Telos's vision was still obscured, but not completely. His breathing was somehow obstructed, and his dry lips touched the damp ground.
Using force with his left arm, he turned his body over and lay down, facing the canopy of the dead trees, through which daylight filtered.
Telos bit hard on his lower lip, which was stained with forest soil. Due to the dryness, blood flowed from his lip, but it didn't matter to him.
The mark on his chest glowed slightly, and with it, his body warmed, healing the dozens of mortal wounds Telos had suffered. Yet, he didn't feel them.
He raised his right hand in a closed fist and struck the forest floor. Telos tried to quell his rage repeatedly, but he couldn't; each time he did, his anger grew.
His body was full of vitality, but he didn't want it; he would rather have been devoured by bats.
After finally being able to make his own decisions and pursue his path after years of suffering, Telos was once again chained, once again the slave of another. Once again, Telos had to submit to the will of another.
Telos stopped and covered his eyes with his other hand. Gritted his teeth, but after a few seconds relaxed. The red color of his eyes turned slightly darker, filling with resentment.
He stayed still for a long moment, thoughtfully.
Letting out a sigh, Telos stood up, picking up his sword that was lying on the ground, covered in dirt.
Also, cleaning the dirt off his body, glanced behind him.
The dry trees ended, and a small cave absorbed a few rays of the sun.
Telos walked.
Nothing tried to attack him. With an imperturbable calm in the forest, Telos reached the cave without having to fight for his life. Without a doubt, the young man entered the cave.
In front of him, stalactites were dripping constantly, and the sound of a cold breeze blowing against them. Behind him, the last rays of sunlight that managed to filter into the cave warmed his back slightly.
He continued walking towards the interior, the cave becoming colder and colder. He continued walking, and on both walls of the cave, holes and cut marks became visible.
At this point, sunlight was only visible from a distance, yet the depth of the cave seemed limitless.
Even so, Telos continued.
Every step he took caused the creaking of his footsteps to echo between the walls, constantly revealing his position.
The sound of the drops hitting the ground increased the tension, and the drops that occasionally fell on Telos made him raise his sword in response.
Small stones moved in front of him. Telos stopped and pointed his sword.
The cold breeze gently hit Telos' face. However, he did not let his guard down.
Then, something began to slither on the ground, something small.
A little snake moved towards him. Telos lifted his leg to crush it, and then, a shiver ran through his body.
The stones shook, and the walls seemed to give way to what was coming. No... it didn't come, but was already there, opening its enormous jaws to devour Telos.
He had no time to react or defend himself, it seemed that shortly after experiencing death, Telos was close to experiencing it again, this time forever…
Telos felt something on his shoulder, which pulled him hard.
The next thing he saw was the multiple fangs of a huge worm stuck in the place where he had been. Telos watched everything from... inside another cave? Or rather, one of the holes in the cave walls.
He looked behind quickly, trying to determine if what had dragged him was an ally or a creature ready to devour him.
Seemed to be… the first option, luckily.
"I'm glad you're alive and all... But there are more important things to talk about."
Colonel Jack muttered, turning his back and walking into the depths.
Telos mentally thanked the colonel for not invading him with dozens of questions he didn't want to answer right now. He didn't feel like it, and just thinking about it filled him with rage.
Silently, he followed Jack.
The passage wasn't long, but it was uncomfortable, especially for Telos, who constantly had the colonel in front of him…
Finally, they arrived at a place where the hole widened, there were Elora and Lisa, who raised their guard for a moment before realizing it was them. Strangely, some holes in the wall let air in and a blue light.
Colonel Jack tried to settle down on the rough cave floor and let out a sigh.
"I have no idea how you survived and why you came out with fewer injuries than the rest of us, but I'm glad you did."
Both young women nodded.
"However, we are in a situation where we cannot be happy that you survived either."
He looked down sadly, his eyes narrowed.
"Now that we've been here for a couple of days, we know the real reason you decided to leave camp. Although we don't fully understand it, we should exchange information."
Telos frowned and asked, his voice full of confusion:
"What do you mean by a couple of days?"
The colonel glanced at him for a couple of seconds and then looked away again.
"I don't know what state you were in in the forest, but we've been holed up in this cave for two days, avoiding being noticed. I was at the beginning of the hole, waiting for you to pass through and thus avoiding detection by that worm. And those two, however, had it tougher…"
It was clear what he meant by a couple of days; the colonel couldn't explain any further. Telos's question was actually due to his surprise at having been there for two days without being devoured by some passing creature.
Telos let out a sigh.
"Whatever… I guess you now know that Lieutenants are not what they should be."
The three nodded.
"They brainwashed us all. Not just once, but every time they killed someone, they brainwashed us again."
He made a pause.
"I don't know why they were killing one by one, but thanks to that, I realized in time and was able to think of something. However, to escape, I had to leave people at the camp, and at the same time, I needed strong people to help me get through."
Colonel Jack frowned.
"With that actuation, you would most likely have gone in alone."
Telos looked at him.
"You're wrong. I knew that you three were going to come with me."
The colonel's gaze turned fierce.
"How?"
Telos shrugged.
"You're so upright, so you'd rather die than let me go in alone, because you'd think it was your fault. Elora has simply distrusted me from the moment she saw me. To fuel that distrust, I walked over to her side, trusting and seemingly pretentious. And Lisa should know better."
No one spoke, forcing Telos to say the reason for the latter one.
"The brainwashing was due to the fire. But more importantly, it was the stew prepared over it. Lisa arrived at camp after me, so she couldn't have eaten, and by sending her away from the fire, the brainwashing wouldn't work."
Jack gulped and asked.
"But... as I recall, didn't Lisa come in later to hear your plan?"
The young man sighed.
"Yes. But upon hearing my plan, she left without hope and walked back to her old position."
Silence filled the cave, the three of them casting dubious glances toward Telos. However, he was the one who broke the silence.
"Now… Say your information."
This time, Elora was the one who talked.
"The Lieutenants are followers of Azaroth, the demon of bodies. Although, well, the Lieutenants are simple puppets controlled by creatures, which are the followers."
Telos brought his hand to his chin.
'That is why I was able to get out of the brainwash... because they are creatures too'
Elora continued:
"This blue light you see is coming from the shrine where the vessel of Azaroth and... all our former companions are kept. They seem to be going through the process of changing, where a creature takes over their body."
Telos seemed to understand everything, except…
"Who exactly is Azaroth?"
The three looked at each other in confusion.
Telos added:
"I mean, you said it's the demon of bodies, but what exactly does it mean? I've never heard of a creature with a name…"
Colonel Jack said with a confused voice.
"Demons are also known in the suburbs. These are popular stories; in fact, they've been known for hundreds of years…"
Telos showed no signs of knowing what they were about, so Elora said:
"As the colonel said, hundreds of years ago, creatures had invaded this planet, although they arrived differently and with less difficulty. However, the creatures were led by the will of the seven great demons, who were also trying to enter this planet."
She made a pause and sighed.
"However, although the humans of that time stopped them, they could not prevent the influence of the demons from growing. With time and the partial breaking of the seal of the abyss, the demons are now able to pour a part of their power into vessels..."
Colonel Jack added:
"Their power is growing every time the seal is opened, so if we don't arrive in time, the demons will completely invade this planet."