Ecore could hardly believe it. He found it. He found it at last!

The Blood of the Sanctioned. He could feel the heat of the molten stone radiating off the cliff along with an impending sense of victory. A surreal glow surrounded the area, even in the moonless night. Above the lavafall sat a crude head with horns and a gaping mouth. It was said the head represented the guardian waiting inside, but what could stop him now? He truly felt unbeatable as he stood across the valley, gazing at his long-lost prize.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

His reverie was broken by the voice, and he turned to the side to face the culprit. He didn't seeth, however. Instead, he forced on a graceful smile, one that opposed the rage he felt.

"It is."

Ecore had almost forgotten about his traveling companion and guide. It was by chance did he meet Sight, a man who he's never seen.

Sight was covered head to toe. Not an inch of skin showed. Gloves covered his hands. Bandages wrapped around his neck. And oddest of all, he wore a wide-brimmed hat with a dark veil surrounding it. The veil hung down until just around Sight's shoulders, and it was thick enough to only ever reveal the man's silhouette.

Without a word, Ecore rummaged through the pack at his side, pulling out a scroll. Raising it high above his head, the scroll activated, bursting into flames and shooting high into the sky.

Sight turned to him sharply. "Why did you—"

Sight only had time to step back as a silver blade sliced through the air. He felt a sting along his cheek, and everything has become noticeably brighter. Before he could fully comprehend what had happened, he was roughly shoved against a tree. He froze as cold steel was placed against his neck.

But there was a pause.

Ecore stared down at the trapped man in front of him. Sight's hat had been knocked back on impact, lifting the veil high enough to reveal the bottom half of his face. He was met with pale, near-translucent skin. The fresh cut on Sight's cheek didn't ooze blood, but instead a heavy, white smoke.

But that wasn't all that was revealed. From the slash, a portion of the veil had been cut, and it hung uselessly to the side. A cold, silver iris peered back up at him as the other stayed concealed. No white surrounded the iris, only a pitch black.

Ecore felt his courage ice over as blue-tinted lips slowly curled into a smirk before they moved to speak.

"Ah, so we have a traitor in our midst."

That was when Sight melted back into the tree and disappeared.

Ecore wasn't quick enough to recover from his shock, as he soon felt two cold hands cradle his temples before something wrapped around his being. He staggered forward, dropping his sword and clawing at his head, desperate to rid himself of the sensation. But there was nothing there.

His head snapped to the side as the sound of footsteps approached, and he saw a group of familiar faces.

"It's about time you called us," the man at the front said gruffly. "How long were you planning on having us follow you?"

"We're here now, are we not?" Ecore felt himself speak. By now the chill had spread throughout his body, and he wanted to scream as he felt his mouth forced into a smile. "This will all be worth it. I promise. All the treasure and riches you could ever want lies within that cave."

"There better be," the front man grunted, adjusting the battle axe at his back. "How do we get there? Maybe you shouldn't have killed your guide so soon."

Against his will, Ecore reached down to pick up his sword before sheathing it. With a smile still plastered on his face, he once again faced the Blood of the Sanctioned, basking in its glow.

"I know enough." His arm raised and pointed at the liquid fire. It was a miracle he could move at all with how numb he felt. "There's a hidden entrance just under the falls. We were right in purchasing all those fire protection charms."

If the rest of his group noticed his silver-glazed eyes, they never mentioned it.