At the end of the battle, Raizo stood alone among the bodies of the fallen.
Then, all at once, he fell to his knees beside Ryo.
He could see the last flickers of life leaving his breath.
"I couldn't do anything in the end," Ryo said weakly. "I tried but I was nothing like my brother. But you have to find him, Raizo. You have to find him, and you have to—"
His eyes began to fade.
"I live only to serve," Raizo said. "I will find him."
Ryo died.
From that moment, Raizo remained kneeling in silent prayer. After a time he rose to his feet. He turned toward the far side of the chamber.
"Come out from there," he said.
Bethryl stepped forward without a sound.
"You're the one from earlier, Jinvar's daughter," Raizo said. "How did you get down here?"
"I saw the way."
Raizo turned away from her and began wiping the fresh blood from the bandages wrapped around his face and body.
"It's just as I saw," Bethryl said softly. "They're all dead now."
"They have fulfilled their destiny," Raizo replied. "Axios granted us this victory. All praise be to Axios. And now I will fulfil the mission I was sent here for."
"You're here to capture Ashar?"
"That's right."
Bethryl studied him closely. Her eyes glowed faintly.
"You're not from the Shadow Clan. Are you a mercenary?"
That was all Raizo needed to understand her ability.
"I am what I am," he said. "But when I am given a mission, I will not stop until it is fulfilled. That is my path. If I were to stop even once, then the person I am right now would cease to exist. This is the duty Axios has given me."
Raizo spoke the words without fully knowing why. Perhaps it was something about the young woman before him. She stared at him with a vacant, distant expression, almost otherworldly.
It was as if she no longer cared for the laws of this world, as though her mind had been drawn somewhere far beyond it.
"Do you find it strange," Raizo continued, "that I am a killer and yet I speak of Axios, our creator? To you I must appear a contradiction of vanities. A man who praises Axios while harming others for wealth and glory."
"No," Bethryl said calmly. "I don't see that at all."
"Then you understand why I walk with Axios," Raizo said. "Because no one else will walk with me in such a place."
He looked at her.
"You saw how this battle would end. Then tell me, when you look at me, what do you see? Am I going to die here?"
Bethryl looked ahead.
She saw a distant vision: Raizo's body burned away until only a skull remained. And yet, sometime after that, his body would return and he would live again.
"I don't understand," Bethryl said.
"Yes," Raizo replied quietly. "Just as I thought. You are not truly all-knowing. If all you see is what happens in this world, then you see nothing."
"I don't need you to tell me whether I will die today. There is a red sun outside, I know it. I saw it every day as a child. It is the sign that I am meant to survive this battle."
Raizo turned away from her and began walking.
And then suddenly, he saw something.
A different realm appeared before his eyes, one he had glimpsed many times before. Yet now the vision was clearer than ever.
Far in the distance, beyond a path of lights and stars, two figures sat quietly beside a shore. Bethryl was there, smiling gently. Beside her sat a young man, no older than twenty, half asleep as he rested in the quiet moment. Raizo knew immediately who he was.
He turned back to Bethryl.
"You're coming with me," he said.
"I know."
"If you knew that, then why reveal yourself to me?"
"I can see what must be done," Bethryl said. "But I cannot do it alone. And it has to happen soon."
She pointed upward.
"They've already entered. Soon they will make their way down here."
Raizo concentrated.
Now he felt it.
Undead were flooding the underground dwellings in vast numbers, thousands upon thousands marching forward.
How had he failed to sense them before? What kind of mission had he truly been sent on?
"You won't escape from this," Bethryl said quietly. "We only have one chance now."
"And what's that?"
"We have to kill the one controlling them."
"You mean—"
Raizo looked upward.
"The Supreme Leader is here?"
This was his chance. If he could kill the Supreme Leader here, it would be the greatest achievement anyone connected to the Shadow Clan had ever accomplished. His duty would finally end, and someone else could take his place. He would no longer have to carry the burden.
"Not yet," Raizo said. "We have to go further."
"Yes," Bethryl replied. "I will tell you when the time is right."
They moved onward through the underground red city, Raizo walking ahead and Bethryl following behind.
"I spoke with Jinvar a few times," Raizo said after a while. "I was only a mercenary on a job, so he never really liked me. But I remember hearing his conversations with Shenric. He spoke about you more than once."
"And?"
Raizo glanced back at her.
"He said he was sorry."
"Sorry?" Bethryl asked. "Sorry for what?"
"For the burden he placed on you."
They continued walking in silence.
I thought he would be proud, Bethryl thought.
They passed through towers and ancient dungeons. Everywhere they looked, the same engraving appeared, a woman with two wings spread outward.
Something about this place made Bethryl feel that she should not use her ability. The truth hidden here felt dangerous, as though seeing too much would drive her mad.
Even the measurements of the buildings followed precise patterns. It was clear that if someone traced those numerical proportions far enough, they would uncover a secret meant only for a chosen few.
The design itself drew the mind toward it, Bethryl noticed, but she resisted the urge to look deeper. Curiosity, she realised, had to be restrained here.
She also noticed that the entire time they walked through the city, Raizo kept his head lowered, whispering quiet prayers.
At the end of one stretch of stone palaces, they saw three figures approaching.
The group stopped when they met.
"Bethryl!" Maereth cried. "Bethryl, get out of here!"
Issen and Maereth ran toward her.
Meanwhile, Ashar and Raizo faced one another.
"You are Ashar of the Noctis Mountains?" Raizo asked.
"There's no time for that," Ashar replied.
Suddenly a wall behind them exploded inward.
The twisted, monstrous body of the Eastern Leader crawled through the ruins, Axiom energy pouring from him and corroding everything it touched.