n

n

nSyryn was attracted to the sword at Riaku's waist. Its energy was thick with malevolence and the alchemist wanted to see it in action.

nThe prince who was unaware of Syryn's fixation with his sword turned to speak to him.

"Healer, do not tarry when the opportunity presents itself. Take your brother and follow Gosan out of this place.

"

n

"What about you?

" Syryn asked Riaku.

n

"We will join you as soon as we can.

"

nHe was royal patronage, a son of Nua's ruler. Riaku could have run away with Syryn while leaving his guards behind to deal with the statue. His decision to stay behind earned him a measure of goodwill from the alchemist. Not only that, Syryn found his respect for the man going up a notch.

n

"Lucien, go with the navigator,

" Syryn instructed the redhead. He had made his mind up to stay.

n

"Syryn, are you crazy?

" Red whispered back.

"They may be able to deal with that thing but the ensuing chaos will attract the attention of everything around here.

"

nThe humanoid statue was directly in their way. Retracing their steps was no longer a viable option because they were doomed the very moment the statue had become visible to them. Syryn would have left the avians if they'd cared less about him and Lucien. Knowing that Riaku was providing them with a route for escape convinced the teen that it was worth lending a helping hand if they needed it.

nHe inched closer to the navigator while pulling Lucien along with him.

"Red, you know what to do. Hide yourself away as soon as you step out of the rift. Someone's out to hurt this group and I'm not sure who the target is.

"

n

"All the more reason to leave!

" Red hissed back.

"Stop this foolishness, Syryn.

"

nRowan's influence on Syryn made him less selfish, and living with Magnus had made him stupid, Syryn surmised. Stupid wasn't the appropriate explanation for his heroic decision to face a potentially life-threatening situation but no other word came close to how Syryn was feeling at that moment. He feared the unknown denizens of the path and he feared more the inability to use his powers. The Lost path was not kind to magic users. On good days, magic came to them easily. On a bad day, the path would snuff out their powers like candle flames. Syryn's subtle testing of his magic let him know that it was a neutral day.

nA cracking sound split the silence of the air like a hammer on a glass pane. The statue was coming alive. From the glowing lettering across the featureless surface that served as its face, Syryn knew it was a stone golem. The easiest way to stop it was to remove the first word of the sentence on its face. It was the lynchpin in the complicated system of spells that gave it life.

n

"Riaku, do you know what a golem is?

" He asked the prince.

n

"Yes.

"

nThe golem rose to its feet, easily towering over them all with its full height. Whatever power was dousing their magic wasn't having much of an effect on the golem. Syryn spared a moment to make a guess at the amount of magic in the source that was inside the stone creature. Whomever it's creator was, they had taken into account the fickle nature of magic in the path.

n

"Someone has to fly up there and erase the writing,

" Syryn told him.

"Who will it be?

"

n

"Rei.

"

nAt his call, the purple masked guard fell on his knee before Riaku.

n

"Use any means necessary to erase the first three letterings on its face. Damaging the rest of the words will only drive it more berserk,

" The prince said to the kneeling guard.

nThe avians were ready when the golem came charging. They were fast when it brought a stone fist down on them. They scattered on their feet because the birds knew better than to fly inside the lost path. It would only serve to attract the sights of bigger monsters. Syryn and Lucien stood behind the navigator at a safe distance and watched the fight go down between the golem and its avian enemies.

n

"Come,

" Gosan's polite demand was calm but urgent.

"Let's get you two out of here.

"

nSyryn and Lucien followed the man onwards. When a rift was torn open, Lucien left but not without a backward glance at Syryn. The redhead was worried but helpless. Luci was their priority and he had to leave whether he liked it or not.

n

"Hurry!

" Gosan glanced at Syryn. The alchemist shook his head and began to trudge back to where the fight was taking place. Syryn had to see with his own eyes that Lucien had exited safely. Now he had one thing less to worry about.

n

"I am a healer,

" he said while feeling like an imposter. He was an alchemist and a quack.

"I can provide emergency aid that might save their lives.

"

nGosan saw sense in Syryn's words but he was torn between obeying Riaku's order and letting Syryn stay for the sake of his companions.

n

"Tell the prince that I refused to leave. What's the worst that could happen?

"

nThe avian nodded and bowed at the waist in a show of gratitude. It was a complete 90 degree.

"Thank you.

" It wasn't often that Gosan met people willing to act selflessly with their lives inside the lost path.

nSyryn and Gosan headed back to the battle zone only to witness a guard being thrown in the air. The fog was thicker than soup where he had been flung. None of them knew what condition the guard was left in after he disappeared. Shadows were gathering around the area like grotesque spectators from hell. The misshapen silhouettes and unnatural limbs reminded them all that time was running out.

n

"Prince, leave us,

" one of the guards begged. The golem was powerful. They did not have enough power to take it out in time to escape from the clutches of the fog creatures.

nRiaku's silence was his answer. He frowned at seeing Syryn still inside the path. Sword still firmly in its scabbard, the prince held a lance in his arm. Syryn could see the intent behind his weapon. If an opportunity presented itself, the lance could be used to damage the lettering. But was Riaku's arm accurate enough to hit a moving target?

nA horrified scream immediately sounded from the fog. It was the avian guard that had been thrown. The screaming drew a distressed look on the Prince's face. For a split second, it seemed like Riaku was about to rush into the fog. Syryn watched a wall of calm slam down on the man's loss of composure. The avian guard in the fog was dead and there was nothing that could be done.

nRiaku's remaining guards were like moths around a flame. Knowing what tragic fate awaited them, they still threw themselves at the golem. Such loyalty spoke volumes about their respect for the prince.

n

"Why won't you use your sword?

" Syryn asked Riaku. The prince was unfurling his beautiful wings.

n

"It cannot harm the golem,

" Riaku answered solemnly.

"Stay away from the fight, healer.

" Black wings that had a sheen of blue on the surface were spread out allowing Syryn to see the strength in them. The prince took to the air despite how foolish the action was. They'd understood that fighting from the ground would only lead to them getting crushed to death.

nA soft meow in his ear reminded Syryn of Milky's presence. The cat was staring at the silhouettes that were pressing closer and closer. Syryn thought he might have been imagining it but there seemed to be a wave of madness coming from the fog. It was a low buzz of static and rage that confused his senses. He saw Riaku shaking his head before narrowly avoiding a hit from the Golem. Neither fire nor wind and water could damage the stony being. One of its arms had been pried off its joint by the guards but it wasn't enough to slow down the golem. There was no opportunity for Rei to come close to its face.

nSyryn could give the golem a good fight if he transformed partially. He was fast enough to smudge the word on its face. But exposure of his secret was a death sentence. Sitting by idly and doing nothing was also a death sentence. What was a demon hybrid to do in this situation? For the hit of inspiration that sent a trepidation through his heart, Syryn blamed the wave of madness that was getting stronger as the crowd of silhouettes grew thicker.

nHeart in his throat, he ran into the fog where a gap lay between the gathering fog things. It was madness, an idea borne out of desperation. His blood was thrumming through his veins and Syryn felt light-headed. The teen was as excited as he was afraid. A wall of grey fog obscured the path ahead and behind him. Only the sounds of battle kept Syryn anchored in the right direction. He spread his wings and took to the abyss of the sky.

nAloft in the air, Syryn lit an enormous will-O-the-wisp. His demon was bleeding through the self-control that kept him sane but he kept climbing and climbing higher till he spotted a giant. Milky's claws were now digging into Syryn bringing with it a fresh spurt of pain. He focused on the needle-like things that gripped his shoulders. The pain was good enough distraction for now.

nWhen Syryn had spotted the bulbous eyes of the giant, it noticed him at the same moment. His heart was drumming like rampaging horses when the alchemist dove back into the fog. Keeping the Will-O-the-wisp at a good distance behind him, he made a wild rush towards the battlefield.

nSyryn hadn't had the opportunity to take a good look at the monster that was hot on his heels but he saw on its back a cluster of fleshy grape-like growths. Half of its face consisted of luminous eyes, and the other half was obscured by fog. From what little could be seen, It didnt seem to have a mouth. The creature's body was also long like a snake, it was carried on a hundred legs whose scuttling could be heard when it tossed sand in the air.

nIt was also fast, faster than Syryn had hoped it could run. The Will-O-the-wisp was buried under the legs of the monster that was enraged by the lack of substance in its fallen prey. A sandstorm was thrown in the air and Syryn chanted in his heart for a miracle. He was close enough now to see Riaku catch a Rei who had been thrown by the golem.

nThe alchemist forced a burst of speed and tucked his wings back inside him. It was now or never. He ran screaming towards the avians.

n

"Riaku, get everyone to fly towards the rift!

"

n