A few minutes earlier.
Alina watched as the three descended the stairwell, her heart tightening with every step they took. When their figures vanished below, she turned and moved to one of the castle's balconies. The vastness of the shadowland stretched endlessly before her, silent and still. She clasped her hands together and whispered a prayer to the Creator, begging for everything to go smoothly.
For a time, nothing stirred. Only the oppressive dark and her own shallow breaths.
Then the air thickened. Right before the castle, shadows darker than the shadowland itself began to coil and writhe, knotting together until they shaped into a colossal black hand.
Alina's breath caught. The hand pushed forward, yet to her astonishment, it seemed to struggle, as though even the shadowland resisted its advance. But resistance was not enough. The monstrous hand pressed on, slamming against the barrier they had cast around the castle. For a brief instant it held, glowing faintly with layered spells, then shattered in an ear-splitting explosion.
The impact rattled the stones beneath her feet. Alina froze, eyes wide, terror rooting her in place. She had never in her life witnessed malice take such form—raw, suffocating, overwhelming. The hand tore through the remaining wards one by one, snapping them like threads, until nothing stood in its way.
It reached for the castle doors.
Alina jolted to her senses just in time to leap aside as the massive fingers punched straight through, gouging the entryway she had only moments before stepped through.
Heart pounding, she tried to call out with telepathy, but her voice found no reach in the choking dark. So she screamed instead, her voice tearing raw from her throat.
"Elna! Be careful, something is coming!"
From below came Elna's answering shout, then silence.
A heartbeat later, the world shook. A surge of mana erupted from deep within the castle, blasting outward with unstoppable force. The monstrous hand was flung back, scattering into fragments of shadow. But the surge did not stop there—it kept spreading, flooding the city and rising into the air until it formed a vast, shimmering barrier encasing the walls.
Alina stood speechless.
Then, beneath her hand on the balcony's stone railing, something stirred. She pulled back quickly, staring.
Ivy. A vine coiled upward, tender green leaves unfurling in the gloom.
Her eyes darted around, and her lips parted in wonder. Not only ivy. All across the city, plants erupted from the ground as if life itself had been waiting for this moment. Trees burst from cracks in the stone, tall mushrooms swelled to impossible sizes. Vines and flowers spilled across the walls.
But more than that, they glowed.
The trees shimmered with soft golden and emerald light from their leaves, while giant mushrooms swelled with violet caps glowing like lanterns. Grasses rose high, their tips burning softly in hues of blue and pink, painting the city in strange, ethereal colors.
Within minutes, the dead city had transformed into something else entirely, an illuminated wonderland, pulsing with life.
Tears welled unbidden in Alina's eyes, spilling freely down her cheeks. She covered her mouth, unable to control the sobs.
It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. And it was all because of the Creator.
…
When the wave of power rolled out, it emptied Leo as well. His body crumpled to the stone floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Arthur and Arlasan were at his side immediately, their faces sharp with concern.
"Hey, are you all right?" Arlasan asked, voice tight.
"I'm fine," Leo managed between breaths. "Just… let me rest here a moment."
He closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank inward, into his domain.
The moment he arrived, he felt it, a new presence, warm and radiant, pulsing through the very air like sunlight behind clouds. Rising from his throne, he walked across the grand hall. There, in the heart of the flowers, someone was waiting.
She sat in the field as though she had always belonged there. Her white gown flowed like water, both regal and revealing, cut low across the chest and high at the thigh, exposing skin that glowed faintly, like marble kissed by moonlight. Silver hair cascaded in a silken river over her shoulders and pooled against the flowers, shimmering as if each strand held its own light. Her ancient, silver eyes, bottomless and unyielding, found his, and for a heartbeat Leo was rooted to the spot.
Her ears, long and elegant, sharper even than an elf's, marked her as something otherworldly. Something divine.
When she smiled, the garden itself seemed to brighten. "You kept your promise."
Leo's voice caught, but he forced the words out. "Are you the same Ilandra I saw before?"
She arched an eyebrow, the expression playful, almost amused. "To speak a God's name so casually…" Her lips curved into a faint smile. "Then perhaps you are a God as well, in your own way."
She rose without effort, floating a few inches above the ground, the flowers bending toward her as though seeking her touch. "I am both her and not her. I am Ilandra, but more whole than before. Now… I remember more of what I was."
Leo's pulse quickened. "So what can you tell me?"
"I will tell you," she said softly. Then her expression grew more serious. "But first, I have a request."
Leo frowned, crossing his arms. "I'm still in the middle of your last request."
Her laugh was light, like chimes stirred by wind. She drifted closer, the air warming with her presence. "This will benefit you as well."
Leo exhaled sharply. "And what is it?"
She stopped before him, her silver eyes catching his, unwavering. "Let me live here," she said.
"In my domain?" His voice sharpened with surprise.
"Yes. And more than that…" Her smile returned, mysterious and knowing. "Introduce me as a member of your gathering."
Leo had no idea what to say. Of course it would benefit him to have a Goddess as part of the gathering. But was it truly safe to let her live here, in his domain, where every secret of him lingered?
"You already know so much, and still you don't trust me?" she asked, tilting her head, her silver hair catching the light of his domain like spun moonlight.
Leo met her gaze, then released a long breath. "Fine. You're already here without invitation anyway. But you do understand what it means to join my gathering, right?"
Ilandra's lips curved into a radiant smile. "You would have me pledge my loyalty? Bold, for a mortal." She sighed softly, silver eyes glinting. "I trust Selvanna… but I will not speak the words." She drifted a little closer, her presence washing over him like a tide. "Now—about what I remembered. That surge of power a few minutes ago, it was the Mad God's work. He planted that spell here long ago, waiting for the doors to open. He cannot step into this place himself—not while Lilith guards it."
Her words made Leo's chest tighten. "And what else?"
Her expression dimmed. "When the war ended in our defeat… the God of Magic fell with us."
Leo stiffened. "What? Then who replaced him?"
"I don't know. But whoever it is, he and the betrayer sealed magic away from the lands beyond shadow four hundred years ago."
Leo frowned. "The records say magic was sealed and unsealed with the Gate of Hell."
"That story isn't entirely wrong."
"Explain please."
"When magic was sealed, the God of Light was preparing to pour his own power into mortals, to turn them into his own, and in time, to consume them. But Lilith struck at the God of Magic. She tore open a fragment of his domain and freed the sealed magic once more. The God of Magic had used his domain itself as a shroud, covering the rule of magic in Ethereon. Lilith cracked it open and in doing so, weakened herself. That act shook the world, showing something like a rift, a gate in the sky. At the same time, her loss of power let certain creatures break loose from the Shadowland. Together, those events wove the legend of the Gate of Hell."
Leo went silent, his thoughts tumbling. It fit the gate-like vision in the heavens, the surge of released magic, the monsters spilling into the world. The tale wasn't just a myth. It was distorted history.
But what weighed on him more was Lilith herself. She had stood against Gods and fought one directly after surviving the war. Just how powerful was she?
Ilandra's eyes narrowed, reading him as easily as an open book. "Lilith didn't face the God of Magic alone. Three of the remaining guardians fought beside her."
"Three guardians?" Leo muttered. "One of them is now helping Liam."
"Liam?" A flicker of surprise passed across Ilandra's face.
"He's one of my members. You know of the gathering, but not the people in it?"
Her shoulders lifted faintly. "I am still far from my true self. My sight is clouded. But this Liam… I suspect the guardian chose to aid him because of you. Which one was it?"
"From what I know, it must be Alad."
At that, her smile turned wistful. "Alad? That little lion cub… so he finally chose someone."
Leo frowned. "What do you mean, because of me?"
"Who else bears Selvanna's power, while two other Gods lend their weight behind him?"
Her words struck deep. The stories he had studied in books, of sealed magic, of the Gate of Hell, of the Shadowland, were no longer legends. They were truths twisted by time. And now, he realized, another God was part of the equation.
"Do you know what the vampires are searching for here?" he asked carefully.
"I do," she said, her tone turning grave. "But that must be shared with your companions as well."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
Her silver eyes glimmered with mystery. "You'll see soon enough. For now, return. The others are waiting for you."
…
When Leo opened his eyes, Elna was sitting beside him, while Alina and Arthur stood a little farther away.
"Are you okay?" Elna asked gently when she noticed his eyes flutter open.
Leo gave a faint nod. "Where is Arlasan?"
"He's outside. There is… something you should see."
"What is it?"
"It can't be explained," Elna said with a small smile. "You have to see for yourself."
Leo pushed himself up, but his body trembled and his knees nearly buckled. Before he could fall, Arthur reached out and gripped his arm firmly.
"Let's go," Arthur said, steadying him.
On the way up, Leo's gaze lingered on the walls and ceiling. The strange markings carved into the stone tugged at his curiosity. He made a note to return later and study them properly.
Together with Alina and Elna, they climbed out of the basement and toward the main gate, where the others were already waiting. Even from a distance, Leo could see the shimmering glow spilling through the entrance.
When he stepped outside, he finally understood the smile on everyone's faces—especially Alina's. Even Luciana, usually unreadable, had the faintest smile on her lips.
The once dark city now glowed with breathtaking colors. It wasn't the light of morning, but rather as if the night itself had dressed in a thousand jeweled lamps. Trees shimmered with silver and green, their leaves glowing faintly like captured starlight. Enormous mushrooms rose along the streets, their caps glowing violet and deep blue, casting soft halos of light onto the stone. Vines crept along the walls of buildings, blooming into flowers of every color, each one giving off a faint luminescence. Even the grasses at their feet shimmered with pale blues and pinks, glowing softly as if the very earth had been touched by moonlight.
The air itself smelled different now, fresh, filled with the fragrance of flowers long thought lost. A gentle breeze carried petals through the streets, drifting like glowing embers. Shadows still lay beyond the city's edge, but here, inside the barrier, it was as though the land itself had chosen to defy the darkness.
Leo stood still, taking it in. For a moment, he thought of Selvanna's domain, the endless gardens filled with light, life, and harmony. This place was not as vast, nor as perfect, but it carried the same essence. It was as if a piece of Ilandra had been reborn here, turning the ruins into something sacred.
His chest grew heavy with a strange warmth. This was not just beauty, it was a promise, a reminder that even in the Shadowland, life could bloom again.