Volume 1 – 43. Contested Zone
From the mouth of a narrow alley, Lucien studied a four-story stone building standing across the street.
The structure was plainly utilitarian, built with practicality rather than beauty in mind. Thick stone walls, narrow windows, and a sturdy rectangular design gave it the appearance of a place intended to preserve information rather than impress visitors.
Not far from the building sat a small plaza. Four figures occupied it, seemingly at rest beneath the shadow of the surrounding structures.
The taller buildings crowding the district blocked much of the morning sunlight, leaving the area remarkably dark. Between that and the unusual stillness hanging over the streets, the Civic Quarter felt strangely abandoned.
Lucien didn't spot a single Hollow beyond the four gathered in the plaza.
“Do you think they turned recently?”
Ava's voice came quietly from beside him.
Glancing sideways, he found her crimson eyes fixed on the distant figures.
“It looks that way.”
The group appeared to consist of a human man, an Inferni male, a massive Bearkin, and a High Elf woman.
Even from a distance, the signs were obvious.
Their skin hadn't begun sloughing off yet, but the blue-black veins beneath the surface had already thickened noticeably. A thick ashen discoloration had spread across their complexions as well.
They looked like recent victims. Less than a month, if Lucien had to guess. The four sat motionless around the plaza as though resting after a long journey. They might have been mistaken for ordinary people sleeping in the shade, but his Corruption Detection made the distinction impossible to miss.
Thin streams of reddish movement pulsed through their bodies, visible only to him. The corruption coursed through them like sluggish veins of molten light, confirming that they were still alive—or at least as alive as Hollowed could be.
His gaze lingered on them for another moment before shifting toward the streets beyond.
Unfortunately, reaching the Southern Ruins through the Twilight Covenant's hidden routes wasn't an option. Those passages were reserved exclusively for Covenant members, and only he and Ava qualified.
That meant crossing the Contested Zone in the Outer Ring.
There were two realistic routes.
The eastern path cut through a sprawling residential district reminiscent of the Warrens back in the Eastern Slums—a tangled maze of narrow streets, interconnected buildings, alleyways, and countless blind corners where anything unpleasant could be waiting out of sight.
Lucien had dismissed that option immediately. There were simply too many places for something to emerge from without warning.
That left the western route through the Civic Quarter. It wasn't necessarily safer, but at least it offered visibility.
The Contested Zone was roughly circular in shape, divided into regions known as the Outer Ring, Middle Ring, and Inner Ring. The deeper one traveled toward the center, the denser the Corruption became. Although much of the Civic Quarter lay within the Middle Ring, their current location should have been near its Outer Ring section.
After one last glance toward the figures in the plaza, Lucien turned his attention to Ava.
“You know,” he said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “you don't have to follow me every time I decide to go scouting.”
Ava looked at him for a second before a grin spread across her face.
“Did you forget what happened the last time I left you alone?”
Lucien sighed.
“I was just having bad luck.”
“Mm-hm.”
The amused look on her face made it clear she didn't believe that for a second.
“That's exactly why I'm here to ‘protect’ you in case it happens again.” She placed a hand against her chest in mock sincerity. “I can't have my personal sex friend getting himself killed.”
“You really never stop talking like that, do you?”
Ava's grin widened as she let out a quiet laugh.
“Nope.”
Lucien shook his head, though he couldn't quite suppress the hint of amusement tugging at his expression.
“Well, in any case,” Ava said, folding her arms as she looked back toward the street, “is there another route?”
“There is.”
The answer came automatically, but as Lucien's gaze drifted back toward the four Hollowed sitting motionless in the plaza, another thought occurred to him.
“But don't you think this might be a good opportunity to test our coordination as a team?”
He nodded toward the open square.
The plaza itself wasn't particularly large. Administrative buildings similar to the one he saw earlier surrounded it on three sides, most of them four to six stories tall and built from the same pale stone. Narrow windows punctuated broad, flat facades. While deep alleyways separated the structures to allow internal movement between government offices, only a handful of these narrow gaps actually opened into the square itself.
Unlike many other parts of the city, the area was remarkably uncluttered. There were few obstacles, few blind corners, and very few places for anything to hide. The nearest buildings overlooked the plaza from nearly every angle. Anyone approaching would have to cross open ground long before reaching them.
“If anything else is nearby, we'll see it coming,” Lucien said, his voice low as he continued surveying the surroundings. “And even if we don't, the others should still have enough warning to react.”
Ava followed his gaze across the plaza.
The morning sun struggled to penetrate the towering Civic Quarter, casting massive, sweeping blocks of darkness across the stone pavement. The Hollows were completely swallowed by the long, overlapping shadows of the eastern buildings, appearing as little more than frozen silhouettes against the pale stone.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lucien's mouth.
“Not to mention,” he added, glancing at her, “this place gives you plenty of shadow to work with.”
Ava's crimson eyes swept across the shadows blanketing the plaza before a pleased grin spread across her face.
“Now that,” she said, sounding considerably more interested, “is a very persuasive argument.”
A chance to see how well their newly assembled group worked together before attempting something as dangerous as the Southern Ruins wasn't a bad idea.
“Alright, you have a point,” Ava admitted, her grin lingering. “Well, should we head back and get the others?”
Lucien nodded.
“We should.”
Leaving the alley behind, the two made their way through the quiet streets and returned to the abandoned administrative building the group had chosen as a temporary base.
Inside, Kira was seated near a window, methodically sharpening his bastard sword. Thane stood nearby inspecting his shield and war hammer, checking each strap and fastening with practiced efficiency. A short distance away, Isolde rested both hands atop her staff and lightly tapped its base against the floor while she waited. Sylphie sat quietly beside her, her own staff resting across her lap as she gazed absently toward nothing in particular.
“Ah, you're back.”
Thane noticed them first and straightened slightly.
“What did you find?”
"We found a group of Hollows."
Lucien gave a brief explanation of the four Hollowed in the plaza and voiced out the idea he and Ava had discussed.
Kira's ears perked up immediately.
“That sounds like a great idea,” he said immediately, flashing an eager grin.
“I don't have any objections,” Isolde added, inclining her head slightly.
Across from her, Sylphie lifted her gaze from the staff resting across her lap.
“My role is healing,” she said quietly. “I'll follow whatever decision the rest of you make.”
Ava's gaze drifted across the group.
“Who was leading your party before we joined?” she asked. A mischievous smile tugged at her lips as she glanced toward Isolde. “Was it the prideful woman?”
“Don't be ridiculous.”
Isolde let out a sharp snort.
“I'm a noble, not a military officer. My education and responsibilities have very little to do with commanding expeditions.”
She gestured toward the half-dwarf.
“Thane handles that.”
“Honestly, I'd rather not.”
Thane released a small sigh before looking at Ava.
“Lady, you're from a long-lived race. You're probably older than I am and certainly have more experience than most of us here.” A faint smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Interested in switching roles?”
“Unfortunately, I mostly worked by myself.” Ava shrugged. “And that prideful woman likely wouldn't like it either—right?”
The woman in question merely snorted in response.
Lucien chuckled as he found himself somewhat relieved that Thane was the one leading the group. If Isolde had been in charge, there was a decent chance he'd end up being used as bait the moment an opportunity presented itself.
Speaking of that woman, though...
His gaze drifted toward her in curiosity.
“What Thread do you specialize in?”
“I'm an early Threadbare in the Azure Thread,” Isolde replied. For some reason, she seemed faintly annoyed by the question. “Since I only studied it for aristocratic purposes, I don't know many spells. I have one offensive spell. The rest are support-oriented.”
Threadbare was only the second rank, just above Nascent. There were five ranks in total: Nascent, Threadbare, Loomwright, Threader, and Archweaver. Even so, reaching Threadbare still required a considerable amount of time and effort.
“Azure is the Thread associated with water-based abilities, right?” Lucien asked.
“Yes.”
Isolde gave him a brief overview of her capabilities, including her Soul Energy capacity, the few spells she knew, their Soul Energy costs, and her overall proficiency.
“...That still sounds useful.”
Isolde snorted again. Apparently, snorting was her preferred way of expressing displeasure.
Lucien could only offer an awkward smile before turning his attention to the Nephilim.
“What about you?”
Sylphie lifted her gaze from her staff.
“I’m a Covenant Practitioner of Zoḗgennis. By human standards, my rank would be Ordained,” she said softly. “I don’t possess any offensive abilities, and I don’t know many spells either. My specialty is healing, along with an emergency shielding spell.”
She paused for a moment before continuing.
“However, whenever I use magic, there is a chance it will attract nearby Hollowed. The stronger the spell, the stronger the effect.”
That sounds troublesome...
“For the record,” Thane said, leaning back slightly in his chair, “we weren't exactly seasoned fighters before the Eclipse.”
He gestured vaguely toward the others.
“That kid Kira might look wild, but he mostly hunted animals rather than people and doesn't have much real combat experience. The same goes for Sylphie, Isolde, and myself.”
“Hey,” Kira protested, his ears twitching. “You make it sound like I'm completely useless.”
“You know that's not what I meant.”
“I know, I know.”
Lucien smiled faintly.
Well, at least I won't have to feel inferior about my own lack of experience.