Part 751: Sylphid’s Betrayal

Far-Future Era. Day 20, AJR. Chrona.

Timothy trembled with fear as he realized he was well and truly alone. He had no way to contact his friends. He was pinned down by an enemy who would likely kill him after she’d taken what she wanted.

The only option he had left was to talk his way out of this, but how could he do that when his mind was in complete disarray?! It was like a stampede of panic-bison were storming through his mind, shutting out all rational thoughts.

"Sylphid, don’t do this! I am an Emissary!!" Timothy screamed. "You’re making a huge mistake!!"

Unfortunately, even if his words were completely true, he had completely lost any appearance of an Emissary’s demeanor. He looked more like a panicking child to the powerful woman who dutifully maintained a tight grip on his throat.

"Hahaha! You’re still speaking those tired lines!" Sylphid cackled. "All the while, trembling and pissing yourself like the vermin you are! I knew from the very beginning you were a thief from the Milky Way! Did you think our intelligence was so weak we couldn’t recognize Psions?! We’ve been planning an invasion of the Milky Way for eons! Of course we would know what the Milky Way’s dominant species looked like!"

She sneered, looking down at Timothy with disdain. "I don’t know how you were able to steal the power of Yredelemnul, but I’ll find out soon once I extract your memories, your soul, and eventually the Ruler’s shard itself…"

Saying this, Sylphid’s eyes began to glow. She was very careful to maintain her grip on Timothy’s throat, pinning him to the ground while using her other hand to motion toward a statue on the opposite side of the room. The statue was a graven image of Cthulhu, something that seemed to possess a tiny speck of power originating from the Ruler himself.

Magical energy surged from the statue into Sylphid’s left hand. Then, she lowered her palm toward Timothy’s forehead.

Suddenly, a flash of Timothy’s life played out in his mind. He remembered a time when he was a child and he accidentally broke one of his mother’s tools. He was so scared of getting caught that he hid the tool from her, but she found it eventually, as mothers do. She admonished him at the time, telling him that lying was wrong, and he burst into tears…

The memory surfaced, then it faded. Timothy realized with a start that Sylphid was already starting to extract his memories. She would learn all of his secrets, who he was, who his mother and father were… all of it! Everything!

He had to stop her!

For a brief moment, Timothy’s panic gave way to desperation. His thoughts intensified more than they ever had in the entirety of his life preceding this moment.

In that moment of desperation, Timothy remembered something.

The King Network responded to his mental intent! He had to insert and extract items from his inventory using his hands, and he also had to do a few other things with his hands, but most of the functions operated by voice, or by thought.

He could still tap into his System to find the tiniest glimmer of hope in this moment of dire need.

That was when Timothy remembered another important detail.

She’s trying to read my mind. But I have a way to block her!!

Timothy immediately called up his skill list, then activated one of them with a single thought.

Mind of Void, activate!

It was the best skill he could think of using in this situation.

…

Mind of Void

Immunity to telepathic intrusion. Telepathic attacks reflected back at attacker at 110% damage. Distracting thoughts can be silenced for thirty minute intervals at the cost of 0.9 MP/Min. Personality altered to PSIOPHOBIC.

…

All of a sudden, the way Timothy’s thoughts manifested themselves began to change. His viewpoint on certain parts of the world shifted. He looked at Sylphid with an expression of pure disgust.

"Trying to read my thoughts, you hideous telepath? NEVER!"

Sylphid’s eyes widened. She screamed as an unknown power suddenly erupted in Timothy’s mind, traced backward through her telepathic attack, and slammed into her psyche like a hammer against an anvil.

Ashenzari’s 32nd Emissary was sent flying backward, violently thrown from Timothy’s body as if an orc had uppercut her chin. She hurtled partway out of the secret chamber and crashed onto her back, coughing out a huge mouthful of blood. The full power of the telepathic attack she had planned to unleash on Timothy had instead been reflected at her, with extra power to spare!

Timothy had no time to waste. He tried to get up, but the power that was pinning him to the ground seemed to come from the statue, not Sylphid herself. However, with Sylphid’s grip no longer on Timothy’s throat, the statue seemed to lose its channelled effectiveness. Timothy felt the force holding him down weakening, little by little.

Sylphid coughed multiple times. Timothy’s surprise attack had rattled her mind and momentarily crippled her thoughts. She was like an average human who had looked directly at a flashbang grenade right as it went off. Her proprioception was thrown off, and her eyes couldn’t focus. The world spun and twisted around her in a blur.

"Yuuhh… you…" Sylphid coughed, another mouthful of blood spewing from her lips.

Timothy grunted and groaned. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, but the force holding him down was still a little too strong. With this in mind, he used the Active Ability of his Mind of Void, causing all his distracting thoughts to vanish into the wind. At the same time, he used another active skill, Player’s Fixation.

…

Player’s Fixation

The Player can focus their mind for an extended period of time, increasing learning rate and speed for a specific task by up to 500%, depending on the Player’s emotional investment and mental interest in the task. High investment and interest will result in a higher payoff.

Lower values will thus lead to a lower return. The player will be locked in this state for up to twelve hours or until the task is finished, whichever is the lesser time value. The Player will need to fully sleep back to maximum mental focus and then wait 24 hours before this skill can be activated again.

…

The skill seemed to be intended for researching and low stakes mental improvement, but Timothy had found during his training that it had another purpose, which was that when activated, it could be pointed at most short term tasks and it would remain effective until the task or goal was completed, or for twelve hours in total, whichever was shorter.

Thus, he chose to focus on the single goal of ‘I must think of a way to escape this situation alive.’

Timothy activated Player’s Fixation and Mind of Void’s active ability simultaneously to try and think of a way out of this predicament. The results were as he’d practiced during his grueling two months of training with Blinker.

Abruptly, all at once, Timothy’s fears, his worries, his misgivings and regrets, they all vanished at the same time. Timothy’s thoughts became cold and precise, similar to when he adopted the Mind of Logic.

However, there was a difference. Timothy did not change his personality, so to say. He was the same as before, but more tuned in, less distracted. He didn’t feel any of his usual desires or urges, but he didn’t disregard them either. He still had emotions, and those emotions could become much more concentrated compared to his default state, and in direct contrast with the Mind of Logic, which removed emotions entirely.

He became capable of focusing one hundred percent of his attention on the situation at hand.

Analysis: I have 11 level-up rewards I can use to potentially break out of this situation, including leveling a pair of skills at a time. However, one of the level-ups did not offer me a pair of skill levels, so I can only level up two skills 10 times.

Conjecture: Even if I break free of my bonds and make it past Sylphid, I will likely perish after exiting the chamber. There are too many powerful elites in the city, and potentially other Emissaries as well.

Analysis: Combat will not win the day. I must use the power of my mind at 100% efficiency.

Analysis: The power of Yredelemnul can potentially be used to escape the situation.

Timothy’s eyes jumped from right to left. He looked at the room. He looked at the statue. He looked at various alien relics placed on a table to his left, and several ancient scrolls on his right.

Nothing here would provide him a weapon or armor capable of breaking out.

Plan: First, I must level up Yredelemnul’s Eye. Then, I must level up another skill with the power to help me escape.

Crocodile Form? No. I am too inexperienced with it.

Divine Blaze? It is my only combat skill. It will do.

Timothy could improve two skills on most level-ups. He could not improve the same skill twice. Thus, he didn’t hesitate to start rapidly powering up Yredelemnul’s Eye and Divine Blaze in unison. He didn’t need his hands to do this, only his thoughts. The process moved as swiftly as his speed of thought.

You have improved the Eye of Yredelemnul. Now Level 6.

You have improved Divine Blaze. Now Level 2.

You have improved the Eye of Yredelemnul. Now Level 7.

You have improved Divine Blaze. Now Level 3.

You have improved the Eye of Yredelemnul. Now Level 8.

You have improved Divine Blaze. Now Level 4.

You have improved the Eye of Yredelemnul. Now Level 9.

You have improved Divine Blaze. Now Level 5.

You have improved the Eye of Yredelemnul. Now Level 10.

You have improved Divine Blaze. Now Level 6.

Alert! The skill ‘Eye of Yredelemnul’ has reached MAX Level. It can no longer be improved any further.

…

Timothy looked with momentary astonishment at the skills he had just improved.

…

Eye of Yredelemnul L10 (MAX) [Active Skill] [Unique] [MP Cost 0] [AP Cost 0] [Cooldown 0]

The stolen power of a dark god courses through the Player. The Player can examine objects and entities with the Eye of Yredelemnul to learn more information about them. As the Player strengthens, the information available to them will improve drastically.

Improved+: The Eye can now see the full stats of nearly all other entities.

Improved: The Eye can sense the auras of powerful life forms.

Improved+: The Eye can better see the details of items than before.

Improved: The Eye can peer into unsealed files and perceive their full contents instantly.

Improved+: The Eye can now be used to peer through up to 100m of solid matter.

Improved: The Eye can now be used to subdue Sentient lifeforms with minds weaker than the Player.

Improved: The Eye can now be used to unleash a sight-based attack. The damage of the attack is proportional to the amount of mana spent, the Player’s stat totals, and the Player’s state of mind.

Max level achieved: The Eye of Yredelemnul’s final two improvements have been split into their own sub-skills, [Yredelemnul’s Disdain] and [Yredelemnul’s Rage]. They can be leveled on their own to obtain additional, stronger effects. The power of a Dark One grows stronger within you.

Divine Blaze L6 [Active Skill] [Rare] [Enchantment] [Mana Cost 0.5/min (Sustained)] [Cooldown 0]

Enables the Player to temporarily enchant a melee weapon with a light and flame effect that deals a base 200% additional damage to most enemies, and up to 1000% extra damage against enemies weak to Fire or Divine attacks. Enemies resistant to both effects will take reduced damage. Remains active on the enchanted weapon until deactivated or until mana is depleted.

Improved: Your weapon now has a chance to Blind enemies when swung. This can also affect allies, so use with caution.

Improved: This weapon has a high chance to Smite undead enemies, killing them instantly. If the skill fails to Smite an undead, Smite will be unable to activate on that enemy ever again.

…

In addition to the two skills he had leveled up, Timothy obtained two brand new skills directly from Yredelemnul’s Eye, once it reached level 10 and maxed out.

…

Yredelemnul’s Disdain [Active Skill] [Unique] [MP Cost 25 or AP Cost 4] [Cooldown 20 seconds]

You have begun to tap more deeply into the powers of a fallen Ruler. You can now dominate the minds of other Sentients and scare them into fleeing, surrendering, or even devoting themselves to you. A failed activation of this ability may have no effect on a Sentient, or it may embolden them, making them much more hostile toward you.

This skill is most effective on Sentients far weaker than you. It dramatically loses effectiveness the more powerful a Sentient is.

Yredelemnul’s Rage [Active Skill] [Unique] [MP Cost 30 or AP Cost 5] [Cooldown 20 Seconds]

You have begun to tap more deeply into the powers of a fallen Ruler. You can now unleash a sight-based attack that strikes with concussive force. This skill’s power is heavily based on the Player’s stats, particularly the strength of their mind, their INT, their WIS, and their accumulated knowledge.

This skill can hurt an enemy as if the Player punched them, or it can strike with the force of a cannon, and it can hit even harder than that under certain circumstances. Players with weak minds will be unable to tap into the full power of [Yredelemnul’s Rage].

…

If this were any other time, Timothy might have been shocked senseless and leaped for joy at the upgrade he had just obtained. However, he was still in great danger. He did not have the time or the energy to feel any emotions during this imminent crisis.

I still have 5 more skill levels I can divvy out. Timothy observed. These two new skills may just give me an opportunity to escape my predicament.

He didn’t hesitate. Timothy immediately dumped all 5 of his remaining levels into Yredelemnul’s Disdain and Yredelemnul’s Rage.

…

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Disdain. Now Level 2.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Rage. Now Level 2.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Disdain. Now Level 3.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Rage. Now Level 3.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Disdain. Now Level 4.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Rage. Now Level 4.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Disdain. Now Level 5.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Rage. Now Level 5.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Disdain. Now Level 6.

You have improved Yredelemnul’s Rage. Now Level 6.

…

With this, he improved both of his new skills to Level 6, and this empowered them beyond his greatest expectations.

…

Yredelemnul’s Disdain [Active Skill] [Unique] [MP Cost 10 or AP Cost 1] [Cooldown 5 seconds]

This skill is effective on Sentients somewhat stronger than you. It dramatically loses effectiveness the more powerful a Sentient is beyond that threshold.

Improved: Failed activations of this skill can now confuse Sentients.

Improved: Failed activations of this skill are more likely to cause a temporary mental suppression effect on the target.

Improved: Successful activations of this skill are more likely to cause a Sentient to revere or worship you.

Yredelemnul’s Rage [Active Skill] [Unique] [MP Cost 15 or AP Cost 2] [Cooldown 5 Seconds]

Improved: The Player can imbue this attack with the elements of fire or ice if they wish.

Improved: The Player can imbue this attack with the elements of dark or light if they wish.

Improved: This skill is much more likely to cause status ailments to enemies it strikes based on the imbued element, such as Burn or Freeze.

Improved: For 1 mana/second, the Player can channel the attack, ramping up its effectiveness over time.

…

With this, the only other options Timothy had remaining were the lootboxes and other rewards he’d earned on leveling up, but he had no time to open them, consider the options, and rationally choose the best items or skills. His current situation was dire, and he had to make a move quickly!

The good news was, after activating Player’s Fixation, Timothy had sped up the thoughts in his brain by a factor of five. As long as he was ‘solving a problem’, which in this case was ‘escaping the Golden Grove alive’, the power of the skill would enhance his thinking power. But once he left the situation, his thoughts would revert back to normal, and he would even experience a decline due to exhaustion.

Thus, he had to make every second count.

Timothy thrashed around from side to side. He finally managed to push himself into a sitting position, the energy binding him feeling something like an invisible spiderweb pinning him down. But with each movement, the power of Cthulhu’s statue weakened more and more. Timothy finally stood, breaking out of his quagmire.

And not a moment too soon. Sylphid also shakily stood up, her eyes bloodshot. It was clear she’d suffered a terrible blow from the reversal of her psychic attack.

"You… can… wield his power?" Sylphid coughed. "You really… inherited it?"

Timothy’s eyes narrowed to slits. This bitch had betrayed him. All her cutesy antics earlier were nothing more than a ploy to get closer and isolate him from his friends. If he hadn’t acted quickly, she might have turned him into a vegetable. In fact, she still might!

He had a 99% likelihood of death in the next few minutes even if he killed her, because there were still countless powerful soldiers in the vicinity.

Timothy slapped the T-REX on his chest, causing his pitch-black Spectre armor to engulf his body. At the same time, he thrust his hand into his inventory and whipped out his Longsword, the only weapon useful in this situation. A gun was probably more dangerous, but he couldn’t imbue it with Divine Blaze, and the noise of a gun would draw other enemies like moths to a flame.

"You’re gonna pay, you bitch." Timothy hissed. "Mind-raping scum like you deserve to DIE."

Timothy’s rage boiled as he met the gaze of the Emissary. He’d never felt so enraged in all his life as he felt right now.

Just as Timothy was about to activate Divine Blaze and cut her down, a masculine voice spoke from behind Sylphid, outside the chamber beyond Timothy’s view.

"Well well, Sylphid. You failed, as I thought you would. Useless, as always."

Timothy’s heart dropped. A figure wearing a golden mask strolled into view. He was tall and slender; Timothy recognized him as the Emissary that had been out in the forest when Timothy met his gaze a few days before.

"It’s you?" Timothy asked, stunned.

Timothy shivered. Killing Sylphid and escaping had a slim chance of success. She was injured, weakened. But this new Emissary had a much more powerful presence than her. He wasn’t hurt, and his guard was up.

"Emissary Faceless!" Sylphid coughed, turning on her heel to look at the gold-masked man with a mixture of fear and anger. "When did you return?!"

"Long enough ago that I was able to witness the sight of your body sent flying. It seems your ‘prey’ had more bite than you expected? And now you’ve ended up in such a pitiful position… shouldn’t you be on your knees, thanking me for saving your life? Another minute and you’d have died to this fellow’s primitive weapon. What a pitiful end for an Emissary that would be."

Whoever ‘Faceless’ was, it was clear he wasn’t an Emissary on the same level as Sylphid, but one ranked considerably higher than her. Timothy wasn’t certain if Faceless was Sylphid’s superior, like a commanding officer, or something similar, but it did seem the two of them had an internal conflict.

Perhaps they were semi-equals in named position, but Faceless and Sylphid were competing for rewards from a superior even higher up than them? Timothy didn’t have enough information to make a determination.

"I have the situation under control!" Sylphid snapped. "Stay out of my business!"

"Oh, but it isn’t ‘your’ business anymore." Faceless said smoothly. "This was your last chance, remember? You’ve disappointed Ashenzari for the last time. By the end of the day, your Blessing will be revoked. You are an Emissary no longer."

Timothy couldn’t see Faceless’s expression beneath the mask, but the sound of a smile was unmistakable in his voice. He was clearly very pleased about what had happened.

Sylphid’s face turned a sickly gray. She fell to her knees and started to shake. "No… no, that’s a lie… Lord Ashenzari wouldn’t abandon me! I’ve been devoted to him my whole life!"

"Think what you like." Faceless said. "Now, while you sit there like a good girl, I will take care of this pest myself."

Faceless’s head turned to look at Timothy. His blood-red eyes were barely visible through the holes in his mask.

"Are you going to struggle now, little hyuu-man?" Faceless taunted. "There won’t be any point, but it will add a hint of spice to your final momen-"

A scorching red beam of energy suddenly fired from Timothy’s eyes.

ZOT!!!

It crashed against Faceless’s chest with the impact of a tank cannon firing at point-blank range. The masked Emissary’s body went flying backward in a U-shape. He slammed into the wall hard enough to send fragments of granite and stone flying in all directions.

The corners of Timothy’s mouth curled up, ever so slightly.

"Yes. I think I will struggle a little." Timothy answered.

Timothy stepped forward. He directed a withering glare at Sylphid. Her expression was dazed, as she had just lost something precious to her. If Faceless spoke the truth, then regardless of whether she captured Timothy or not, she had lost the support of her Ruler.

But what was strange was, when she looked at Timothy, her eyes didn’t seem particularly hostile. She should have the same look as earlier, wanting him dead, but instead, it seemed almost as if…

"You truly do wield his power…" Sylphid mumbled. "I was wrong.. I was wrong! Yredelemnul’s Heir, forgive me!"

Sylphid fell forward and prostrated herself at Timothy’s feet, making invisible question marks pop up above his head. He hadn’t expected this turn of events.

"What?" Timothy asked. His gaze shifted from Sylphid bowing at his feet to Faceless, who had collapsed to the ground from Timothy’s flame-beam. Already, Faceless was recovering, and his injuries were far lighter than Slyphid’s from earlier.

"You… bastard." Faceless hissed, rising to his feet. He gracefully pulled a long, wave-shaped ceremonial knife from his waistband and glowered at Timothy with rage-filled eyes. "A sneak attack. Despicable! I will take back Yredelemnul’s power from you, no matter the cost!"

"Wait!" Sylphid exclaimed, lifting her head to look at Faceless. "You can’t! You mustn’t! He is the legitimate heir of Yredelemnul! We have no right to touch him-"

"Speak less, traitor." Faceless spat. "There are only two witnesses to this usurper’s powers. After I kill you both and take Yredelemnul’s shard for myself, nobody else shall know!"

Faceless lunged toward Timothy, and Timothy reflexively activated Yredelemnul’s Rage once again, firing another wall-busting blast of the fire element at Faceless’s advancing figure.

Faceless was prepared this time. His rush forward was merely a feint to draw out Timothy’s attack, and he instantly side-stepped, causing the laser to pound into the wall behind him. The chamber shook, but Faceless was unhurt.

He charged toward Timothy and slashed the knife down.

Riiiip!!

The blade tore through the T-REX and cut a huge diagonal gash across Timothy’s body, from his top right shoulder down to the bottom left of his waist. Timothy tried to deflect the attack with his Longsword, but Faceless’s speed was above the level of even a Demon Emperor. If he hadn’t held back the power of his attack, he would have cut Timothy’s body in half and killed him on the spot!

"Ugh…" Timothy coughed as he fell backward, landing on the ground in a heap.

Faceless sneered beneath his mask. It only took one move, and the hyuu-man was defeated. His armor was sealing up the gap with its spare nanites, but blood was pouring copiously from the wound anyway. Timothy would soon be dead, so Faceless would have to move fast to extract Yredelemnul’s power from him.

But first, there was another matter to attend…

"Stop!!" Sylphid cried, a moment too late. She jumped to her feet, having mostly recovered from the mental attack earlier. Her expression was grim as Faceless turned to meet her gaze. "You can’t do this! He’s a true heir of the Dark Ones! His status is higher than yours!"

"You always were an eyesore." Faceless said with venomous intent. He raised his dagger, and Sylphid belatedly realized she didn’t have a weapon, only her bare hands. "You are Ashenzari’s Emissary no longer. Even better, I have proof you’re a traitor to my god. That means I can dispose of you."

Faceless started to swing his blade down. But at that moment, something struck him from the side.

ZOT!!!

A laser made of ice-imbued energy crashed into Faceless for the second time and bashed him against the wall with even more force than before. Sylphid’s eyes widened. She turned her head to see Timothy pushing himself up, looking completely unhurt.

"L-Lord Timothy?!" Sylphid exclaimed in bewilderment. "But you… he…?"

"Nothing a little Full Restore can’t fix." Timothy chuckled.

Sylphid bobbed her head. "Yes, yes of course! How can the greatness of Yredelemnul be understood by the likes of me? Lord, I will serve you until my dying breath! Forgive me for going against your holiness earlier."

She bowed her head, looking down at Faceless’s shuddering body with a renewed sense of disbelief. It seemed Timothy was far, far stronger than she had ever realized before.

Timothy walked over to Sylphid. He frowned. "You will pledge to serve me?"

"Yes!" Sylphid immediately replied. "But we must hurry, Lord Timothy! The sounds of fighting will draw guards upon us momentarily. We haven’t much time."

Timothy thought for a brief moment. He realized leaving here on his own would be nearly impossible, but with Sylphid at his side…

Unfortunately, Faceless’s body was simply too durable. He started to climb to his feet again, and it was clear that he had been slowed down by the frost energy pervading his body, but he was still fully capable of killing Timothy once he snapped out of his daze.

Timothy looked at Sylphid once again.

"Then serve me well, Sylphid. I’ll be relying on you. Before we leave, let me handle this bug."

Timothy directed one last look at Faceless. Faceless lifted his head to glare at Timothy, having been humiliated for a second time in less than a minute.

"You… will PAY!" Faceless roared.

He started to jump at Timothy, but Timothy’s eyes flashed a dark purple color beneath his T-REX.

"INSOLENT." Timothy’s voice boomed in Faceless’s head.

Timothy activated the power of Yredelemnul’s Disdain. A focused psychic attack crashed into Faceless’s mind, and his pupils shrunk to pinpricks. At once, Faceless threw himself backward and plastered himself against the wall, looking at Timothy with eyes full of horror.

[Yredelemnul’s Disdain has activated. The target has failed to resist. The Fear effect will be applied.]

[Due to the target’s momentary weakness of mind, the Fear effect has been upgraded to Terror. The target will be unable to move for a short duration.]

Timothy grinned. He activated Divine Blaze, then raised his Longsword above his head, holding it with both hands.

Timothy slashed down at Faceless, intending to kill him on the spot. At the same time, Timothy made sure to keep an eye on Sylphid, lest it turn out her about-face was a distraction. What if she still planned to kill him? He couldn’t let his guard down around her. Once bitten, twice shy, as the saying went.

But Sylphid didn’t betray him. It was as if Timothy’s every move were the actions of a god. Her gaze toward him had already become solemn, and it seemed she was on the path to becoming reverential.

The Longsword crashed against Faceless’s body with nearly all of Timothy’s strength. But then…

Snap!

The blade broke in half when it impacted Faceless’s shoulder, the pointy part flying off to the side. Timothy had intended to cut Faceless in half the same way Faceless slashed him, but Timothy’s damned sword broke when it made contact with Faceless’s skin.

Timothy’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was so shocked he forgot to breath for a few seconds.

"Oh… shit!"

He couldn’t kill Faceless. The Emissary was too powerful! He had a body on par with Bael, which really showed how powerful Yredelemnul’s Rage was to send him flying twice.

"He has been blessed by Ashenzari, my liege!" Sylphid explained. "Ordinary weapons cannot kill him. Hurry, we must go before the guards arrive!"

She shook Timothy out of his stupor. With her reminder, Timothy finally turned and ran out of the room, Sylphid leading the way.

Meanwhile, Faceless remained on the ground, shivering and shaking as he plastered himself against the wall.

"For…give…me…for…give…me…" Faceless muttered, over and over again.

Timothy had escaped immediate death, but his life was still in great danger…