>>Lyal

I walked, the hem of my cloak brushing against the polished marble floor, a low murmur of voices reached my ears from around the corner of the intersecting hallways. I paused, stepping into the shadow of a grand pillar to listen.

The voices grew clearer,

"You said you can reach her again if you go see Illaris." I recognized the Tower Master's voice

"But I fear Illaris is going to die soon." And I recognized Corvina's voice,, "Honestly, when I saw her in the glass case, her condition didn't look good." But what she said made me freeze up for a moment.

What??!

What did she just say? Illaris is going to die?

I stepped out from the shadow and Hael saw me. But he paid me no attention and they kept walking.

"So what if she dies?" He said to her, their voices growing distant.

"Hael! That's a person!" Corvina said, "And if she dies, we won't-" I couldn't hear the rest properly, it was like the sounds were muffled purposely.

Frantic, I replayed their words in my head, each repetition hammering home the dire reality of the situation. My mind raced. How does Corvina know she's going to die?

Wait,

I heard the temple called her to visit and she went.

Did she analyze her condition there? Is Illaris really going to die?

If Illaris dies, I have nothing left to use. She's my most powerful asset.

I had started gaining a lot of favor because of her and her Holy Power. When we went to purify the forest, the fame rose. We just needed to continue more and soon I'd be able to become the crown prince.

Nevan isn't even home most of the time, the favor he has is bound to die.

But now what?

Desperation clawed at me. I had to find a way to change this situation. There had to be something I can do

***

>>Amber

"Miasma has begun to take over towns around Hollow Woods," King Matthias explained, "All the kingdoms are executing maximum level emergencies."

My skin stood up at the news and I glanced at Hael

It's started.

This is the start of the end of the world.

"What do you require of us, Your Highness?" Hael asked calmly.

"The other kingdoms don't have a saint, the elves and the dwarves have closed themselves in their kingdoms while the other human kingdoms are looking at us for help."

"What about the demon continent?" Crown Prince Nevan asked. Him and Lyal were in attendance along with all the king's advisors. I didn't see the Princess though. The King did announce her punishment, but did he really throw her in the dungeon or not?

"It appears that the demons aren't giving this situation much importance." The King let out a soft breath.

"It's most likely because the Miasma doesn't eat up demons the same way it eats the rest of us." Hael said and then all eyes were on him, "The Demons are referred to as dark creatures, their blood and body can't be consumed by the miasma," He shook his head, "Not easily." He talked calmly, "Besides, they also don't care because they'd be the last one affected if the miasma takes over the whole world."

"The Whole world?" Lyal raised his brows at him.

"What do you mean by that statement, Tower Master?" Matthias asked.

"Everyone is locking themselves in because they're afraid of the miasma taking over them. I'm sure everyone is frantic by how the miasma is consuming cities. But just like how it's spreading into towns next to Hollow Woods, it will keep spreading and take over everything."

The Hall went quiet.

Then the people began to whisper amongst themselves.

"What do we do about that?"

"Are we supposed to do something?"

"We have the saint!"

"But this scale is too large!!"

"We're doomed?!"

"No, the saint should be able to do something," I felt the sudden pressure of expectations which started to unnerve me.

In the end, it's all going to fall onto my shoulders?

The advisors, and even the royal guards were unnerved. I looked at the guards, trying to see if I could find Ahin, but I didn't.

...

Has he gone North? He was assigned to work under Duke Wellington. Did he leave already?

The hall was loud because of all the murmuring, so the King roared, "Quiet!" His voice was thunderous but effective.

Everyone went quiet and looked at their ruler.

"Tower Master, do you know how the miasma is spreading?" He asked and once again, all eyes were on Hael.

"Yes," He answered confidently, making a lot of people gasp

"How?"

"I told you about the monsters I encountered, didn't I?" Hael brought his hand up, "These monsters have lived in Hollow Woods for years," His palm faced upwards and he began to summon his magic in that constricted space, "Now these monsters are capable of spreading miasma itself."

More gasps, followed by whispering.

Hael on the other hand used illusion magic to bring up an image of the monster, to show everyone how they look.

I had my eyes fixed on him, and even my mouth hung open at what he showed to all of us.

It moved on four impossibly long, spindly legs. These limbs, twisted and angular, seemed to bend at unnatural angles, each joint a grotesque mockery of the human form. The feet, or what looked like feet at least, were in a tip-toe position, with only the front part of the foot coming in contact with the ground.

It had toes, but they weren't separated.

The creature's body was gaunt and emaciated, its ribs protruding sharply beneath a layer of taut, leathery skin that clung to its frame like a death shroud. Each rib and vertebra was distinctly visible, forming a macabre lattice, making it look like the creature had starved for years.

From its back, a series of jagged bones jutted out, arching upward like grotesque, skeletal hills. These protrusions seemed to pulsate with a life of their own

Its head, a ghastly, featureless visage, was small and misshapen, perched atop a long, segmented neck. The lack of nose, or mouth only added to its terrifying presence, but what made it truly scary, is the pair of white hollow eyes that sat on its face, looking like they could stare into one's soul.

The creature's forelimbs were particularly horrifying—elongated and ending in claw appendages that dragged along the floor. The monster's pitch black skin took on the texture of bark, rough and gnarled, blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness.

Hael then moved the monster away from us, putting it on the floor. All eyes followed the magic-made beast. But once on the ground, Hael enlarged the illusion, bringing it to its actual size at the same time as he blocked the light coming in from the windows.

The hall went dark.

I could sense the fear that took roots in the place because all everyone could see was the white hollow eyes staring down at them.

I knew full well that it was an illusion, yet it scared me. I moved towards Hael, my hands searching for him and I found his chest, I grabbed onto his clothes and then I felt his arm come around my waist. He wrapped his arm around me nicely and pulled me closer without a word while both of us kept our eyes on the monster.

The creature moved, making everyone in the hall moved away, but not one person made a sound.

Hael made the creature move towards the crowd on the left and there was a commotion there. The people screamed and scrambled.

"Tower Master," Prince Nevan spoke, "I think that's enough demonstration." He spoke before the situation got out of hand.

There was barely any light but I could see him. Hael stared at Prince Nevan for a second, then removed the blockage from the windows, letting the light come in again.

Once the light was in, it showed how the men in the room were clinging onto each other like babies, hiding behind the pillars. Using the guards as shields and making their way towards the main door but some of them had tripped over.

Once the light was back, the humiliation came back with it.

I was a little too focused on other people and didn't realize that Hael still had his arm around my waist and I was holding onto for dear life.

It was only when I saw the gazes on me did I turn and look at what was happening and saw Lyal staring at us.

!!!

I then looked down at Hael, blushed, and moved away.

He let me do it, but he watched me do it too.

Once I moved away, he spoke, "This creature does not make any sound when it moves." He ignored the people and so did the royalty, who surprisingly didn't move an inch from their places. The people hid their faces as they came back to their positions.

"You didn't notice it either?" The King asked

"No," Hael replied, "Thus why it caught me." He pointed at its claws, "One slash and it almost ripped all of me apart."

I felt a shudder go down my spine.

And I know the rest of the room felt the same.

"You can't see it in complete darkness, you can't hear it coming, it's a predator," The King shook his head in denial. "What else?"

"But the most important thing to notice are the small hill-like structures on its back," He made the illusion do a 360 turn, making sure everyone saw that, "This is where the miasma comes from."

"What?!" Everyone was surprised, even me

I looked at Hael, "This!" I pointed at the monster, "The monsters are producing the miasma!"

"Yes," He replied, "Their bodies can produce miasma," He had a professional subtle smile on, "That's how it's been spreading everywhere."

It was a cold realization that slowly sank into every person's mind.

That the miasma that had been affecting every country so far, is because these monsters are lurking outside each kingdom.

At any moment, the Miasma could surround the country and if it wasn't for the barriers the magicians set around the cities, we'd be long gone.

Guys this is a reference picture. It's not my art and it's not exactly how the monsters look. But you can use this image for imagination. Our monster has black skin, looks like a dark skeleton, the fingers are claws, the back his hills. But this art is amazing, and this is the art that inspired our miasma spreading monsters too