Retreat was supposed to mean survival.
Instead—
It became something worse.
Three days.
No portals.
No demons.
No screams.
Only silence.
And inside that silence…
Something was growing.
Maximilian stood still, his gaze fixed ahead.
Not at the horizon.
Not at the sky.
At Violet.
"You've changed."
His voice carried no anger.
Only weight.
Violet turned slowly.
Her eyes were sharp.
"And you haven't?"
The air tightened.
Invisible pressure forming between them.
Zak stepped forward, his restraint breaking:
"I had a life!"
His voice echoed harder than expected.
"I lived in peace. Do you understand that?"
He pointed directly at Maximilian.
"And now? Look around you!"
His hand trembled.
"A world drowning in monsters… and a war I never chose!"
Still—
Maximilian didn't look at him.
His eyes remained locked on Violet.
"You started this."
Silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Violet smiled.
But it wasn't warmth.
It was warning.
"Oh? Is that what you believe?"
A flick of her hand—
A blade formed instantly, glowing faintly.
"Who was the one chasing me across worlds?"
Her voice lowered.
"Who refused to let it end?"
Energy surged.
Their powers reacted before they did.
Behind them—
No one intervened.
Because no one was truly there.
Marley sat quietly.
A wooden table.
Soft light.
Warm food.
Her daughter laughed.
Her granddaughter leaned against her.
"Mother… you finally came back."
Marley's expression softened.
A rare, fragile peace.
"How are you?"
"Everything is perfect."
Marley closed her eyes.
Let the moment sink in.
"I am the Head of the Council…"
She whispered faintly.
Then she smiled.
"But this…"
Her voice softened even more.
"My family… this is enough."
Elsewhere—
Zak stood before a cheering crowd.
Applause.
Recognition.
Respect.
"You saved us!"
His chest rose.
His name echoed.
Finally—
He mattered.
Back in reality—
His body stood frozen.
Something pulsed beneath his skin.
At the back of his neck—
A thin, black parasite.
Growing.
Feeding.
Not on flesh.
On something deeper.
Across the field—
The same infection spread.
Small.
Silent.
Unseen.
Maximilian's hand twitched slightly.
Violet's breath grew uneven.
Their anger—
No longer entirely theirs.
Only two noticed.
Shadow.
And Lexia.
Lexia stepped back, fear creeping into her voice:
"Shado… something is wrong."
Shadow moved instantly.
Flowing across the ground.
Observing.
He saw them.
The parasites.
Attached.
Alive.
"Not external."
He said quietly.
"They're anchored."
Lexia's voice shook:
"They're growing… and they don't even feel it."
Shadow's tone darkened:
"They're not supposed to."
A pulse.
Stronger this time.
Maximilian raised his weapon.
Not toward an enemy.
Toward Violet.
She did the same.
Their eyes—
No hesitation.
"This ends now."
"No."
Her voice was colder than before.
"This begins now."
They moved.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
Steel met crimson energy—
The impact cracked the ground.
Lexia rushed forward:
"We have to stop them!"
Shadow blocked her path.
"No."
Her eyes widened:
"What do you mean no?! They'll kill each other!"
Shadow didn't look away from the fight.
"If we interfere now…"
A pause.
"They'll turn on us."
Another pulse.
Stronger.
Deeper.
Lexia clenched her fists:
"Then what do we do?!"
Shadow shifted his gaze.
Not at them.
Below.
"Find the source."
The ground beneath them—
Moved.
Subtle.
Breathing.
Alive.
Lexia whispered:
"If we destroy it…"
Shadow completed:
"They might survive."
A beat.
"…or lose what remains of themselves."
Behind them—
The clash intensified.
But something was wrong.
Not the power.
Not the skill.
The intent.
Empty.
Like two bodies fighting…
Without knowing why.
Lexia's voice trembled:
"Shado…"
She hesitated.
"What if… we're already too late?"
The parasites pulsed again.
This time—
They grew.
Visible.
Spreading along their skin like dark veins.
Maximilian's strike—
Missed by inches.
Violet's blade—
Cut closer than it should.
Too close.
No control.
No awareness.
Only reaction.
And below them—
Something shifted.
Not a demon.
Not a god.
Something quieter.
Older.
Watching.
Feeding.
Waiting.
And in that moment—
A single thought surfaced.
Unspoken.
Unanswered.