Gryphon City 3

"Susan... Susan..."

"My Susan..."

A chill colder than ice swept through Lucia's entire body. She felt a powerful suction dragging at her soul, as if it wanted to pull her into an abyss. Alarmed, Lucia tried to withdraw from the Mourner's Harp's domain of music, only to find that her retreat had already been cut off.

Vague white shadows surrounded the flame of her soul, forcing her to tumble into fragments of memories that did not belong to her.

Darkness filled her vision. A few dim candle flames cast round halos in the distance, while black shadows stretched across the walls, eerie and terrifying.

It seemed to be an underground prison—dark, damp, and devoid of daylight. Straw covered the muddy ground beneath her feet, but could not conceal the filth. Closed cells lined both sides, holding people who were either insane or utterly lifeless. Deep within her, Lucia felt intense tension and anger, but she knew those emotions were not hers. They belonged to the undead spirit that had brought her here.

She walked down the long passageway. At its end, she saw a wooden cross soaked in blood. A woman was tied to it, her head hanging helplessly to one side, her clothes torn to shreds. The marks of branding irons and whips stood out starkly. Her belly was swollen high; it was obvious that she had been close to giving birth. Yet now, neither she nor the child in her womb would ever see the color of the sky or feel the warmth of sunlight again. They were already dead.

Lucia thought she probably knew who this was. And there was only one organization that would treat a divine caster with such cruelty—the Holy See's Heresy Inquisition.

Tearing pain rose from the depths of her soul, along with suppressed fury, profound guilt, and an unspeakable sorrow.

She was dragged into utter darkness again. When she saw light once more, it came from candles on a lampstand. This was an Arcane mage's study, littered with manuscripts densely covered in formulas. In one corner stood a coffin engraved with mysterious patterns. Inside lay a peaceful-looking woman, with a baby beside her whose complexion was faintly bluish.

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked at the door. Lucia uncontrollably went to open it, and several people dressed as mages entered.

A middle-aged mage said, "Teacher, do you really think we should do this?"

"You're completely insane," another elderly man said. "Yet I didn't refuse you outright. It seems I'm just as mad as you are."

"If I fail, maintain Emerald West City's defensive array and wait for Falan's aid," a hoarse voice spoke through Lucia's mouth. Archmage Darren—Lucia knew him. But at that time, Darren had still possessed a voice fit for an exceptional bard, deep and rich.

"Teacher, we'll wait for you to bring Mistress back." Tears glimmered in the female mage's eyes. She still could not believe such cruel misfortune had befallen her teacher and his gentle wife.

Next, Lucia witnessed an ancient and obscure sacrificial ritual. Darren, who had unknowingly grown old, offered his soul to the Dark God in exchange for the return of his wife's and child's departed souls.

The change came then. Fierce spirits wandering the land of the dead invaded Darren's body, and a bloody glow filled his eyes. Everything afterward seemed covered by a grayish-white haze in Lucia's vision. The whole world was soundless, yet twisted and horrifying, as countless undead spirits surged forth in madness. Lucia felt profound terror. She did not know whether this was simply how an undead spirit saw the world, or whether she was trapped in a terrible nightmare.

When calm finally returned, Lucia let out a deep breath. It's finally over, she thought. The coffin at the center of the magic array remained intact, and the people inside still had their eyes closed.

Had it failed? Just as Lucia felt regret, she caught sight of a shadow from the corner of her eye—a woman holding a baby.

Joy, disbelief, and boundless longing...

Yet an attack filled with sacred power arrived in an instant. Lucia could almost imagine that Darren's smile had not yet faded when his wife and child vanished before his eyes once again.

This time, even their souls were shattered.

People from the Holy See burst in and threw numerous black crystals at Darren. To Lucia's shock, the distorted perspective that had only just disappeared showed signs of returning.

She heard Darren's soul wail in grief.

People's screams filled the entire night, and the stench of blood was so thick it made one nauseous. Incorporeal departed souls and white bones burning with ghostly green soul-fire trampled through Emerald City, harvesting one life after another. Flowing blood dyed the Jika River scarlet.

Everything was like hell.

"No, no..."

Lucia desperately tried to break free from this memory. If she did not escape soon, she would be completely consumed.

"Lucia!" Faced with Lucia's abnormal reaction, Theodore had no idea how to resolve it. For the first time, he regretted not studying more undead magic.

Theodore held Lucia tightly. The Mourner's Harp was no longer under Lucia's control, yet its strings continued to tremble on their own.

Just as Theodore was about to risk everything and attack the Mourner's Harp, Lucia opened her tightly shut eyes.

"Theodore. It was too terrifying. All of it was too cruel." She reached out and tightly clutched Theodore's mage robe, telling him about Darren and Susan, about Darren's sacrifice, about the Holy See's conspiracy...

Gryphon City 3

Not long after the Emerald City Fall Incident, the Holy See launched the War of Light. Although Italigis had prepared for battle, mages had grown accustomed to unrestrained freedom. Before Italigis could recall the Arcane mages stationed outside, it suffered a devastating blow in the first battle.

At the same time, the northern Alchemy City was attacked by the Holy See's allied forces. However, because of Alchemy City's special standing among the continent's scholars, disagreements arose within the alliance, and the assault was hesitant. In the middle of the War of Light, the mage nation of Italigis gathered the finest Grand Arcane mages of that era and launched a counterattack, setting two forbidden spells in the Softsong Hills.