Echoes of the Past

The air was especially quiet at this moment.

Combined with the maddening sensation of being watched from all around, it created an oppressive pressure that weighed on the mind.

Amid it all, there were also sounds coming from their teammate, making the atmosphere even more sanity-shattering. Lina's condition was steadily worsening.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle~

Lina's body had become abnormally heavy. Her breathing was harsher and more irregular than before, and from time to time, she let out gurgling noises that made their skin crawl.

The sound echoed through the silent corridor, as though foreshadowing some dreadful change.

To be honest, the thought that had surfaced in both their minds frightened them badly. What they had realized was enough to challenge their moral limits and psychological defenses as white wizards.

Could it really be that?

That horrifying possibility left neither of them daring to think any further.

Still, it was a fact unfolding before their eyes, and they had no choice but to face it.

"Karg." Saruman's voice trembled, the light of his wand flickering with his unsteady emotions. "Look at these creatures. They bear signs of being artificially made."

Saruman had actually realized the issue already; he simply still did not dare to say it aloud.

"Artificially made..." Karg froze for a moment, then split apart a monster that lunged at him with his battle axe, foul-smelling blood splashing across his face.

He wiped his face, then immediately understood what his close friend meant. His face turned deathly pale, and the hand gripping his axe began to tremble. "You mean they used to be... people?"

How should one put it?

Karg had actually realized it too, but because he was still fighting, he had mentally prepared himself and comforted himself. Now, that illusion had been exposed.

He had no choice