Ashwood Bar looked normal.
That was the most dangerous part.
Lights on.
Music low.
A few glasses on tables—
Left exactly as they were.
But no people.
No movement.
No life.
Only Nora.
She stood near the counter.
Arms crossed.
Waiting.
Her heartbeat was steady.
But her fingers—
Slightly tense.
Outside—
Hidden in the shadows—
Eva, Lana, Zoe, Velik, Julien… and Lucas waited.
Zoe's hands glowed faintly.
Symbols carved into the ground around the bar.
Invisible to normal eyes.
The trap.
Lucas whispered—
"…If this fails, I'm blaming all of you."
Julien didn't look at him.
"Focus."
Lucas exhaled.
"…I am focused."
A pause.
"…on how bad this could go."
Inside—
The door creaked.
Nora didn't turn immediately.
She already knew.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Calm.
Aeron Vex entered.
The air changed instantly.
He looked around once.
Taking everything in.
"You came back."
Nora turned now.
Unimpressed.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"You talk too much to ignore."
Aeron walked further in.
Not cautious.
Not worried.
That alone made it worse.
"You made a decision."
Nora tilted her head slightly.
"Not yet."
Aeron stopped a few feet away.
Watching her closely.
"You will."
Nora stepped closer.
Matching his distance.
"Still waiting on that 'kingdom' speech."
Aeron didn't react.
"You think this is about power."
Nora shrugged.
"Looks like it."
Aeron's voice dropped slightly.
"It is about correction."
Outside—
Zoe whispered—
"He's inside…"
Velik nodded.
"Wait."
Lucas clenched his jaw.
"…Don't wait too long."
Inside—
Nora kept him engaged.
"So killing Eva and Lana fixes everything?"
Aeron answered calmly—
"It restores balance."
Nora shook her head.
"No."
A pause.
"It just makes you a murderer with a goal."
Aeron stepped closer.
Closer than before.
"You still do not understand."
Nora didn't step back.
"Then explain."
Aeron's eyes locked onto hers.
"I am trying to build something that cannot break again."
Outside—
Eva whispered—
"…Now."
Zoe nodded.
Hands rising.
Energy building.
Lana joined her.
Their powers syncing.
Symbols around the bar began to glow.
Faint.
Then stronger.
Inside—
Aeron paused.
Just slightly.
He felt it.
Nora saw that moment.
And took it.
"…You should've stayed buried."
Aeron's eyes snapped back to her.
Too late.
The Trap Activates
Zoe's voice cut through the air—
"Bind what walks between worlds—
lock the shadow, break its path—
no step forward, no step back—
you are sealed—within this wrath!"
The ground beneath the bar ignited with light.
Symbols rising up the walls.
A barrier snapped into place.
Invisible—
But powerful.
Aeron moved instantly—
But stopped.
Not by force.
But by resistance.
Like space itself refused to let him pass.
For the first time—
His expression changed.
Slightly.
Outside—
Lucas grinned.
"…Okay."
"That worked."
Inside—
Aeron touched the barrier.
Energy flickered.
"You planned this."
Nora smirked.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"Surprise."
The others entered slowly now.
From all sides.
Eva.
Lana.
Zoe.
Velik.
Julien.
Lucas.
Surrounding him.
Aeron looked at all of them.
Calm again.
But different.
"You think this holds me."
Velik stepped forward.
"It doesn't need to hold you forever."
Zoe added—
"Just long enough."
Lucas cracked his knuckles slightly.
"…Now we talk."
Aeron's gaze returned to Nora.
Ignoring everyone else again.
"You chose them."
Nora didn't hesitate.
"Every time."
Silence.
Then—
Aeron smiled.
Very slightly.
Not anger.
Not rage.
Something worse.
"Good."
The barrier flickered.
Just for a second.
Zoe's expression changed.
"…No."
Velik stepped forward instantly.
"Hold it!"
Aeron looked around slowly.
"Now I know your strength."
A pause.
"And your weakness."
The energy in the room shifted.
Unstable.
Lucas muttered—
"…Why do I feel like phase two just started?"
Eva whispered—
"…Because it did."
The light around Aeron pulsed.
Stronger.
Darker.
The trap was working.
But not perfectly.
And he wasn't afraid.
Not even a little.