The village seemed to hold its breath as Kael and Klee moved through the ruined alleys. The fog surrounded them like a living curtain, vibrating with remnants of cursed mana that seeped through the cracks in the stones and the walls of the broken buildings. The silence was broken only by the muffled sound of Klee's footsteps on the mud and Kael's ragged breathing, still wounded.

They didn't say a word for several minutes. There was something in the air—a distinct presence, as if they were being watched by unblinking eyes that judged their every step. And then Klee stopped abruptly.

"Kael... look at that."

He followed her gaze.

Ahead, at the end of the street, was a house—or rather, what was left of one. Completely destroyed. But unlike the other buildings corroded by time or the curse, this one seemed... shattered from within. As if something had exploded from the heart of the structure. The walls were scattered at strange angles, the wooden planks twisted as if they had been melted and pulled by invisible hands. A smell of sulfur hung in the air, stronger than anywhere else in the village.

"This wasn't abandonment," Kael murmured. "It was rupture."

Klee approached slowly, cautiously. "Do you think it was another anchor?"

"Perhaps... or something went wrong." He reached out, concentrating a thread of sensory mana. The aura he felt in that place was dissonant. Not like the other anchors. Where before the mana seemed channeled, like rivers guided by beds, here it flowed chaotically, like a burst dam.

Ahri whispered: "This was an anchor. But it was violated. Broken by force. And not by you."

Umbra added, regretfully:

"Or sabotaged. Someone interfered with the ritual."

Kael entered the destroyed house, feeling the soft ground beneath his feet. In the center of the former room was a partially burned magic circle, still exuding heat. Bone ashes were mixed with dried blood, and pieces of black stone—probably part of the anchor's focus—lay broken around it.

"This is strange," said Klee, looking around. "Why would someone destroy an anchor if the ritual is still active?"

Kael did not answer immediately. He was looking at a mark on the floor, almost imperceptible, near the circle. A small symbol, drawn with charcoal and not blood — unlike the others they had found. It looked... added later.

He knelt down, even though his back was throbbing with pain. He touched the symbol.

"This mark... is not part of the original ritual." He wiped away some of the dirt and revealed another rune just below it. "It's interference. A seal of interruption. Someone deliberately sabotaged this anchor."

Klee knelt beside him, watching intently. "So... we're not the only ones trying to stop this?"

"Or trying to control it." Kael's voice was tense. "If this seal is what it looks like... there's a third party at work here. Someone who knew about the ritual, and who wants to... change it. Redirect the flow of mana."

Ahri looked uneasy.

"That's dangerous. Forcibly interrupting an anchor without breaking the curse could release instabilities. Trapped forces could escape."

Umbra grunted in response:

"Or control of the curse could pass to another... a new core."

Kael stood up, staggering. His eyes scanned the room with growing unease. The destruction of the house was not the result of resistance against the curse. It was a struggle for control.

"Someone is behind this," he said. "Someone who did not cast the ritual... but is trying to use it."

Klee frowned. "But why? Why would someone do that?"

"For power. For transcendence. Or for revenge." Kael looked toward the mist, which seemed to tremble, as if reacting to the revelation. "If the original ritual needed eight anchors, and one has been destroyed, the cycle is broken. But there is still energy. And someone may be trying to force the ritual to continue even though it is incomplete. Redefining the rules."

The young woman was silent for a moment, then said, "Does that mean there's still a chance to stop it?"

"Maybe. Or worse—to fail and release something even more unstable." He looked at the shadows around them. "But now we know we're not dealing with just one enemy. There are two. Or more."

Suddenly, a crack. Something broke on the upper floor of the house next door. They both turned immediately, silently, weapons in hand. Kael raised his free hand, conjuring a small but intense sphere of red light, illuminating what was once only shadow.

Nothing.

Or so it seemed—until Kael narrowed his eyes. In the frame of the broken window, for less than a second, he saw it. A figure. Very thin, wrapped in dark cloth. Watching them.

Then it disappeared, as if it had never been there.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Klee, already running toward the other house.

Kael followed her, despite the excruciating pain in his back. They climbed the stone steps of a partially destroyed house, the ceiling boards still creaking, held up by nails that wouldn't last another winter. They went inside.

Empty.

But there were signs. Footprints—light, almost imperceptible—crossed the dust on the floor. The marks led to a cracked stone wall. Klee ran her fingers over the cracks.

"Strange... it looks like the wall has been moved."

Kael touched one of the stones. There was a slight warmth—traces of magic. He pushed hard, and the stone gave way with a muffled creak, revealing a narrow corridor. Stairs descended into a hidden basement.

"What is this...?" whispered Klee.

"Someone's workshop. Or altar."

They descended slowly, the stone steps covered in slime. The smell changed. Now it was pure sulfur and melted candles. A faint light danced ahead, flickering. When they reached the end, they found a circular room, its walls covered with inverted runes—not part of the main ritual, but similar enough to confuse any layman.

In the center of the room was a stone table, and on it, hand-drawn diagrams, notes on ancient scrolls, and a map of the village... with symbols marking the anchors. Seven were highlighted in red. The eighth was in blue. The same shade as the seal Kael had found on the floor.

"That symbol..." Klee pointed. "It's the same as the one on the destroyed house."

Kael approached and picked up one of the papers. He read it silently, his expression hardening.

"This confirms it. There are at least two people. One wants to complete the ritual and the other wants to destroy it." He looked around. "And it seems that the one who wants to destroy it is in front."

A sudden gust of wind swept through the basement, as if the chamber itself were inhaling. The torch flame flickered violently—and that was the only warning Kael had.

Shhk—clang!

He turned in a trained reflex, dodging to the side at the last second. The blade glinted in the flickering light as it grazed his chest, cutting through part of his enchanted leather clothing and opening a slight line of blood. The impact sent a shower of sparks against the stone wall.

Kael took three steps back, his weapon already raised and surrounded by a scarlet aura.

Before him, standing at the top of the stairs they had descended, an imposing figure stared at him with flaming golden eyes.

It was a woman—or almost. Tall, muscular, with a presence that seemed to distort the space around her. Her skin was dark red, marked by old scars that crossed her shoulders, arms, and neck. Two curved, smooth horns emerged from her forehead, adorned with small silver rings. She wore lamellar armor, similar to that of the ancient warriors of the east, but dyed black and scarlet, with inscriptions that seemed to pulsate with raw mana.

In her hand, she held a broad-bladed katana, as long as her own body, dripping with energy like evaporating blood.

"Did you do this?" Her voice was like muffled thunder. She did not shout, but the threat was laden in every syllable.

Klee was already at Kael's side, a flaming arrow pointed, the bowstring trembling between his fingers. "We didn't take a step in that village without fighting for our lives, Oni."

The woman didn't blink. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the symbols, the map, the scrolls. Her expression hardened like stone.

"Desecration." She raised her katana. "All who have touched this sacred land will be judged for the blood they have spilled."

"Wait!" Kael raised his free hand, without letting go of his weapon. "We didn't do that. We came to investigate. To stop the ritual."

Oni's eyes narrowed. She didn't advance, but she didn't retreat either. The mana around her vibrated, brutal and uncontrollable—not like a delicate spell, but like a mountain about to collapse.

"Words from a man with the scent of corrupted magic on his bones."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "And the smell of burning on your shoulder, right?" he pointed with his chin. "If you wanted to kill me, you would have done so already. But you didn't. You're looking for something too."

She remained silent, assessing the two of them. The air around her seemed denser, as if the entire room had sunk a few inches.

"I'm Kael," he said firmly. "This is Klee. We're adventurers hired to resolve this incident. We came just to investigate and got stuck in the fog."

"I'm Kael," he said firmly. "This is Klee. We're adventurers hired to resolve this incident. We came just to investigate and got stuck in the fog."

Oni's eyes moved from the map to Kael's face.

"You speak like a priest. But all your energy is a complete mess."

Kael just looked at her and sighed. "I have power control issues. It happens when you can use all the elements and all the spells you know."

She walked slowly to the stone table. The katana did not tremble in her hands. Her steps were silent, heavy only with authority. Her eyes stopped on the blue seal.

"This symbol... it doesn't belong in the original ritual," she growled. "It's a negation. A break in the cycle."

"Exactly," said Kael. "Someone is trying to destabilize the ritual by force. And if it goes wrong, it will swallow more than this village."

The woman stared at him for a long moment, then finally spoke:

"I am Asuka, daughter of the Ibara clan. Last pure-blooded Oni of the Mahoru domain. This land was sealed by ancient ancestors, with blood, honor, and silence. And now, cursed, devoured by greed and sorcery."