Mansion of the Layver family was built in the central area of the Dungeon City, beside others nobles of the City-state.

Its white-grey color could be seen hundreds of meters away from it. It stood as the second peak of the Dungeon City, challenging that of the Fallburn’s family. The shadow cast by the City of Sky above always put this area in the dark, but today, the darkness covering the mansion was felt like something even darker than shadow had taken hold of the mansion.

The carriage stopped in front of the gate. Theo and Tizmilly stepped out of the carriage with Gyllena still unconscious on Theo’s hands.

The guards rushed to circle them the moment they spotted Gyllena’s state. "Hold! What are you doing with the Lady!?"

Tizmilly confronted them unwaveringly. "We mean no harm! Lower your weapons!"

The guards hesitated. It was only after they saw the coachman gestured them to calm down with his hands that they obeyed, though still with uncertain gazes. Right then, their captain recognized Tizmilly.

"Lady Fallburn!?" He exclaimed and backed off, looking at Tizmilly with widened eyes. "Forgive us, we were simply worried of—"

"I understand," Tizmilly raised her hand, interrupted him. "But we must bring Gyllena inside immediately! The curse is growing with every passing second!"

The guards nodded immediately. Every servants of Layver family knew about how close Tizmilly and Gyllena were in the past, so they believed her.

"Open the gate!" The guards yelled at the other side of the gate.

The gate mechanism was activated, slowly pulling the gate open. With several loud mechanical noises, the gate finally opened wide enough to the two of them to walked in.

Tizmilly gave the guards a nod before she led Theo into the gate.

​As they stepped onto the yard, a heavy thump resonated through their chests, as if an invisible force had punched their hearts. Tizmilly stumbled, gasping. "What... was that?"

​The gardens looked normal, yet the flowers seemed wilted, their colors drained as if the very life was being sucked out of them.

​"The ritual is advancing," Theo replied grimly, his face set in a hard line. "That’s the barrier effect. The Abyss is starting to bleed into this space. We have to move!"

Tizmilly nodded solemnly and followed Theo into the mansion. The maidservants and the butlers were surprised, but they ignored them.

"Where is Gyllena’s room?" Theo asked when they ran up the stair to the second floor.

"It was on the fourth floor!" Tizmilly answered shortly.

They quickened their pace. Gyllena’s breath became weaker as time passed. They didn’t have much time left.

Finally, they arrived in front of the door to Gyllena’s room. There were guards guarding the room, but Theo pushed them away before they could say anything because he didn’t want to waste more time talking with them.

Once they entered the room, he gently lay Gyllena on the bed. From his bag, he pulled out the Demon Taming Potion. ​

He uncorked the vial and let a single drop of Dorita’s potion fall onto Gyllena’s lips.

​The effect was instantaneous. Her shallow breathing stabilized, color flooded back into her cheeks, and the freezing dark mana began to recede.

​Tizmilly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. "Did we... did we make it?"

​Theo nodded, his eyes lingering on the vial with a flicker of admiration. "Fortunately, yes. This potion slows the corruption by at least thirty times. As expected of her..."

He had a reason to postpone the time to give Gyllena the potion until they reached the room.

The room was the place Gyllena spent her time the most, a santuary for her. To attack Gyllena’s santuary and took hold of her soul, the Demon would highly likely to appear in this room as the result.

Placing Gyllena directly before the demon might look like a fool action. However, it could also be seen as a sign of bravery. Facing a Demon, they weren’t run away, but waiting for it directly before the place it would appear. It would make the Demon hesitated, and also increased the effectiveness of the potion. Because the closer the demon, the more potent its effect become.

Theo stood up and took a deep breath. He checked his weapons one last time before flashing a grin at Tizmilly, who responded with a fierce smile of her own.

​"Now, let’s destroy the centerpiece of this demonic ritual," Theo declared.

​They exited the room with weapons drawn. Under the wary gazes of the guards, Tizmilly gave a stern command: no one was to enter Gyllena’s room until they returned. Without waiting for a response, the two of them sprinted down the corridor.

​"I’ll explain the abilities of the Demon-Eating Bangle now," Theo said over the sound of their footsteps.

​"It has two functions," Theo continued. "The first is Dark Magic Resistance. The second is Dark Mana Thirst. The creator grew a special type of fungi for this bangle—one that detects and consumes Dark Mana like a parasite. If you channel your mana into it, it will reveal the true form of the corruption. Try it. Use it to trace the source."

​Tizmilly followed his instructions, pulsing her mana into the fungal accessory. The bangle reacted instantly, sucking her energy like a starving stray dog.

​Suddenly, her vision shifted. The world didn’t just turn dark; it became shrouded in a vile, swirling mist—something far deeper and more predatory than a simple shadow. A bone-chilling cold washed over her, forcing her to halt. Gasping for air, she cut off the flow of mana, and the horrific vision vanished.

​Pale and trembling, Tizmilly looked at the bangle with newfound dread.

​Theo stopped and turned around. Seeing her state, he offered a gentle, knowing smile. "How was it? Did you see anything?" he asked softly, his calm voice helping her anchor herself back to reality.

​Tizmilly looked up at him, her lips trembling before she forced herself to regain composure. She didn’t speak; instead, she pointed a steady finger toward the window—toward the sprawling back garden of the Layver estate.

They rushed toward the garden, their footsteps the only sound in the suffocating silence.

​Along the stone-paved path, flowers of every kind had formed buds, ready to bloom—yet they remained frozen. The thin, dark mist had sealed their potential, imprisoning them in a state of decay, just as it had done to Gyllena.

​They halted as the gazebo came into view. Surrounding the structure, twenty robed figures stood in a perfect, silent circle. Their identities were unmistakable: the cultists of the Abyssal New Gate.

​And in the center of it all, was the man.

​His hair was long, flowing past his shoulders in a way that was rare for men of this era. He wore glasses, perfectly portraying the image of a refined scholar. The sight of him calmly sipping tea amidst a group of fanatical cultists was so contradictory it felt bizarre—even grotesque.

​"Jahreon," Theo muttered, his eyes narrowing as he studied the prince’s profile.

​Tizmilly had never met him, as Jahreon had never attended the Academy. He looked far more composed and restrained than her former fiance, Prince Agraviel.

​Jahreon was the first to break the silence. Clutching a rusty brooch in his hand, he turned to face them.

​"Tizmilly, the fallen daughter of Fallburn," Jahreon said with a thin smile. "Surprise alone cannot convey what I feel seeing you here. Was it a lingering ghost from the past," his eyes scanned her before shifting to Theo, "or has something else moved you to act?"

"But whatever you do won’t change what was Inevitable." His smile dimmed a little, his eyes narrowing. "You still lacked power to face me, Tizmilly Fallburn... And you. Your souls are weak, shivering."

​He tucked the brooch into his pocket with slow, deliberate care, as if he were storing away his very soul.

​"I wonder what was your motivation to stand here today? Truly intriguing twist," he chuckled.

​At his signal, the cultists stepped forward. They brandished an array of weapons—swords, spears, and heavy morning stars. Theo and Tizmilly immediately dropped into their combat stances, mana surging through their veins.

​Tizmilly glared at the prince. "Jahreon Qua Tarram! Why are you doing this to your own fiancée?! What is the point of all this madness?"

​She shouted to stall for time, focusing her mana into the bangle. Theo remained silent, his eyes locked on the cultists, ready to explode into motion at the first sign of an attack.

​Jahreon looked at her for a long beat, then laughed. "What for? To destroy the illusion of power. To end the filthy lives of those who rule from golden thrones—to return the world to the only rule that matters! The survival of the fittest. The oldest law of nature, established for all living things!"

​Tizmilly frowned, his twisted philosophy sounding like madness to her ears—but she had found what she needed.

​"It’s at the top of the gazebo, Mr. Roost," she whispered, her voice barely audible.