Lorenzo was lucky. The very few minutes that he was forced to let go of the Obscurer, he felt a presence observing him. Almond had seen him run toward the gate while he tried to counter the dastardly CEF.

It allowed him to move directly to their goal, toward the South.

Almond eventually caught up as well, along with the rest of the Torville Family. They had merged well with the escaping crowds.

Lorenzo dropped the obscurer right as they were next to Almond and the rest of the gang.

"Almond," he said. The Capo looked to his side and swung his fist, stopping an inch away.

"Hoo! That scared me. Sir! You’re here. What is going on? Why is there a corrupted?"

"I don’t fucking know!" Lorenzo yelled, he gestured at everyone to come closer, and come closer they did. While the citizens were running out to gather at the emergency posts, they would take the chance and leave from the South Gate.

"Did you open the East Gate?"

"Yes sir," Almond responded.

Their distraction was in place. Lorenzo, still running, tapped Almond’s back. He knew he didn’t have to worry.

"The fucking CEF was behind us," said he.

"I figured something like that would be the case the moment I saw you."

"[ACTIVATE: OBSCURER]"

The spell activated once more. Huddled together, all the members of the Torville Family were now together and hidden from perception. They ran and ran, reaching the South Gate in no time.

With four corrupted in the city, other paths were blocked. They had to go the furthest.

For all they knew things would just get worse from here, but the Torville members were not discouraged.

The gate passed overhead, the guards were gathering the citizens of the city. Hidden thanks to their devices, all the members of the Torville Gang escaped completely.

"Where do we go now?"

They tried to build a fair distance from the city, and came to a stop when there was no more going ’ahead.’

All that remained ahead was nothing other than the Forbidden Fairy Forest. The very place that going where, they were bound to be screwed over.

The Forbidden Fairy Forest was enough to make people risk their lives. One foot inside and they would be killed. Never to see the warmth of light again.

"But..."

"We should just wait here," said Almond. The group of the Torville Gangsters sat around, some on boulders, some leaning against trees. One of them was wrapping a bandage around Lorenzo’s head and giving him a potion to drink.

Lorenzo’s mind was running at full speed. What would be the best way for them to function from now on? Where should they go? He thought about it with a lot of stress.

His eyes went to the sky at that moment.

That’s when it happened.

A bright flash.

Everyone. Every single one of the Torville gang members froze. Even the ones looking down on the ground saw their vision turn white for a moment.

The light went away, and only after a few seconds of stillness passed did a sound come.

—BOOOOM!

An echoing, thundering blast reached their ears.

It was enough to make the trees behind them shake slightly.

Taking in a deep breath, Lorenzo looked around.

"We..." he looked at the members of his family, the rest of the Torville Gang.

In front of them was the worst nightmare mankind had seen. Yet, it was a nightmare at the end of the day. A nightmare, a thought, an illusion that they didn’t even have to believe existed.

The Great Witch Queen and her Grim Palace. For people of his stature, heck, for all he knew, the whole world didn’t know whether she existed or not.

And behind them the very demons that they have been running from. The monsters that sent them all here. That flash of light in the sky.

Death that wasn’t certain. Or death that was...?

What were they to choose.

It was clear, wasn’t it? Anyone would choose the same option as them.

The uncertain death.

"We will go into the Forest," said Lorenzo, standing up. The solderato supported his hand, and the man stood up.

"Huddle up."

"But..." Almond interrupted. "The fairy dust? What if we don’t make it."

"Hah..." If just one person went in and died, the Obscurer and the person would be lost forever. Without the Obscurer, they were all as good as doomed anyway.

"Nothing has broken through the Obscurer, ever. If we’re lucky, this too will go through. No, I am sure." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Lorenzo gulped.

"The Obscurer will protect us from the Forbidden Fairy Forest—"

It happened then.

Another small flash of light in the sky.

A sword of light fell, and stabbed straight through Almond’s head.

A single streak. A clean pierce.

Blood fell out from the top of his head and down his throat as he tumbled to the ground.

Lorenzo froze in place.

"Ah..." He gasped. A feral scream ripped out of his chest, his mouth spreading wide. "AHHHH!! ALMOOOOOND!!!"

"TSK! TSK! TSK!"

A voice came from behind.

"I knew it. Hahahaha! I knew it I knew it I knew it! You bastards... you are all working with the witch, right? This whole corruption ordeal..."

From behind the woods, with his madder eyes, stepped out a man in priestly clothes.

Bishop Reed looked at the Torville Gang and smiled.

"You all orchestrated it. I knew it. My goal was here."

One truth dawned on Lorenzo.

"You and then the Witch Queen. All you evil shall die."

There was No Escape.