Lucian sat in the shade of a large banyan tree at the top of the hill, looking down on the valley. He rested his hands on a pair of guns, his fingers rubbing the brass lines. Black mist swept through the verdant valleys, engulfing everything in its path. Eclipse Night arrived on the island a few hours earlier than expected.

Countless fires fell into the darkness. A curtain of churning fog swept the sky. One by one, the torches dimmed until they were extinguished. Because of the distance, the screams of dying could not be heard.

Only one point of light was as bright as usual. The dark green light effortlessly pierced through the black mist, seemingly unaffected. It was the corrupting fire of evil spirits. Seeing this, Lucian's heart beat faster, and the blood in his body seemed to boil.

He galloped down the hill and walked the gravel road to the basin. A corpse lay in the tall grass, arms clasped around its shoulders, eyes wide - a pair of inky black crystal balls staring at the moonless sky. Lucian continued to chase forward.

He didn't stop until a fifth body was found. The old man's face was contorted with intense pain. Ragged. Flesh Stripping. The wound was caused by a scythe, and Lucian could not have been mistaken.

He changed direction and followed the corpses along the way to the bottom of a steep slope. He climbed up among the dense trees. Before he could get to the top of the mountain, he heard screams.

Black mist overflowed the clearing at the top of the mountain, and many deformed forms loomed impermanently in the thick and turbid mist. An archipelago ran in panic towards a cliff – it was relief to be buried in the sea. The mist engulfed them all without falling to the ground. The shadows of madness pounce on the pathetic souls, and the wails of dying join the chorus of uncleanness.

He raised his gun and aimed it at the churning mist. A group of screaming spirits poured out of it, brandishing the blades of the Shadow, and rushing towards him with fangs wide open.

The muzzle of the gun shot a clear light, slaughtering the cursed demons. Lucian was shaken back by the gunfire, the heel of his boot reaching the edge of the cliff. He ventured to look back. In the shadows of the mountains, the violent sea collides with the gravelly coast.

In the chorus wails of countless souls, a laugh was surprisingly piercing. Lucian turned, his twin guns holding steady the approaching fog. A spark lit up in the bloated fog.

Lucian retracted one of his guns into his holster, reached into his fur coat, and reached for a clay bomb. The bomb was the size of a fist, and there was a mark on the rough casing - whether or not the old weaponsmith of Bilgewater had lied to him or not, it was time to verify.

He flicked his arm, and the bomb flew out in the air, and when it reached its highest point, he raised his hand and fired. A silver cloud exploded in the air. Dust swirled up in midair, squeezing a small gleaming stagnant space out of the deadly black mist.

The black mist broke through a gap, and Hammerstone stood there, a young woman at his feet. The hook slashed into her body, stripping her soul away, leaving her struggling in excruciating pain. The old lantern began to burn, and the Warden of the Soul Lock held it up and began to light up. The woman's lifeless body collapsed to the ground—a new soul was ushered in in the prison.

The ghost saw Lucian and smiled and said, "Hunter of the Shadows, we miss you in Helia, and fear that you have long forgotten the taste of defeat. ”

Hammerstone knocked on the lantern. The light pulsated, as if in response to him.

"Her soul brightens with your presence," Hammerstone said. "You bring hope and give her a little respite from her suffering."

Lucian's eyes fell on the lantern. The silver dust drove away the glow from the cell. He clenched his guns and waited.

"Well, there are consequences to failure," Hammerstone laughed. "Let her pain sweeten all the more. Hope, like an innocent child, rushes to the rocks. ”

Lucian's thoughts flashed back to the last time they had had been fighting, but he forced the thought away.

"Do you know what her deepest fear is?" Hammerstone said. "Suffer endlessly, with you."

The glow of the lantern changed, and the eerie green color diminished slightly. He felt her trying to reach out, to embrace him—warm and distangible, a way that belonged to the soul and the memories.

Lucian ......

Her voice warmed his heart. Hammerstone was right, Senna could feel it whenever he approached. With each encounter, she seemed to get closer, as if she was rebelling against the torture of the hammerstone. The moment he stepped onto the island, the two sensed each other.

The lantern vibrated in the hammerstone's hand. The dazzling brilliance swirled and tugged inside, as if to break through the prison. Hammerstone chuckled disdainfully as he watched the movement in the lantern. Lucian aimed his gun at the growing storm in the lantern. The protective halo outside the lantern began to falter.

The time has come, my love......

Lucian fired.

The fiery gunfire pierced the crumbling halo and hit the iron cage. The lantern shook. For the first time, the Fire of Purification knocked on the gates of an ancient prison.

Hammerstone roared and flung the lantern to his side.

The black mist stretched out tentacles and probed into the lantern, drowning out the swirling light. His beloved, and countless souls longing for liberation, were consumed by the rolling shadows. The darkness filled the lantern, and she was pulled away, leaving behind a bitter cry.

"Stop!" Lucian shouted in unison. "Let her go!"

Hammerstone laughed again. A grim howl full of mockery echoed Senna's mournful screams.

Lucian raised his gun to the hammerstone. He poured all his anger into the gun, and fired a barrage of gunfire.

The Light completely submerged the hammerstone, and the purifying flames ignited his spirit. Lucian stepped forward and fired again, but a black halo resurfaced around the lantern, extinguishing the gunfire.

The flames on Hammerstone's body were dispelled by the power of darkness. He smiled and held the lantern aloft as if to show off a prize he had just won.

Lucian felt a suffocation in his chest. The gunfire that broke the halo of the lantern was wasted. Silver dust slowly scattered around him. The tentacles of the black mist reached into the empty space where the bomb was squeezed out, slowly filling the gap. He had missed the moment, and his lover was still in a cage.

The tide was over, and Lucian raised his gun and rushed into the black fog.

Something was too fast to see, and it struck Lucian head-on—hammerstone's chain hook knocking him flying. He fell on the gravel ground and rolled several times until the ground beneath his feet was empty and the sea was eager to catch up.

At first it was a burst of laughter...... Chains cut through the slabs...... Echoing in an airtight mist...... He was always too slow...... The shimmer of light swinging from the pistol...... The Light of the Dumb Fire...... He didn't shoot...... There she stood...... Caught between him and the iron hook......

There was confusion in her eyes...... Inky black...... She's screaming...... The whole body is convulsing...... Falling to the ground...... Her life was gone...... The screams that pierced his head...... Begging him, go quickly.

Lucian stiffened to his feet. The ribs hurt like they had been punched. He slowly relaxed, slumped into a rudimentary bed, gasping for air intermittently. He stared at the wooden beams and stucco ceiling above him, wondering where he was.

Senna's screams still echoed in his head. Once again, he failed her. He had to start all over again.