping against stone, the

  clatter of movement in the dark.

  “Get ready!” Elias shouted, drawing his sword as the first zombie emerged from the shadows

  below. Its decayed, twisted form clambered out of the hole, its eyes glowing faintly with a sickly

  green light.

  Lily’s hands crackled with energy as she prepared her magic. “Here they come!”

  One by one, more undead clawed their way up from the depths, their rotten bodies swarming

  toward the group. Elias swung his sword with precision, slicing through limbs and torsos, while

  Lily unleashed blasts of raw energy, disintegrating the flesh of the undead. Thalor fought with

  calculated movements, his dagger flashing in the dim light, and Rylan cut down the zombies

  with ruthless efficiency, her twin blades dancing in the air.

  The fight was brutal and chaotic, the undead seemingly endless as they crawled out of the

  collapsed chamber. The ground was slick with blackened blood, and the air stank of decay. The

  group fought fiercely, but for every zombie they cut down, two more took its place.

  “Get back!” Elias shouted as another wave approached, his sword cutting through the air.

  But even as they cleared the immediate threat, the horde kept coming. Rylan was the first to

  notice it—the pale figures standing at the edge of the pit. They wore long white coats, their faces

  obscured by eerie plague doctor masks with beady eyes that glimmered in the firelight.

  “There!” she yelled, pointing toward the masked figures. “Who the hell are they?”

  Lily and the others looked up just in time to see the men in white, motionless and silent as they

  watched the group struggle against the undead. Their presence was unnerving, but they made no

  move to help or hinder. They simply watched.

  “We’ve got to get out of this hole,” Thalor said, his voice tight as he drove his dagger through

  another zombie’s skull.

  Elias nodded, his face set in grim determination. “Climb! Now!”

  The group scrambled out of the pit, the undead snapping at their heels as they clambered back to

  solid ground. But when they finally reached the surface, the men in white were gone, vanished as

  silently as they had appeared.

  The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the groans of the remaining zombies

  crawling from the pit. There were fewer now, but the threat was still very real.

  Lily’s breath came in short gasps as she steadied herself, looking around the ruins for any sign of

  the mysterious figures. “Who were they? What do they want?”

  Elias, still gripping his bloodied sword, shook his head. “I don’t know, but they were watching

  us… like they were studying us.”

  Rylan wiped her blades clean, her face twisted in disgust. “They’re connected to this place

  somehow. They were here for a reason.”

  “They left more of these things for us to deal with,” Thalor muttered, pointing toward the

  zombies still emerging from the hole.

  Without hesitation, the group steeled themselves and charged at the remaining undead, fighting

  with renewed fury. The zombies were slower now, weaker after the initial swarm, and one by

  one they fell until none remained.

  When the last corpse collapsed, the group stood among the bodies, panting from exertion. Blood

  and dust caked their clothes and skin, but they were alive. For now.

  Elias wiped sweat from his brow, glancing back at the pit. “What the hell is going on here?”

  Lily stared at the dark hole, her mind racing. “We need to figure out who those people were and

  why they were watching us.”

  But there were no answers in the ruins, only more questions. The sense of unease lingered, as if

  something far worse than zombies and mysterious figures was waiting for them.

  The group stood at the edge of the pit, hearts pounding and breaths ragged. The silence after the

  battle with the zombies was heavy, but they knew better than to let their guard down. The ruins,

  once hauntingly still, were now teeming with the stench of death and decay. Elias, Rylan, Thalor,

  and Lily had fought hard, but the horrors they’d just faced were only the beginning.

  “We need to move,” Elias said, wiping the gore from his sword. His eyes scanned the ruined

  buildings around them, aware that more could come at any moment. “We’re not safe here.”

  Lily nodded, her fingers still crackling with leftover energy from the Mark of Gluttony. She

  could feel its insatiable hunger pulsing inside her, an urge to consume more power, more life.

  But it wasn’t just the hunger that nagged at her—it was the question of who the men in white

  masks were. The plague doctor figures had come and gone like ghosts, but their presence

  lingered.

  “They were watching us,” Lily muttered, her voice low. “And I want to know why.”

  Thalor, who had been quiet during the aftermath, stepped forward. His eyes flicked toward the

  pit, and then to the nearby buildings. “They’re not just watching,” he said, his voice tense.

  “They’re controlling this place. These undead, these horrors—they didn’t just come out of

  nowhere.”

  “They’re being summoned,” Rylan finished, her gaze hard and sharp as she scanned the

  shadows. “Which means we’re still in the middle of this.”

  Without further discussion, the group pushed forward, their senses on high alert. They moved

  deeper into the ruins, now fully aware that they were walking into something far darker than they

  had initially imagined. The architecture shifted as they ventured further, the buildings becoming

  more dilapidated, the walls covered in symbols and markings that felt both ancient and twisted.

  Elias led the way, his Mark of Murder giving him heightened senses. He could feel the presence

  of death all around him—lingering in the stones, in the air, in the very ground beneath their feet.

  Every step felt like they were disturbing something old and vengeful. Behind him, Lily’s eyes

  darted around the ruins, her Marks of Lust and Gluttony feeding off the dark energy surrounding

  them. She had to fight to keep them in check, her power threatening to spiral out of control.

  Thalor paused as they approached a narrow corridor, the ceiling partially collapsed. His eyes

  were drawn to the walls, where deep grooves had been carved into the stone. They were erratic,

  violent, as though someone—or something—had been clawing at the rock in desperation. He

  stepped closer to inspect the marks.

  “These weren’t made by tools,” he said quietly, running his fingers along the jagged lines.

  “These were made by something alive.”

  Rylan, standing guard nearby, glanced over her shoulder. “Alive or undead?”

  Thalor didn’t answer, but his expression darkened. “Either way, it was trying to escape.”

  They moved cautiously through the corridor, their footsteps echoing against the stone. The air

  was thick with the scent of rot and mildew, and every now and then, they heard the distant

  shuffle of movement—zombies, no doubt, but they were still out of sight for now. Lily’s heart

  raced as they passed more of the grotesque symbols etched into the walls. She couldn’t help but

  wonder who had been here before them, and what had driven them to such madness.

  Suddenly, a rustle of movement from the shadows caught Elias’s attention. He stopped abruptly,

  raising his hand to signal the others. They froze, weapons at the ready, as a figure stepped out

  from behind a crumbling pillar. At first glance, it appeared to be another one of the men in white

  plague doctor masks, its long coat and eerie mask making it look almost human.

  But the moment it stepped into the faint light filtering through the cracks in the ceiling, they saw

  the truth. The figure’s skin was gray and mottled, patches of flesh hanging loose from its body.

  Its eyes glowed faintly behind the mask, and a grotesque, twisted grin stretched across its face.

  “Another one,” Rylan muttered, her grip tightening on her blades. “Let’s see what’s under that

  mask.”

  Before anyone could react, the creature lunged at them, moving faster than the zombies they had

  fought earlier. Elias was the first to meet its attack, his sword flashing through the air with

  deadly precision. But the creature was quicker than he expected, dodging his strike and slashing

  at him with long, clawed fingers.

  Lily reacted instinctively, her Mark of Gluttony flaring to life as she unleashed a torrent of

  energy at the creature. The blast hit it square in the chest, sending it flying back into the wall

  with a sickening crunch. But even as it crumpled to the ground, it began to stir, its twisted form

  regenerating before their eyes.

  “Dammit,” Elias growled, readying for another attack. “These things don’t stay down.”

  Rylan was already moving, her twin blades flashing as she dove toward the creature. With a

  swift, deadly strike, she sliced through its arms, severing its limbs. But even as the pieces fell to

  the ground, they twitched and began to move on their own, crawling toward the group like

  something out of a nightmare.

  “It’s regenerating!” Thalor shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief. “We need to destroy it

  completely.”

  Lily focused her power, her Marks burning with intensity as she conjured a powerful blast of

  magic. The energy crackled in her hands, and with a shout, she unleashed it at the creature’s

  writhing body. The explosion was deafening, and the creature’s remains were reduced to ash.

  For a moment, the group stood in stunned silence, catching their breath. The air was thick with

  the smell of burned flesh and charred stone, and the echoes of the explosion slowly faded into the

  distance.

  “They’re not just zombies,” Lily said, her voice low and shaky. “They’re something worse.”

  “Undead experiments,” Thalor muttered, staring at the pile of ash where the creature had once

  been. “This place isn’t just cursed. It’s a lab. They were trying to force Marks onto people

  corrupt them, twist them.”

  Elias sheathed his sword, his expression grim. “And they’re still here. Somewhere.”

  Rylan looked at the others, her eyes hard. “Then we keep moving. Whatever’s behind this, we’re

  going to end it.”

  As they pressed forward, the ruins seemed to close in around them, the narrow corridors twisting

  and turning like a maze. The sense of being watched grew stronger with every step, and the

  occasional shuffle of movement in the shadows kept them on edge. More than once, they caught

  glimpses of the white-masked figures lurking just out of sight, their eerie presence a constant

  reminder that they were not alone.

  The next attack came suddenly. A wave of zombies poured from a side passage, their rotting

  bodies spilling into the corridor like a flood of death. Elias led the charge, his sword slicing

  through the undead with brutal efficiency. Rylan fought beside him, her blades cutting down

  zombies in swift, deadly arcs.

  Lily and Thalor stayed back, using their Marks to hold the line from a distance. Lily’s magic tore

  through the undead, disintegrating them in bursts of raw power, while Thalor used his Mark of

  Knowledge to exploit the zombies’ weaknesses, striking with precise, lethal blows.

  But as they fought their way through the horde, more of the masked figures appeared. Each one

  was faster, stronger, and more grotesque than the last. And each time they unmasked one, they

  were met with the same twisted, undead face beneath.

  “These things are everywhere,” Elias growled, cutting down another masked figure as it lunged

  at him. “We need to find the source and stop this.”

  The battle raged on, wave after wave of undead coming at them with relentless force. The group

  fought with everything they had, their Marks flaring to life as they pushed deeper into the heart

  of the ruins. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the sound of clashing steel and

  magic filled the corridors.

  At one point, they found themselves cornered in a large, open chamber, the walls lined with

  more of the strange symbols and carvings. Zombies poured in from every entrance, and the

  group was forced to form a tight circle, fighting off the horde from all sides.

  “Hold them off!” Elias shouted, his sword cutting through the undead with brutal precision. “We

  can’t let them surround us!”

  Lily’s hands burned with energy as she unleashed another wave of magic, her Marks fueling her

  power. The zombies exploded in bursts of light and fire, but more kept coming, their twisted

  forms relentless.

  Thalor, his face grim, used his Mark of Knowledge to direct their attacks, pointing out weak

  points in the horde’s formation. “Focus on the larger ones! They’re controlling the smaller

  ones!”

  Rylan, her face set in fierce determination, fought like a whirlwind, her blades flashing through

  the air. “We need to get out of here before we’re overrun!”

  Just as the situation seemed hopeless, the group heard a low, guttural growl echo through the

  chamber. They turned to see one of the masked figures standing at the far end of the room,

  watching them with cold, lifeless eyes. It was larger than the others, its body twisted and

  grotesque, and the mask it wore was cracked and stained with blood.

  Elias narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on his sword. “That’s it. That’s the one in charge.”

  The group fought their way toward the figure, cutting through the remaining zombies with

  ruthless efficiency. As they approached, the masked creature raised its hands, and the symbols on

  the walls began to glow with a sickly green light.

  Lily felt a surge of dark energy pulse through the room, her Marks reacting to the power. “It’s

  using the symbols to control the undead!”

  Thalor, his eyes wide with realization, shouted, “We have to destroy the symbols! They’re the

  source of its power!”

  With renewed determination, the group split up, each targeting one of the glowing symbols on

  the walls. Elias and Rylan fought off the remaining zombies, while Lily and Thalor focused on

  breaking the symbols’ power. Lily’s magic surged as she directed her energy at the nearest

  symbol, the stone cracking and splintering under the force of her attack.

  As each symbol was destroyed, the undead began to falter, their movements slowing and

  becoming more erratic. The masked figure let out a roar of rage, its body convulsing as the

  power it had been drawing from the symbols was severed.

  Elias seized the moment, charging at the creature with his sword raised. With a powerful strike,

  he cleaved through the mask, shattering it and revealing the twisted, rotting face beneath. The

  creature let out a final, gurgling scream before collapsing to the ground in a heap of decayed

  flesh.

  The chamber fell silent, the last of the undead crumbling to the ground as the dark energy

  dissipated. The group stood panting, bloodied but victorious, their eyes scanning the room for

  any remaining threats.

  “That was… intense,” Rylan muttered, wiping the sweat from her brow.

  Lily, still catching her breath, nodded. “And we’re not done yet. That was just one of them.”

  Elias sheathed his sword, his face grim. “We’re getting closer to the source of this. But we still

  have a long way to go.”

  Thalor, his eyes still sharp with focus, glanced at the others. “There’s something deeper in these

  ruins. Something far worse. We need to be ready.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The group gathered themselves, their resolve stronger than ever. They had survived this far, but

  the true horror of the ruins was still ahead of them. The final confrontation with whatever dark

  force had corrupted this place was looming, and they would need all their strength, their Marks,

  and their wits to face it.

  As they prepared to move forward, the faint sound of distant footsteps echoed through the

  corridors—slow, deliberate, and growing closer.

  The group stood in the eerie silence of the chamber, their breaths still heavy from the relentless

  fight. Their bodies ached, bruised and bloodied from wave after wave of undead, but their eyes

  remained sharp, scanning the dimly lit ruins for any signs of further danger. The oppressive

  atmosphere of the place weighed down on them, the stench of decay mixing with the metallic

  tang of their own sweat and blood.

  Elias wiped his sword on his sleeve, his expression grim. The others were gathering their

  strength for whatever might come next, and despite the temporary calm, each of them could feel

  that something worse was waiting for them deeper in these forsaken ruins. The zombies had been

  relentless, but the men in the white masks were something far darker—a grotesque fusion of

  undeath and something more sinister. Whatever was controlling them had yet to reveal itself

  fully, but the sensation of being watched, of being toyed with, lingered heavily in the air.

  Lily took a deep breath, her Marks still pulsing under her skin with raw, dangerous power. She

  could feel the familiar hunger of her Mark of Gluttony gnawing at her, eager for more energy to

  consume, more enemies to devour. But beyond that, something darker lurked within her,

  something that had been growing ever since War. The whispers in her mind—faint and distant—

  had grown louder, more insistent. And now, in the ruins, surrounded by the aftermath of death,

  they felt almost tangible.

  "How much further?" Rylan asked, her twin blades still drawn, ready for the next threat. Her

  sharp eyes scanned the shadows, her instincts screaming that something was still watching them.

  Thalor glanced around, wiping the sweat from his brow. His usually calm demeanor was

  strained, the weight of the battles and the dark energy they had faced taking a visible toll. "We're

  nearing the heart of this place," he said, his voice low. "But whatever's controlling these

  creatures... it's still ahead of us. Waiting."

  Elias nodded in agreement. "Then we press on. No more distractions. We find it and end this."

  The group moved forward with renewed determination, the faint sound of their footsteps echoing

  off the crumbling stone walls. They passed through more ruins, the architecture growing more

  ominous and decayed the deeper they went. The carvings on the walls, once erratic and strange,

  now began to form a cohesive pattern—a twisted and corrupted depiction of life, death, and

  undeath. It was as though the very stones were alive with the echoes of suffering and torment,

  the marks of a cult long gone but never truly dead.

  And then they entered a new chamber.

  This one was far larger than the others, its ceiling towering above them, and at its center stood a

  massive stone altar, surrounded by crumbled pillars and debris. Strange symbols were etched

  into the ground, forming a complex circle that radiated with a faint, sickly green light. At the far

  end of the room, a grand archway loomed, shrouded in shadow.

  But it wasn’t the altar or the symbols that drew their attention.

  Standing at the far end of the chamber, beneath the shadow of the archway, was a figure. Tall,

  impossibly tall—nearly seven feet, draped entirely in white. It wore a long, flowing coat, the

  fabric pristine and smooth, with no trace of the grime and dirt that covered the rest of the ruins.

  Its face was hidden behind a stark white plague doctor mask, its beak long and sharp, and its

  eyes—if it had any—were obscured behind dark, empty sockets.

  The figure radiated an overwhelming presence, a pressure that made the very air around them

  feel heavier. Its head turned slowly toward them as if it had been waiting for their arrival all

  along. In its right hand, it held a white staff, topped with an unsettling, glowing crystal. And on

  its left hand, Lily noticed with a sinking feeling, was a white ring, identical to the one War had

  worn.

  “Conquest,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  The group tensed, their weapons raised instinctively. This was not just another undead creature.

  This was something far more powerful—one of the Four Horsemen.

  "Well, isn’t this a lovely welcome," Elias muttered, his voice tight with tension.

  The figure, Conquest, did not speak. It simply stood there, its presence alone suffocating, the

  weight of its gaze—or lack thereof—settling heavily on each of them. And then, slowly, it raised

  its staff, pointing it directly at the group. The air around them shifted, growing colder, as the

  symbols on the floor began to pulse with a malevolent energy.

  “Get ready,” Elias growled, his grip tightening on his sword.

  Without warning, the ground beneath them erupted in a surge of energy, and from the cracks in

  the stone, more zombies began to crawl forth, their rotting hands clawing at the air as they

  dragged themselves up from the earth. But these zombies were different—faster, stronger, and

  far more coordinated than the ones they had faced before. Their eyes glowed with the same

  sickly green light as the symbols on the ground, and their movements were eerily precise, as if

  guided by some unseen force.

  "Here we go again," Rylan said, spinning her blades in anticipation.

  The first wave hit them hard. The zombies moved with a terrifying speed, rushing toward the

  group in a coordinated assault. Elias was the first to react, his Mark of Murder giving him the

  reflexes and precision to cut down the first few that reached him. His blade sliced through the

  undead with brutal efficiency, but more kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless.

  Lily stepped back, summoning her magic. Her Marks flared to life, her hands crackling with

  energy as she unleashed a powerful blast at the oncoming horde. The ground shook as the energy

  exploded outward, disintegrating several of the zombies in a burst of light and fire. But even as

  they fell, more crawled up from the ground, their grotesque forms relentless in their pursuit.

  “Thalor! The symbols!” Lily shouted, realizing that the source of the undead’s power was tied to

  the glowing markings on the floor.

  Thalor, his Mark of Knowledge blazing in his eyes, quickly analyzed the situation. “Destroy the

  circle! It’s feeding them power!”

  Rylan dashed forward, her blades flashing as she cut through the zombies with precision. She

  moved with deadly grace, her movements fluid and swift as she hacked away at the undead. But

  even as she fought, her eyes were locked on the glowing symbols, her mind racing to find a way

  to disrupt the ritual.

  Lily focused her energy on the nearest symbol, channeling the power of her Marks to shatter the

  stone beneath it. With a surge of magic, she sent a blast of energy toward the symbol, cracking

  the ground and disrupting the glowing lines. As the symbol shattered, the zombies around them

  faltered, their movements becoming sluggish and disjointed.

  “It’s working!” Elias shouted, cutting down another wave of zombies. “Keep breaking the

  symbols!”

  Thalor joined Lily, using his knowledge of magic and marks to weaken the ritual circle. He

  channeled his Mark’s power into the ground, destabilizing the energy flow that fueled the

  undead. With each symbol they destroyed, the horde grew weaker, their numbers thinning as the

  ritual’s power diminished.

  But Conquest was not idle. As the group focused on dismantling the circle, the Horseman raised

  its staff, and a wave of pure, oppressive force washed over the chamber. The air grew thick with

  tension, and a low, resonant hum filled the room. The remaining zombies suddenly grew

  stronger, faster, their eyes burning with a furious light.

  “They’re regenerating!” Thalor warned, his voice strained. “Conquest is reinforcing them!”

  Elias gritted his teeth, cutting through the newly empowered undead with all his strength. “Then

  we have to take him down—now!”

  The group shifted their focus to the towering figure at the far end of the chamber. Conquest stood

  motionless, its staff raised high, its mask hiding whatever expression it might have had. But its

  presence was more than enough to convey its power—this was not a being that could be defeated

  easily.

  Rylan was the first to engage, her twin blades flashing as she lunged toward Conquest. But the

  moment she drew close, a barrier of white energy flared to life around the Horseman, deflecting

  her attacks with ease. She grunted in frustration, retreating a few steps as the barrier shimmered,

  impenetrable.

  “We need to break that shield!” Elias shouted, rushing in to join the fray. His sword struck the

  barrier with a powerful blow, but the energy held firm, sending sparks flying as his blade

  rebounded.

  Lily stepped forward, her hands glowing with the power of her Marks. “I’ll handle it.”

  She focused her energy, drawing from the raw power of Gluttony and Lust, and directed it at the

  barrier. The magic surged toward the shield, crackling with dark energy, and for a moment, the

  barrier flickered, weakening under the strain.

  But Conquest was not idle. The Horseman raised its staff, and a pulse of energy shot outward,

  hitting Lily square in the chest and sending her flying backward. She hit the ground hard,

  gasping for breath as the force of the blow knocked the wind out of her.

  “Lily!” Elias called out, rushing to her side.

  “I’m fine,” she grunted, struggling to her feet. “But that barrier… it’s not going to go down

  easily.”

  Thalor, his mind racing, analyzed the situation. “The barrier is tied to the staff. If we can disrupt

  the energy flow, we might be able to weaken it long enough to get through

  Rylan wiped the blood from her brow, her eyes sharp. “Then we take out the staff.”

  The group regrouped, their eyes locked on Conquest. The Horseman stood tall, its white coat

  billowing slightly in the unnatural breeze that filled the chamber. It watched them with silent

  intent, its staff glowing with a pale, sickly light.

  Elias charged forward, his sword aimed directly at the staff. He moved with blinding speed, his

  Mark of Murder enhancing his reflexes as he closed the distance between them. But just as he

  neared the Horseman, Conquest shifted, raising its staff and deflecting his attack with a single,

  graceful motion.

  The force of the deflection sent Elias stumbling back, but he quickly regained his footing, his

  eyes blazing with determination.

  “Now!” Thalor shouted, using the opening Elias had created.

  Lily summoned her magic, focusing all of her power on the staff. Her hands crackled with dark

  energy as she sent a powerful blast toward the glowing crystal at the top of the staff. The magic

  collided with the staff, sending a shockwave through the chamber.

  For a moment, the barrier around Conquest flickered, the energy destabilizing under the assault.

  “Keep going!” Rylan yelled, her blades flashing as she darted toward the Horseman once more.

  The group attacked in unison, their combined efforts focused on breaking through the barrier and

  severing the Horseman’s control over the staff. Each strike, each blast of magic, chipped away at

  the shield, weakening it bit by bit.

  Conquest, for the first time, seemed to react. Its movements became more deliberate, more

  aggressive, as it swung its staff in wide arcs, sending waves of energy toward the group. The

  force of each attack was immense, shaking the very ground beneath them and sending debris

  flying.

  But the group pressed on, undeterred. They fought with everything they had, their Marks flaring

  with power as they worked together to bring down the Horseman’s defenses.

  The barrier around Conquest shimmered and crackled with unstable energy as the group

  relentlessly attacked. Each swing of Elias's sword, each blast of magic from Lily, and every

  quick strike from Rylan weakened the shield bit by bit. The intensity of their assault was

  matched only by the oppressive force radiating from the Horseman, but they fought with

  determination, driven by a shared understanding that this fight had to end—here, and now.

  The chamber rumbled with each impact, the once-silent ruins now a cacophony of battle.

  Conquest remained mostly silent, save for the low hum of power emanating from the white staff,

  which seemed to pulse in rhythm with the glowing symbols beneath their feet. The air itself felt

  heavy with the malevolent energy swirling around them, and the sickly green light from the

  undead still clawing their way out of the ground added to the surreal atmosphere of the

  battlefield.

  As another blast of energy shot from Conquest’s staff, aimed at Lily, she barely managed to raise

  her arms in time to shield herself. The force of the impact sent her skidding backward, her boots

  scraping against the crumbling stone. Her Marks flared to life once more—Gluttony and Lust

  fueling her insatiable hunger for more power. But despite the growing darkness within her, she

  kept her focus.

  “We need to disable that staff,” Thalor urged, his voice tight as he parried a swing from a nearby

  zombie that had emerged from the ground. His eyes flickered with the glow of his Mark of

  Knowledge, rapidly calculating their next move. "It’s the source of the barrier’s strength."

  Elias narrowed his eyes, wiping the sweat from his brow as he glanced at Lily and Thalor. “Got

  any ideas, genius?”

  Thalor deflected another blow, then turned to the group, his mind racing. “Lily’s blasts are

  destabilizing the energy around the staff, but it’s not enough to fully break it. If we can time our

  attacks together, hitting the barrier at its weakest points, we might have a chance.”

  "Fine, but we need to be fast," Elias growled, readying his sword for another charge. "I’ll distract

  it. You two, hit the staff with everything you’ve got."

  Rylan nodded, wiping the blood from her twin blades. "I’ll take out any of these undead that get

  too close."

  The plan was set in motion. Elias charged forward, his Mark of Murder giving him an almost

  unnatural speed and precision as he darted toward Conquest once again. The Horseman reacted,

  swinging its staff in a wide arc to meet Elias's attack, but the warrior anticipated the move. He

  ducked beneath the strike and brought his sword up with all his strength, slamming it into the

  base of the barrier with a resounding clang. The shield flared with a burst of white light but held,

  flickering violently.

  “Now!” Elias shouted.

  Lily summoned her power, drawing deep from the well of her Marks. She could feel Gluttony

  urging her to take more, to feed on the energy surrounding the ruins, to consume everything in

  her path. But she held it back, focusing instead on directing the chaotic force toward Conquest’s

  staff. Her hands crackled with raw magic as she unleashed a powerful bolt of energy aimed

  directly at the glowing crystal atop the staff.

  At the same moment, Thalor, his eyes glowing with knowledge, traced the intricate patterns of

  energy around the barrier. He chanted softly, his voice steady as he cast a spell designed to

  unravel the magical protections surrounding the Horseman. The air around the staff shimmered,

  and for a brief moment, the barrier flickered, weakened by the combined assault.

  The impact of Lily’s magic hit the staff with full force. The crystal at the top flared with an

  intense white light, and a loud crack echoed through the chamber. The barrier wavered, the

  protective energy destabilizing as the staff’s power was momentarily disrupted.

  "Keep going!" Rylan shouted, slicing through another wave of zombies that surged toward them.

  Her blades moved with deadly precision, each strike cutting through the rotting flesh of their

  enemies as she kept the horde at bay.

  Elias seized the opportunity. With a powerful upward swing, he brought his sword down on the

  barrier again, this time with a crackling surge of his own Mark’s energy fueling the blow. The

  barrier shattered with a sharp, ringing sound, sending shards of white light scattering through the

  air.

  The Horseman stumbled slightly, its staff flickering as the protective shield dissolved. For the

  first time, Conquest seemed vulnerable.

  Lily, breathing heavily, looked up at the towering figure. “It’s now or never,” she muttered under

  her breath.

  Elias wasted no time. With a fierce battle cry, he lunged toward Conquest, his sword aimed for

  the Horseman’s chest. The Horseman responded, swinging its staff toward him with incredible

  speed, but Elias was faster. He ducked beneath the strike and brought his sword up in a sweeping

  arc, cutting through the white coat that draped over Conquest's body.

  The blade struck true, slicing into the Horseman’s torso. But instead of blood, a sickly white mist

  poured from the wound, swirling around Conquest like a spectral fog. The Horseman made no

  sound, but its movements became more erratic, as if weakened by the blow.

  Rylan darted forward, using the opening Elias had created. Her twin blades glinted in the dim

  light as she struck at Conquest from the side, her weapons finding purchase in the creature’s

  exposed flank. Another gout of white mist erupted from the wound, and the Horseman staggered,

  its staff raised defensively.

  But Conquest was not yet defeated.

  With a sudden, violent motion, the Horseman raised its staff high above its head. The ground

  beneath them rumbled, and the sickly green light of the symbols on the floor flared once more.

  The undead that had been faltering now surged with renewed strength, their movements more

  aggressive and coordinated than before.

  "They’re not stopping!" Thalor warned, his voice strained as he struggled to keep the zombies at

  bay.

  Lily gritted her teeth, her hands glowing with the dark energy of her Marks. She could feel the

  insidious hunger of Gluttony growing stronger, but she pushed it aside, focusing on the task at

  hand. She summoned another surge of magic, directing it toward Conquest, but the Horseman

  was ready this time. With a swift motion, it deflected the blast with its staff, sending the magic

  careening into the stone walls of the chamber.

  The group fought on, but the relentless waves of zombies were taking their toll. For every

  undead they cut down, more seemed to crawl from the earth, their rotting hands grasping at the

  group with tireless determination.

  “We can’t keep this up forever!” Rylan shouted, her blades flashing as she decapitated a zombie

  that had gotten too close.

  Elias swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting through another wave of undead. “We have to end

  this now!”

  Thalor, his mind racing, studied the symbols on the floor. The ritual circle was still active, its

  glowing lines feeding power to the undead and reinforcing Conquest’s strength. “The symbols!

  We need to destroy the last of the symbols to cut off their power!”

  Lily nodded, her mind racing as she focused on the glowing patterns beneath their feet. She knew

  that disrupting the symbols had weakened the undead before, and if they could sever the flow of

  energy entirely, they might be able to turn the tide of the battle.

  With a surge of determination, she summoned her magic once more, her Marks flaring to life as

  she directed a powerful blast at the nearest symbol. The ground shook as the energy collided

  with the stone, cracking the floor and shattering the glowing lines. As the symbol broke, the

  zombies nearby faltered, their movements becoming sluggish and disoriented.

  “We’re getting close!” Thalor shouted, his eyes glowing with knowledge as he analyzed the

  remaining symbols. “One more should do it!”

  But Conquest was not about to let them succeed so easily.

  The Horseman raised its staff once more, and a pulse of energy shot outward, knocking the group

  off their feet. The force of the blast sent them sprawling, their weapons clattering to the ground.

  As they struggled to rise, Conquest stepped forward, its towering form casting a long shadow

  over them.

  Lily gasped for breath, her body aching from the impact. She glanced at Elias, who was already

  on his feet, his sword in hand. He gave her a quick nod, and she knew what she had to do.

  With one final push, she summoned the last of her strength. Her hands crackled with dark energy

  as she directed a powerful blast at the final symbol. The energy collided with the stone, and with

  a deafening crack, the symbol shattered, its glowing lines flickering and fading into nothingness.

  The effect was immediate.

  The undead that had been surging toward them suddenly collapsed, their bodies falling lifelessly

  to the ground. The green light that had filled the chamber dimmed, and the oppressive weight of

  the ritual’s power lifted.

  Conquest, still standing tall, faltered. The white mist pouring from its wounds thickened,

  swirling around it in a disorienting cloud. The Horseman’s staff flickered, its power waning as

  the ritual’s energy source was severed.

  But even in its weakened state, Conquest was far from defeated.

  The Horseman raised its staff once more, the white ring on its finger glowing with an eerie light.

  The ground beneath them rumbled, and the air grew thick with tension. Conquest’s mask turned

  toward them, its dark, empty sockets staring down at the group with an intensity that sent a chill

  down their spines.

  The rumbling beneath their feet grew stronger, and the air in the chamber thickened as Conquest

  drew upon the last vestiges of its power. The white ring on its finger glowed brighter, radiating

  an eerie light that cast long shadows across the walls. The group could feel the weight of the

  Horseman's presence pressing down on them, oppressive and suffocating, as if the very essence

  of conquest was attempting to crush them into submission.

  Elias gripped his sword tightly, his knuckles white as he stared down the towering figure. The

  flickering green energy in the chamber had all but faded, leaving the room shrouded in darkness,

  save for the unsettling glow of Conquest’s ring and staff. The undead had fallen, but the

  Horseman remained, unyielding in its resolve.

  Rylan, still catching her breath from the relentless onslaught of zombies, wiped the sweat from

  her brow and shot a glance at Thalor, who was scanning the chamber with eyes that flickered

  with knowledge. “What now?” she asked, her voice tight with exhaustion. “We took out the

  symbols, but it’s still standing.”

  Thalor shook his head, frustration creeping into his features. “It’s not just the symbols fueling it.

  The ring—that’s the key.”

  Lily’s gaze locked onto the glowing white ring on Conquest’s finger, and a grim understanding

  washed over her. “That’s where the power’s coming from. We need to get that ring off.”

  Conquest, as if hearing their plan, raised its staff high once more. The air around the Horseman

  crackled with energy, and a surge of force erupted from the staff, aimed directly at the group.

  The blast was blinding, sending the ground beneath them shuddering and throwing them

  backward.

  Lily hit the stone floor hard, the breath knocked out of her. Her body screamed in protest as she

  struggled to stand, her arms trembling from the force of the impact. Her Marks flared, Gluttony

  and Lust urging her to take more, to draw more power into herself and feed the insatiable hunger

  within. But she couldn’t afford to lose control now—not with the battle still raging.

  Elias, always quick to recover, was already back on his feet. He gritted his teeth and tightened

  his grip on his sword. “We have to take that thing down before it kills us all.”

  “I’ll distract it,” Rylan said, her voice firm despite the exhaustion weighing on her limbs. “You

  two focus on the ring.”

  Before anyone could argue, Rylan darted toward Conquest, her twin blades flashing as she

  launched into a series of precise, rapid strikes. The Horseman, despite its towering form, moved

  with alarming speed, parrying her blows with swift movements of its staff. The clash of steel

  echoed through the chamber, a deadly dance of skill and power.

  Elias took the opportunity Rylan had created, charging toward Conquest’s exposed side. He

  swung his sword with all the strength his Mark of Murder granted him, aiming for the

  Horseman’s hand. But Conquest, sensing the danger, shifted its stance at the last moment. The

  blade narrowly missed the ring, grazing the Horseman’s arm instead.

  Lily, summoning the last of her strength, reached out with her magic. She focused on the ring,

  feeling the dark pull of her Marks urging her to seize the power for herself. But she resisted,

  directing the chaotic energy toward Conquest’s hand instead. A bolt of dark magic shot from her

  fingertips, striking the Horseman’s arm and causing it to falter.

  The ring glowed brighter, and Conquest’s staff crackled with energy once again. The Horseman

  swung it downward in a wide arc, aiming for Elias. He barely had time to raise his sword in

  defense, the force of the blow sending him stumbling backward, his boots skidding against the

  stone floor.

  “Thalor, any time now!” Elias shouted, frustration lacing his voice as he struggled to regain his

  footing.

  Thalor, who had been watching the battle with a calculating eye, finally spoke. “The ring—it’s

  channeling the energy, but it’s also keeping Conquest together. If we destroy it, we end this.”

  “Then let’s destroy it!” Lily snapped, the weariness in her voice betraying the toll the battle had

  taken on her.

  Conquest, its movements growing more erratic with each passing moment, turned its masked

  gaze toward them. The glowing sockets of the plague doctor mask seemed to bore into their very

  souls, and the oppressive weight of conquest and domination pressed down on them harder than

  ever before. The white mist swirling around the Horseman thickened, as if it was losing

  cohesion, but its power was still dangerously potent.

  Elias, determination burning in his eyes, charged forward once more. His sword gleamed as he

  swung it in a powerful arc, this time aimed directly at the ring. Conquest raised its staff to block

  the attack, but the force of Elias’s strike was too great. The staff shattered upon impact, the

  crystal atop it exploding in a burst of light. The ground shook violently as the energy that had

  been channeled through the staff was released in a chaotic surge.

  The Horseman stumbled, its hand now exposed. The white ring, glowing with an eerie light,

  pulsed erratically, as if it was struggling to contain the power within. Elias wasted no time. With

  a fierce battle cry, he brought his sword down with all the strength he could muster, aiming for

  the ring.

  The blade connected with the ring, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

  There was a deafening crack as the ring shattered, and the glow that had surrounded Conquest

  flickered and died. The white mist that had poured from the Horseman’s wounds dissipated into

  the air, and the oppressive force that had weighed on the group lifted.

  Conquest staggered backward, its towering form swaying unsteadily. The once-imposing figure

  of the Horseman seemed to shrink, its power draining away as the ring’s magic was broken. The

  glowing sockets of the mask dimmed, and the Horseman’s movements became slow and

  sluggish.

  For a moment, there was silence. The group stood still, their breaths heavy, their bodies aching

  from the relentless battle.

  Then, without a word, Conquest collapsed to its knees. The white plague doctor mask fell from

  its face, clattering to the ground with a hollow sound. Beneath it, there was no face—only a

  swirling void, a black emptiness that seemed to consume the space where a human visage should

  have been.

  The Horseman’s body dissolved into the same white mist that had surrounded it during the fight,

  dissipating into the air like smoke. The ring, now shattered into pieces, lay at their feet, its oncebright glow now completely extinguished.

  The group stood in the aftermath, the chamber eerily quiet now that the battle had ended. The

  undead were gone, the symbols broken, and Conquest defeated.

  But the silence felt heavy, as if the ruins themselves were holding their breath, waiting for

  something else to happen.

  Lily looked down at the shattered ring, her thoughts swirling. The weight of what they had just

  done settled over her, but there was no satisfaction, no sense of victory. Only a deep, gnawing

  uncertainty.

  Conquest was one of the Four Horsemen.

  And they had just destroyed it.

  "What... now?" Rylan asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Elias wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around the chamber, his expression unreadable.

  "We move forward," he said, his voice rough with exhaustion. "There’s no turning back now."

  Thalor glanced at the empty space where Conquest had stood just moments ago. "There are still

  three more."

  The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of what was to come.

  Lily shook her head, still catching her breath, though her mind was sharper than ever. "No, there

  are two left," she corrected, her voice low but firm. “We killed War back in Iram. Now

  Conquest. That leaves Famine and Death."

  Thalor blinked, realizing his mistake. "Right... I forgot about War in the chaos."

  Elias, wiping the blood from his sword, glanced over. "And your Marks… how many are left?"

  Lily instinctively touched her arm, where the four deadly sins—Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and

  Wrath—burned beneath her skin. “Three,” she answered quietly. “Sloth, Envy, and Pride. Those

  are the ones left. Undeath doesn’t count,” she added, her tone bitter. “It’s not one of the seven

  sins.”

  The group stood in a brief silence, processing the gravity of what Lily was saying. Each step

  forward brought her closer to some kind of unknown fate.

  But for now, the group could only look at one another, sharing the same unspoken question:

  What had they unleashed?