Corrupted Realm – The Hollow Spire
Her eyelids fluttered as consciousness returned—and with it came pain. Her body trembled violently, as if she were being electrocuted from the inside out.
"She's waking up," Garren's voice echoed lazily from somewhere above.
Chains clinked as he crouched beside her suspended body. With a smirk, he loosened the mechanism and slowly began lowering her into the black corrupted pool.
"No!" Zara screamed in fury. "Don't you dare—!"
Elise pulled at her own chains, fire sparking from her arms, but it fizzled out instantly. The restraints pulsed with corrupted runes that devoured her mana like it was nothing.
Nyxirith gritted her teeth, silent, eyes glowing faintly as she tried to gather shadow energy—but the chains pulsed again. It was like trying to breathe underwater. Her head throbbed.
"She'll be the first," Garren murmured, watching with casual delight. "Let's see if the princess of water can survive the baptism of corruption."
Celestis's toes dipped into the black pool. A hiss echoed.
Dark mana surged from the chains into her body, spiraling along her arms like hungry snakes. Black veins appeared instantly, crawling up her neck.
Her scream echoed through the chamber. It wasn't normal pain—it was something far worse. Like her soul was being crushed.
"Stop it!" Elise shouted again. "You bastard!"
Garren tilted his head, completely unbothered. "Why? Or could it be you're that eager for your own turn?"
Zara was shaking now. Not in fear—but in helpless rage.
Celestis's body spasmed again as the dark pool licked up to her waist. Her screams grew louder.
Black marks danced across her skin like corrupted tattoos, forming strange patterns.
"Make it stop!" she cried out.
"You bastard, I'll murder you!" Elise clenched her teeth.
"You should get used to this," Garren said softly, eyes gleaming. "One by one, you'll all join me."
Celestis screamed again as the corrupted pool bubbled violently the moment her torso submerged.
Dark bubbles erupted from the surface, splashing against the stone.
The black liquid roiled like a storm, and every few seconds, her figure would twitch beneath the surface—bound limbs jerking like a puppet on broken strings.
More dark veins pulsed across her skin. Her back arched uncontrollably as her head dipped under.
Garren just stood there, arms folded behind his back, watching like an artist admiring his masterpiece.
"She'll either break…" he said slowly, voice filled with satisfaction, "...or she'll be reborn."
The pool let out another guttural bloop, and Celestis's body convulsed again beneath the surface. Her hands, still bound by glowing chains, began to emit a faint glow—not with her usual gentle blue, but something far more twisted. Ripples of blackened water mana danced from her palms before vanishing.
"H-her," Nyxirith suddenly said, her voice tight. "Her aura—it's changing."
"I know." Elise's voice was hoarse. She slammed her shoulder against the chain. "We have to get out of here."
"She's not fighting back anymore…" Zara whispered, her voice going flat.
The three could only stare as Celestis's submerged form slowly began to still. The bubbling slowed. The pool calmed.
The silence was worse than the screaming.
"No…" Elise muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, don't tell me…"
Zara shut her eyes tightly. "Please... don't break."
SSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
A surge of corrupted steam burst from the pool. The black water rippled violently.
Garren took a step back, eyes narrowing slightly.
A moment later, a hand slammed against the surface. Then a head broke through the pool, gasping.
Dark water streamed down her face as she panted, body trembling. Her once-bright blue eyes now flickered between blue and… black.
She was still in there—but barely.
"She's… alive," Nyxirith whispered.
But the question wasn't whether she lived—it was whether she was still Celestis.
Garren stared for a long moment, then grinned.
A chuckle escaped his lips. "Remarkable. I was sure she'd crack halfway through, but… this one's will is deliciously stubborn."
Celestis didn't speak.
She remained bound, half-submerged, hair plastered to her skin. Her breathing was ragged.
Garren took a slow step forward, crouching beside the edge of the pool. "Tell me, princess… how do you feel?"
Celestis raised her head slowly.
Then, with a dry voice, she whispered, "…hungry."
The girls' hearts sank.
Garren's eyes gleamed with madness. "Perfect. But there's still sanity left. Seems I'll need to submerge you for a full seventy-two hours if I want the best result."
With that, he proceeded to lower all four girls into the pool this time around.
The chains creaked loudly.
Their hearts pounded fiercely.
The horror was crystal clear in their eyes.
But before anyone could speak—
The entire Spire shook violently.
The chains above rattled.
What was that? Zara inwardly thought as she glanced around, hope flashing in her eyes.
Garren frowned, gaze snapping toward the upper levels.
The sound came again.
This time, the Spire shook harder. Dust fell from the ceiling. One of the chains holding Elise creaked dangerously.
Garren's head snapped toward the sound.
"What the hell is going on now–?!"
Mid-sentence, another blast echoed.
The impact hit—this time accompanied by flashes of red and blue light outside the high windows of the Spire.
Garren cursed under his breath. He stood abruptly and turned from the pool. "I'll deal with this later."
Without a second glance at the girls, he leaped toward the spiral staircase carved into the stone wall.
Outside the Hollow Spire.
A massive explosion erupted as the western tower—one of the four corrupted watchtowers—crumbled under the force of a barrage of attacks. Frost spears, fireballs, lightning strikes, and shadow blasts tore through the structure like paper.
Ashren stood atop a scorched rock with his sword drawn, expression calm despite the chaos.
"Target one is down," he said, then looked toward the tunnel below. "This should be enough to draw that mongrel out."
Beneath the ground, in a spacious tunnel, Drake and a small group of the original scout team moved swiftly under the guidance of Thorne and Voron.
Meanwhile, in a distant dimension far from the Non-Human Continent…
A young, handsome boy slowly opened his eyes.
[Ding! Update completed.]