Plamus' corpse was floating face down in the water, his red blood mixed with the magical orange liquid, and the bit of turquoise that was already showing, as its effects waned.
Colour was quickly draining from his skin, his muscular build shrunk, while his limbs formed wrinkles.
The tips of his black hair as well as his streaks of purple looked to be rapidly aging, turning grey and closing in on his scalp.
Frey struggled but ultimately failed to remove his eyes from the dagger in Plamus' back, the faint pulsing of the inscriptions that adorned the weapon pulled him in.
Plamus' veins darkened and split like branches on a tree, fresh blood had since stopped pouring out of his body, rather, it appeared to be flowing in reverse!
The warriors couldn't afford to wait any longer, the only thing that kept their guts from spilling out through the wounds on their stomachs was the remaining strength in their hands and arms.
Some had it even worse, and were completely unresponsive, they stared at the ceiling, while their gods' pearly gates had already appeared in their sights.
One by one they stepped into the water, their tense muscles eased from the comforting warmth of the lake, all the blood made it harder to discern the bodies and their ailments.
Goosebumps settled on Marquis Gomon's skin, the mood had shifted, the warriors relaxed, knowing that their wounds were about to be healed, but even the other rank three mages had grown nonchalant, like the crowd of monsters that surrounded them was no longer there.
The loud beating of the heart should be pulling them right back to reality, they weren't safe yet, but worst of all were Frey and Reyna, both of whom had their eyes glued to the blood-filled lake.
A sense of unrest and an unknown urgency gripped him, 'What is it? What am I missing?'
His eyes darted back and forth, he racked his brain trying to notice the detail that eluded him, that common thing the two were utterly engrossed in!
"Hey, you've gotten really quiet, is everything alright?" a member of the church knelt next to the lake, shaking the shoulder from one of the injured, but all he got in return was an incoherent growl.
The clergyman scowled, he reached for the submerged arm of the injured person, then pulled it out, and though he wasn't expecting them to make a full recovery in such a short time, the flesh didn't look like it had mended at all, there was no progress to speak of.
He turned to Frey, but bit his tongue, he hesitated to ask, they were informed of the limited effect, but had it dried up so soon?
'Forgive me… there is nothing I can do…' he clasped his hands to pray; he yearned to cast a miracle, to heal their wounds on the spot, but nothing happened, as if- as if the very gods had revoked his ability!
He shook his head, a dreadful thought he wanted to ignore.
Doubting the gods felt like a crime, blasphemy, but what other possibility was there?
Space may separate them, but their gods should be strong enough to transcend the border between planes of existence!
"Excuse me." the clergyman got up and leaned towards Marquis Gomon, who nearly jumped in surprise, his thoughts were in disarray, he blinked in quick succession, as he tore himself away from his thoughts.
"Excuse me, Marquis, but I think there is something wrong with the water. Maybe the healing effect is already gone?" he whispered, somewhat afraid that Kassan could overhear him, and start to worry.
Marquis Gomon recoiled as he looked at the man, "What… happened to your arm?"
"My arm?" the man of faith lifted it in confusion, "There is nothing wrong with my-" he gagged, and covered his mouth with his other hand.
He had felt no difference, but what he was seeing looked like rotten flesh one would only find on a long dead body.
"What did you do?" Marquis Gomon pressed the man for an answer.
Stammering and heavy breathing ensued, the clergyman was tongue-tied, he recalled every step he took, everything his hand touched, "...the water, the warrior..." he turned towards them.
Marquis Gomon raised his hand, "Everyone out! Pull them out of the water! NOW!"
The remainder of their group exchanged glances full of bewilderment, the first to react wasn't among the humans, but the locals.
Several of the rank three monsters launched themselves at the lake!
Daren's heart dropped, no one could stop them in time, not when they had let their guards down.
But why would they choose to attack now, wasn't Frey in control of them?
He tried to conjure a spell, but frowned, there were still no particles for him to use, his efforts were wasted.
The creatures sailed through the air, they were bound for the same spot, but when they passed over the edge of the lake, their bodies were blasted with dark magic the size of fists.
Holes appeared on their heads, bodies, and limbs, they fell out of the sky, and landed amongst the injured, only to be swallowed up by the pool of blood, where they vanished beneath the liquid as it blackened.
Tendril like lines slithered on the surface, they came from Plamus' corpse, which alternated between a shrivelling mess, and perfectly healthy skin...
"Back up!" Kassan shouted an order to his followers as they were frozen by fear, an oppressive feeling was pouring out of the lake's direction, but it wasn't just them who felt this, even the large vines and the flower-woman reacted.
Her many petals shielded Frey's front, until she wrapped her arm around his waist to pull him back, while the vine rescued Marv.
The locals growled, they were wary of this new presence.
"Ah." Plamus inhaled sharply, followed by a flurry of coughing, his body emerged from all the blood, while the injured were sinking farther and farther.
He took breaths in quick succession, his eyes regained focus as he frantically looked around himself, all sense of direction was gone for the moment.
Reyna was overcome with dread; she was sure that the dagger had struck deep enough to kill... then why was he alive?
Plamus sluggishly stumbled out of the lake, the dark tendrils receded from the water and returned to him, blood dripped down his clothes, fingers and hair.
Reyna gasped, the wound on his stomach, it was gone, fully healed, but in its stead pitch black lines spread under his skin, likely veins, but they were wriggling like a living organism.
The creaking of bones tormented the humans' ears with each of Plamus' steps, his breathing was erratic, his hand trembled.
"Rey... na... what... happened?" he stopped to take breaths in between his speech; his words were slurred and hard to understand if one wasn't focusing.
Reyna flinched, 'Does he not remember?' she shuddered, the man she murdered had come back to life, with the only saving grace being his lack of memory of her betrayal.
She looked to the other rank three mages in hopes of assistance, she was feeling overwhelmed, all rational thoughts were drowned out.
"Plamus? Are you alright?" Marquis Gomon narrowed his eyes.
Plamus' entire body shifted, he lacked the necessary control over his muscles to turn just his head, forcing him to manoeuvre in strange ways.
"Marquis why-... when I look at you..." he swallowed, "Do I feel... an itch?"
"An itch?" Marquis Gomon folded his hands behind his back, hiding his fiddling from Plamus' eyes.
"Yes... in here..." he dragged his arm to his skull, to point his finger at his forehead, "An itchy feeling... I can't scratch." then he lowered it and pointed to his chest, "And right here... a throbbing... something pulsing... not my heart." his speech stabilized, but his voice increased in fervour.
"Well, I wonder..." Gomon spoke, hardly paying attention to what he was hearing.
The water behind Plamus moved on its own, silently it rose out of the pit, when Plamus clutched his head, his face contorted in agony, his teeth clashed, until a chilling howl escaped him!
He fell to his knees, he pulled on his hair and scratched his skin open, trying to lessen the feeling that was driving him insane!
Plamus' shouting birthed one shockwave after the other, the spell Marquis Gomon was conjuring burst apart, he staggered backwards, clutching his chest.
Plamus lowered his head, then slammed it into the crystal ground before him, again, and again.
"STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" he screamed, his voice was filled with desperation, it was shaky, tears streamed down his cheeks, glassy shards were stuck in his forehead.
The remaining survivors distanced themselves from him, fear spread in their ranks, even the likes of Kassan, Winny, and Marquis Gomon were unsettled...
Plamus was a rank three mage, young, but came from a family that could afford to employ experienced mages of the same rank as tutors, his skills were nothing to scoff at, he should be dead, but was most definitely alive, he returned, and his aura wasn't quite the same as before, it felt distorted... unpredictable... stronger...
Reyna's fingers twitched uncontrollably, she looked at Frey, that feeling of control over her own life, which she had experienced for the first time in forever after arriving in this plane, it was slipping away, like grains of sand leaving her grasp, no matter how tight she gripped them.
'What kind of artefact has Aventia been hiding away?!' she could do little besides lamenting her decision to use it to deliver the killing blow to Plamus.
Plamus' outbursts came to an end, his head lifted off the ground, and his eyes depicted clarity.
Darkness coiled around him, his breathing stabilised, and he stood up straight.
"Prepare to kill." Gomon whispered into Kassan's ear, who was missing a lot of details, but it was abundantly clear from what he was sensing, that they were in grave danger.
Plamus nodded his head, slow, deliberate, "It's all… coming back to me." he drove his hand through his hair, "You betrayed me… Reyna." he scoffed, "I should have... expected it..."
Reyna took a step back, her heart was racing, sweat beads ran down her back- terror- she was experiencing sheer terror.
He took a long breath, then exhaled black smoke, he broke out into a coughing fit, blood shooting out of his nostrils and mouth.
Plamus wiped his mouth once it was over, "No matter... I'll deal with you later."
"It is not too late if we end things here, we are all humans, we shouldn't be pitting ourselves against each other!" Kassan spoke up, but he couldn't see the look of ridicule Plamus returned.
"Save it… you've had your chance." Plamus locked eyes with Marquis Gomon, while Daren hurried to evacuate the survivors, he was powerless to intervene, it was the only thing he could help with at this point.
The rhythmic beating of the giant heart was speeding up, the thumps varied in intensity, and even the pace was growing irregular.
Frey touched the vine, immediately visions assaulted his senses, visions of wilting plants, rivers drying up, locals falling without putting up any resistance; he gasped for air, it felt suffocating.
Was it a premonition?
The locals resumed their charge, they were practically throwing themselves at Plamus, and only him, ignoring all the other humans in the process.
One by one they crashed into his barrier, but he was dispatching them at the same rate, vertical cuts shot through the rank three monsters, culling their numbers with indescribable ease... a power that went beyond all reason, even with Plamus' abundant reserves of particles.
His defences held strong... more than that, he was the one driving them back!
Frey winced from all their deaths, but he felt there was only one way to put an end to this madness...
The locals changed their strategy, suddenly gaining a sense of order, instead of running at Plamus head-on, they split up to overwhelm him from all sides.
Plamus' attention was being stretched thin, his face didn't show it, but managing this many targets at once would wear anyone down.
Then the vines descended upon him, his barrier flashed purple from the impact and repelled the first volley.
"You may not need big flashy spells for everything... but sometimes, they are appropriate." Marquis Gomon murmured as he raised his hands; blue particles were drained from the lake; they gathered into a bowl above Plamus, then came falling down.
The spell took the shape of a blue sea-giant, a monstrously large but teethless maw, gills behind its head, and the rest formed into a tail, that pushed against the air, to propel itself downwards.
It engulfed Plamus and several locals, then snapped shut.
"Stop gawking already! You think this is enough to kill him?!" Marquis Gomon shouted at Kassan, "You can't get through to him, he doesn't want a peaceful solution!"
Kassan's face was expressionless, turned to the lake of blood, but his fists tightened, his nails digging into his skin, the veins along his hand and arm bulged.
There wasn't an ounce of life left to be felt from those that entered the water...
The sea-giant struggled to swallow its meal, it was thrashing, tightly biting down, when tiny holes were pricked open across its surface, allowing floods of energy to be released!
New holes popped up every few seconds, until Marquis Gomon's spell trembled, and ruptured.
Gomon reached for his scalp, as a splitting headache nearly forced him to his knees; the sea-creature was torn apart down the middle, leaving behind just one exhausted looking Plamus.
His back was hunched, his arms hung low, next to him lay puddles of green liquid, the remains of the locals after taking on the attack.
"Plamus." Kassan said, a formless weight behind his words, "There is no redemption, no forgiveness for the crimes you've committed."
He shook his head, "Killing someone with your talent is a shame like no other, humanity could use your skills... but not only do you refuse to aid us, you purposefully chose to abuse your power, your position, and finally, you disregarded the sanctity that each human life represents and sacrificed them for your selfish gains."
Kassan's fists opened, "As His Royal Highness' loyal subject, and faithful executioner, it is my responsibility to put an end to this farce and restore order. May your spirit find the peace your soul never did."
Kassan reached for the lake, and bright particles heeded his call, they gathered in his palm, more and more arrived to fill the empty spaces.
Using his will, he was actively shaping them to suit his needs, turning them into a plain, but shining long-sword.
He lifted it above his head, then swung down; a yellow slash was unleashed, carving through the air, leaving behind a shimmering glint wherever it passed.
Plamus stood in place, his legs refused to budge, the slash struck, his body distorted, space was pulled into his ribcage, but when the strike finished moving through his torso and left, it returned to normalcy, a trick of the light?
Plamus fell to his knees, blood streamed out of the corners of his closed mouth, the look in his eyes was distant.
The dark veins beneath his skin were squirming, spasming, contracting and releasing, a parasite's final struggle.
Blood-red fumes poured out of his pores, his flesh dried up, bones were instantly visible.
Reyna felt light-headed, danger had passed, but when she looked at Plamus' exposed back, at the dagger she had struck into him, she could not shake that sense of fear at her very core.
The fight was over, yet the locals kept surrounding Plamus, their sharpened claws at the ready to punce, "Frey! What are you doing?" Daren looked at him.
Frey raised his hands in innocence, "I am not doing anything!" but standing next to the flower-woman wasn't helping his defence.
Kassan tried to step forward, but was met with a hand pressing against his chest, keeping him back, "Huh? Marquis?"
"Don't intervene." Gomon spoke, "Like you said, 'no forgiveness', stick with your judgement. When people forget, then you need to make an example to remind them who is in charge. You are young, take some advice from this old man."
"...young?" Kassan mumbled.
The locals encircled Plamus, like a group of vultures preying on a fresh carcass, no one lifted a finger to interfere, he had turned all the humans present against him.
None would voice their thoughts, but they were secretly glad it had come to this… their treatment under Plamus was a very fresh and recent memory, the pain of the hunger, and their eagerness to compete with another, to outlive their allies, it would die with him.
Reyna, above all, sighed in relief, once they returned home, they'll likely place the blame solely on her for his death, but she was content with that, especially since it would mean her family would suffer from the repercussions…
With a screech the closest beast winded up a strike using its claws; Plamus could merely kneel in front of them, all his strength was drained, his limbs unresponsive, and his mind slipping in and out of unconsciousness.
The only thing he could feel, was an intense pressure weighing on his organs, like icy cold hands wrapping around and entangling them.
Without hesitation or mercy, the claw approached him, it carved into his flesh, there was no blood left to spill, but it only created a surface level wound.
Plamus' attacker, and all the other locals that surrounded him froze in place, each of them had a black tendril attached to their skull, that originated from his back!
A heartbeat later, and all of their vitality was siphoned from them, leaving behind empty husks that fell to the ground.
Plamus inhaled loudly, control over his body returned to him, the power he had quickly gained and lost returned severalfold, his aura spiked, the air around him trembled from his presence alone.
He pushed to his feet, cracks formed where stood… it felt like a second chance at life.