Water dripped from the ceiling, the cold clinging to the air inside the tunnel. The group walked on, their boots splashing through the puddles on the ground.

  Hana raised her hand, signaling the group to stop, then peered around a bend where a Wraith patrolled.

  "Is that the only way in?" Carol murmured.

  "Unfortunately, yes," Hana replied.

  But Revir didn't hesitate. He burst forward, rushing straight toward the Wraiths on his own. The group watched in shock as the Wraiths, noticing his presence, immediately responded with a spectral attack. Revir leaped above them, descending and striking the ground with his axes. The Wraiths were instantly vaporized.

  "W-why did you do that?!" Noire exclaimed, disbelief etched on his face.

  "It's much faster than standing around planning," Revir replied with a dismissive smile, turning his gaze away. "The monster breakdown is almost here, and we can't afford to waste more time, am I right, Miss Hana?"

  "Y-yeah. You're right."

  Noire, frustrated by the recklessness but unable to argue the result, decided to let it go for now.

  Without another word, they followed the path deeper into the tunnel.

  The silence became tense, leaving a cloud of concern as they crept closer to the source of the sudden breakdown.

  When they arrived at the center of the tunnel, they froze. Before them stood an incomplete Zarikh-a Lich-wearing the familiar clothes of a man from Carol's past. He was one of the Margias who'd joined the hunt, a culprit who'd burned her village and shattered her childhood.

  Carol only smiled with a sinister grin, her gaze locked on the Lich with malicious intent. Her grip tightened on her sword, and Dark Ender slowly corrupted the blade, causing thin cracks to spread as her power surged.

  She tried to walk forward, but Hana gently gripped her shoulder, trying to snap her out of reality.

  "What are you doing, Carol?" Hana asked, her expression showing genuine concern.

  But the whisper returned, worsening Carol's situation. (We've finally found it. That Margias, who's working with that Holder!)

  She giggled, a tone of grim fun and happiness in her voice. "Yeah. It really is."

  Everyone was confused but scared as Carol talked to someone who wasn't there.

  (This feeling... Is she finally losing control?) Hana's expression hardened. (No. It's too early for that.) She quickly morphed her wand back into the Neraca, using a burst of her purification spell to rip the dark Ender's grasp from Carol.

  Thankfully, it worked, though Hana immediately stumbled, nearly collapsing in exhaustion.

  Saria, panicking, caught her, a cold sweat of nervousness and concern on her forehead.

  Hana noticed Saria's action and smiled. "Oh, Saria. How sweet of you to take care of me." Despite her exhaustion, she stood firm. "Seems like I used a little too much energy dispelling that Dark Ender of yours, Carol."

  "Dark Ender? Y-you know about it?" Carol said, shocked in disbelief.

  "The truth may hurt, but we don't have time for that now."

  The Lich noticed their presence and immediately pulled out its staff, summoning more Wraiths out of the ground. Its gaze locked onto Carol, fixed on its only lingering purpose: hunting down its old prey for the sake of power, even in death.

  With the stage set, both sides charged forward.

  The man finished observing the impact crater left by Revir's axes. He was completely unfazed.

  "Hmm, his power hasn't changed at all," the man muttered, brushing rock dust from the tunnel floor where Revir's attack had struck. "As expected, still galloping on that forced dream."

  He looked down the path, hearing the faint clash of weapons echoing from the group ahead.

  "Well, that sounds interesting. I wonder if he's still struggling like always."

  Tossing his cigarette onto the wet ground, he casually began walking down the tunnel path the group had taken.

  The group tried their best to dispel each Wraith that rushed toward them.

  Saria launched an arrow high, casting a spell that brought down a rain of purified arrows, vanishing the charging Wraiths.

  Hana used her light spell, making the nearest Wraiths dissolve in pain. As others lunged, Noire protected her, stomping his shield to create a vein of plant magic that pierced the Wraiths in a straight line.

  Aria swirled her sword, slashing the Wraiths closest to her. She then leaped forward, crushing the ground with a burst of flame that knocked the creatures away, with some getting burned as she commanded the flame to release a focused volley.

  Revir rushed forward, slaying Wraiths that tried to stop him, and leaped toward the Lich. He applied a forceful thrust of his axes, clashing against the Lich's staff. However, the force easily pushed him back, forcing him to land safely but retreat. The Wraiths, obeying the Lich's command, jumped in every direction, cutting off Revir's escape. He responded with a grim smile, stomping his axes so hard that a spike terrain of earth magic pierced the surrounding Wraiths.

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  Rein and Carol charged forward, dodging every enemy. Rein readied his lance, spinning it as he accelerated his movement and pierced the Wraiths with ease. His weapon then clashed on the Lich's staff. The Lich struggled against Rein’s force but gave ground, backing away. In a swift, aggressive move, Carol took the opportunity to leap above Rein, readying her own attack. The Lich saw Carol's figure and went into a rampage, transforming the tip of its staff into a sharp spear edge. Their weapons clashed, and a sinister aura, the Lich's own Dark Ender, leaked out, increasing its intensity. Carol was pushed back far above by the sudden surge. Rein, been forced by it, back away as well, realizing the force was too much to handle.

  The Lich went berserk, launching a deep, painful war cry that forced the group to cover their ears.

  "Damn it, we have to stop it!" Hana roared. "It's trying to evolve itself into a Zarikh!"

  The group felt devastated, but Carol, after landing safely, tried to charge forward again. The Dark Ender's force was too great for her to close the distance. She pushed herself, the deadly energy wounding her body and face, but she knew she mustn't kneel. She had to slay it.

  "Because of you..." The voice was a raw, agonizing whisper.

  "Huh? Did you just... talk?" Carol was confused.

  "Because of you... my family starved to death... I thought... I thought that if I joined that hunt... I could at least feed them... the money that man offered... was more than enough for them..." Its rage became even greater, making the Dark Ender's force too powerful for Carol to handle. "If you just be a good girl... and let me capture you... I can at least help my wife... my son... to have what they want."

  Carol didn't respond, her eyes widening in horror.

  "We're just a commoner... we just want to survive... You do understand that, right...?"

  "That's..."

  Revir tried to charge forward, but his legs failed him. Fear and shame rooted him to the spot. He watched Carol struggle, and a flicker of the past flashed before his eyes: the girl, fighting a group of Margias with her last bit of power, smiling at him as he was pulled away. He gripped his axes helplessly, consumed by the thought that his past failure was being repeated.

  However, in a sudden shift of events, a few large chains bound the Lich, giving Carol a moment to back down. A voice, casting a spell in an unknown language, slowly began to seal the Lich away. It released a deep war cry of pain, trying to grasp Carol in hatred before it vanished into the thin air.

  "Heh, what a disappointing skill you had, Revir."

  Revir's eyes widened in disbelief, anger instantly consuming him as he whipped his head toward the voice. "You..."

  It was the man from before, leaning against the wall casually, as if this was an everyday life to him. "Long time no see, or something like that."

  The rest of the group turned, confused by the sudden confrontation. Hana, though, only closed her eyes, maintaining a silent expression, unwilling to interrupt the awkward reunion.

  The air was clean outside the tunnel. The rain had stopped, and birds chirped in the clear sky.

  The tension was thick. Revir hadn't spoken since leaving the tunnel, nor did he bother to introduce the man walking beside him. They maintained silence until they arrived near the inn.

  "Uhm, Revir—"

  "I know, Carol. You guys go on ahead."

  Hana gently whispered into Carol's ear. "For now, let them be. I think I have a better idea who that man beside your friend is."

  "Really?" Carol whispered back.

  Hana only nodded in confirmation.

  With that, the group and Hana returned to the room, leaving Revir with the man who was casually smoking his cigarette.

  "Is that your friends?" The man snorted. "Well, atleast you have a little progress on that dream of yours."

  "Shut your damn mouth, Sir Hindrey!" Revir snapped, gripping his collar with pure fury in his eyes. "Especially you, mocking her dream like that."

  "Still following her rotten footsteps?"

  "I do, and I will never stop. Not until I manage to fulfill all her dreams."

  Hindrey slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. "Still delusional as ever, I see. I thought you might have move on from her, Revir." He casually slipped out of Revir's grasp, knocking his arm away. "That dream of hers is nothing more than an empty wish. Just face that reality, my idiot student. It will never happened. The world has already said so."

  Hindrey walked pass him, slowly leaving Revir behind. "In the end, you just walked a non existent path, leaving nothing but a shattered, false hope."

  "Rather than spouting poetic nonsense, my mentor, can you give us a ride to the Library?"

  Hindrey stopped, his head slowly turning to Revir with a hardened expression. "What are you trying to do here?"

  "I want to go back there, to reclaim what was lost to me," Revir said, clenching his hand. "I need to get that book of the Sealer."

  Hindrey laughed out loud at the absurdity of the request. "Seriously, Revir? Not only you're not potent enough for the field, you also want to bury yourself in books again? Why, exactly?"

  "One of the Calamities resides on my colleagues' territory. If I learn the spell of the Sealer, I might be able to seal it."

  Hindrey sighed in disappointment. "Even your attitude become delusional, huh. You still think you can fix anything if you just try hard enough?"

  Revir's frustration was rising, but he forcibly silenced it.

  "Hmph, if that's what your wish. Meet me at the port tomorrow morning, okay?"

  Revir didn't respond, only closing his eyes as he prepared to walk back to the inn.

  Hindrey watched his student's stubborn silence, brushed the back of his head in annoyance, and finally walked away.

  "So, what do you know about that man beside Revir?" Carol asked, leaning on the closed window, still watching Revir.

  "That man... is a Sealer," Hana said.

  The group gasped in shock, quickly followed by a rush of relief.

  "If that's the case, we have to ask him to seal the Calamities!" Rein exclaimed, happiness seizing his heart.

  "Wait," Noire interjected, trying to confirm his suspicion. "That guy seems too old to be sealing Calamities, doesn't he, Miss Hana?"

  She nodded. "Not only that, he doesn't carry his Book." Hana's voice grew serious. "A Sealer must have their own book to perform such drastic spells. Using them without it has severe consequences, such as become a Zarikh yourself, or worse, risk your own life."

  "That's... hideous," Saria whispered, genuine fear in her tone.

  "How can you be so sure that Sealer need the 'book' to perform a Seal toward the calamities?" Aria asked, wanted to know more.

  Hana only gave a smile. "You see, dear. I have an old friends that love travelling around the world. He also told me that the book is necessary for the Sealer to survive. Their magic is far different from Margias, after all," she explained. "But still, sealing a monstrous entities like the Calamities is not the walk in the park."

  "A Sealer, huh." Carol mumbled, looking back toward Revir with sympathy and concern in her gaze. "I wonder why he tried to hide that kind of identity."