The faint purple veil that covered the land was gone
But no one noticed
The faint traces of fog were now free to drift farther away
The destruction was clearer now that the dust and haze disappeared
Craters, ruptured grass, destroyed fountains with water spilling to the side
Too little to shoot upward like before.
The moon illuminated it all, leaving only three kids and a robed figure beneath its light
One unconscious on the ground
Two standing up
It was the same hooded figure who helped them during the destruction of Grimveil
The same mysterious robed figure
He stood over Thomas, his cloak long enough to hide every part of his body
No hands, no feet.
The hood created a shadow over his face.
The only thing that was visible was his unblinking gaze, piercing from beneath the darkness.
Autumn ran toward him and fell at his feet
"Help us... Please," she begged
"You sure?" The figure asked, looking down at her
"This is your last one," he added
"I don't care... Just help us," Autumn said.
"Last what?" Leo asked, glaring at the figure
The figure looked at him and shrugged
"Take this," he said
A crown materialized in front of Leo
He instinctively caught it
It was the same crown the king had worn—the one that had swapped his soul.
Leo's face shifted between emotions
Fear?
Anger?
Grief?
His breath hitched as he stared at the crown
As if the red jewel had just spoken to him
While Leo stood there
The hooded figure knelt and placed his robe-covered hand on Thomas
Thomas' veins swelled slightly, as if something were filling them
The veins appeared on his face, arms and legs
Everywhere.
Then it subsided.
The figure stood up and turned toward Autumn
"Thank you..." she replied
She sat beside Thomas, squeezing his hands
"F-fuck you," Leo stuttered.
The moment the hooded figure turned
The crown flew toward his head
But—
He caught it
Thomas groaned softly, eyes fluttering open
He sat up and clutched his head
"Ugh... huh?" He looked at the figure. "You again?"
"Take this," the hooded figure said, handing him the crown
"It's another key."
Thomas took it, his fingers running over the jewel
Surprisingly smooth
The figure started to walk away
"I've finally figured you out," Leo said
He stopped, back still turned
"Go ahead. Enlighten me."
"You know why we are here, don't you?" Leo asked
"That's a question—not a statement," the figure replied
Leo groaned, teeth grinding
His fist trembled as he glared at the figure
"But—" he said sharply.
"Sure," the figure said
He turned to face them all
"Team two figured this out way sooner"
Several voices spoke at once
"I don't give a fuck about team two," Leo replied.
"You piece of shit," Thomas said, still seated on the ground
"Why?" Autumn asked."Why? What did we ever do?"
The figure didn't reply to any of them, and his gaze didn't change either
Their appearance started to fade, like smoke being carried by the wind
"Wait!" Autumn shouted
The fading slowed
"Answer this," Autumn begged softly
She stopped a few steps closer
"Did you put us here?"
The fading stopped; half the figure's body was gone
His upper body floated in midair, while the edges of his cloth stretched unnaturally in the soft breeze.
The figure remained still, as if thinking
Or not.
"Sure. I guess you could say that"
The figure started to fade again
Only his upper chest remained
"Oi! just hear this," Leo demanded.
The figure didn't stop fading, but his eyes were on Leo.
He was now fading from the neck upward
"When I get out of here, I'm gonna kill you," he said.
He started walking closer, head low
"And even if I die..." he muttered, raising his head.
"In hell, I'll be waiting for you"
Leo didn't blink once
Nor did the figure
His lower jaw had already faded, but everyone could still hear him.
"Oh... okay,"
Then he disappeared, the last traces of color flowing with the wind.
Silence
The night air blew softly
But they were all so heated that they couldn't feel it
Leo was still tense, eyes locked onto the spot where the figure once was
Autumn was hugging herself, looking out at the gate where the veil had disappeared
Sounds from the village were getting closer
People.
Thomas was still on the ground, rubbing his fingers over the jewel
"Another key, right?" he muttered
"Whatever the fuck keys do," Leo replied.
He turned toward the left wall beside the castle gate
"Let's go... I'm not in the mood for crowds"
The sounds were getting closer
Faint torchlights
Curious shouting, shock, relief?
Leo started walking, Autumn followed
Thomas stood up, crown still in hand
"I have to try it..." he said after catching up.
Leo stopped, his back still turned
He sighed
"Sure, why not?"
Thomas raised the crown above his head
He looked at Autumn and Leo
He nodded briefly and let out a deep breath
The crown was lowered
The moment it made contact
Nothing happened
"Oh... I'm fi— aagaha!" Thomas said before his body began to convulse.
His eyes rolled back and he started to fall
But Leo caught him and lowered him onto his back
He sighed again and began walking
It didn't take long for them to reach the wall
Nor did it take long for Leo to punch through it
They jumped and flew over the moat around the castle
Then made their way through the city
Toward the exit at the other end of the city
Wherever the hell it led
End