"Ah! Ah!"
Wanda woke, startled awake by the sudden cries. She nudged Pietro, who was trapped in a nightmare he couldn't escape, and the two climbed off the floor and surveyed their surroundings.
They were in an abandoned church. Candles burned with wavering flames in the dark hall, lending the place an eerie, sinister atmosphere.
The gray brick walls were badly damaged, the windowpanes had long since shattered, and chunks of concrete had fallen from the roof.
"How did we get here?"
Pietro asked in confusion. Then, as though remembering something, he immediately straightened up, alert.
Wanda shook her head. Drawn to the flickering candlelight, she pulled Pietro toward the main hall, where the light was brightest.
That was where the faithful had once worshipped God, but now there was nothing but dust and dead plants. Not a trace of life remained.
"See? When humans discover that no amount of prayer can change their miserable circumstances, even their god gets mercilessly abandoned."
Wanderer's voice sounded above Wanda and Pietro's heads, his cold tone dripping with mockery.
Pietro recognized the voice. Clenching his fists, he stepped in front of Wanda and looked up, his eyes darting about in search of Wanderer. At last, he spotted him on a beam above the hall.
"Everyone's here. Come down, my dear ally. I'm not used to craning my neck during a discussion."
The moment the figure seated in the central stone chair spoke, the twins' attention shifted away from Wanderer. They looked at the cloaked, hooded figure, confusion flickering in their eyes.
A trace of displeasure flashed through Wanderer's eyes, but he concealed it well.
Flying down from the beam, Wanderer landed beside the hooded figure.
"I don't understand why you want these two humans' help. Defeated opponents have no value to me."
Wanderer