"Robin! What have you done, you fool?" Henry's voice boomed through the night, cutting the silence like thunder.
"What I should have done long ago," Robin replied. His voice held no anger now, only an unnerving calm. "They will all know what it means… to be powerless."
He spread his arms slightly, almost as if presenting the ruined world to them. "Look around you, Zihard. The world is broken. There is no justice. And if the rules of the world no longer serve us…"
Robin turned, walking slowly toward James. Each step carried the weight of certainty, the dark assurance of a ruler.
James's eyes burned with grief and rage as Robin's cold hand cupped his face. There was no warmth in his touch—only a chilling void.
"I see now…" Robin murmured, tilting James's head to the side as if inspecting him. "You are one of the special ones, aren't you? A child marked by something greater. Too bad…" His lips curled into a faint smile. "…you aren't the only special one."
With a snap of his fingers, the restraints holding James shattered and clattered to the ground.
"Tell me where the keys are, and I'll let you live. You hold no value to me anyway," Robin said, his tone flat and dismissive. With a flick of his hand, a floating seal lifted James from the ground, setting him on his feet.
"Really… is that all?" Henry's voice wavered. His eyes locked on Robin's every movement, and though his tone was shaky, there was a dangerous sincerity to it—he was ready to accept Robin's deal if it meant saving James.
"No! Don't—he's lying!" James shouted, his sudden defiance startling Henry.
"Shush." Robin's voice was soft, almost tender. At once, James's mouth sealed shut. He strained against the silence, his throat tight, but not a sound escaped.
"Come now, Henry," Robin purred, gliding across the sand with unnatural grace until he stood before him, their faces inches apart. "What will it be?"
Before Henry could answer, Robin tilted his head, a cruel smile unfurling. "On second thought… I've changed my mind."
His arm shot out, and he pressed his finger against Henry's shoulder.
A sickening crack echoed. Henry's arms twisted at grotesque angles, bones splintering, muscles tearing. Blood spurted violently, soaking the sand in crimson.
"Ahhhh!" Henry collapsed to his knees, clutching at his mangled shoulder, his scream tearing into the night.
Robin stepped back, his eyes alight with manic pride. He spread his hands wide, admiring them as though they were sculpted anew."Ah… so these are the rules of the world now—rules bent to my will. These… these are the hands of a god."
From the shadows of the ship's sails, the cold voice rose again, sharp and cutting:"You fool. That's nowhere near the power of a god."
"Henry!"
James's mind screamed as he sprinted forward, desperate to reach him.
"Don't move," Robin commanded.
James froze mid-step. His body locked in place, his voice swallowed into silence. He strained against it, veins bulging in his neck, but not even a whisper escaped.
"Hahaha… how brilliant," Robin chuckled, his delight sharp and hollow.
Henry writhed on the ground, his cries echoing against the waves.
"You know…" Robin tilted his head, smirking. "I don't even know why I bothered keeping the boy hostage. This way is better. Tell me, Zihard—where are the keys?"
Henry's eyes flew wide, his jaw trembling as though words threatened to tear free. His body convulsed, twitching violently. He was at war with himself—his flesh bending to Robin's command, while his spirit clawed back, refusing.
"Ha! Truly enviable, Zihard." Robin crouched low, his voice heavy with mock admiration. "Such willpower. But let's test it further."
He reached out, his fingers brushing Henry's knee.
Crack!
The joint twisted grotesquely. The heel rotated forward while the toes snapped backward, bending into a shape nobody should ever hold.
"AHHHHHH!" Henry's scream split the night.
"No! Henry!" James cried within his mind, his tears streaming uselessly down his cheeks. They struck the sand like drops of glass, wasted, powerless.
No one was coming. He was alone.
The horror gnawed at him until pain wracked his own body—phantom agony ripping through his chest. His vision blurred, darkness swelled, and he felt himself slipping, consciousness unraveling, slipping into a dark abyss.
"Now… where are the keys?" Robin demanded again, his voice coiling with authority.
"Tttt… the… they're… scattered… all around the Central Realm," Henry stammered—not from pain, but from his slipping consciousness. Each time his mind flickered blank, his mouth betrayed him.
"Where exactly?" Robin pressed, eyes burning with hunger.
Henry's face twisted, fighting, twitching violently. His spirit resisted, but his body betrayed him once more.
"O-one… in the Holy Waters… beneath the Cathedral of the Followers of Hecate…" His voice cracked, stuttered, but the words fell against his will. "The… tttt… other… issss…"
James, forced to watch, finally broke. His heart hammered, rage and grief colliding. The sigils carved into his skin flared, bursting with golden light. His left eye blazed like a star, and in that moment, the restraints binding him unraveled—shattering into sparks of light.
Before Robin could react, the cold voice swept through the night, low and merciless.
"Fall."
Robin's knees buckled instantly, his body driven to the sand as though the command itself was a law of nature.
Prrrrrrr!
A piercing whistle split the chaos.
Henry, shaking and broken, pressed the silver whistle to his lips with his only working hand. The sound tore through the night like lightning. From the skies above, the wind shifted—air rushing, the heavens themselves groaning as if answering the call.
Henry had come to understand one truth—when James's voice changed, the tide always shifted.
The words left him, and James collapsed, body drained to the core. Yet he never struck the ground.
From the heavens came a rush of air, a tearing whistle of wings. A shadow blurred past, vast and commanding. Harald, one of the Dark Haris, descended with a cry that split the night. His feathers shimmered like midnight woven with silver, his mane glinting as though the stars themselves had fallen into it.
With terrifying grace, the steed caught James upon its back. Its great wings spread once more, scattering dust and debris, then carried him into the endless dark. In the blink of an eye, both boy and beast vanished, swallowed by the night sky.
Robin's jaw slackened. Rage and confusion flared across his face. But before he could act, a mocking voice rose from the shadows.
"Robin, you fool," the figure sneered, laughter rolling like thunder. "You wasted far too much time. And now—look what you've brought upon yourself."
Mad, unrelenting laughter echoed, filling the night with dread.