"Someone has been keeping an eye on the Calamity."

"Not just tracking," Hilda said as she picked up a leather-bound journal. "Making plans..."

"Check out these notes... battle plans and places where the city's defences are weak.'

"This sounds like military intelligence."

Hammy made a loud, warning chirp just as Greg was about to say something. Everyone stopped moving, and they heard it in the sudden silence.

Footsteps.

The footsteps were not coming from the front, as they had expected. The footsteps were coming from behind, in the direction they had just come from. Footsteps were echoing down the hallway they had just walked through, slow and steady.

Greg turned and raised his shield to put himself between his friends and the door. The footsteps got louder and closer, and now there was the soft tap of what could have been a walking stick or cane.

A figure appeared in the doorway, its features initially obscured by their own light. Then it stepped into the lantern's light, and Greg's heart stopped.

It was Agatha Crowbane.

The last time they saw the old woman, she looked different. Her grey hair was now completely white, and her face had new lines, as if she had aged years since Meridian. But her eyes were still calculating, and the cold smile on her lips made Greg's skin crawl.

"Well, well," Agatha said, her voice still mocking even though it was clear that her actions had taken a toll on her. "It seems like it's not a mere coincidence to meet you all here..."

"I can see how determined you've been to try saving the world from the Calamity of Weapons."

"Honestly... I didn't think you'd get this far."

"Where is Veldway?" Greg yelled, holding up his shield.

"Veldway? Hahahahaha!" Agatha laughed, and the sound bounced off the stone walls. "Oh, my sweet boy..."

"Did you really think he would be here?"

"Might as well beat the Calamity your own way without relying on someone like him..."

"Did you really think he would be in this temple, waiting to save you or, even worse, wanted to save something that he couldn't even do...?"

She walked deeper into the room, and Greg saw that she was limping a little and leaning on a staff that looked a lot like the Calamity. "It's been three years since the first Elite Knight left."

"He is most likely dead. Or if he's still alive, he's hiding far away like the coward he always was..."

"He cannot help you... all the Royal Knights can't! But me...? "I choose this path so that the world can open its eyes to the uncomfortable truths about the kingdom, the royal knights, and even the blacksmiths."

"You're lying," Lylia said, stepping forward even though Greg tried to stop her. "The compass brought us here, then, that means Veldway has to be here!"

Agatha said, "The compass," and then she laughed again. "Yes, I was counting on that..."

"What a helpful tool, don't you think?"

"It's so easy to change if you know how. You lead yourselves exactly where I want you by making a few changes to the resonance chamber and carefully planting a fake signature..."

The implications hit Greg like a punch in the gut. "You set a trap."

"All of this...! The secret place and the compass that led us here were meant to keep us away from Meridian!"

"Not completely," Agatha said as she sat down at the desk like she owned the place. "I did need you to be away from your friends."

"Your small group has been a real pain in the neck trying to stop the Calamity twice now and even saving people who were inside it."

"I must say... that really is impressive, but it also has some problems in it."

"Why are you doing this?" Elwen asked, her voice shaking a little. "What do you get out of breaking everything by summoning the Calamity of Weapons?!"

"What do I get... you say...?" There was something intense and scary in Agatha's eyes. "What do I get? Of course I'll get the fucking truth, child."

"I show the world what it really is... just like I said many times to everyone that all of these kingdoms and nobles build their peace on piles of weapons."

"They discuss peace while making weapons of death. The Royal Knights act like they're serving justice when they're really just protecting the status quo."

"Everything is a lie, and everyone is a hypocrite!"

"So you used a monster to make a point?" Greg said, with disgust in his voice.

"I made a mirror," Agatha said. "The Calamity is the weapons of humanity turned against itself."

"Every weapon it takes and every life it claims represents individuals and tools that were initially used for violence."

"I'm just telling everyone the truth... that their precious peace is built on death, and death will always take peace away in the end."

"You're crazy," Hilda said, and her voice sounded different. It was fear, but also recognition. "I recognised your voice..."

"I heard you when I was inside the Calamity! You are linked to it, and you have full control over it."

"I see now... so you survived the Calamity's permeation... that's quite impressive," Agatha said, smiling at Hilda like a teacher would at a student. "Yes, that's true! I am connected to the Calamity."

"My work of art and my creation of a masterpiece! I feel every city it destroys and every weapon it takes."

"The strength, the growth, the beautiful way it has to happen."

She stood there, leaning heavily on her staff, and Greg knew she wasn't just old. She was going to die. The link to the Calamity was eating her up from the inside, just like it had tried to eat Hilda.

"But you've been a big problem," Agatha said as she walked around the desk. "Encouraging resistance, gathering defenders, and even freeing my test subject."

She nodded at Hilda. "I should have made sure you were completely focused before I let the Calamity move on... I messed up..."

"What do you want from us?" Greg asked, trying to buy time while he thought of a way to get out. They were stuck in an underground room with only one way out, and they were up against a woman who had the most dangerous weapon in the world.

"Want?" Agatha looked like she was thinking about the question. "I guess I want you to get it."

"I want you to see that I'm right before the end..."

"That your peace is just a trick of the mind..."

"The disaster is just showing the truth that it was always there."

She hit the floor with her staff, and the sound echoed in a strange way, like metal hitting metal. "But I really want you here..."

"Not in Meridian..."

"Not with your friends..."

"Because my Calamity has been moving while you've been chasing stories about a knight who is missing. And it's almost at the capital now, ready to eat the last bit of fake peace..."

"No," Lylia said softly.

"Yes," Agatha said with a cruel smile. "Meridian will fall by tomorrow..."

"Your friends, family, and everyone else you left behind to keep safe."

"They will all be a part of my beautiful work of art. And you, stuck here in this mountain, will have to listen to the wind and picture their screams."

She smiled, but it was a cold and terrible smile. "Welcome to the Howling Peaks, Brotherhood of Peace."

"This is... where your journey ends..."

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.