The pain did not disappear.
It remained.
Deep.
Buried beneath the flesh.
Beneath the muscles.
Beneath the marks themselves.
Bharvan remained motionless.
Rain ran down his face.
Mixing with the black blood that still streamed from the corner of his mouth.
His red eyes slowly lowered to his own chest.
The cut was still there.
The marks pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
As if trying to correct something.
As if they were unable to.
His fingers dug into his own flesh.
His breathing became irregular.
Heavy.
His body was not responding the way it should.
Typhon remained still.
His eyes followed the marks pulsing across Bharvan's chest.
Rain slid along the black claws.
A small smile appeared.
Not amusement.
Understanding.
"Interesting..."
His eyes shifted toward Brianna.
"So this is how a bond begins to unravel."
The silence lasted only an instant.
Bharvan's eyes slowly lifted.
Meeting Typhon through the rain.
"Bo..."
The word died before finishing.
His muscles contracted.
A new wave of pain tore through his body.
His breathing failed.
For an instant.
"Bo... bond..."
The voice came out hoarse.
Fragmented.
As if each word had to be ripped out by force.
His red eyes found Brianna through the storm.
For an instant.
Something changed.
"Y-you..."
His muscles contracted.
Violently.
"D-damn..."
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
Bharvan lunged forward.
Brianna did not retreat.
Did not evade.
She merely raised one hand.
"Vinculum frange."
Bharvan's body locked in place.
Something seemed to give way inside him.
His knees hit the ground.
BOOM.
His arms collapsed right after.
Heavy.
Unresponsive.
His fingers tried to move.
They did not obey.
"W-what..."
His breathing seized again.
"What did you do to me?"
Brianna watched the black blood running down his chin.
"Nothing that wasn't already happening."
His red eyes narrowed.
Confused.
Brianna continued:
"You were so busy trusting your own regeneration..."
Her gaze lowered to the marks spread across his body.
"That you failed to notice when I touched what existed beneath it."
Bharvan's breathing faltered.
For an instant.
Brianna's fingers slowly rose.
"Every wound only opened the path wider."
Her white eyes remained still.
"And every time your body responded..."
A small pause.
"I responded with it."
The silence lasted only an instant.
"Phasmatos..."
The word cut through the rain.
"Invoco Spiritus maiorum."
The world answered.
Hundreds of golden filaments emerged around her.
Thin.
Luminous.
Ancient.
Like threads torn from something far older than the storm itself.
The water scattered through the ruins began to tremble.
First around Bharvan.
Then beyond.
Every puddle.
Every fragment of water spread through the ruins.
The golden filaments moved.
Slow.
Precise.
Slithering through the air around Brianna.
Like threads being woven by invisible hands.
The water rose from the ground.
First in narrow lines.
Then into currents.
Then dozens of them.
Tracing a circle around Bharvan.
The currents spun.
Entwining around one another.
While the golden filaments descended over them.
Weaving ancient symbols between water and light.
Rain continued falling across the battlefield.
Across the ruins.
Across the bodies scattered through the shattered streets.
Except there.
Inside the circle.
The drops struck an invisible boundary.
And slid aside.
As if something had isolated that space from the rest of the world.
Beside Brianna, Typhon staggered.
For an instant.
A black fissure spread across his body.
Then another.
And another.
Like dark veins surfacing beneath pale, nearly translucent skin.
The smile disappeared.
His knees sank slightly against the wet stone.
One hand clenched around his own arm.
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"Hah..."
The voice came lower than intended.
"It's been a long time since I felt something like this."
The golden filaments continued spinning around Brianna.
As if they did not even recognize him as an ally.
Brianna did not even look at him.
"Recede."
The command echoed like a sentence.
The air exploded.
BOOM.
Typhon was hurled away as if space itself had rejected him.
Dragging stone.
Mud.
Debris.
Until he crashed against the ground dozens of meters away.
The rubble exploded where his body struck the earth.
Bharvan's eyes followed everything.
The flight.
The impact.
The distance.
For an instant.
They remained on Typhon.
Then slowly returned to the circle around him.
To the golden filaments.
To the symbols being woven between water and light.
And the discomfort turned into something worse.
Recognition.
The golden filaments moved.
Toward Bharvan.
Slowly.
Like serpents watching prey.
Brianna closed her eyes.
Her lips began to move.
A new sequence of ancient words crossed through the storm.
"Solve vinculum."
"Solve corruptionem."
"Redde quod furtum est."
The filaments answered.
One after another.
Descending over Bharvan.
Touching his skin.
His neck.
His arms.
His chest.
Like puppet strings fastening themselves to his body.
The effect was immediate.
Bharvan arched his back.
His teeth clenched.
"AAAARGH!"
His arms tensed.
His muscles violently contracted.
The marks pulsed frantically.
Like something trying to resist.
A small portion of the darkness over his right hand moved.
Like a creature desperately trying to abandon a sinking ship.
The shadow slithered across his skin.
Fast.
Instinctive.
And struck the edge of the circle.
CRACK.
The golden barrier flared.
The shadow was thrown back.
Violently returning to Bharvan's arm.
Brianna's eyes remained fixed on him.
Her lips continued moving.
Reciting.
Weaving.
"Nihil venit sine pretio."
Another golden filament descended, piercing his forehead.
The marks pulsed.
"Omne debitum solvendum est."
A thin red line ran from the corner of Brianna's nose.
Her voice remained cold.
Relentless.
Bharvan's eyes widened.
Something crossed his mind.
A flash.
A table.
Laughter.
Small hands holding his.
Then a voice emerged.
Weak.
Distant.
"Daddy...?"
Bharvan's entire body froze.
Another came right after.
Desperate.
Broken.
"Bharvan...?"
His breathing failed.
"N-no..."
The golden filaments continued descending.
And the voices returned.
Stronger.
Closer.
"Daddy... it hurts..."
"Bharvan... what are you doing...?"
"Why...?"
"We trusted you..."
"Daddy...?"
Bharvan's eyes widened.
"Why...?"
"Why...?"
"Why...?"
"NO!"
Bharvan's roar tore through the place.
The shadows exploded outward.
Bursting from his chest.
His arms.
His neck.
Like hundreds of black serpents trying to escape all at once.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Every one of them struck the edge of the circle.
Every one of them was hurled back.
Violently returning to his body.
The marks pulsed.
Frenzied.
Out of control.
"NO!"
Bharvan tried to rise.
The golden filaments held him still.
Another shadow peeled away from his face.
For an instant.
The black skin vanished.
Revealing fragments of the man beneath it.
The darkness returned.
Like something desperate not to be torn away.
"Bharvan..."
The voice echoed among the laments.
Ancient.
Distant.
Like a forgotten memory.
"You asked for power."
"And power has a price."
The shadows slammed against the barrier again.
CRACK.
"Accept it."
"And everything will be yours."
"NO!"
Bharvan's voice came out broken.
Desperate.
The golden filaments tightened.
Sinking deeper.
For an instant.
The red glow vanished from one of Bharvan's eyes.
Only for a second.
But it happened.
His lips trembled.
"I..."
His breathing failed.
Another portion of darkness peeled away from his face.
Human skin appeared beneath it.
Longer this time.
Clearer.
More visible.
Brianna's eyes remained unmoving.
Without pity.
Without anger.
"Everyone wants power."
Another golden filament sank into the darkness.
"Few accept the price."
CRACK.
More shadows struck the barrier.
"And fewer still face the debt."
The shadows hesitated.
For an instant.
As if those words had struck them.
Bharvan's eyes trembled.
Memories.
Fragments.
Blood.
Screams.
The small hand slipping from his.
His daughter's voice.
His wife's voice.
The altar.
The circle.
The choice.
"N-no..."
His breathing failed.
"I..."
His eyes widened.
"I needed..."
The voice came out broken.
Empty.
As if even he did not believe it.
"I needed that power..."
The words died in his own throat.
"To obtain it..."
Brianna's voice crossed through the storm.
Cold.
Relentless.
"Innocents had to pay the price."
The words struck Bharvan like a blade.
Because now he remembered.
The golden filaments trembled.
All at once.
The currents around the circle accelerated.
Spinning faster and faster.
The golden symbols shone.
Pulsing through the water.
The rain seemed to weaken.
As if the world itself were listening.
"Solve quod ligatum est."
The filaments sank even deeper into the darkness.
"Revela quod absconditum est."
A new wave of shadows tore away from Bharvan.
CRACK.
The barrier flared.
"Separa carnem ab umbra."
The currents exploded in golden light.
"Separa animam a corruptione."
Above them.
The clouds began to rotate.
Slowly.
Like a massive spiral forming over the land.
Golden lightning tore across the storm.
One.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Reflecting through the symbols.
The filaments.
The water.
"Redde quod furtum est."
The entire circle trembled.
As if something were about to be ripped away by force.
"AAAAAAAAARGH!"
Bharvan's roar tore through the storm.
Veins bulged beneath his skin.
His entire body arched.
As if it were being split between two different existences.
And then—
A voice crossed the battlefield.
"How unpleasant."
The world seemed to hesitate.
The shadows froze.
The golden filaments froze.
Even Bharvan froze.
For a single instant.
The shadow beneath him trembled.
Once.
Twice.
Then it tore open.
Like fabric being ripped apart by something on the other side.
Brianna's eyes widened.
Darkness began to rise.
Slowly.
Thick.
Dense.
Like living tar.
First a hand emerged.
Black.
Elongated.
The fingers dug into the air itself.
As if searching for support.
Then an arm.
Then another.
The shadow continued opening.
Widening.
Forced apart.
Like a wound being ripped open.
And something stepped out of it.
Tall.
Hooded.
Silent.
For an instant.
It seemed too large.
As if that form could not fully fit within that world.
The golden filaments reacted immediately.
Shooting toward it.
Trying to complete the ritual.
The figure merely raised one hand.
And held the void.
CRACK.
The barrier appeared.
Visible for the first time.
Thousands of fractures spread across its surface.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
The golden symbols exploded.
Water was hurled in every direction.
The filaments snapped apart.
The explosion struck Brianna head-on.
Her body was thrown backward.
Dragging across the soaked ground.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
The hooded figure remained still.
Its face hidden.
Except for a single red eye.
Glowing beneath the hood.
Brianna lifted her head.
"Impossible..."
A smile appeared beneath the hood.
Small.
Amused.
"Interesting."
The voice came lightly.
As if they were simply resuming an interrupted conversation.
The red eye settled on Brianna.
"You almost succeeded."
The voice sounded genuinely impressed.
"That would've been a massive problem."
Its gaze shifted toward Bharvan.
Calculating.
Observing.
"Seriously."
"A gigantic problem."
Its head tilted slightly to the side.
"Because if you broke him..."
"They would become furious."
A small pause.
"And nobody likes them when they're furious."
The smile widened just slightly.
"Especially me."
Its gaze moved away from Brianna.
Her hand rose immediately.
The golden filaments scattered through the circle answered.
Closing around the figure.
Like a prison of light.
The threads began converging.
Faster.
Denser.
Until they formed a golden cocoon around it.
For an instant.
It seemed to work.
Then the darkness appeared.
Thin.
Like a black vein running through gold.
Brianna's eyes narrowed.
The stain spread.
Slithering through the filaments.
Consuming symbol after symbol.
Light after light.
The gold turned black.
And the cocoon began collapsing.
Breaking apart into dark fragments carried away by the rain.
Brianna felt something give way.
The taste of iron filled her mouth.
The figure's gaze continued roaming across the battlefield.
Passing over Typhon.
Without interest.
Then it found Karna.
For an instant.
"Ah."
"So you're here."
As if it had just found an acquaintance at a party.
Its gaze returned to Brianna.
Blood slowly ran from the corner of her mouth.
The smile widened only slightly.
"We're going to have a lot of fun."
The shadows began to rise.
Enveloping Bharvan.
Then the figure itself.
"Try not to die before then."
The shadows pulled them downward.
Slowly.
Like a bottomless pit opening beneath their feet.
Until they disappeared completely.
Only the rain remained.
Falling over stone.
Over mud.
Over blood.
The currents spinning around the circle weakened.
Until they became nothing more than water again.
Brianna remained motionless for a few seconds.
Her eyes fixed on the emptiness left behind by the shadows.
She moved.
Slowly.
Like someone who had confirmed an unpleasant truth.
Her knees left the ground.
The golden filaments continued disappearing around her.
One by one.
Until only particles of light carried by the rain remained.
Her white eyes shifted.
Finding Karna in the distance.
Her hand rose.
A single gesture.
The sphere of water rose immediately.
Brianna began to walk.
Slow steps crossing the soaked ruins.
Toward the walls.
In the distance.
Typhon watched.
His crimson eyes followed her approach.
For an instant.
A crooked smile appeared.
"How unpleasant."
The voice crossed through the rain.
"I thought I was your biggest problem."
Brianna passed by him.
Without even turning her face.
His gaze followed Brianna for an instant.
Then his voice returned.
More serious this time.
"Who was that?"
Her steps did not slow.
"An old problem."
The answer came without emotion.
Silence returned.
Only the sound of rain filled the space between them.
Brianna raised one hand.
Her fingers traced a brief symbol through the air.
"Tempestas solve."
The magic spread across the sky.
The rain began to weaken.
First slowly.
Then faster and faster.
The dark clouds began to break apart.
The thunder ceased.
The storm began to die.
Brianna kept walking.
Her hand rose again.
"Revela."
The water spread through the ruins answered.
Spheres slowly rose above the shattered streets.
Typhon's eyes narrowed.
Inside them.
Soldiers.
Men of the Central Kingdom.
Some unconscious.
Others awake.
But incapable of escape.
Typhon watched the scene for a few seconds.
Then let out a brief laugh through his nose.
Small.
Amused.
"Cruel."
They began to move.
One after another.
Following Brianna.
Like a silent procession crossing through the remains of the battle.
Typhon watched them pass.
Then cast one final glance toward the place where Bharvan had disappeared.
The smile vanished.
For an instant.
His eyes remained fixed on that emptiness.
Thoughtful.
Soon he turned away.
And began following Brianna toward the walls.