The two mercenaries screamed.

It was a sound of pure, unadulterated agony.

They stumbled back. They looked down at their own hands. Their steel gauntlets were melting. The metal turned to black, bubbling sludge. The sludge dripped onto their leather armor, which began to dissolve with a sickening hiss. Then it touched their skin.

Their screams intensified as their own flesh began to melt like wax, dripping from their bones.

The rest of the caravan stared in absolute, frozen horror. The caravan master's face was a mask of pure terror. Lila and Aurelia watched from the wagon, their hands clamped over their mouths to stifle their own screams.

This was not a fight. This was a slaughter.

The screams of the melting mercenaries echoed in the unnatural silence. The rest of the caravan stared, frozen in horror.

Lila grabbed Riku's arm. Her knuckles were white. "Riku, no," she whispered, her voice filled with a primal fear. "Don't go out there. That thing... it's not human."

Riku gently placed his hand over hers. "It's alright, Lila," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. "Stay in the wagon. Protect Aurelia."

He swung himself down from his seat and landed silently on the dusty road.

The caravan master, his face pale with terror, drew his own heavy broadsword. His fear was overcome by a desperate sense of duty to his men and his cargo.

"You demon!" the master roared, his voice trembling. "What have you done to my men?"

He looked at the few remaining mercenary guards. "With me! For the honor of the caravan!"

Driven by their leader's courage, three more guards let out a defiant yell. They charged. They ran straight at the silent, shadowy figure. They swung their swords with all their might.

Their blades passed straight through the man's form. It was like cutting through smoke. There was no resistance. No impact.

The shadow man did not even seem to notice.

He slowly raised a single, gloved hand. He waved it, a lazy, dismissive gesture, as if shooing away a fly.

The caravan master and his men screamed and fell back. Clearly, they were no match for this seeming monster.

They stumbled back. They looked down at their own hands. Their steel gauntlets were melting. The metal turned to black, bubbling sludge. The sludge dripped onto their leather armor, which began to dissolve with a sickening hiss. Then it touched their skin.

Their screams intensified as their own flesh began to melt like wax, dripping from their bones.

The rest of the caravan stared in absolute, frozen horror. Lila and Aurelia watched from the wagon, their hands clamped over their mouths to stifle their own screams.

The shadow man took a slow step forward. The black mist around him began to advance. It swirled towards the wagons. It moved towards the terrified teamsters and the remaining, paralyzed guards.

Riku knew he had to act.

He raised both his hands.

Wall of Light. Tier 5. [-400 Goodwill Points]

A shimmering, golden wall of pure light erupted from the ground. It formed a perfect semi-circle around the wagons, shielding them from the advancing mist.

The black mist slammed into the golden barrier. A loud, sizzling sound, like water on a hot forge, filled the air. The mist began to eat away at the light and the golden wall started visibly thinning where the two forces met.

The shadow man stopped. He looked at the golden barrier. Then he looked at Riku. For the first time, he seemed genuinely surprised.

"Light magic," he said, his voice a low, intrigued murmur. "And a powerful barrier, at that. How interesting."

He smiled. It was not a kind expression. It was the smile of a predator that had just found a worthy new toy.

"But a wall is just a wall, little mage," he said, his voice laced with a cold amusement. "It will not protect them for long."

He gestured to the barrier. Riku looked. He saw it too. The golden light was flickering. The black mist was slowly, relentlessly, nibbling away at his magic.

A defensive spell was being corroded. It was only a matter of time before it failed completely. It seemed like he needed to speed up the fight.

Riku knew he couldn't just defend. He had to understand what he was fighting. He raised his free hand, palm forward.

Light Bolt. [-20 Goodwill Points]

A simple sphere of white light shot from his palm. It was not a powerful spell. It was a probe. A test. It flew straight and true at the center of the shadow man's chest.

The man did not move. He did not raise a shield. He simply watched it come.

The Light Bolt passed straight through his shadowy form. It was like throwing a rock through smoke. The bolt continued on and dissipated harmlessly against the cliff face behind him.

The shadow man chuckled. It was a low, amused sound. "A test? How quaint." He took another step forward, completely unharmed.

Riku's frustration boiled over. This was not a fight. It was a slow, inevitable execution.

"What do you want?" Riku shouted, his voice cutting through the unnatural silence. "You are not a common bandit. You are not here for coin. State your purpose."

The shadow man stopped. He seemed to consider the question. A slow, amused smile seemed to form in the darkness that shrouded his face.

"My purpose?" he asked, his voice a low, conversational murmur. "My purpose is simple. I am here to collect something that belongs to my master."

He looked directly at Riku. "I am here for the other parts of the Beast God Cauli."

Riku froze. His blood ran cold. The Beast god Cauli? How could this man possibly know that he once had something?

He forced his expression to remain neutral. He feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you are talking about."

The shadow man chuckled. It was a low, rattling sound, like dry leaves skittering across a tombstone. "Don't you? Let me refresh your memory."

He reached a gloved hand into the swirling shadows of his own form. It was as if he were reaching into a bag of holding made of pure night.

He pulled something out. He held it up for Riku to see.

It was a human head. The eyes were wide. The mouth was open in a silent scream. It was the face of a man who had died in absolute terror. It was the face of an old man with a magnificent white beard.

It was Gror.

Riku's breath hitched. His heart hammered against his ribs.

The man reached into his shadows again. He pulled out a second head. It was an old woman. Hestra.

"They were quite stubborn," the man said, his voice laced with a cold, detached amusement. "They refused to give up the Eye. They said they were its guardians. Very noble. Very foolish."

He reached into his shadows a third and final time. He pulled out one last, smaller head. The face was streaked with tears. The eyes were wide with a terror that would never fade.

It was Zella.

"This one was the most disappointing," the shadow man said with a sigh. "She just cried. But her memories were quite useful. They showed me your face. They told me where to find you."

He tossed the three heads onto the dusty road. They rolled to a stop a few feet from Riku, their dead eyes staring up at the grey sky.

Something inside Riku snapped.

The cold, calculated control he had maintained for so long shattered. It was replaced by a wave of white-hot rage.

He did not think. He did not plan. He reacted.

He thrust both his hands forward.

Sunfire Burst! [-1,000 Goodwill Points]

A torrent of concentrated sunlight erupted from his palms. It was not a weak light he had used before. This was a weapon. A spear of raw, destructive energy.

It slammed into the shadow man.

The impact was immense. The shadowy figure was thrown backward. He flew through the air, a blur of darkness, and crashed into the rock face of a nearby cliff with a sound like thunder.

The black mist that had surrounded the caravan wavered, then dissipated completely. The unnatural silence was broken. The sounds of the world rushed back in.

Riku stood in the middle of the road. His chest was heaving. His hands were trembling with rage.

Slowly, the shadow man pulled himself from the crater he had made in the cliff. He brushed a piece of dust from his shadowy form. He looked at Riku.

He was completely unharmed.

"Ah," the man said, his voice filled with a new, genuine interest. "So there is some fire in you after all. Good. This might be entertaining."

Riku stared at him, his rage slowly growing as he charged up another bolt.

"Why?" Riku snarled, his voice a ragged gasp. "They were innocent! They had nothing to do with this!"

The shadow man tilted his head. He seemed genuinely confused by the question.

"They had something I needed," he said, as if explaining the simplest thing in the world. "And they would not give it to me. So I took it. And then I took their memories to find you."

He looked at Riku. The amused, playful smile returned to his unseen face. "They were an obstacle. And obstacles," he said, "are meant to be removed."

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