“Is that any way to treat a guest on your island?”

Edna’s dainty hand blew apart Mercury’s face in a fit of shadows as she calmly replied.

“You’re not my guest; you’re a pest. When I tell the others—”

Mercury’s chuckles rang out as another shadow from nearby formed an eerily smiling face.

“Please tell me you don’t actually think I’d only visit you? You know me better than that, dear Edna. If you should know anything about me… it’s that I always come prepared.”

Edna’s fist silenced another chuckle as she flew from branch to branch at an astonishing speed. Despite the apparent power of her leaps, Edna didn't harm the branches in the slightest.

“Edna… Edna… dearest Edna….”

Voices loomed around Edna, but none of them made her flinch. She knew it was just Mercury’s tricks trying to pull her away from her main goal: getting through this vile, black fog. Up until Mercury appeared, she was doing so quite fine. But, as soon as the fog's central controller appeared, it was countless times more difficult to escape. If Novus were here, he would recognize the fog as the same invisible black fog he hated so very much.

The same tree Edna had passed multiple times shot past her as she chose another destination at seemingly random.

Chuckle.

“Edna, don’t run around like a chicken with its head cut off. It's unbecoming of you!”

Puchi!

Another punch sent Mercury’s shadow behind as Edna thought to herself.

I’ve almost analyzed it enough; relatively soon, I should be able to destroy the formation and escape his illusioned fog.

Edna’s favourite and most simple alternative was to kill the formation master in charge. However, Mercury was as slippery as a Shadowstrike Eel and as annoying as a Thunder Rooster.

I just hope I can make it in time.

On the outside, Edna was collected, but on the inside, she couldn't help but feel nervous. Finally, after several quips from Mercury, her façade broke.

“Don’t worry, Edna. You have all the time in the world. Your friend is becoming increasingly acquainted with some very valuable lessons. Oh, you should even thank me, I don’t usually teach anymore—”

Edna’s fist punctured Mercury’s face. Typically, this would result in it reforming soon and pestering Edna. But, oddly enough, in a unique clash of fog, Edna’s own white fog triumphed against Mercury’s regenerative black fog. Soon, the black fog was devoured entirely.

“Oh my, you seem quite frazzled, Edna.”

Suddenly, numerous mouths formed from shadows all spoke out around Edna.

“Does frazzled mean you care? For him?”

“Care? A murderer like you?”

“Murderer!”

“Just think of all the—”

“ENOUGH!” Edna commanded.

A billowing white cloud of fog expanded from Edna as the epicentre, revealing a dead area of shadowless trees. The sight was unique except for a stubborn shadow attached to Edna’s.

Edna reached down towards the shadow and watched as her hand sunk in and then pulled out a butler with a mischievous expression on his face.

“Now, Edna, let’s be reasonable—”

Puchi!

Mercury’s mouth reformed on different body parts with each obliterating strike from Edna.

“A good guest should be treated better than—”

Puchi!

“Oh, for—”

Puchi!

The last punch sent the shadows in Edna’s hand receding into nothingness, having lost their magical strength in sending one final ominous message.

“No matter. We are ready for you, Edna.”

Edna paused her steps for a moment as she watched the black fog recede, then vanish, into the forest around her. She tried to guess what the intentions were of the one wielding it.

We?

Edna’s expression darkened as she decided to reason with caution. Mana swirled around her arm as it disappeared into space and pulled out a mystifying staff. Unlike Tham’s striking staff, this one seemed like a broken-off branch and was inlaid with a prism-like crystal at the top that transformed light into a myriad of colours. This was an ancient stone composed of prism mana, harvested directly from an enormous amount of effort by her two prism beetles. At the same time, the wood was anything but ordinary to encompass such a gem.

Without the black fog limiting her power, Edna quickly sent her Divine Sense over the island.

Tch.

With a flickering step, Edna moved so fast that she seemed to teleport above the raging battlefield. Below her, the glittering fades of players’ lives and the battered corpses of the goblins that her close friend treasured, battled against one another in count.

Edna grimaced at the scene and flicked out her sleeve. Suddenly, the players on the battlefield all got the same message, and a terrifying feeling washed over their bodies and harvested their souls.

Then, with a clench of her hand, Edna dealt the final blow as a soul-attuned wave blasted out from her against the players and sentenced the so-called developers to their customer service death.

How unjust! How could NPCs be allowed to roam about as they please and kill off the players like this?

Snap!

Before the goblins could celebrate their sudden victory against the maddened players, they were abruptly whisked away by Edna and teleported to a location where they would remain undisturbed.

Edna’s gaze sharpened as she turned towards another area deep within the goblin settlement. For whatever reason, the building had evaded her magic and repelled it even though that seemed impossible to her.

But that meant her foes likely resided there.

With a single step, Edna arrived above the Goblin throne room, and with a wave of her prismatic staff, the roof of the building disintegrated into fine particles of dust. A scan of the interior indicated a battle had occurred here, not unlike the first in the level of brutality and simple-minded bashing that goblins so dearly loved. But, there was something strange.

Mercury had implied there was an accomplice with him, but where? The only ones residing here were two unconscious bodies and two…

Is that them?

Edna spotted the recognizable crimson head of hair that Novus wore, and she nearly leaped in joy as she saw another familiar figure nearby. The green skin and wild hair could only be described of her cherished friend, Garbal.

That brat managed to find him. But, why—

Shink!

Edna’s pupils dilated to a pinprick as she saw Novus’ sword penetrate Garbal’s chest and extend through his back. Edna’s guard, which she had kept up ever since realizing there were intruders on her island, broke, and unbeknownst to her, a dormant power struck out.

Black fog emanated from her shadow as Edna screamed. But she was too late to stop any of it.

“No!”

The simple word was all she could muster as her power barreled Novus away and into the nearby wall. There, he lay limp with the others. Unmoving, and from Edna’s perspective, better off dead.

With her eyes glued onto Garbal’s weakening ones, Edna cradled his form and frantically cast spell after spell with but a thought.

Soul Disconnect! Transfiguration! Transference!

Edna’s face twisted more with each failed spell. Shame and regret filled her being as the conversations of ‘secluded island’ and ‘limited danger’ had deluded her into not giving Garbal nearly any protective gear.

Edna’s fist sunk into the dirt and formed a crack that snaked towards the far end of the wall. She felt helpless. Her magic was meant for herself, not others. All that she had was…

The gem on Edna’s ring flashed as a vial appeared in her hand. It naturally swirled with an opaque purple colour, and when Edna uncorked the bottle, an irresistible, vitality-rich aroma filled the area.

“No.” Garbal’s weak hand protested against the liquid.

“Stop.”

Edna’s command felled Garbal’s weak protest, and the potent potion filtered down Garbal’s throat.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Edna winced, seeing Garbal cough up black blood. Then, her face grew grave as the only remaining colour on Garbal’s green face left.

“No, no, NO!”

Edna knew she wasn’t a healer. Ever since she could remember, Circe was the one bandaging her wounds, applying the ointment, and taking care of her.

She doesn’t heal people; she only makes them worse.

“I’m sorry.”

Garbal’s voice escaped his lips, but Edna fiercely denied him.

“No, no, you’re not sorry! You’re not going anywhere! I'll bring you to Circe, and she’ll heal you, and— GARBAL, DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES!” The next moment, Edna screamed in a shout that reverberated throughout the island.

“CIRCE! PLEASE!”

Edna’s tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as Garbal’s hand buried itself inside hers. Edna wrapped her hands around Garbal’s as she felt an object slip into her grasp.

“Edna must live.”

Garbal’s final words caused Edna’s tears to stain her cheeks, and with a small, frankly negligent thought, she checked the object in her hand, only because it was the object her dying friend was giving her.

“You…”

However, Edna didn’t get the chance to speak as the Hidden Shadow Gem in her hand let out a blinding dark flash that consumed her figure.

Slump.

Edna’s eyes glazed over as she limply fell to the ground.

Nearby, Garbal’s dying smile never left his face as his form began to twist. A series of dark shadows escaped him and slipped away into the earth. What was left of ‘Garbal’ was the withered corpse of the previously slain Tham. A dried husk of the formerly ambitious goblin advisor.