The world had become a cacophony of buzzing wings and desperate screams.

Johanna's hand remained outstretched, her fingers grasping at nothing as the swarm descended upon her like a living shadow. The neon green glow pulsed brighter, faster, and in that terrible light, everyone could see the truth of what approached them.

These were not the same Night Hornets from before.

Each creature was easily three times the size of the previous swarm, their bodies grotesquely swollen with corruption. The fluorescent glow emanated from their abdomens, pulsing in rhythm with something that resembled a heartbeat. Their wings beat with a strange, discordant hum that made the air itself feel wrong, as if reality was being churned by their very existence.

"Johanna!" Lucy's scream cut through the buzzing as she lunged forward, her hand outstretched toward her sister.

But she was too slow.

The first of the hornets landed on Johanna's back, its stinger plunging deep into her flesh. Then another. And another. Within seconds, she was covered in a writhing mass of the creatures, each one driving its barbed stinger into her body with mechanical precision.

Johanna's mouth opened in a scream, but no sound emerged. Her eyes went wide, the pupils dilating until they were nothing but black pools of terror. Her body convulsed once and then she fell forward onto her knees.

Lucy reached her just as Johanna hit the ground.

"No, no, no!" Lucy grabbed her sister's arm, trying to pull her away from the swarm. But the hornets were already burrowing beneath Johanna's skin, creating bulging trails that moved across her flesh like serpents beneath a sheet.

A strong hand grabbed Lucy's shoulder and yanked her backward.

"She's gone!" Obed's voice was harsh in her ear as he pulled her away with brutal efficiency. "There's nothing you can do for her now!"

"Let me go!" Lucy thrashed in his grip, her face twisted in anguish. Tears streamed down her cheeks, cutting through the dark makeup and leaving black trails in their wake. "She's my sister! I can't just leave her!"

But Obed's grip was iron. He had seen this before. Whatever those things were doing to Johanna, death would be a mercy compared to what would come after. The fluorescent sacs forming beneath her skin told him everything he needed to know.

She would become a nest.

The swarm seemed to shift its attention, dozens of the creatures lifting their heads in unison. The green glow intensified, and as one, they turned toward the remaining humans.

They all scattered.

Obed kept his grip on Lucy's arm, dragging her away from her sister's body even as she fought against him. Behind them, the buzzing grew louder.

"Please!" The cry was weak, pathetic, barely audible over the sound of wings.

Obed's head snapped to the side. There, crumpled against a fallen log, was Fallow. The large man's hands were pressed against the gaping wound in his stomach, blood pouring between his fingers in thick, dark streams. His face was pale, slick with sweat, and his eyes were wide with the terror of a man who could feel death approaching.

"Please," Fallow repeated, his voice cracking. "Don't leave me here. I don't want to die like this."

For a moment, no one moved.

Then Garrick stepped forward.

Relief flooded Fallow's face. "Garrick, thank the gods. I knew you wouldn't abandon me. We've been through too much together, you and I. Too many close calls. Remember that time in the Rotwood? When we—"

He kept talking, the words spilling out in a desperate stream as Garrick approached. Fallow even managed a weak smile, his yellow teeth stained red with blood.

Garrick knelt beside him, and Fallow reached out with one blood-slicked hand.

"Help me up," Fallow said. "We need to move before those things—"

Garrick's blade punched through Fallow's throat.

The larger man's eyes went wide. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out, only a wet gurgling sound. Blood bubbled up from the wound, spilling down his chest in crimson rivers.

"Sorry," Garrick said, his voice devoid of emotion. "But you're already a dead man, Fallow. You just haven't realized it yet."

The hatred in Fallow's eyes seemed to squeeze out his dying throws,

"F—fu—ck y...y—ou, Garrick!"

He twisted the blade, and Fallow's body went rigid. The light in his eyes flickered then went out entirely.

Garrick withdrew his blade and immediately began searching Fallow's body. His hands moved with practiced efficiency, checking pockets and pouches with the ease of someone who had done this many times before. Within seconds, he had pulled free several items: a small leather pouch filled with gold coins, a vial of some glowing liquid, and a small obsidian stone that pulsed with a faint inner light.

A Relic.

Garrick's lips pulled back in a satisfied smile as he pocketed the items. Then his gaze shifted, landing on the unconscious form of Nero lying several meters away.

The boy was still breathing, though barely. Blood stained his clothes from multiple wounds, and his face was pale in the starlight. But more importantly, the Silver Blade was still at his hip and the spear lay at his side.

Garrick stood and began walking toward him.

"Garrick." Obed's voice was low, warning.

Garrick paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "What?"

"That's enough."

"Enough?" Garrick's eyebrow rose. "I'm just collecting what's owed to me. The boy tried to kill me, after all. Plus, it's clear he's been associating with evil beings. It's only fair that I—"

"I said that's enough."

Something in Obed's tone made Garrick pause. The slender man's hand rested on the hilt of one of his swords, his stance tense but ready. Behind him, Lucy had finally stopped struggling, though tears still streamed down her face.

For a long moment, the two men stared at each other.

Then the buzzing intensified.

The swarm was moving again, flowing toward them like a wave of chitinous bodies and glowing abdomens. They moved over Johanna's body without pause, some of them landing to deposit their eggs into the fresh corpse before rising again to join the pursuit.

"We'll settle this later," Garrick said, his voice tight with barely controlled rage. "Move!"

But Obed was already moving. In one fluid motion, he sheathed his blade, bent down, and hefted Nero's unconscious form over his shoulder. The boy was lighter than he expected, though the dead weight made running difficult.

"What are you doing?" Garrick's voice rose in pitch. "Put him down!"

Obed didn't respond. He simply turned and began running in the opposite direction, Lucy falling into step beside him after only a moment's hesitation.

"Obed!" Garrick's roar was nearly drowned out by the buzzing. "That's mine! He's mine!"

Garrick tried to pursue, his blood-stained hands clenching into fists. But the swarm cut between them, dozens of the enlarged hornets diving at him with their stingers extended. He was forced to dodge, to weave, to change direction entirely as the creatures seemed to focus on him with singular intensity.

Perhaps they smelled Fallow's blood on his hands.

Either way, Garrick found himself running in the opposite direction, deeper into Malady's Garden, away from his prize. His curses were lost in the buzzing of wings and the pounding of his own heart.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.