Gram ran as fast as he could, the End closing in with every step.
Each glance backward showed it drawing nearer.
He thought briefly of his sons, but the situation allowed no room for thought—he had decided to separate from them.
Had he left them because they were a burden, or because he himself was one? He did not know. He only knew he had acted on instinct—and the instinct of Gram Kraush never erred.
Gram tumbled down a hill leading to a cave inside a mountain, hiding behind large stones and praying the End wouldn't find him.
But, as if mocking him, the End already knew his location and followed him into the cave.
Gram's breaths grew loud, his heart raced uncontrollably, and his body temperature plummeted—he could no longer feel his limbs.
The closer the End got, the more numb Gram became. He could no longer move his legs.
For Gram, these were his last moments… until a steel spear pierced the End from behind, embedding deep into the ground nearby.
"Of course that didn't kill it…"
Small but determined footsteps echoed through the cave.
"Will you stay hidden like this? Shame on you, Father."
Elin slipped along the sloped cave floor, grabbing his spear and plunging it into the End from the side.
Before the End could rise, Elin yanked the spear out and struck it again in its left side.
"Why won't this creature die?!"
Elin leapt back, widening the distance, checking the wounds he inflicted—they began healing as if nothing had happened.
The End roared, the sound scratching at Elin's very soul. His legs trembled; he lost balance and fell.
The End swung a claw at him, but he rolled aside just before the earth beneath him shattered.
Gram could only watch as his son fought for his life against the End, doing everything to save them both.
"Father!" Elin shouted, shaking Gram from his stupor.
"When you get the chance, run as fast as you can out of this cave!"
"Y-yes!" Every word from Gram's mouth felt like a loss of dignity—his youngest son fighting for his life while he received orders.
"Do you have anything I can fight with?" Elin asked, looking at the End.
"My spear… it fell behind that thing…"
Confused, Gram clutched his chest and stared at the goat-skull necklace around his neck. A faint aura surrounded it—ominous, palpable.
Gram pulled the necklace out, holding it in both hands, fear and confusion clouding his mind.
"What are you thinking?!" Elin shouted, dodging the End's strikes.
Gram tossed the necklace to Elin, who caught it mid-air and hid behind a nearby rock.
"What is this?!"
"It's a necklace… a blessed tool."
"A blessed tool?" Elin studied it, a shiver running down his spine.
"It doesn't look blessed at all…"
"Because it's from the Accursed Supplicant sequence."
Shock registered on Elin's face; the necklace slipped from his hands.
"The Accursed Supplicant… sequence?!"
"Yes, the same sequence!"
The End shattered the rock Elin hid behind, throwing him into a cave wall. Blood dripped from his mouth.
"Elin!"
"Not the time to worry," Elin forced himself up, barely opening his eyes. His body screamed to stop, but he refused.
"How does it work?"
"It requires a blood sacrifice…"
Gram lowered his gaze, unable to meet Elin's eyes after revealing the conditions. Elin's face turned paler.
"I don't think I'll survive losing more blood… will you do it, Father?" Elin extended his arm with a faint smile.
Gram didn't move. He didn't look at his son or even try to speak. He faced the wall, gathering the remnants of his fallen pride.
"Don't worry, I anticipated this… that's why I asked you earlier, 'Do you?'"
Elin grabbed a shard of rock from the shattered stone, holding it in his right hand, cutting from his shoulder to his palm.
Blood gushed like a waterfall. He fought the screams, fought to stay conscious, held the necklace beneath his bleeding arm.
Vision blurred, movement limited, breath shallow—the necklace rose into the air, encircling Elin's neck.
Everything around him turned black. A faint mist enveloped him, masking the chaotic scene.
The sound of breaking bones echoed. Massive, fleshless hands grabbed his shoulders from behind.
Elin tried to turn, but every fiber in his body warned him—it would be the last thing he saw.
"Stab… we'll stab with you… kill… we'll kill with you… die… you'll die for us…"
A voice behind him etched those words into his soul, leaving an indelible mark.
Elin awoke to the End charging at him, raising his skeletal hands to defend himself. A spectral hand hurled the End deep into the cave walls.
Opening his eyes, he felt as if a piece of his soul had merged with the spectral hand.
He didn't understand what was happening, but one thing was clear: if he didn't end this quickly, his soul would belong to it.
Elin stepped forward, mist carrying him to the End in an instant, as if he hadn't moved at all.
A claw nearly sliced his neck, but the End's hand flew away. It howled in pain.
Elin saw a giant spectral sword of bones strike the End, vanishing with the wind.
He was disoriented, watching multiple skeletal entities strike the End from all directions. Each time it was hurt, he felt pain too.
After a few moments, the End stopped moving. Its blackness dissipated with the wind. Elin stood atop the strange mark it left, surveying the area.
His body could hardly believe the danger had passed. As relief settled, he collapsed, unconscious, waking in a foggy, otherworldly realm.
"Who… are you?" a mysterious voice asked.
"What kind of strange question is this?"
"You are one… but also more. One soul, one mind, one presence… but more."
"Don't tease…" Fear coursed through Elin, yet he responded, hoping to wake up safely at home.
"I want you…"
"Are you serious? Just this, and you want me? Man, you can be impressed easily."
"…"
"What is happening in this cursed world? Headaches all the time, stupid events! I'm tired!"
"..."
"Listen… this is my beginning! This was the first End, this was the first fight! I will grow stronger, uncover the secrets of this cursed world, and find out who truly controls the damnation!"
A small laugh emerged, growing louder until the foggy world trembled with it.
"See! I've piqued your interest! Your false lambs may enforce their will and offer you sacrifices… but I simplify! If you want to witness it, let me this time, and every time you use your power."
"Do you promise me a new story?"
"Stories! And my blood will be the proof! Witness this, strange being! I, Elin Kraush, will tell a new tale!"
The voice paused. Elin's excitement began to fade; disappointment shadowed his expression—until the voice replied:
"You are strange, fate…"
"What?"
The foggy world vanished. Elin returned to reality, seeing Gram carrying him to the city outskirts.
A passerby noticed them and took them to the hospital. Soon after, Frieda, Alkham, and Nila arrived.
Elin couldn't move, having lost much blood. Nila wept over him each time he slept, thinking he might be gone.
After two days, Gram left the hospital but stayed nearby, feeling guilty and wanting to care for Elin.
Alkham stayed too, but for a whole week, he didn't meet Gram's eyes even once, and Frieda couldn't understand why.
Gram tried to remove the necklace at night, but each attempt felt like a knife piercing his heart. Knowing its danger, he gave up.
Two weeks later, Frieda returned home with Nila and Alkham, leaving Gram at the hospital to care for Elin.
Elin slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the light. The first thing he saw was his father, Gram.
"Good… I'm not in heaven…"
"You've woken?"
"Don't you see that?"
"What happened there? The necklace… I've never seen it react like that."
"Whoever meddles with the false lambs doesn't survive… What did you send my elder brother Kaid to do with them, Father? What kind of charge did you send?"
Gram approached Elin.
"You meddle with matters beyond your understanding. The Kraush family must ascend, and if the Accursed Supplicant sequence is the key… so be it!"
Elin met his father's eyes, burning with seriousness and anger. Yet he didn't return anger—only pity and hopelessness.
"So even you will supplicate… strange. What desperation does to a man."
Gram left without looking back. Two hours later, another visitor arrived:
A man in his twenties, smiling warmly, with long black hair flowing down his back. His dark clothing and sleepy, shadowed eyes radiated kindness.
"Welcome!"
Elin's joy erupted, dispelling the lingering gloom.
"Brother Kaid!!!"