A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: The Deathless Fortress]

The ground shuddered—vibrations rolling through the stone beneath their boots like something was trying to crawl its way to the surface. The air trembled with layered noise: the distant roar of collapsing towers, the clash of desperate guards, the guttural screeches of Deseruit Beasts ripping through stone and flesh alike.

Ivan braced a hand against the wall as another tremor rattled the hallway. "Deseruit Beasts? Are they actually attacking the fortress?" His voice wavered, not out of fear, but sheer disbelief as he stared out the narrow window.

"There's so damn many," Alexander muttered, leaning beside him. His eyes scanned the chaos below—guards overwhelmed, formations dissolving. "What the hell's going on? This looks like a full-scale breach, not some random emergence."

Tamamo lounged across Gretchen's shoulder, her nine tails flicking lazily while her tone remained infuriatingly light. "Perhaps they dislike the architecture. Honestly, I sympathize." She pointed a small claw toward the courtyard. "But look deeper—see the holes? Most of them are erupting from underground."

Gretchen narrowed her eyes. "So they dug beneath the walls? Went under the defenses entirely?"

Alexander and Ivan turned toward Tamamo again, because of course she looked like she knew something she hadn't said yet.

Tamamo let out a tiny sigh. "They've most likely been festering beneath this fortress for some time now. Nesting, breeding and growing."

Alexander's brow shot up. "Seriously? But there's so many—how would anyone not notice?"

"Oh, someone noticed," Tamamo said flatly, her tails swaying behind her. "Or at least that decrepit sorcerer Koschei did. He seems the type to sweep inconvenient horrors under the rug."

Another thunderous crash shook dust from the ceiling. Ivan stepped back from the window, worry overtaking his face. "What should we do? Dante's on his own out there. With this many Deseruit Beasts, he could be in danger."

Tamamo's chuckle was soft but sharp, earning confused looks from all three. "Dante is the last person you need to worry about, Ivan." Her emerald eyes glimmered. "There could be a billion of these things, and he wouldn't even break a sweat."

Alexander frowned. "You're that confident in him? I mean, yeah, he's strong—but this?" He gestured broadly out the window. The sky itself seemed alive with flapping shapes, screeching winged Deseruit Beasts. Towers groaned as massive serpentine forms coiled around them. "This is insane."

"Your worry is wasted," Tamamo replied. "Dante is far beyond anything you can imagine." Her brows lowered slightly. "Though… it is odd he hasn't cleared everything yet." Her tail tips twitched. "He must be dealing with the most… pesky of them."

Gretchen tilted her head. "And that would be?"

Tamamo opened her mouth, paused, then glanced sharply to the side. "Well… we'll hold off on that conversation for now. Look."

The three followed her gaze right as a scream tore down the corridor.

"Aaaaaagh! Someone—HELP!"

Two prisoners sprinted toward them, panic etched into their expressions. Their feet tapped frantically against the floor with every step. Behind them thundered a massive feline-shaped Deseruit Beast, its pitch-black hide coated in bone-like plating. Its red eyes burned. Its bony tail crackled as it scraped along the stone, leaving deep cuts.

Tamamo arched a brow. "Well? Aren't you going to help?" she asked sweetly.

"Aren't they prisoners?" Alexander shot back. "You know—criminals."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't help," Ivan said firmly, stepping forward. "For all we know, they could be here for petty crimes."

"In this fortress? For something petty?" Alexander shot him a look—but Ivan glared just enough to make him backtrack. "Alright, fine, fine. I'll play hero."

He crouched slightly—and in the next instant, the hall blurred.

Alexander tore down the corridor, wind whipping behind him. He streaked past the two prisoners, planting himself between them and the Beast just as it lunged, jaws gaping wide enough to swallow a man whole.

Alexander twisted his stance—pivoting—and his kick slammed into the Beast's ribs. A crunch rang out. The creature wailed, tumbling backward until it crashed through the nearest window, shattering the glass in a rain of shards.

The prisoners didn't even glance back—they just kept running.

"Not even a thank you, huh?" Alexander muttered.

"No doubt fearful of your face," Tamamo chirped as she, Gretchen, and Ivan approached.

Alexander glared at her. "Oi, can you even talk? You look like a fox."

Tamamo flicked her tails indignantly. "Hmph. I told you once before—my true form is too beautiful for mortal eyes."

"Yeah, right," Alexander snorted, folding his arms.

Tamamo puffed up proudly. "I'll have you know I almost had Dante swooning over me back in the day. Granted, that was partly due to my great personality and two very…" She made a vague gesture with her paws. "…big reasons. But my beauty absolutely played a role."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Alexander said dryly.

Tamamo's ears flattened, ready to argue—but Gretchen cut in.

"Can we focus on something actually important?" she snapped.

"My looks are important," Tamamo insisted, then exhaled slowly. "But fine." Her expression sobered, an uncommon seriousness shadowing her usual demeanor. "You three are strong enough to fight a good number of Deseruit Beasts. But this wouldn't be a battle of strength—it would be a battle of attrition." Her eyes narrowed as the fortress trembled again. "And your stamina is not infinite. Their numbers are growing. You three fighting is not an option."

Ivan's expression tightened as the ground trembled again—another rolling convulsion that rattled dust from the ceiling beams and sent a shiver up everyone's legs. The fortress groaned, straining to stay upright. Far below, the clamor of collapsing structures and the muffled roars of Deseruit Beasts bled together.

Ivan exhaled shakily, hands curling into fists. "But… we can't just do nothing," he murmured, the frustration edging into his.

Alexander rubbed a hand down his face, exasperated, though his eyes were fixed grimly on the swaying hallway. "Now's not the time to play hero, Ivan," he said bluntly. "Look around you. This place is falling apart faster than we can even think."

Ivan threw him a sharp glare, more hurt than angry. "But—"

"For once," Tamamo interrupted, "Alexander is right."

Alexander paused, turning to give her a sideways look. "…I genuinely can't tell if that's supposed to be an insult."

Tamamo hummed—a sound halfway between amusement and dismissal—as she nodded toward the nearest window. "Look outside, Ivan. This fortress was reinforced with more protective enchantments than most cities ever see. Yet the Deseruit Beasts are tearing through its structures as though they were paper. These are not the ordinary beasts wandering the outskirts. They are much stronger."

Ivan bit down on the inside of his cheek, unable to stop himself from looking again.

Outside, the courtyard had dissolved into chaos. Structures falling and as men scrambled. Something massive crashed through the far wall and disappeared into a cloud of debris.

"But even so," Ivan said, voice low but steadying with determination, "people are dying. Prisoners or not—they're still people."

Gretchen scoffed sharply, folding her arms. "How foolish," she muttered, her voice cold. "Tell me then: you want to save everyone who's in danger?"

"I know I can't save everyone." Ivan's jaw clenched. "I just want to help as many as I can."

Gretchen stepped closer, leveling him with an unblinking stare. "And those you want to save… might be decrepit criminals. Murderers. Rapists. People who have inflicted suffering beyond measure. Do you truly want to save people like that?"

Ivan opened his mouth—then froze. "I… well, no, but I—" He faltered, unable to finish. The conflict churned inside him.

Tamamo let out a slow, layered sigh, her ears folding back faintly. "Ivan," she called softly. "Remember what Dante told you?"

Ivan turned toward her reluctantly.

"He said you would walk a path you would not like," Tamamo continued. Her tone lacked its usual teasing lilt. "This is that path. You can save some—yes—but you are only human. Your body will eventually give in, and then you will die. And die for nothing."

"I can be careful," Ivan shot back, though even he sounded uncertain.

"Being careful means very little when the odds themselves hunger for your death," Tamamo replied. "If you die now—what becomes of your goals? Hm?" Her emerald eyes gleamed with a piercing sharpness. "You're a prince, Ivan. Your kingdom may be in ruins, but it still exists. Do you truly want to abandon every future it might have… to die here, in a collapsing prison, overwhelmed by beasts?"

Ivan opened his mouth—closed it—opened it again.

No words came.

Because she was right.

Painfully right.

That faint, fog-shrouded dream he chased… even if unclear, it was still a dream. Still a responsibility. Still his. And yet, the screams echoing from the lower levels clawed at him, filling his stomach with a gnawing pit of dread.

Tamamo studied his trembling expression, then—quietly—she let out another sigh.

"…Very well. I'll help. Just this once."

All three of them snapped their attention toward her.

"What?" Alexander blinked. "You're suddenly changing your tune?"

Gretchen narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Tamamo didn't answer them directly. Instead, she murmured into the air, her nine tails lifting in a weightless motion. "For spirits such as I," she explained, "it is simple to see how tainted an individual is. I can peer into souls the way humans peer into shadows. Most here are beyond saving. Perhaps it is not my place to judge, but I am no saint."

As she spoke, a soft golden radiance flared above Ivan's head—insignificant at first, then brightening into a small but breathtaking bloom of light. Alexander jumped back with a startled curse.

"I—Ivan! Something's—what the hell is that?!"

The light rippled and condensed, forming into a rectangular slip of shimmering golden paper. Down its surface ran crimson symbols—惹き付ける—pulsing. It drifted downward, slowly, and Ivan hesitantly lifted his hand to take it. The moment his fingers brushed it, the glow dimmed to a steady one.

"What… what is this?" Ivan murmured, his voice barely above breath.

"A talisman of my own creation," Tamamo said, lifting her chin with a begrudging air. "I had hoped not to interfere this much… but fate rarely cares for my preferences."

Alexander leaned closer, squinting. "So what—he just waves the paper around and magic happens?"

Tamamo clicked her tongue. "You humans are unbearably simplistic. No. Ivan doesn't require Spiritual Energy to activate it—he merely needs to pour his intent into it. His effort. His desire. Think of it as you would your Null Schema, Ivan. Channel your will, and the talisman will respond."

"And what exactly does it do?" Alexander pressed.

Tamamo stretched her tails behind her. "Upon activation, it releases a combination of special pheromones and a small burst of my Spiritual Energy. Originally, I crafted it to attract Divine Beasts, but I have had… little use for it lately." A small, amused hum escaped her. "Spiritual Energy is fundamentally different from mana—the Deseruit Beasts prefer mana, but since mana here is limited, they will respond to any strong alternative source. Even if the pheromones fail, my Spiritual Energy will draw them in."

Ivan stared down at the talisman, eyes unfocused, overwhelmed by it.

"You will attract the majority of the Deseruit Beasts," Tamamo continued, her voice quieting. "The older ones may ignore it, but the rest—vast numbers—will come for you." Her gaze sharpened, cutting through the dim hallway air. "And aside from that talisman… I will not be assisting any further. So tell me, Ivan. Is this truly a risk you are willing to take? Do you truly wish to save the people here… even if it means dying?"

Ivan didn't hesitate. "Yes. I do."

Tamamo closed her eyes briefly—then shook her head with a small, resigned smile.

"Then go."

Ivan nodded, turning to Alexander. "You don't have to come with me—"

"Just shut up and get moving," Alexander interrupted, rolling his eyes but unable to suppress the ghost of a smirk. "If you're doing something stupid, I might as well make sure you don't die in the first ten seconds."

Ivan's smile flickered, soft but grateful, and the two of them sprinted off down the hallway. Their footsteps faded quickly into the sound of distant screams.

Gretchen watched them disappear before speaking quietly. "I cannot tell if you are soft or cruel for helping him."

Tamamo did not look away from where Ivan vanished. "If Ivan dies," she said coldly, "then he was never meant to stand beside Dante."

Gretchen arched a brow. "Oh? Are we seeing your true colors now?"

Tamamo's lips curled into a playful, unsettling grin. "Perhaps. I am one of the three terrible Yokai after all… or so they say."

Gretchen sighed sharply. "It seems I have my own trial to face."

A familiar, malevolent surge of thick mana washed down the corridor at that moment—heavy and suffocating. The air grew colder, as though something monstrous had just inhaled.

Gretchen's eyes narrowed. "Killing so much leaves a bad taste in my mouth," she murmured, voice dropping to a low whisper. "But this sorcerer… this is something I will not regret."