?What are you running from??, Kora asked.

  Nene tried to answer, but she was out of breath. She was fleeing from anguish, from doubt, from the crushing sadness of having witnessed a ruthless fate. Saint Arianna, misunderstood, excommunicated, betrayed, suffered in solitude a life she had not asked for, a curse born from her desire to save others. Bugra drew his sword. Nene grabbed his arm to hold him back.

  ?No…?, she gasped. ?Wait…?

  The man put away his weapon but continued to peer in the direction of the tree. Nila rushed to Nene's side and checked her face.

  ?What happened??

  ?Arianna... is inside the tree. She is... damned, in a way that I’ve never seen before?

  ?So is she the witch??, Bugra asked.

  ?Yes. We found her?

  Nene looked at Adanara. It was enough to understand each other, but she preferred to explain everything out loud. Everyone's support was needed to free the Saint.

  ?Saint Arianna welcomed wild beasts and the damned into this haven but was overwhelmed by them. She asked me to purge her. I'm sorry, Ada, but… I think she's being kept alive by the other damned. I don't think she would survive your treatment?

  ?It's still worth a try?, she protested. ?Nila??

  ?I guess, but... is it e-even possible? Will she allow us??

  ?She would. But she says she’s not alone, and that her soul no longer belongs to her?

  Kora tapped her shoulder. Nene felt a chill down her spine. She had foolishly hoped to avoid addressing the issue, but of course, Kora couldn't forget about her son.

  ?What did she say about Tera??, she asked.

  ?She said that… he is with them…?

  ?With them??

  ?The Saint says that... I think she is hiding the damned under the tree, under the flowers. She said that Tera…?

  The shaman rested a finger over her mouth, gently. It was rare to see emotion on her face, yet it was clear that she was about to go wild.

  ?I see?. Kora surveyed the others. ?Help me look for him?, she begged.

  ?That's what we're here for, Tuatha. And to put an end to the witch. Can you do it, Inquisitor??

  ?I think so… but first we will have to find her heart. Remember the priest from the other day? Even Arianna's heart is no longer where it should be. It’s located below?

  Her companions looked at the ground, among the rafflesia. That horrid smelly field, an ill omen, suddenly took on the connotation of a macabre cemetery, a pustule brimming with damnation and rot that was growing underground.

  ?Should we dig??, Adanara asked.

  ?The Saint said that if we burn everything, “they” will come out into the open?

  Bugra pounded his fist against the palm of his hand. He checked for his wooden cross, then unsheathed his sword again.

  ?It’s time, finally! We will face the witch and her beasts, here, one last glorious battle! How many are they, Inquisitor??

  ?I don't know?, she admitted.

  ?That's it? Do we just trust Arianna? We set everything on fire, we fight who knows how many damned, we look for a hidden heart...?

  Nila caressed her sister's back, hoping to calm her. Nene shared her anxiety and fear. She had no idea what would happen, and she really would have liked to know more before acting. Arianna's suffering, however, out her in a hurry. The Saint had suffered too long for her to stand idly.

  Their debate was interrupted by a high-pitched voice, coming from the ridge. Maria was descending at full speed from the landslide. Ifeo ran towards her, agitated, while the crow Guaz was flying above her head in circles.

  ?Hey there!?, the little girl shouted.

  ?What's happening??

  ?The animals!?, she screamed. ?They are coming hither! They are furious!?

  ?The animals?!?

  Nene felt a shiver. Arianna had warned her about "them", yet she had underestimated the danger. Not only did the existence of the damned depend on Arianna, but her agreement with the Evil One was the reason why that forest could exist, thanks to the Vesper. Was the entire cave about to fight to defend the Saint?

  ?Hurry!?, Kora ordered. ?Help me light a fire, with those torches of yours?, she said to Bugra.

  The man didn't hesitate. He threw his pack to the ground, retrieved what was left of the torches and piled them on the ground. He threw his blanket and even a small wooden idol into the pyre, then began to tear grass with his bare hands.

  ?Wait a minute! Wait!?, Adanara said. ?You really wanna do it??

  ?I need your help?, Kora replied. ?I’ll fan the flames. You spread them?

  ?But… No… Nila??

  Nila didn't answer. She was staring at the ground in horror. Nene followed her gaze and noticed that a cloud of ants was climbing on her boots. The tiny soldiers loyal to Arianna bit the boots of what in their eyes must have been a mountain, without the slightest fear. They would fight for their Saint to the death, against any opponent.

  ?Nila?!?

  Her sister's voice roused her from her stupor. She stomped her feet on the ground to get rid of the insects and ran to help Bugra add fuel to the fire.

  ?Ada, c’mon!?, she shouted. ?Do as she says!?

  ?But…?

  Guaz's croaking pierced the air. Footsteps followed, many of them. Hooves, paws, flapping wings, crawling creatures. A few goats peeked over the ridge. The docile beasts peered into the crater, while others crowded behind them. It was an unusual sight and a bad omen, seeing them accompanied by animals that were not part of their herd, as if they were united by a common goal.

  Then, one of them threw itself down.

  The animal tumbled badly on the rocks, crashing several times violently. Its body crumpled unnaturally, its bones shattered with each impact. Maria screamed in horror and continued running towards the rest of the group. The goat finally ended its disastrous fall and remained motionless on the ground. Its peers began to descend more cautiously. Steps and leaps, they were coming towards them. They were under attack.

  ?Quick!?, Nene urged.

  ?Let them come!?, Bugra replied.

  The colossal man, sword in hand, pushed her aside and did the same with Maria. The little girl threw herself desperately into Nene's arms, who couldn't take her eyes off the ridge. A myriad of different animals, goats, snakes, rodents, and fawns, were clumsily descending into the crater. The rough terrain was slowing them down, but for how long? Soon that absurd army would have been upon them.

  ?Hurry up, Tuatha!?

  ?We need wind!?, she replied. ?Adanara!?

  The witch ran to the pyre. The flame started by Kora emitted a black, acrid smoke, due to the pitch and other improvised materials they had used. A dark column marked their position, an easy target for their opponents. Adanara took a breath and closed her eyes. The cave began to hiss. Nene felt a pang in her stomach, a sign that the Evil One was nearby, that it was courting her. Trusting its forbidden magic was the last of her desires, but what made her change her mind was a vision so crazy that for an instant she doubted her own eyes.

  The goat that had tumbled down the ridge moved once more. It was a few dozen metres away from them. With surprising effort, it got to its feet. His legs were fractured, bent at gruesome angles. Its white fleece was covered in blood and dirt, its battered muzzle pointed towards them. It made a sound that was not at all goatish. A high-pitched, metallic, pain-filled cry. That scream reverberated throughout the crater and drew similar cries from the rest of the horde. The light of the Vesper suddenly diminished. Nene turned and discovered to her dismay that it wasn't setting, it had been blacked out. An immense flock of sparrows and other small birds was gathering above the tree, flying in a colourful spiral that under normal circumstances would have looked wonderful. A vortex of feathers seemed about to swallow the unholy star, reminiscent of a swarm of insects attracted by its light.

  ?No! Enough! No!?, Maria shouted towards the ridge.

  The animals that came to Arianna's rescue had lost their mind. Throwing away all their caution, even their survival instincts, they rushed down the pile of rocks. Many of them crashed and tumbled down the valley, ending up dead. Their desperation was such that pain was nothing to them. The individual had lost all value. All that mattered was to protect their Saint.

  ?Leave them to me, Inquisitor?, Bugra said. ?Protect the others while they’re working on the fire?

  ?You can't beat them alone!?

  ?We can't beat them at all!?

  The nomad lunged forward, without giving her time to protest. He shouted like a maniac, perhaps to attract the enemy's attention, perhaps out of fear.

  ?No! Let them be!?, Maria cried.

  Nene checked on how Adanara was doing. The wind she was invoking blew violent gusts towards the tree. The fire spread among the vines and rafflesias. Kora started new fires among the grass, which got soon engulfed by what was rapidly turning into a colossal blaze.

  More metallic screeches echoed everywhere. Bugra shouted as he tried to hold off a pair of fawns with tooth and nail. The animals, wary, tried to overwhelm him with headbutts and kicks. Ifeo bellowed in pain, but the fight showed no signs of slowing down. A cacophony of shrill chirps announced an attack on the opposing front. The cloud of sparrows began to converge towards the flames. Some birds threw themselves into the fire. Most fell to the ground burning, but some managed to emerge, however charred, carrying burning twigs and petals. Their attempt to slow the flames, however clumsy, demonstrated an intellect and organisation that no sane person would ever have attributed to their species. While most of the flock tried at the cost of their lives to keep the flames at bay, a smaller, compact group swirled at breakneck speed towards Adanara.

  ?Nila!?, Nene shouted. ?Give me the cross! Keep Maria safe!?

  Nila rushed to her aid. She gave her the silver cross and held the little girl, who was kicking and screaming in desperation, shocked by that horrendous and senseless massacre. Nene had no idea what to do, and part of her wanted to imitate Maria, to throw a tantrum at such absurdity. She stepped in front of the witch. Adanara was drenched in sweat, her face frowning, immersed in deep concentration. She was conversing with the Evil One, but that was not the time to worry about it.

  Nene pointed the cross at the flock and drew her sword. The birds ignored her. Their little wings flapped frantically, so many that she could hear them. In an instant, they would have been upon Adanara. If they had succeeded, the fire would have stopped spreading, and their best hope of destroying Arianna would have been lost. She remembered the unusual behaviour of the monstrous guardian of the lake, the terrible floating eye that had tried to prevent them from entering that cursed cavity.

  She acted instinctively and reversed the cross.

  The sparrows veered upward. They performed a vertical spin to change trajectory. They flew twenty metres above Nene's head, diving toward her. She waved her sword upwards, hoping to chase them away. The first, small body crashed into the back of her head at very high speed. She got hit badly and instinctively crouched down. She had no idea how to deal with that opponent, so she found herself swinging her arms in confusion. A second projectile hit her shoulder, and a third her back. She had expected them to beak her, but instead, they were coming at her like arrows. Each impact weighed a punch, their fragile little bodies shattering against her, but not before causing her considerable pain.

  She was forced to curl up. She received a barrage of blows on her back and lost her breath. The light disappeared, obscured by the flock surrounding her. She continued to struggle to fend off the assault but to no avail. The more sparrows she chased away, the more they came back to attack her. Small paws grabbed her cape and hair, tugging her in all directions. She struggled with all her strength but finally fell to the ground. She tried to cover her head and face, lest they peck out her eyes. The pain was unbearable, her back felt like it was under a barrage of kicks, and she was getting scratched everywhere. Dazed, she crawled blindly in hopes of keeping the little monsters away from Adanara.

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  Through the pain and the darkness, the flurry of feathers and the concert of furious chirps, she paid no attention to what her hands were treading on, until she felt an itch in the crook of her elbow.

  She watched in horror as swarms of insects, of various shapes and sizes, crickets, millipedes, even earthworms, attempted to climb her body. Those who had jaws, like ants, bit the skin of her hands, those who had a stinger tried to penetrate the sleeves of her clothes. She screamed and rolled onto her side hoping to get rid of them. She dragged herself through the grass. The wind howled violently. In the distance, she recognized Bugra screaming while fighting. Beaks and claws reached her skin, and a few strands of hair were torn from her head.

  She collapsed exhausted with her face on the ground. Why wasn’t anyone coming to her rescue?

  ?Nila…?, she whimpered.

  She could make out her silhouette among the chaos of claws and feathers. Now certain of her end, Nene wanted to see her one last time. She was on her knees, holding Maria close. How she would have loved to be there in her stead… She reached out to Nila. She couldn't get very close, but despite the deafening noise, she could make out her voice.

  ?... something? You know how to talk...?

  ?Mother!?, Maria cried. ?Mother!!!?

  ?Do you want to see your mother again??

  The little girl stopped screaming. Nila grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes, nose to nose.

  ?Then get your shit together and tell them to stop!?

  Maria cried again. Her crying was atrocious, desperate, more like that of a frightened newborn than that of a girl her age. The sound suppressed everything else, the wind, screams and shouts.

  Claws stopped squeezing, beaks stopped pulling.

  Maria cried again and again, at the top of her lungs. A shiver ran through Nene's exhausted and battered body. The Evil One showed her a vision of her, in Nila's arms. The bleating and bellowing stopped. Bugra continued to scream and struggle like a wild animal, but soon he too fell silent. Soon, only the blowing of the wind and the crackling of the flames remained in the valley.

  Nene cursed the Evil One through gritted teeth. She attempted to shake off her attackers, and most of them simply flew away or dropped to the ground. The insects went back to hiding among the blades of grass, the sparrows hopped in the meadow, heading towards Maria and Nila, as if they had suddenly returned themselves, innocuous, harmless little birds.

  She was able to breathe again. She was hurting everywhere, but she managed to get on all fours. She looked in Adanara's direction and saw that she was unharmed, as was Kora. Behind her, for several metres, a trail of blood and bird corpses was following her, a gruesome vision so absurd that it made her doubt she was awake.

  In the distance, Bugra was surrounded by goats, fawns and snakes, but they were ignoring him. They had become docile again, even catatonic. They intensely observed Maria in despair. The man, visibly battered, was holding his side with his free hand. His sword was lost, and he was wielding an axe with which he had continued to fight even when disarmed. He was panting deeply, probably pleased, if confused, that he had been granted a reprieve.

  ?Mother!?, Maria screamed again. ?Moooootheeeeer!!!?

  Ifeo came next to her together with Guaz. The fawn rubbed its head against its master but was ignored.

  Whatever was happening, it was buying enough time. The flames set by Kora and Adanara were uncontainable. They were spreading across the rafflesia field without even needing the help of the wind anymore and were about to reach the tree.

  ?I'm sorry, Maria?, Nila said. ?I'm so sorry…?

  The little girl buried her face in Nila’s lap. Ifeo tried again consoling her. All the animals had gathered around her. Nila looked at them fearfully, but no one seemed to be hostile, not anymore. Nene struggled to her feet. She picked up her sword from the ground and sheathed it. She took a step towards Nila. The sparrows stepped aside. It was a surreal sight. The crater was being devoured by flames, while the entire population of the forest was gathered around young Maria, silently admiring her inconsolable crying.

  ?What now??, Adanara asked.

  ?The witch is in the tree, she can no longer escape?, Kora said. ?Now we wait?

  ?But... She will burn to death...?

  Kora's silence was answer enough. Adanara still hoped to help Arianna, the Saint who had inspired her, as well as her father, to look for an alternative, a different way of healing the damned than the Archangel’s, the one practised by the Inquisition. Nene joined her and watched the flames at her side. There was something tragic in that ocean of ??fire, the columns of acrid smoke that distorted the light of the Vesper. The most famous legend of the Church, the most loved and feared Saint of all time, was turning to ashes before the eyes of her daughter, who screamed and called for her mother surrounded by her subjects.

  The earth shook. The shock was so violent that Nene had to hold on to Adanara to keep from falling. The animals ran in every direction in a panic. The birds flew towards the ridges, while the others, little by little, funneled towards the entrance they had come from. Some goats lost their way and tried in vain to climb the steep walls of the crater, tumbling to the ground with each failed attempt. Such was their fear, however, that they showed no signs of giving up, and repeated the process until exhaustion. Fire caressed the ceratonia tree. Its leaves began to burn. Nene thought she could make out the sinister glow of Arianna's eyes among the blanket of smoke and flames.

  A scream pierced the air. An inhuman and suffering cry, as sharp as a creak. The earth shook again. The surviving rafflesia plants and tendrils floated upward. The ground rose and smothered some parts of the fire. A stench even more foetid than that of the hideous flowers spread. Something was emerging from underground.

  ?We… have to… leave…?, Adanara stammered in a trembling voice.

  ?I have to find her heart?, Nene replied.

  ?Shit!?, the witch cursed.

  Nene ignored her. Her attention was caught by the cracks in the earth. A foetid mass was pushing its way to the surface, held back by the web of tendrils and rafflesias. The fire had damaged the plants enough, and the thing gradually managed to tear apart its prison. There were hind legs of a fawn, other undefined limbs, faces, snouts, beaks, roots and even rocks, walls and windows…

  The stench of decay was unfathomably intense. The flames were almost extinguished, suffocated by the dirt that was being poured over them as that entity rose. The tree also began to rise, pushed from below by a mountain of rotting bodies, merged with one another in an amorphous aberration, made of all of Arianna's attendants, the damned who had come to seek salvation in her, the animals and plants from the forest, even her church.

  A misshapen tower of rotting flesh rose more than thirty metres tall, topped by the ceratonia. From the crack in the tree, Arianna finally dared to come out into the open. The upper part of her slender body lay slumped, as if lifeless, in the light of the Vesper. Right below her, the Multitude of corpses was merged with the bell tower of her ancient church, similar to an arrow that had pierced the beast's neck. All around that central "body" other protuberances composed of death and putrefaction were unfolding, a series of tumours and parasites clinging to each other, pulsating and rotting, moving in unison, crawling clumsily. The individual bodies were mostly reduced to an indistinguishable mass, a molten mush, piled on top of each other, but some still retained distinguishable features, and moved independently, weak, dying. Some even moaned softly in pain.

  Nene was shaking. The thing was as big as the entire Conclave, and Arianna was sitting on top of it, unreachable. It was a terrible vision, hallucinating and more foul than she could ever have imagined.

  Not even the Evil One could be crazy enough to conceive something like that on purpose. Adanara crumbled next to her, equally shocked. The sight of the Multitude would have been too much for anyone, even for Geiserich, mad with love for the Saint. Even for Maria, who showed no signs of stopping screaming and calling for her mother.

  The Multitude emerged from the ground in all its enormous mass. The central body was surrounded by at least six protuberances on the lower part, which moved like clumsy crawling legs. Its every movement caused screams of pain from its members, the unfortunate bodies in contact with the ground were crushed and shattered so that the thing could budge. It crawled towards Nene and Adanara, slow yet unstoppable. One of the protuberances rose from the ground, spilling dirt and dripping blood and other disgusting fluids. It was ready to fall on them, with all its weight.

  Nene ignored her emotions. She suppressed her fear and dismay and focused on surviving. She grabbed Adanara by the arm.

  ?Get out of here!?, she shouted.

  The witch stared at her for a moment, completely lost. Finally, she sprang to her feet and they ran. The abomination's mighty limb crashed behind them. It shook the earth and raised a chorus of anguished cries. Splashes of something whose origin was better to ignore reached Nene's back. The stench assaulted their nostrils and almost took their breath away. Screams, tremors and the smell made it difficult to even run and think. Nila dragged Maria away, while Bugra, paralyzed by despair, looking upwards, was admiring the nightmare that was unfolding before his eyes.

  ?Run!?, Nene shouted.

  Her voice shook the hunter from his state of terror. He looked at her with glassy eyes and trembling lips.

  ?Where is Kora??, he asked.

  Nene stopped suddenly. Adanara noticed only after running a few more metres and did the same.

  ?What are you doing? Get away!?, she urged her.

  ?Kora… her son is among them! She won't…?

  The light of the Vesper flickered, like a flame shaken by the wind. Nene felt an intense pain in her belly, so strong that it made her moan and collapse to the ground, on her knees. She watched the crawling monstrosity slowly advance towards her. They were far enough away to be safe for the time being, but she couldn't waste any time. Yet the protection of the Archangel was hindering her, reacting with rare violence. She knew exactly what it meant, she was sure it would have happened sooner or later. The Evil One had led her there, and it certainly wouldn't stay idle forever. Whatever its plan was, it would make sure to see its final act through.

  A wish had been made upon the Evil One. A pact had been signed. A foul witch was being born. One of Nene's greatest fears was becoming reality before her, so frightening that it rivalled the horror of the Multitude itself.

  ***

  A deep roar echoed through the cave, shaking its walls. The voices of the damned were crushed beneath that deafening war cry. A crash echoed near the main body of the Multitude. The being lost its balance and began its slow and disastrous fall on its side. Its mass behaved similar to a dense fluid, and readjusted part of its shape in an attempt to hold itself up, to keep Arianna up high and safe.

  A pair of thick white membranes burst open amidst the chaos. Hidden behind one of the Multitude's protuberances, a new horror stirred and attacked the beast. An enormous scaly paw equipped with thick claws dug into the rotting flesh with ease. Above it rose a long, tapered reptilian snout, with magnificent branching horns, atop a serpentine neck covered in white scales that faded to brown towards its body. Its back was covered in transparent filaments similar to those of Salisander, and they moved like antennas with equal frenzy. The slender body, compared to that of Warden Moka, culminated in a long tail bristling with thorns.

  The dragon was immense and majestic, yet it could not compete with the Multitude in size, not even half as tall and decidedly less massive, but it surpassed it in agility and violence. While the monstrous mass still attempted to stand and launch a counterattack, the dragon flapped its wings.

  ?Kora??, Adanara stammered in disbelief.

  The dragon leapt, took flight threw itself against Arianna's tree. The Multitude tried to envelop it, closing in on itself like a carnivorous plant that had captured its prey.

  ?I have to find the heart!?, Nene shouted. ?Kora can attack them as much as she wants, they will never die as long as Arianna's heart beats!?

  ?How do we find a single heart in the midst of… that?!?

  ?We need to wear it out?, Bugra intervened, having reached their side. ?Like a big game. Let's force it to the ground?

  ?Do you want to fight that thing?!?

  ?I’m not sitting here while Tuatha claims all the glory!?, the man shouted. ?Come on, Inquisitor!?

  Without waiting for a response, the man charged, raising his axe in the air like a madman.

  The dragon roared and wiggled, ripping through the Multitude's fragile, soggy body. It stretched and twisted its sinuous neck until it could point its snout toward the ceratonia tree. It opened its jaws wide and snapped them, emitting sparks. Afterwards, it released a flaming breath, reminiscent of the fire that had devastated the rafflesia garden shortly before. Arianna's hideout caught fire in an instant, and the Multitude stirred with movements more abrupt and violent than ever. A mighty blow from the horrific creature hit Kora on the back. She roared and collapsed against her opponent.

  ?How...?, Adanara stammered, terrified. ?How can I help??

  Nene stared at her in dismay. She was shaking like a leaf, yet she was waiting for her command. She took a breath and a moment to think. She pointed to the tree.

  ?I think it’s trying to protect Arianna. If you fan the flames, it will be busy with them, rather than fighting Kora?

  ?It'll take it out on me, then!?, the witch screamed. ?Fine! It's fine! You’re all fucking nuts!?

  Her sarcasm was welcome for once. It was madness, but having her friends fighting between life and death erased any doubts from Nene’s mind. As dangerous as it was, as scared as she was, she wanted to fight alongside them, and so did Adanara.

  ?I'm counting on you?, she said, and lunged forward.

  The witch continued to curse behind her back, but soon a breeze blew. Bugra reached the feet of the abomination. Axe in hand, he began to climb the mountain of putrid flesh using his weapon. The limbs of the damned tried to cling to him, but he rejected them ferociously. Nene had no idea what his plan was, if he had one at all. In contrast to Bugra, she had a much less heroic, but vital role to play. There was no hope of finding Arianna's heart by randomly stabbing that foetid mass, but she could distract the creature with her silver. Once the Multitude was exhausted, she could search for the heart more easily. The blessing of the Archangel should have reacted if she had approached the soul of the Saint, corrupted a century since. She reached for one of the thing's smaller protuberances. The faces embedded in the blob stared at her, the legs and tails wagged as if to chase her away. The bodies that still had mouths screamed and moaned.

  She took the cross and stuck it on what looked like a human face. The Multitude began to boil at the contact, like soup in a cauldron. Bodies nearby flailed and shook violently. They screamed desperately and tried to hit her with weak movements of their thin arms and paws. Nene watched in horror as the face she had struck retreated into the depths of her body. At that moment she was allowed to take a look inside the creature, where bodies fused with each other, organs and blood vessels of different members of the Multitude intertwined, unified into a single deformed organism.

  ?The Vesper?

  A sudden, intrusive thought made her shiver. The bodies became even more agitated, almost as if they too were sensitive to the presence of the Evil One, and terrified of it more than they were of silver.

  ?The Vesper?, insisted the Evil One. ?Bring it below the Vesper?

  ?Do you want me to bait Arianna below the Vesper? Why??

  ?Let's free her. Together?

  It was insanity. She had led her friends into that cave, into that battle following the advice of the Evil One. Was she really about to trust it one more time? She looked at the pale star that illuminated the cave and sighed.

  ?If I do as you say, will you set Kora free when it's all over??

  ?Is this your price??

  ?I'm not signing a contract with you. You said we'll free the Saint together, so we're equal?

  ?Agreed?

  ?Good. Now, how did I get her there??

  ?They hold a grudge. Towards me. Everyone in here hates me?

  ?Is this why they react to your symbol??

  The Evil One did not respond. Its intrusive presence disappeared an instant before the Vesper began to shine with greater intensity.

  ?So be it?, she sighed. ?I'll be bait. Again?

  A crash alerted her that Kora was still fighting the Multitude. Bugra had disappeared from her field of vision, and the tree was completely engulfed in flames. Horrific masses of bodies were trying to rise from the bulk of the Multitude to reach the foliage, perhaps hoping to extinguish the fire. The Vesper shone above the spot where the tree used to be, before the Multitude lifted it away. While fighting with Kora, the immense abomination had tumbled far from its underground bed. Nene had to cross dozens of metres of collapsed ground, deep ditches bristling with what remained of the web of vines of that garden. One misstep would have cost her dearly, she would have been trapped down there, probably crushed, submerged and absorbed by the Multitude. She gulped, scared at the idea of ??joining that chorus of moans, that mass of senseless bodies who were doing nothing but clinging to a false hope of salvation. She hid the cross safely among her battered clothes and prepared to run.