The orc charged.
Each step cracked the floor beneath its weight.
Its roar shook the hallway—
Deep.
Violent.
Hungry.
Reynard tightened his grip on the dagger.
"…Yeah, no turning back now."
Kai didn't respond.
His eyes were locked on the orc.
Tracking.
Measuring.
Distance.
Speed.
Timing.
The orc swung first.
A massive blade cut through the air—
Kai moved.
Just barely.
The weapon slammed into the wall behind him—
Exploding concrete and dust outward.
"MOVE!" Reynard shouted.
Kai ducked low—
Slashed at the orc's leg—
CLANG.
The blade barely cut.
"…Too thick," Kai muttered.
The orc snarled—
And kicked.
Kai blocked—
Too late.
The impact sent him crashing across the hallway.
"KAI!"
Reynard rushed in—
Leaping forward—
And drove his dagger into the orc's arm.
The blade sank in—
But not deep enough.
The orc roared—
And swung its arm—
Throwing Reynard across the floor.
He hit hard.
Sliding.
Groaning.
"…Damn… that hurt…"
The orc turned again.
This time—
Toward Kai.
Slow.
Confident.
Like it knew.
They couldn't win.
Kai pushed himself up.
His body hurt.
His breathing uneven.
But his eyes—
Still calm.
"…Reyn," he said quietly.
"…Yeah?" Reynard coughed.
"…We can't fight it head-on."
Reynard let out a weak laugh. "…No kidding."
The orc raised its weapon again.
This was it.
No plan.
No backup.
No escape.
Only death.
And then—
The world stopped.
The orc froze mid-motion.
Dust hung still in the air.
Sound vanished.
"…What—?" Reynard whispered.
Kai's eyes widened slightly.
Because something else appeared.
A light.
No—
A gate.
Right in front of them.
A glowing, shifting doorway.
Dark.
Endless.
"…Reyn," Kai said.
"…You feel that?"
Reynard stared at it.
"…Yeah…"
It wasn't fear.
It was—
Pulling them.
Calling them.
Behind them—
The frozen world remained silent.
In front of them—
The gate pulsed.
Alive.
"…If we stay," Kai said quietly,
"…we die."
Reynard looked at him—
Then smirked.
"…Then what are we waiting for?"
No hesitation.
They stepped forward—
And entered.
THE VOID
Darkness.
No ground.
No sky.
No sound.
Only existence.
Reynard looked around, disoriented.
"…Okay… this is new."
Kai didn't speak.
Because something was coming.
A presence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
From the darkness—
Two figures emerged.
One—
Wrapped in shadows.
Its form barely visible.
Eyes glowing faintly.
Cold.
Endless.
The other—
Burning.
Flames dancing across its body.
Bright.
Violent.
Alive.
Reynard's breath hitched.
"…What… are those…"
Kai felt it.
For the first time—
Fear.
Real fear.
But beneath it—
Something else.
Excitement.
The shadow figure stepped forward.
"You have reached this place…"
Its voice echoed everywhere.
Inside their heads.
Inside their bones.
"You are not ordinary."
The fire entity laughed softly.
"To survive that world… and reach us…"
"Interesting."
Reynard swallowed.
"…Are we dead?"
The fire god smirked.
"No."
The shadow god spoke again.
"You stand before us… at the boundary."
"Become our vessels…"
"Or return… and die."
Silence.
Reynard blinked.
"…That's not really a choice, is it?"
The fire god grinned.
"Of course it is."
"You can choose how you die."
Reynard let out a breath.
"…Yeah… figures."
Kai stepped forward.
No hesitation.
"…What do we need to do?" he asked.
The shadows shifted.
The fire intensified.
And then—
"Prove your worth."
The space trembled.
Power surged.
The two gods raised their hands.
"Defeat us."
Reynard blinked.
"…You're serious?"
No answer.
Because suddenly—
The pressure dropped.
And the battle began.
Kai moved first.
Straight toward the God of Shadows.
Reynard smirked—
Fire flickering faintly in his eyes.
"…Guess we're doing this."
And he charged.