Dan advanced with heavy steps in the darkness of the house.
The boards groaned under his boots, echoing like funeral sounds in the stifling silence. The air was foul, heavy with humidity and dust. His throat was already dry when he reached a trapdoor hidden under an old rug.
As he lifted it, a cold breath escaped from the ground, accompanied by a metallic, musty smell, that of ancient stones that hadn't seen light for centuries.Without hesitating, Dan descended.
His flaming wings folded, burning out with the crackling of embers before disappearing. The passage was narrow at first, then suddenly widened to reveal a vast chamber, cathedral-sized, underground.
Before him stretched an endless labyrinth, a tangle of dark rock walls sculpted into the bowels of the earth.He stopped, frowning.
— Tsk…A grimace of annoyance crossed his face. Going forward blindly made no sense.
The shadows of the labyrinth seemed alive, ready to seize him.
So Dan closed his eyes and let his breath slow.He plunged within himself, freeing his mind beyond his carnal senses.
His consciousness unfolded like a wave, crossing matter, slicing through walls, gliding between traps and secret corridors.
Reality vanished to give place to an inner vision. In his mind, the labyrinth appeared as a translucent map suspended in the void. Each passage lit up, every trap was outlined in red glows, every dead-end in opaque shadows.And there, at the end of this maze, a familiar presence shone with black brilliance: Kyo.
The fugitive was already nearing the exit.Dan suddenly reopened his eyes. An incandescent ember burned in his gaze. His wings burst forth in a roar of flames, illuminating the underground vault with an orange light.
Without following the paths, he beat his wings and dashed straight ahead, his body passing through walls like an avalanche of raw power. Each impact echoed like thunder, pulverizing stone, opening gaping breaches.
Dust and rubble rained behind him, as if a titan raged through the foundations of the world.At the surface, the village still pulsed with tension.
The inhabitants had gathered in the center of the square, their pale faces reflecting fear. Children clung to their parents' legs while mothers whispered trembling prayers.
Sakolomé stood among them, calm, his arms slightly spread as if forming a protective circle.
His voice, deep and steady, resonated over the worried murmurs:
— Fear nothing. No one will harm you. I am watching. As long as you stay together, no danger will touch you.Gradually, breaths grew steadier.
The fearful eyes sought his and found a form of comfort. He was the pillar, the rock upon which panic crashed.
Suddenly, a shadow split the clouds. In the sky, a winged figure descended swiftly. It was Wendy.
Her features returned to normal, but a force still emanated from her, a raw energy contrasting with the softness of her gestures. On her back she carried Kujin, and in her gently clasped arms lay Yui.
Her wings folded at the last moment, and she landed silently, knees bent, before placing her burdens with maternal care on the ground.
Sakolomé immediately stepped forward, his gaze hardening at the sight of Wendy.
— This nightmare will finally end… he murmured, more to himself than to her.
Wendy stood up and asked with a tense voice:
— Where is Dan?She had no time to get a reply.
An apocalyptic crash exploded in the nearby forest. The ground vibrated beneath their feet, windows rattled, and a shockwave sent village dust flying.
A plume of black smoke rose skyward, ascending like a hellish column.The villagers screamed in terror, some dropping to their knees, others covering their faces.
All eyes turned toward that distant blast.Sakolomé gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed on the direction of the forest.
— I think I know where Dan is, he said gravely.Then he turned to Wendy. In his eyes shone unwavering determination. He extended his hand, palm open, inviting.
— Let's go. If you wish, we will join him immediately.Wendy stayed frozen for a moment, her breath still short from landing. But she hesitated no longer.
She looked up at him and nodded. Without a word, she slipped her hand into his.A faint halo began to coil around them, distorting the air like an invisible flame.
Teleportation was preparing.A veil of energy ripped open in the air. In a muffled pulse, Sakolomé and Wendy appeared amid the still-smoking field of ruins.
The forest around them bore the mark of the cataclysm: splintered trunks lay on the ground, shattered stones formed irregular craters, and thick smoke clung to the air like a black cloak. The acrid smell of ashes and mingled blood crushed the atmosphere.
At the center of this chaos, a spectacle of unbearable brutality.Dan.
Sitting on Kyo's chest, he struck again and again, relentlessly. Each punch echoed like a muffled explosion. Kyo's face was nothing but a swollen, bloody mass, vibrating beneath repeated impacts.
Splashes of blood mottled Dan's skin and clothes, his reddened fists striking with mechanical, almost inhuman precision.
Kyo, despite everything, still breathed. Each laborious breath turned into a gurgle of blood, each rasp into a silent protest from his broken body.Wendy put a hand to her mouth. But to Sakolomé's surprise, it was not horror that shook her.
Her shoulders trembled, and heavy tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her voice broke into a hoarse whisper:
— Go on, Dan… kill him…Her words bore a visceral hatred, but her tears told another story.Sakolomé stared at her, then turned his attention to Dan.
He drew a deep breath, his voice resonant, firm and steady:
— Dan… wait a moment.The tone contained neither reproach nor command, only a gravity that compelled silence.Dan stopped. As if waking from a trance, he suddenly lifted his head, panting, only then noticing their presence.
His eyes still burned with savage rage, but surprise pierced them.
— You were there…?He blinked, his breath broken. Then, noticing Wendy, he froze.
His bloody fists relaxed slightly.
— Wendy… why are you crying?Wendy, surprised by his question, raised her hands to her face.
She felt the salty dampness on her palms and was speechless.
— I… I didn't know I was crying…Sakolomé stepped forward, his gaze locked with Wendy's.
— Your tears are not sadness, he said softly. They are deliverance. You are so relieved to see your tormentor crushed, so intoxicated by this brutal justice, that your body reacted before your mind.
He briefly closed his eyes as if sharing this silent burden.
Then he reopened them and resumed in a voice heavy with meaning:
— Dan, do not finish him. Not yet. We need answers.Dan slowly rose, hesitating, his breath still furious.
He looked at Kyo lying beneath him and turned a gaze burning with anger toward Sakolomé.
— What answers could we hope for from a guy like that?
Sakolomé approached, calm but unyielding.
— Stand up, Dan.
After a short silence, Dan obeyed. His bloody fists hung at his sides, dripping onto the blackened ground.
He stepped back, letting Kyo stretch on the floor, a ravaged but living body.Sakolomé crouched next to the half-conscious prisoner. Kyo's breaths were broken, his swollen eyes barely open.
His jaw trembled; every word cost him excruciating pain.
— You're not dead yet, murmured Sakolomé. Answer me. Where did you find those creatures from earlier? They were not ordinary mutants. I saw them. I felt them.
Their essence was unnatural.Kyo spat a gush of blood that splattered the soil. Then, in a broken laugh, he whispered:
— I have nothing to give you. Kill me… anyway, this world is doomed.His words fell like a guillotine.Sakolomé frowned.
Wendy clenched her teeth, and Dan took a bitter breath.
But Sakolomé remained impassive.
— Doomed? he repeated, as if probing the depth of his words.Kyo sneered again, a weak breath escaping his bloody throat.
— Yes… everything is collapsing. Your values, your ideals… all that will soon make no sense. So… enjoy… enjoy while you can.
Do as you please… before the end.A heavy silence followed.
Even the crackling of embers around seemed to have ceased.Sakolomé tilted his head slightly, thinking.
— I suppose if I ask for details, you won't answer, right?A weak breath, accompanied by a distorted smile:
— That's right…Then Sakolomé slowly raised his hand and placed it on Kyo's bloodied skull.
A gesture resembling compassion, but his gaze said otherwise.
— I don't need your tongue, he murmured. I'll go straight into your mind.The air vibrated. An invisible flow activated, and suddenly, a wave of memories poured out of Kyo.
Brutal images, nightmare fragments: misshapen creatures from elsewhere, descending on villages, dark pacts made in shadow, unspeakable sacrifices.
But amid this chaos, a clearer vision etched itself in Sakolomé's mind: a locked-up silhouette, fragile, with a familiar gaze.Dan's little sister.Kyo knew.
For a long time. He knew her location but had never dared go.When Sakolomé withdrew his hand, his breath was heavy.
His eyes had hardened: he had just realized this matter far exceeded what they imagined.His eyes remained closed for a moment, as if still weighing the flood of images and truths he had absorbed.
Then he sighed in a grave, cold voice like a sentence:— You knew far too much… for a mere human.Kyo's eyes widened, panic crossing his pain.
His lips trembled, escaping an enraged growl.
— Don't… don't tell me you dared… to rummage through my memories?
Sakolomé rose to his full height, tossing aside his cloak of blood and dust. His gaze was already elsewhere, turned away from Kyo as if the latter were nothing but an empty shell.
— Yes. And it was necessary.He stepped back a few paces, his tone becoming merciless again.
— You can kill him now, Dan.Dan did not answer with words. He simply nodded, his face hard as iron. As he advanced toward Kyo, a burning aura rose around him, his body blazing with incandescent fire. His flaming wings burst from his back in a blast of heat, throwing red sparks into the tainted air. Each step he took toward Kyo left a trail of ashes on the ground.Sakolomé, without flinching, calmly added:
— Kyo, I hope that if you return to this world… in another life… you will know how to become a better person than you are today.These words fell like a funeral prayer.Kyo's face twisted in a mixture of rage and horror. His bloodshot eyes fixed on Dan, then Sakolomé.
His voice, hoarse and gasping, growled through the heavy air:
— How could you… dare to violate my mind?! You idiot!!
His scream was shattered by the crash of brutal sizzling.Dan's fire engulfed him entirely. The flames clung to his skin, penetrated his flesh, devoured his bones.
His agonizing howl was torn apart by unbearable heat, then suddenly fell silent, as if ripped from reality.In a few seconds, nothing remained of Kyo but a pile of ashes scattered by the night wind.Silence fell, punctuated only by the crackling of the fire slowly dying on Dan's fists.