As I hoist Elias's body onto my shoulder, I can’t help but notice the dampness of his shirt beneath my fingertips. It always amazes me just how much a single person could bleed, but there is a limit, and Elias was reaching it.

  "There's a way out, right?..." Clarence grunts, his voice strained as he grips Elias's other arm.

  "Of course there is."

  Behind us, Ethel engages in fierce combat with Valerius and his sister. Her eyes, once warm and inviting, are now filled with a cold determination. I knew she couldn't hold them forever. A soul could only last for so long, and she would reach her limit just like Elias.

  Together, Clarence and I half-drag, half-carry Elias towards a window. Each step we make is followed by the hissing of acid hitting metal.

  I release my grip on Elias just long enough to shove the heavy curtains aside and unlatch the window. Cool night air rushes into the room, bringing with it a sense of urgency.

  Clarence and I heave Elias's limp form up and over the windowsill. It isn’t graceful, but it gets the job done. Clarence is next, and as I prepare to follow them, I stop to steal one last glance at Ethel. I watch as she dances between the siblings attacks, counterattacking when possible. I speak a silent prayer in my heart. To whom? I don’t know her name, but I hope that she hears it.

  "Clara! C’mon!"

  "Right," I whisper, shaking off my lingering thoughts. I jump the windowsill, and land on the wet grass below.

  "Where are we going?"

  "Somewhere they can't follow. Somewhere that should be safe. At least for a while."

  We trudge through the damp earth as we leave our home behind. The weight of Elias's body presses down on both Clarence and I, slowing our progress, but there is no time to waste. Every second counts now.

  "And where is that?"

  "To Wraithwood-Hollow. The spirits there are kind to Crowsongs. They'll keep us safe."

  "Are you sure about that? Your dad always says we aren’t allowed in the forest."

  "Trust me, It's the best option we’ve got right now."

  But even as I spoke, I knew we were running out of time. I can sense the approach of our pursuers, their unyielding footsteps echoing in the distance. The treeline is within sight now, just a few more feet and we’ll be safe. But Selena emerges from the shadows ahead, and she’s wearing the mask of a serpent that gleams in the moonlight. Behind us, Valerius cuts off our escape route. He too wears his mask now.

  "Going somewhere?" Selena taunts, twirling her rapier idly as she closes in on us.

  "Clara..." Clarence whimpers, his grip on Elias tightening.

  My body screams in protest as I prepare to face the duo, but I ignore the pain, and squeeze the handle of my weapon tighter. The same message has been flashing in my vision for the past hour now.

  [Current objective: Ensure the survival of the Crowsong clan]

  I understood the message well enough. There was no way to know this in my first life, but the Crowsong clan has always fought for its survival. Even if there is one survivor, then they can pick up the broken pieces, and rebuild the clan to its former glory. If I were to abandon these two right now, I’d certainly be able to escape. The objective would be cleared, and I would be rewarded. But there’s more to it than that. That woman already knows that I can survive the night on my own, so there’s only one reason that she would show me this message.

  It was a challenge. Forsake those around me, and change nothing, or actually ensure the survival of the clan.

  If it was possible, I’d like for there to be one world where things didn’t play out the way they always did. Just one world where I wasn’t left all alone.

  I step forward, brandishing my blade with a resolve that belies my exhaustion. "Stay behind me," I say, with a slight tremble in my voice. "I’ll create an opening for you."

  "What are you saying? How are you-"

  "When I speak, you listen, remember? Get Elias to the forest, and don’t stop running."

  Clarence is reluctant to do as I say, but thankfully, he acquiesces.

  "Alright, I’ll do it…" Clarence begins to shuffle forward with Elias, but Selena starts running straight for them.

  "You really think I’ll just let you leave!?"

  Clarence begins to stagger backwards, pulling my brother with him as he falls backwards. Selena thrusts her weapon forward, but pulls away at the last possible second. My own strike narrowly misses, my stiletto swinging at open air before she gives me a manic look.

  "Using your own family as bait? How depraved…have you no shame!"

  She lunges, her rapier flashing towards me this time. I cross both of my blades into an X, catching the attack just before it reaches me. Steel can be heard against steel. Before she can recover, I raise my arms and lunge forward, driving the locked weapons upward.

  Selena gasps, and tries to pull her blade back, but she’s unable to as she staggers backwards. I walk her back into a tree, and then I headbutt her. Once, twice, and thrice. Her mask shatters away to reveal a face full of blood. I’m about to headbutt her again, but a foot connects with my abdomen, and I’m knocked away.

  "You little shit… Val, you can deal with the children! This one's mine."

  "Be sure not to kill her! The night is still young, and I find myself enjoying this game of cat and mouse."

  Selena grunts, and eyes my weapons steadily, circling me for a moment.

  "Why don’t you swing? Are you afraid of getting caught again?"

  "Shut up, you’re just a child! I can kill you anytime I want. I’m simply playing with you is all…"

  "Is that so? It sounds to me like you’re just making excuses. Besides, it was probably just luck that I caught it the first ti-"

  Selena lunges forward before I can finish speaking, but the result is the same. I lock our weapons high above, and once again, I slam my head into her nose. I hear an audible crunch, followed by a crack. She’s quicker to get out of the lock this time, delivering a kick to my ribcage. I grunt out in pain, and hold my side as I smirk up at her. Blood is running down my face, but her nose is absolutely gushing in return.

  "You little bitch, you broke my nose!"

  "Huh, I guess it wasn’t luck then! But this fight isn’t going to get anywhere like this, is it? I know, I’ll make things easier for you." My grip lessens on my hairpin before I drop it. It sinks into the muddy ground beneath us, and I do the same with Elias’s blade.

  "You see? No weapons! Even a dumb bitch like you should be able to deal with a defenseless kid like me, right?"

  Selena’s eyes grow so wide that all I can see from here is the whites, and she’s physically shaking. Whether it’s adrenaline, or white hot rage, I’m unsure, so I just assume it’s a mixture of the two.

  "Oh, and Selena? If you don’t finish me with this next attack, then I want you to know…I’m going to kill your brother."

  This is her breaking point. She drops low to the ground, and hot flames encase her rapier. I’m just barely able to follow her movements with my eyes as she leaves a trail of fire in her wake. She’s upon me, and her blade is hurtling towards my abdomen. I hold an arm out to try and block it.

  A sound, wet and wrong, cuts through the air. For a moment, all I feel is the heat, the weight of her strike driving into me. My breath catches in my throat, and the world slows to a crawl.

  Then the pain blooms.

  It radiates outward like lightning crawling under my skin, and I stagger, heart hammering against the inside of my ribs. The wound is through and through, and it hurts more than I had imagined, but this should buy them the time they need. I look down to see Selena still low to the forest floor. Her eyes are closed, as if savoring the fresh blood that runs down the length of her blade, and onto her hands.

  I push my hand further down the length of the blade until it meets her own. Her eyes shoot open to see that she has entirely missed her mark, and I can’t hold it back anymore. The combination of adrenaline and pain in my system causes me to retch, and I lose whatever it is I ate the day before, right in Selena’s hair.

  "You-"

  I cut her off, my dominant hand connecting with the base of her jaw. Her eyes become unfocused, and I reel my arm back to hit her again.

  "You really are a dumb bitch, you know that? Seriously, who closes their eyes when trying to deliver a killing blow?"

  My fist connects with her jaw once more, and she lets out a pained grunt. She tries to pull her blade back, but my grip on it is true. She refuses to abandon it, and that’s fine by me. Time and time again, I hit her. More blood and teeth fly free from her mouth with each consecutive hit.

  "V-Val! Help me, she’s going to kill-"

  The frequency at which I swing only increases as I hear her cry out. In the next moment I find myself in a headlock, Valerius’s arms are wrapped around my head, and oxygen is leaving me. In the far distance I see Clarence stumble away into the forest with Elias, and I smile as the message appears.

  [Hidden objective completed: Ensure the survival of your loved ones]

  [Hidden Reward: Karma’s Respite. Upon use, Karma will not be consumed for a short time]

  Selena pulls her blade from my palm, and I let out a groan. I’m certain she’s going to kill me, but Valerius spins me around, placing himself between us as he looks down at me.

  "What a fighter you are! Why, you’re nothing short of a prodigy. You’ve even been imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice. Thanks to you, those children will evade us for a short while longer. We will deal with them in due time though, I assure you."

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  "Maybe so," I admit, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. "But for now, this is my win."

  Valerius takes a slow, menacing step closer, his eyes locking onto mine as though daring me to flinch. I stand my ground, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear. But he stops just short of me, holding his hand out as a thick, blue goo falls from his hand. I instinctively catch it and look down. I wish I didn’t. I bite down on my lip in an attempt to quell my rising emotions.

  "The specters remains. It was quite the challenge to finally put her down. She clung to existence like a parasite, but ultimately, she couldn't withstand being melted down time and time again."

  "Val, quit playing with her and kill her already! Can’t you see what she did to me? She fucked up your dear baby sisters face…"

  "Yes, very well. This hunt does seem to have run its course. I will ask this once, have you any last words, girl?"

  I force a smile

  [Would you like to use Karma’s Respite? Y/N]

  Of course.

  [For the next 300 seconds, Karma will not be consumed]

  "The Ivory Visage, Lucius Vespero. The Veil of Twilight, Isabelle Nocturne. The Obsidian Helm, Magnus, and you aren’t curious to know the true identity of the one behind the fourth mask?" I spit defiantly, meeting Valerius’s gaze behind his mask.

  "How do you?..."

  "Valerius Blackthorne, C rank adventurer, 39 years old," I say, my gaze shifting to Selena now. "Selena Blackthorne, C rank adventurer, 34 years old. And of course, not with us anymore, Georgie Blackthorne, F rank adventurer, 19 years old. Poor Georgie just never made the cut in the organization it seems."

  For the first time tonight, Valerius acts not on impulse, but on emotion. A dagger finds its way against my throat as he pulls me close. "How do you know so much about us?! How…how do you know about?..."

  "About poor ole Georgie? Well who do you think gave the order for him to be killed? It wasn’t the old man, he’s far too busy with plotting the Crowsongs downfall. It most certainly wasn’t that skinwalker either, if she wanted someone dead, then she wouldn’t bother keeping it a secret. Do I even need to comment on Magnus?"

  Valerius yanks his mask off of his face, and presses his forehead against mine. A rabid expression plagues his features, and he looks as if he’s having a conniption.

  "Please, speak plainly while you still can."

  "I’m saying that it was the fourth mask who gave the order for him to be killed!"

  "Killed? He died in an accident!" Valerius cries out, his face going through a vast range of emotions as he speaks. The primary one being rage.

  "You know that’s not true, Val. He was certainly the weakest of your litter, but even you’re aware that a fight took place. It was no accident, it was a murder, and it was oh so very painful. Truly, even I feel bad just thinking about it!"

  "Who was the one tasked with killing him?" Valerius grips my shoulders like a vice as he looks into my eyes.

  My gamble was paying off, all he needed was a small push to send him over the edge.

  "He died choking on his own blood, begging for his older brother to come and save him. He sounded a lot like your dear Selena actually. Of course, you weren’t late this time," I say, and flash her a sly smile. "During his untimely demise you were coincidentally assigned to head far to the North. You were to capture a high ranking nobleman's daughter within the Snowfall Eriaschade’s territory. A total waste of time might I add, because the target in question did not exist."

  "How do you?... No, I know who you are. Tell me, who did you give the order to?" Valerius demands, his grip on my shoulders tightening to inhuman proportions as I smirk.

  "Why don’t you ask her? She’s been uncharacteristically quiet this whole time, don’t you think?" I look past Valerius, my gaze landing on Selena Blackthorne whose mouth is agape now. "So, my little viper. Tell me, how does fratricide feel?"

  "I…you can’t know that name, you can’t?... You’re not…"

  "That’s what you’re worried about? What a pitiful defense," I say, and throw my head back to laugh.

  Although, I am the only one laughing.

  Valerius’s grasp on my arms falls away as he turns his twisted dagger on his sister now.

  "You killed our Georgie?"

  "No, of course not!"

  But Valerius’s dagger is already coated in acid as he approaches his sister.

  "It was an order from the higher ups, he tried to leave the Conclave!"

  "So you murdered him?"

  "If I didn’t then they would have killed us! They told me that they’d let me do it myself, quick, painless! I don’t know what this bitch is talking about! Now I’ll admit he put up more of a fight than I thought, so I had to get a little rough with him but I was as humane as possi-"

  "She’s lying. Georgie didn’t put up a fight. All he did was run and cry as she toyed with him for hours on end. All you found was mush, right? There was no climbing accident. You know how she is with that enchanted blade of hers… Three pokes is all it takes, and then something is bound to explode. You saw what she did to my brother, right? He only had six holes in his body, and he’s still mostly intact! Can you imagine just how many times she had to poke Georgie to get him to look like that? She likes to play with her prey almost as much as you do, but isn’t that just cruel? Her own brother…" I whisper into his ear, egging him on.

  "What the fuck would she know?! Sure, she knows a few things, but she’s just a child. A prepubescent Crowsong bitch! She’s lying, she’s lying, she’s lying! Val, it was over quick, I swear! Georgie didn’t feel a thing. He was at peace when he passed!"

  "Do you take me for a fool!" Valerius cries out, acid running down his arms and falling to the ground below him. Selena begins to back up, but Valerius’s march on her continues as he raises his blade high. "You killed my brother, and you lied about it for all these years… How dare you!"

  "You can’t listen to her bullshit! How could she know what I did all those years ago! You have to believe-!" Selena begins to beg her brother, but a spray of acid is flung towards her. She dives out of the way, and narrowly avoids it.

  "It’s obvious, isn’t it? She knows our ranks, she knows our names, our ages, our occupations. She is the fourth mask!" Valerius shouts before turning to look at me. "This also means you’re the one that ordered the assassination of Georgie. Am I correct in my assumption?"

  I simply nod in response. Of course, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Across all my lives, I had never once aligned myself with the Stygian Conclave in any way, shape, or form. I only possessed such intimate knowledge because in my 56th life I beat it out of Selena in an attempt to learn more about the fourth mask's true identity. But for now, I would allow Valerius to fill in the gaps in whichever way he so desired.

  "I don’t know why you’re so young, but I know others that have stranger abilities than that. I’ll deal with you next, so stay right there." and with that, Valerius ensues in combat with his sister.

  "I’m going to gut you like a fucking pig!" He shouts out as their blades clash.

  Acid is splayed across Selena’s form as she screams out in pain. Valerius is stronger, but Selena is faster. Upon receiving three wounds from his sister, his wounds fester and bubble before exploding. It leaves three large craters in his flesh, similarly to Elias’s wounds.

  "So what if I had a little bit of fun with Georgie? He was just so weak, I couldn’t resist! I beat him within an inch of his life just for the thrill of it. Knowing that he could do nothing but beg for big brother Val to come save him made the moment all the better," Selena rebukes as Valerius buries his blade into her wrist, yanking it up the length of her arm with immense force.

  [Karma’s Respite has ended, consumption of Karma will proceed as normal]

  My reward had already ran out, but I had accomplished what I wanted. The Blackthorne siblings were tearing each other apart now. But it wasn’t over yet. Whoever the victor was, would soon turn on me. Be it Valerius because he believes me to be the one that ordered the death of his brother, or Selena because I uprooted decades old secrets, I had to prepare, and fast.

  I reach for Ethel’s grimoire on my hip, and flip it open.

  [This grimoire contains a one time use hidden enchantment. Would you like to use it now? Y/N]

  Please.

  [Would you like to summon the Crowsong’s Revenant? Y/N]

  I do.

  [Offer something of the dearly departed. Their pain. Their promise. Their past. The Revenant will rise through what you give]

  I shake the grimoire once, and then twice, and I hear something rattle from within it. Upon reaching the back cover, I peel at its bindings, and something small, and white falls out. A distal phalanx. The tip of a fingerbone. I hold it in the air, and it begins to float.

  [The Crowsong’s Revenant has made contact with the other side!]

  "Ethel, please," I beg. "You need to set your soul free from this life. Rest easily, move on to the next one... but rise for me. Rise once more to see your duty through till the bitter end."

  Silence hangs heavy in the air, and for a moment, I dare to believe that my plea had been ignored.

  Valerius's laughter cuts through the stillness, cruel and mocking. His sister lay on the ground, and just as he said, he had gutted her from stomach to throat. "I sense so little magic from you, are you truly the one behind the fourth mask?," he sneers, extending a hand toward me, acid dripping off of each and every finger.

  "Ethel! Please, come back! Just one more time!" My heart hammers in my chest, fear and desperation clawing at my insides as I stand my ground.

  My soul is weak. My journey has only just begun, but this was my last gamble. "Animasculus Excidiu-"

  Right before Valerius grabs me, a blinding white light fills my vision. I try to squint through it, but I can’t even make out shapes. I hold my hands up to defend myself, but then a series of messages appears.

  [The Crowsong’s Revenant has answered your call]

  [The Crowsong’s Revenant has arrived]

  It’s difficult to breathe. When I can see once more, thick, black waves of mana wash over me. The source is from the one who stands in front of me.

  The one who stands face to face with Valerius is one I know well. Black bolts of electricity crackle off of her form.

  Something about her is different though. She doesn’t appear as the near intangible spirit I had always known her as. She was solid, she had weight to her, color in her skin. The power radiating off of her form is overwhelming, like she’s alive.

  "I will fulfill my duty." Her voice booms all around us as her feet touch solid ground.

  [Ethel Crowsong is currently the revenant]

  "Come, Stygian scum," Ethel challenges Valerius, her voice void of fear. "Face this one's wrath."

  The revenant looks like Ethel, it feels like Ethel, but it also feels like something more, and something less all at the same time.

  With a wave of her hand, Ethel summons over a dozen spectral blades that float just overhead. No longer conserving her energy to ensure her soul's survival, she throws herself into battle with reckless abandon. Her movements are swift and precise, a deadly dance of spectral grace.

  Valerius uses everything he has to avoid her attacks. Ethel on the other hand glides across the ground with ease in her pursuit of him. When he tries to dodge, a spectral blade cuts him off. He’s forced to choose whether to take damage from the blades, or to face Ethel directly.

  Ethel stops over Selena’s body, a curious gaze coming over her features. She scoops her foot underneath the rapier that’s fallen to the floor, and kicks it up. With a flick of her wrist, she catches it. A moment later, the weapon finds itself in my good hand.

  I lurch forward, as if pulled by an invisible force. Just overhead, Ethel is holding something. The air around us crackles with raw mana. It’s all being drawn in and condensed into one spot. That same black electricity crackles, and as the ball of mana nearly shrinks out of existence, I see it. The color of Ethel’s soul.

  A vibrant green glow illuminates our surroundings momentarily.

  [Activating Eyes of Clarity]

  I squint at the spell for a moment, trying to decipher just what it is I’m looking at. Never in any of my lives have I seen such a spell.

  [Soul Sanctuary: A spell t??????h????a?????????

  And then it hits. An implosion of magic, followed quickly by an explosion, with Ethel and Valerius at its center.

  I spot Valerius taking refuge behind a tree, his pained screams a testament to the devastating power of the spell. As for myself, I’m sent hurtling through the air, propelled by the force of the explosion. I hit the ground hard, landing in the depths of Wraithwood-Hollow, my body is bruised and battered, but I’m alive.

  As I lay there, gasping for breath and clinging to consciousness, a single tear slides down my cheek as I read the prompt before me.

  [Congratulations, you have performed your first exorcism!]

  Ethel can finally rest.

  My eyes begin to drift shut as the spirits and wisps of the Wraithwood-Hollow flutter overhead.

  And then sleep takes me.