The moon shines brightly despite crowds of clouds covering it, casting a silver shimmer on Auraline's cobbled streets.
Shadows danced along the quiet streets as Phill led the way without a word. Winter followed from behind, his footsteps echoing louder than they should in the still night.
He guided Phill when to take a right and when to turn left.
The pill simmered inside him, and the edges of the world began to blur.
Lights flickered oddly in his periphery — colors too sharp, too alive, almost breathing.
"Stay close," Phill muttered, glancing over his shoulder with eyes narrowed like a hawk's.
Winter nodded slowly, though a dull throb had begun pulsing behind his eyes.
A whisper curled around his mind — a voice not his, but deep inside him.
"Free me… Winter…" it hissed, low and broken, like wind slipping through dry bone.
Winter's state was unstable. He didn't look fit to run anymore, let alone fight.
Phill took a glance behind him and saw Winter collapsed on the ground.
"Aren't you young? How can you be hugging the ground like that after running a couple of miles?" he muttered, not hiding his irritation.
"I did not want to expend my energy. I'm conserving it…because there's a high chance a demon might erupt at that dude Zake's place," Phill thought to himself, sighing.
Still stubborn and unwilling to waste his energy, Phill grabbed Winter onto his back, believing somehow they could still make it through.
He stumbled once, gripping a railing as they crossed a narrow bridge over dark water, but Phill didn't stop — just kept moving across the bridge into the merchant quarter.
There, half-burnt banners flapped between leaning buildings, and market stalls creaked like tired ghosts in the wind.
Blood-orange lanterns lit their path, the glow oily and thick like syrup clinging to glass.
"Tell me everything you know about Zake," Phill said, his voice sharp as splintered glass.
"He's just a weird dude. A third-year student. Steals beetles from others," Winter replied quietly. "Just… got caught up in this mess created by me."
"Weak," the voice in his head growled. "You serve weakness. Break the leash."
Winter winced, pressing his fingers to his temple, sweat beading despite the cold night.
They turned down an alley — cramped, with moss-covered bricks and rain-slick cobbles.
"Mr. Phill," Winter said, voice trembling. "There's something inside me… it wants to be free."
"It's not supposed to talk," Phill muttered. "I guess you're having hallucinations, maybe a side effect of the pill. Try to stay focused. And… you're heavier than you look for your thin frame."
"Maybe you think I'm heavy 'cause you're just as skinny, Mr. Phill." "If you've got energy to banter, then maybe get off my back," Phill replied, almost smiling.
"I was never meant to be caged," the voice snarled — louder now, angrier than before.
Something flared behind Winter's eyes — a burst of red, heat, and memories not his.
He saw ruins. Ancient chains. Screaming voices swallowed by time.
"Where are we now? I've never been here before, I presume?" Winter gasped, stumbling again, his vision ghosted with strange symbols.
"The Sealed District," Phill replied without turning. They entered an archway carved with runes, the stone cold and humming faintly.
Here, the air was still — too still — and the scent of rust lingered in every breath.
Moss clung to the walls like rot, and silence pressed against Winter's ears.
Then a scream shattered the quiet — young, ragged, close — Zake.
The courtyard was collapsed — old temple ruins — and Zake was cornered by a beast.
The creature was built like a caterpillar with hands. Huge. Shimmering. Wrong.
Its form twisted constantly, like it couldn't hold its shape in this world for long.
"Tank?" Winter whispered, recognising the beetle's glimmer as it danced in the sky.
"Release me," the voice thundered, pain splitting Winter's skull like an axe strike.
Phill drew a dagger laced with silver runes, stepping between the boys and the demon.
"You have one chance," he said to Winter, eyes never leaving the monster.
I can help you kill that demon… and many more, the voice said. All you have to do is release me. I can give you power, boy.
"How do you know I'm a summoner?" Winter asked, chest tight.
I'm connected to every demon. And your beetle, soaked in demon blood, showed me everything about you. Fate allowed me to reach you now. The pill granted me access. I've been alone for centuries. I gave up hope… but now I have you. Release me NOW, boy, or I'll explode your mind with everything I'm feeding you.
Winter stepped forward, head pounding, mouth dry, and called out to Zake through the haze.
The caterpillar demon stopped brawling with Phill and turned, many eyes locking onto Winter.
Or maybe onto something inside him.
It began to crawl in Winter's direction, slow and deliberate.
Winter grabbed his head with both hands. The pain was excruciating."I don't want your power. Even if it kills me. You're a demon. I can feel that."
Phill sensed the shift. The demon's intent. He called for the bear.
Saving his energy had proven to be the right decision after all.
The bear charged and grabbed the caterpillar from behind, holding it immobile.
Taking the chance, Phill rushed forward, blade ready to strike the creature's head.
But one of the demon's many hands lashed out, grabbing Phill mid-air and slamming him down.
Phill screamed. His pain intensified. With it, so did his voice.
This isn't what I wanted, Winter thought. The pain in his head became unbearable. Watching others suffer because of him — it broke something inside.
Winter reached deep within — not to fight the voice, but to listen.
Please... save them, he whispered.
NO, the voice replied coldly. You get one task. Only one. You will summon as per my will.
This is no contract. I'm not your summoned adventurer from another world, human.
Cast the spell circle. Chant with me.
"AI DO WA LI EN SOLDROS FI CA NIDA."
Winter obeyed. He moved as the voice guided him, each word like a burning light on his tongue.
"Now, save them," he said, barely able to speak.
A burst of light surged from his chest — spectral chains flared, then cracked, then shattered.
Zake sobbed, crawling away. Phill stood stunned, blade half-raised, bruised but alive.
Winter knelt, breathing hard, the voice now purring in his mind — deep, satisfied.
"Well done… vessel."
A humanoid being, around seven feet tall, stepped forward from the glowing circle.
Its skin was maroon. Its body was lined with tentacles that twitched from its shoulders, waist, and back.
It stared at the demon, raised a clawed hand, and demanded it come forth.
The caterpillar demon obeyed instantly.
With one sweeping slash of its clawed tentacle, it tore the demon apart — guts spilled like steaming ink."
"HAHAHA… HAHAHAA! I'M FREE NOW!" it howled, voice echoing through the ruins."IT'S ABOUT TIME TO KILL HUMANITY."