castle of temptation

He went at it again, sprinting towards Reiss. An air blast was launched towards him, but he raised his sword and cut through it, shattering the spell like a pane of glass. Reiss continued hurling blasts, with Abner slashing his way through each one. He got in close, dodging another kick from Reiss, and finally landed a cut on Reiss’s shoulder. Reiss hissed in pain, but gathered his strength and grabbed Abner by the throat, holding him off the ground. For the wound Abner landed, Reiss paid him back with several punches to the gut, the last punch accentuated with an air blast that launched Abner like a champagne cork. Abner hit the ground rolling, though not by design, and left behind several blood drops before stopping.“You’re going to die today, boy.”

Abner charged towards Reiss, and this time, Noah kept his distance. Assuming a combat stance, Reiss punched the open space, releasing a powerful shockwave from his fist. It was wind magic, solidifying the air with mana so that it hit Abner like a charging bull. He was knocked off his feet, flipping like a coin before taking a hard landing. After a blow like that, it was understandable that he had difficulties getting up.

A black and white photo accompanied the eerie description and was just as unnerving. She wasn't a wax reconstruction or even a corpse like most in the ViCAP database. Sat straight up, staring ahead at absolutely nothing at all, a living missing person was on display.