"Wha-what happened? Where… where did Xain go?" Zee pulled away from Bram, her steps uneven as she moved forward on her own, eyes locked onto the exact spot where the Beast had stood. There was nothing there now, nothing left, and that absence only made her voice shake more.
Ercale's head snapped up toward Sarandel. "What did you do!?" he demanded, the question sharp and immediate.
The goddess looked down at him, her expression measured, cautious rather than defensive. "I didn't do anything besides clearing the path. X is the one who made the Beast disappear," she said plainly, offering nothing beyond that as the others turned toward her.
"X?" Clara asked, confusion and worry mixing in her voice. "Is that the man with the skull mask?"
"Where did he take him?" Amara followed, arms crossing tightly over her chest, eyes narrowing.
"I don't know," Sarandel replied without hesitation.
Annabel raised a brow at that. "You don't know?"
"Yes."
Bram let out a frustrated sigh, dragging a hand down his face. "Fuck me… this is bringing back memories. You haven't changed at all, still just answering in the most direct way possible without any explanation."
Sarandel's gaze shifted to him, steady and unreadable. "I think out of everyone here, I am the one who needs an explanation on how you are here and alive," she said, then her eyes moved slightly. "And that goes for you." They settled briefly on Ercale. "Him." She looked away again, voice lowering. "And the one that isn't here right now."
The others exchanged looks, completely lost on what she meant.
"What does it matter where they went or not?" Samwell spoke up, having recovered enough to stand more properly, though the strain still showed. "If that man wearing the skull mask kills that Beast, good. If he doesn't, it gets hunted down later. It doesn't matter."
Prince Mark let out a quiet sigh. "That is easy for you to say because you do not have a connection to that boy," he said, looking around at the others. "There are many here that do, however."
Callum dropped back into his human form with a pained cry as he looked at himself. "Agh! Goddess, my arms! I can't regenerate them back!" he yelled, panic and pain bleeding into his voice.
Vilak immediately climbed down into the crater and hurried over to him, hands hovering uncertainly before settling as best as they could. "D-d-don't worry! We'll get you to the Healing Springs! Y-you can recover that way!" he said quickly, trying to steady him.
Nearby, Drimus shifted back into his humanoid demon form, rolling his shoulders with a wince as he tested his movement. "Thank Michael I'm not weak to silver… my spine's back together," he muttered, rubbing at his back.
"Shouldn't we try to find him?" Lia asked, looking between them. "Find Xain? Not sit around here?"
Mae nodded beside her. "Yeah, we should. We don't know if that X guy is even going to be able to beat him." With that, she moved, jumping down into the crater to get closer to her twin.
Nori didn't follow.
He sat where he was, staring blankly at the place where the Beast had been, his eyes unfocused as everything replayed in his mind again and again. Xain had been almost back, almost normal again, and in the last second the Beast took hold again and now he was gone. His body wouldn't move, his mind stuck in that moment, looping it without end.
Lia hesitated, then stayed by his side instead, not wanting to leave him like that.
"Alright, now what do we do?" Bram asked, turning toward Ercale.
Ercale let out a frustrated grunt. "What else? We just have to go and find them, come on lets—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
X appeared without warning.
There was no build-up, no sign, just a sudden presence where there had been none before. He stood there wearing a random knight helmet, and over his shoulder was Xain. Not the Beast—Xain.
"Wow, I left for like three minutes and some of you guys look like you want to tear me and each other apart," he said, his voice muffled through the helmet.
"Xain!" Zee exclaimed immediately, breaking into a run toward them.
Nori's eyes widened as something snapped back into place inside him, life returning all at once. He tried to move, but his body failed him—
—and then he was lifted.
"I'll get you to him," Lia said, already moving, carrying him in a princess carry before jumping down into the crater.
X stepped forward and carefully lowered Xain to the ground, guiding him down gently rather than dropping him.
"You managed to win?" Ercale asked, watching him closely, suspicion clear in his tone.
"It wasn't easy. He broke my mask, and look at how hurt I am," X replied, straightening slightly. "But it was mostly the kid that did it, not me."
Before anything else could be said, he suddenly appeared next to Sarandel.
"I think it would be best for us to leave now," he said quietly near her ear. "I wouldn't recommend us fighting Ercale here, especially after everything that happened."
She nodded without arguing.
Without another word, Sarandel turned and began to walk away, X following her just as silently.
"Where are you going?" Amara called after them.
Neither of them replied. They simply kept walking.
"No change after five hundred years," Bram muttered.
"No change at all…" Ercale echoed, before both of them turned their attention back to Xain.
Zee was already at his side, dropping down and taking his right hand in both of hers. Nori, now set down beside him, grabbed his left and held it tightly. Mae stood close, watching him with visible tension, while Lia crouched nearby, her eyes moving over him carefully. Clara hurried over, slowing as she reached them.
"Come on, wake up, please wake up and tell us you're okay," Zee said, her voice tight.
"Stop making my sister worry and wake up," Mae added, though she looked just as worried.
Nori, not being able to say anything, simply squeezed his hand, his face twisted in a mix of worry and relief.
Lia's eyes moved over him, scanning carefully. "He's not injured at all… is it like auntie's Shell then…?" she muttered.
"I-is he okay?" Clara asked softly.
Xain stirred. A faint shift at first, then his eyes slowly opened.
"H-he's waking up!" Zee said quickly.
He blinked a few times, unfocused, before pushing himself upright without saying anything.
"Hey, don't rush!" Mae said immediately. "You just came back from being a monster."
Xain? looked up at her.
Then—he smirked.
The expression sat wrong on his face, slow and deliberate in a way that didn't belong. He? lowered his? gaze to the hands holding his? hands, watching them for a brief moment before gently—but firmly—pulling them away and rising to his? feet.
"What are you doing?" Clara asked, confusion creeping in.
The others stared. Something was off.
Xain? let out a soft giggle.
"Oh, aren't you all cute? Waiting for him? He's so lucky… it's sickeningly sweet~!"
The voice that came out wasn't his.
But, it was one they recognized. Especially Mae.
"You…" Mae muttered, shock setting in.
Xain? smiled and lifted a hand, running it through his? hair and adjusting it, styling it differently with casual ease before looking back at them.
"Hello again everyone, I'm Annie, nice to meet you~"
Their expressions shifted all at once, shock, confusion, disbelief crashing together, and one thing became immediately clear.
Annie had taken full control.
End of Arc 8.