“Oh man, it better not be bats. One time, the restaurant over the street from ours had to be closed because of them. Bat shit was everywhere.” Markus said.

“I would have paid you to not tell me about that.” Tariq shook his head.

Alphonse’s head inched forwards, trying to make out any sounds, but the voices inside his head were making it very difficult to distinguish what was real and what was fake.

“There’s something hiding behind the pillars, multiple of them.” Haydon had his dagger at the ready.

“We can’t move like this,” Lucus said. It was too dark to make anything out. “Gabriel–light up the area–they probably already know we are here. I’d rather be prepared.”

“Fireflies.” With the word, light emitted from Gabriel’s staff and shot forwards. Multiple lights seemed to stick to the cave walls as an illuminating light shone all around the cavern.

Alphonse heard wings flapping, then the high-pitched screeches gnawed at his eardrums.

“Get ready everyone!” Lucus shouted as he took out his sword from its sheath. The surrounding air seemed to become sharper.

Alphonse's eyes focused onto the monsters. It looked like they were waiting for something.

“Gabriel, get ready to attack.” Lucus’ eyes roamed around him. The monster-like bats had surrounded them. Their little arms and legs peeked out from the pillars, their razor-sharp claws on full display.

“Wait…” Alphonse watched as the bats only had their limbs on display. Are they hiding from the light? The thought hit him. He wanted to try something. “Gabriel, can you attach those lights to us?”

Lucus’ eyes lit up as he figured out what Alphonse meant.

“Yeah… I can. Although I do hate being relegated to light duty.” Gabriel frowned. He transmitted his mana to his staff as the light formed.

“Use more than one on each of us.” Lucus said.

Gabriel casted his firefly spell as they all stuck to each person. The bright light filled the entire cave like a super charged lighthouse. The bats' screeches only became worse as they scuttled backwards behind the pillars to embrace the darkness.

Some of the group members calmed down as it appeared the creatures had no intention of attacking.

“I thought bats couldn’t see?” John looked around at the squirming bats as they vanished from sight.

“I’m with John, what’s going on?” Tariq said.

“Have you guys even seen a bat before?” Kristen said. My god they are idiots. “They can see, but they are nocturnal. It seems like these despise the light more so than usual.”

“Good job Alphonse.” Lucus said as he led the group forwards without delay. Any chance they had to preserve their strength was a significant victory in his eyes.

Alphonse’s free hand clutched at his head as he nodded. The voices inside his head were getting worse. We must get closer. I want to end this. The thought pervaded his mind.

The group reached a large spiral staircase that had been carved into the cavern’s floor, the rough edges where the hand tools had hand carved it were visible. Someone had carved small sections of the wall out where lit candlesticks lay. Alphonse watched as the seemingly never ending candles burned away.

“Jeez, how long do you think it took to make this?” Oskar said as his fingers ran across the rough edges of the stone.

“Ah, let me ask the person who created it, should I?” Markus said, smiling at the sour expression on Oskar’s face.

The group continued down for a while. Strange markings began appearing the further they went down. Alphonse had seen them before at the entrance at the surface.

***

Markus stopped just before the staircase was about to end. Two pillars lay on either side as the familiar images were plastered on all of them. Goosebumps filled Alphonse's arms as he looked at the people in the pictures. They were all looking at him. Their small beady eyes weren’t hiding in the slightest. They looked at him with smiles on their faces. He felt like they were… welcoming him.

“Ah! Are those eyes?!” Felecia hid behind Alphonse as her eyes peered behind his shoulder.

The fat demon was giggling at them. He had a wide smile on his face. Happiness filled his eyes like an excitable little child.

Alphonse! Finally, you are so close now! Hurry, come! It will be fun! There will be so much to eat! The giggling shouted within his mind as Alphonse clutched at his head.

Who are you? Alphonse said inside his head, but there was no response.

What is going on in this place? Alphonse thought the feeling of the unknown was gnawing at his consciousness.

They entered a large carved out room, large painted pictures were scribbled onto the walls. They looked like they had been painted by a child that had picked up a paintbrush for the first time. At the end of the room lay two gigantic doors.

“What are they made of?” Tariq’s curiosity once again made its appearance as we walked over to them. His fingers touched the material.

“It’s made of bone.” Alphonse walked over as he got a closer look.

“How do you know?” Tariq looked at Alphonse.

“Well, I have experience.” Alphonse smiled, showing his slightly yellow and red teeth. It had been a while since any of them had taken care of their dental hygiene.

Tariq quickly looked away as his skin crawled.

“If this isn’t a boss's room, I would be heavily surprised.” Gabriel looked at the door with suspicion.

“Is everyone ready?” Lucus looked at everyone nodded their head in agreement. His hands pressed up against the colossal doors and pushed–however–they didn’t budge..

“Let me.” Markus placed his shield onto the ground with a resounding thud, his large hands collided with the door as the muscles in his arms contracted. His face turned red at the force he was using, his veins protruded from his arms as he continued to force it open.

Alphonse shook his head. He grabbed hold of his cleaver as he slashed across his palm. Blood seeped out from the wound. He swung his arm, flinging the blood onto the door. Deep, hollow screams entered everyone's ears as the door groaned open.

Lucus eyebrows furrowed as his hand rested on his sword and looked at Alphonse. “How do you know how to open it?”

“The voice inside my head told me. It wants me to go forward.” Alphonse's eyebrows raised. "You don't plan on using that, do you?"

“Lucus, he's got us this far. What do you think you're doing?” Felecia said as a frown marred her face.

“Alright… just be on guard. I doubt the end of the mission will be easy.” Lucus said as he and Markus cautiously took the lead into the dark room. The thought that they were being led to their death by insane voices inside an insane person's head was in Lucus' mind. I need more information. He can't be trusted. The thought cemented itself into his mind.

Their weapons and skills were at the ready. The thought of being led by a mysterious voice in someone's head made the entire situation worse and unpredictable.

Gabriel casted his firefly skill as light shot forwards as it illuminated the room.

“What… the fuck.” John’s eyes shot open wide.

They opened the doors, and they were met with a town that had looked like it had been chiselled out of the cavern. They had furnished the houses with curtains that covered the carved out windows. The only thing that told them someone had abandoned it was the layer of cave dust that lay on the roofs.

Alphonse looked past the houses, and a grand castle was sitting there, grandly overlooking the town below. Someone had intricately carved designs into the stone walls of the castle as they ascended towards the tall spires that adorned the castle peaks.

“Alphonse, I need you to tell me what is going on. From the start, until where that man said something about a succession.” Lucus stepped forwards, stopping everyone from walking any further. “We need answers. We can’t go any further without knowing what we are getting ourselves into.”

"I'm with Lucus. You have too many question marks above your head, Alphonse." Kristen said.

“I’ve been honest about all of it until now, I know nothing,” Alphonse shook his head as his teeth ground together. "I don't like this any more than you do, being told what to do, where to go. Dragged along by a fucking voice inside my head." His words spat out.

“You’re telling the truth?” Lucus looked into his eyes.

“Do I need to repeat myself, Lucus?" Alphonse's cold eyes glared forwards. He's really pissing me off. Alphonse thought as his eyes rested on Lucus' hand that held his sword.

Lucus took a deep breath as he clenched his fists. “Alright, we’ll continue then.”

"Can you trust him, Lucus? I mean, it's fucking insanity and not only because we're following a damned voice inside his head." Kristen watched as Alphonse and Felecia walked into a house, as she said in a muted voice. "He's a loose cannon. One that isn't afraid to end someone's life just because they wronged him.

"I don't intend on trusting him," Lucus shook his head. "We just have to go with it for now."

Inside the house, big iron pots lay on the enormous fireplace. The residents covered the beds in sheets but had long decayed. They were mottled and had a look of being chewed on by something.

“I wonder what happened to all the people here?” Felecia said as her head disappeared within a large box, trying to see what was inside. "Oh..." Felecia resurfaced as she held pieces of decaying clothing. Once vibrant colours had been completely washed away because of the flow of time. "it looks like even down here they liked fashion."

Not able to find anything useful, they walked outside and made their way to the town's edge. The castle loomed over them.

 

Alphonse felt like a great beast was watching him from within.