—Lord Prince, you have been relieved of your position. —Epshtin said with a sinister gaze.— You have been a disgrace; a child defeated you with a single blow.

  —But… m-my… lord… I did not expect that strength. —The prince’s eyes filled with tears and he began stepping backward.

  —No excuses. Anyone here is expendable… Except me, obviously. —A malevolent smile adorned Epshtin’s face, seeking to mask the anger he felt.

  He extended his palm and channeled Koa.

  —No, my lord, please, mercy.

  He fell to his knees.

  —Ante inferno.

  A burst of Koa struck the prince, shattering his arms and legs in an instant.

  —Guards under the prince’s command… The one who delivers the final blow will take his place. —Epshtin said.

  The four guards who had served under the prince appeared and, without any remorse, lunged to end his life.

  —Mercy? There is no room for that here. —Epshtin murmured as he watched alongside the Cardinal, the Mayor, and the Judge as the guards ended the prince’s life, while he still screamed and begged for it.

  —Damn child, I will be waiting for your return.

  On the way back to The Veg, the youths were still processing the horrors they had witnessed in Avaddon.

  —Master. —Yulian said.— Why were the people there genuinely cruel?

  —Epshtin’s zone of influence, Salou. —Yu-Han replied.— It causes those who are not using Koa, when they arrive there, to lose all sense of morality… It draws out the worst in every human being. —He added.

  —But Mason and I faced a zone of influence in Baih, its effects didn’t seem that strong! —Albert interjected.— Its power resided in a scepter.

  —Epshtin is not like Nimus. Under the universal laws of the Thaumaturges, Nimus has used her Koa entirely for her own convenience, and that has darkened her and made her weaker. —The master let out a bitter sigh.— Epshtin keeps himself clean.

  Such statements fell like a bucket of ice water over the youths.

  —That shit’s a joke, right? She hasn’t done anything wrong? —Damien roared while, unconsciously, his Dragon began to break free.

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  —Calm down at once. —Yu-Han frowned.— Nimus has murdered for her own benefit; she created those zombies. Epshtin, on the other hand, created that hell, but he has never killed anyone in that place. That his zone draws out the worst in every human being is not an infraction, since although it diminishes their morality, it does not directly force them to be evil.

  —Master, why do they allow that place to exist? —Sarah asked.— Has no one tried to stop him?

  —He breaks no rule, as I already said… Besides, the Grand Ecclesiastical Order finds it useful for some other strange reason. —Yu-Han showed a gesture of annoyance.— And yes, someone tried to destroy that place, but it is not easy. Epshtin was very clever when he created it. The only way to destroy Avaddon is to destroy it entirely at once.

  —A bomb could wipe that place out; they let it exist just because… —Albert said with irony.

  —The city is divided and distributed across several dimensions. A bomb would possibly destroy only one part, which would reconstruct itself in a matter of seconds. It is already hidden within one to make it more difficult for innocent travelers to accidentally fall into the city.

  —It doesn’t matter how it’s divided, hidden, or whatever. I am going to destroy that damned city, no matter how. —Damien replied.

  Yu-Han stopped walking across the desert.

  —Yulian. —Yu-Han said.— Can you use your ability to take everyone to Bukrasma?

  —Uh, yes, of course, Master. —Yulian replied with surprise at the sudden request.

  He clapped his Koa-charged palms together and then extended them.

  —Wayfarer.

  The dimension tore open and the portal appeared.

  —Alright, but we must leave quickly; since it’s a longer distance, I won’t be able to maintain it for long. —Yulian said.

  —All of you go through except Damien. —Yu-Han said, to everyone’s surprise.— I want him to accompany me somewhere else.

  —No, Master, don’t go back to that city. Damien has been through too much; he’s not ready to see more horror. —Sarah grabbed Yu-Han’s arm in concern and tears ran down her cheeks.

  Yu-Han smiled.

  —Relax, we’re going somewhere else, somewhere peaceful. You have my word.

  Everyone passed through the portal created by Yulian and in the blink of an eye they were already in Bukrasma.

  Those present tried to comfort Sarah and offered to accompany her home; her daughter and mother were surely waiting for her. Sarah nodded and, trusting the master’s words, set off.

  In the desert of Majov, Damien was expecting a severe scolding from his master because of his recent attitude.

  —Damien, come with me. —He took out a strange silver key.

  He placed the key as if he were opening a door.

  The door opened, and inside a dimension was revealed. Vegetation stretched as far as the eye could see; there were thousands of animals, and even though there were what could be considered predator and prey, they played among themselves.

  —What is this? Another zone of influence? —Damien asked in confusion.

  —There is no zone of influence here; it is a pocket dimension. —Yu-Han replied.— Come, there is someone I want you to meet.

  They walked several meters through the dense and beautiful vegetation, little birds flying, animals jumping between branches, the soft breeze flowing, a stream where the creatures came to drink water. In the distance, they saw a man reclining against a tree trunk; a kitten lay on top of him, a dog at his side, and a small bird perched on his shoulder.

  —Who is that? Does he live here alone? —Damien asked.

  —Go. —Yu-Han ordered.— Speak with him; his name is Jeshua. I will return when I think it is necessary. Goodbye.

  Yu-Han turned and disappeared into the vegetation. Damien could not say a single word.

  —Well, it seems there’s no other option but to make conversation with that guy. —Damien thought as he walked toward Jeshua.