Darkness filled everything.
No ground, no sky… only a void breathing around her.
A heavy silence…
Then the sound of droplets, falling one after another…
Leora stood alone, in a place she didn't recognize… crimson sky, cracked earth, and cold winds whispering her name.
She looked around nervously… no one.
Leora (trembling voice):
"Riven…?"
No answer.
Leora (turning sharply):
"Riven? Kyle? Can anyone hear me?"
She ran, her footsteps echoing as if she were running across broken hearts.
Her breath bounced back in echoes… no reply, only silence.
And then—
She stopped.
Something stirred beneath the ground.
Faint sounds… then from between the cracks—
A dark hand, tinged with gray, slowly emerged from the earth.
Then another… then a third… then dozens.
Leora backed away, stumbled, tried to run — but failed.
The first hand clutched her ankle.
The second locked onto her arm.
A third wrapped around her waist, climbing her body as if feeding on her pulse.
She screamed and fought, but another hand grabbed her chest, one tugged at her neck.
Leora (screaming):
"Get away from me!"
The earth did not answer.
The sky flared red, and the hands rose higher, grasping her from every side…
Then—another hand appeared.
Unlike the others.
Soft to the touch… but deadly.
It crept slowly up her neck… reached her cheek…
And held her face completely still.
Leora (screaming):
"Noooooooo!"
Then she heard…
A faint whisper:
"You… You…"
And complete blackness.
Leora's eyes opened suddenly, as if surfacing from a long drowning.
She sat up quickly, breathing wildly, tears streaming down her cheeks without end.
Her body trembled… her hand rose instinctively to her cheek, as if she could still feel the touch of that final hand.
Leora (broken voice):
"Keep it away from me… don't let it touch me!"
Riven (rushing over, still half-asleep):
"Leora! What happened? Wake up! I'm here, I'm with you!"
Leora still looked terrified…
---
Riven knelt beside her, gripping her shoulders firmly yet gently.
"Leora… look at me… I'm here. With you."
Leora went quiet for a few seconds.
Her breathing began to slow, her trembling hands settling bit by bit.
She slowly lifted her gaze…
Met his eyes directly, as if seeing herself reflected in them.
She raised her hand and wiped her tears with her sleeve,
Took a deep breath, then closed her eyes for a moment.
(In her thoughts, soft inner voice)
Leora: "Right… this was just a dream… calm down, Leora.
What's wrong with me… really…"
She opened her eyes again.
Looked back at Riven — and in her face… was a spark of hope, a determined gaze, no longer the one she'd worn before.
Leora (gentle smile, soft voice full of gratitude):
"Thank you… truly."
She lingered, looking at him a moment longer,
Then turned her eyes to the sky…
Despite everything, she chose to rise again.
Kyle was still standing at the edge of the camp.
Body still, arms at his sides,
Eyes fixed on Leora and Riven, watching silently.
He didn't speak.
He didn't move closer.
But his expression held truths silence couldn't hide.
Inside him, a question echoed.
(Kyle's inner voice):
"What just happened…?"
He lowered his gaze briefly, then stared at Leora wiping her tears.
And remembered…
That moment, just days ago, when he bumped into that stranger — and how everything changed since.
(Kyle – inner voice again, confident tone):
"I'm sure… that collision with that person is connected to what happened tonight."
He inhaled deeply… looked up to the sky for a moment,
Mind racing behind his eyes.
(Final inner whisper):
"But… what do they really want?"
He stood motionless for a few seconds,
Then turned quietly and walked toward his tent —
In his eyes, a faint glow of doubt and deep thought.
Morning began slipping gently into the forest.
Golden sunlight threaded between the branches, danced across the leaves, and spread over the camp floor like a soft smile from the sky.
Leora opened her eyes slowly,
Exhaled…
Then sat up, wiping her face, greeting the morning light with a contemplative gaze.
She stepped out of her tent in silence,
And the smell of smoldering wood greeted her before her eyes saw anything.
In front of her, Kyle and Riven sat near a small fire,
Having gathered the wood and begun preparing something like breakfast — humble, but warm.
The fire crackled softly, steam rising from a small pot nestled among the logs.
Kyle was the first to notice her.
He looked up… gave a half-smile, and teased lightly:
Kyle (playful):
"Finally… the Sleeping Princess awakens."
Riven smirked without looking up, stirring the food:
"We thought you'd decided to sleep for two extra days."
Leora (smiling quietly, walking toward them):
"Maybe I needed that."
She sat beside them, looked at the pot, then at the two…
And in her eyes — a moment of peace, despite everything.
Still smiling gently, Riven poured her a bowl of soup,
Handed it to her without a word… just a kind look, as if saying: "Here… before you go back to grumbling."
She took the bowl, sighed lightly, and began to eat quietly,
Still wearing that faint, but sincere smile.
As Leora ate,
A calm silence hung over the place — no longer heavy, but comforting.
After a few moments, Riven broke it softly:
Riven:
"How are you?"
Leora paused for a second, looked at her bowl… then lifted her eyes toward him.
Leora (gentle, more steady voice):
"Much better…"
Riven nodded and smiled, returning to his spoon.
Then came Kyle's voice, brushing crumbs from his hands:
"Good… because we won't be resting long."
He stood, looking at them with a tone both firm and natural:
Kyle:
"Now… it's time to prepare.
We continue the journey from where we left off."
Tents were folded, belongings packed.
Riven carefully put out the fire,
Kyle tightened his belt and slung his bag over his shoulder,
And Leora… stood quietly, eyes scanning the place that had held them for years.
The forest…
Wasn't just shelter.
It was an entire world — mysterious, unforgiving, but the only safety they'd known since Moralesca Island fell.
Leora (soft whisper to herself):
"Now… the real journey begins."
Riven (tightening his jacket, standing beside her):
"Let's go."
Leora looked ahead, at the path stretching beyond the trees,
Nodded gently… and walked first.
---
Her steps were steady, never looking back — as if the earth itself awaited their footsteps.
Riven walked behind her… and Kyle closed the rear, watching the path ahead while the sword on his back glinted with the first rays of sun.
The carriage rolled quietly over the winding road, its wheels creaking softly each time they hit gravel or scattered potholes.
Up front, Kyle held the reins tightly, gaze locked on the road… yet his eyes saw far beyond it.
Riven sat to the side, leaning against the edge, his arm hanging loosely from the cart's rim.
As for Leora, she gazed silently from the back, watching the scenery slowly transform around them.
The closer they drew to the western coast…
The more the world shifted.
The land grew harsher…
The small towns they passed seemed faded, abandoned — like skeletons of villages that died without ever being buried.
Faces of the people…
Worn, pale.
Barefoot children chasing carts for crumbs of bread.
Women sitting at the roadside, wearing eyes that hoped for nothing.
Leora (in a pained whisper):
"Is this… what the Zirath have done?"
Riven (softly):
"They're not alone…
When the source is corrupted, ruin spreads — even through human hearts."
Kyle didn't turn… but his voice came, firm and steady:
"With every step closer to Iskaril's dome… we feel truth grow heavier.
"We're not just facing humans…
They're monsters.
Azarim walk the land, spreading destruction inch by inch.
And every day we delay… another place crumbles."
Night fell, and a chill began sneaking between the dense trees.
They lit a small fire — barely enough to warm them, but just enough to keep the darkness at bay… for now.
They sat around it, facing one another.
Their expressions tinged with seriousness…
The silence wasn't restful — it brimmed with thought.
Kyle stared into the flame as if seeing something he couldn't touch,
While Riven drifted toward the sky and its stars — now hidden behind gathering clouds.
Leora hugged her knees to her chest, watching the dancing tongues of fire in solemn quiet.
Riven (softly):
"How are we supposed to end this?
The Zirath multiply… and the Azarim… we still know nothing about them.
Who are they?
And what do they want from all this?"
A weighty silence fell upon them…
Then suddenly—
A chilling aura crept forward…
"Shhhhhh…"
A faint crunch of dry leaves… from between the trees.
One second — just one — but enough to tighten every nerve.
Kyle lifted his head instantly, hand shifting to his sword's hilt.
Riven straightened, eyes scanning the shadows.
Leora stood carefully, breath held.
The sound came again… slower this time, deliberate.
From between the trees, something stepped out quietly — as if darkness itself granted passage.
Tall figure.
Confident stride.
Smirk… slicing through the silence with mocking ease.
A man, wearing a crooked smile.
His cloak billowed like secrets refusing to be told.
Blonde hair tied back, but loose strands fell across his face,
And only one visible eye — piercing blue like a blade.
The other hidden beneath a black patch, deepening the mystery and giving him a deadly charm.
He stood a few steps from the fire, raised his arms slightly, and said:
Stranger (calm voice laced with sarcasm):
"Relax… relax."
Then chuckled briefly — more amused than threatening — and continued:
"I merely came to see…
Who had the audacity to tread my land."
His eyes scanned their faces.
Then stepped closer, voice lowered and tone sharpened:
"And what did I find?
Just… insects."
Riven (angrily):
"Who do you think you are, you filthy bastard?!"
Kyle gestured for calm, hand raised — but it was too late…
Riven wasn't looking for answers.
He was aching for battle.
The stranger didn't flinch. Didn't react.
Still standing… and his smirk grew slightly — like he enjoyed the fury.
Stranger (cold confidence):
"Me?"
He paused, tilted his head… voice dropping to a venomous hush:
"No need for you to know who I am…
You aren't important enough."
His gaze now locked onto Leora.
Still smirking…
"Anyway…
Don't worry…
I'll make sure your end is… entertaining."
The man remained still, eyes flickering between amusement and disdain.
Then declared clearly, with poisoned confidence:
"My name is Ostar of the Azarim…"
He smiled coldly, and added:
"Figured I'd introduce myself… so you don't die without knowing your killer's name."
Suddenly, he lifted his right hand — fingers glowing with pale gray light,
Whispered words unlike any spell they'd ever heard:
"Kira… Viltam… Sorain."
The ground beneath him trembled.
Soil ripped open as if torn from within,
And from the cracks… emerged four dark, crawling, terrifying creatures — mid-tier Zirath.
Their breath was harsh… eyes glowed with toxic color… bodies radiated corruption.
Leora (shocked):
"He… he's summoning them?!"
Riven (furious):
"He's the reason for all this?!"
Kyle drew his sword from his back, placing himself between the creatures and the others — voice low but resolute:
"Now we know who he is…
Now we show him who we are."
Leora clenched her fists, her eyes igniting with fury,
She lunged forward, veins burning with power, and cried out:
Leora:
"You monster… DIE!!"
She dashed toward him with full force —
But suddenly, one of the four Zirath leaped from the shadows, blocking her path.
Ostar, still unmoved, smiling wider with twisted amusement:
"If you want to reach me…
You'll first have to defeat this Zirath."
Then gestured lightly — like commanding his loyal hound — and said:
"Kill her."
Zirath roared around them…
The air grew heavy,
And their heat… wasn't from the fire anymore — it was fury.
Kyle stepped forward with steady balance, eyes scanning the Zirath with battle-hardened focus.
He stomped his heel into the ground, raised his right hand:
"Gravida!"
The earth beneath the Zirath split wide,
Massive roots burst upward, coiling like stone serpents,
They wrapped around one of the beasts, binding it tight.
Kyle lifted his other hand and clenched his fist violently:
"End it!"
The roots crushed inward, smashing the Zirath's body into the earth—
A silent moment… then—
From the same spot… the body began reforming.
Shadows stitched together. Bones realigned. Eyes flashed gray.
Kyle (shocked):
"…It's regenerating?!"
Elsewhere, Riven darted between trees with graceful speed,
Eyes locked on the incoming Zirath.
Suddenly, he raised his hand to the sky and shouted:
"Noris… Nova!"
A brilliant flash exploded from his palm,
Forming a long spear of pure light.
Its glow repelled the corrupted air.
He grasped it firmly, then launched forward, piercing the heart of one Zirath.
The spear blazed inside it — the beast howled, torn apart by the light.
But—
Riven stepped back, breathing fast…
And in shock, watched the creature rise again.
The spear dissolved, yet the shadows rebuilt its form — as if nothing happened.
Riven (faintly):
"…This can't be."
From afar, Leora's gaze darted between her companions,
Realizing the same truth:
These weren't ordinary foes.
These Zirath were not easy to kill.
And behind them… stood Ostar, still smirking.
Leora glanced around, blood roaring in her veins,
Then screamed with force — reaching to her chest, shouting her incantation:
"Selivan!"
A burst of blue energy erupted around her,
She stormed the nearest Zirath like a tempest,
Struck one with magical force — the shadow shattered like glass.
But—
Behind her, another lurked silently…
A fast, crawling, eager Zirath.
Leora didn't see it coming.
Kyle shouted:
"Leora! Watch out!"
But it was too late.
The creature lunged, claws stretched wide—
And in that moment—
A quiet laugh cut through the chaos.
One laugh… heavy, mocking
Ostar stood calmly, hands behind his back.
Eyes scanning the battle — like a maestro basking in his orchestra of horror.
Ostar (quiet voice, soaked in malice and pleasure):
"Yes… yes… entertain me.
I want more… more delight."