The forest was silent now—trees scorched, ground torn apart, a bitter tang of magic still hanging in the air. Dozens of bodies lay scattered where they had fallen. Even Lili was down, her dark magic flickering out like dying embers.
High above the devastation hovered Arvaris, cloak whipping in the wind. He wiped a streak of blood from his cheek, irritation twisting his face.
"Tch… plan failed. Leo isn't here." His gaze swept the ruined clearing one last time. "Ahh… why didn't I think of this earlier? He might be headed straight for the kingdom instead."
He rose higher, boots leaving the last traces of smoke behind. It's all right, he told himself. By now those assassins will have finished the king. With time-stop magic on their side, even a Khronokai shouldn't be a problem.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, his aura flared. In the next instant he became a blur of colour, tearing across the sky in the direction of the Holy Empire of Luminael.
The scene changed.
Leo stumbled into what had once been a clearing. Now it was a graveyard. Charred trees, blackened soil, the stench of blood so thick it clung to his tongue. Bodies—goblins, humans—were strewn across the ground like discarded dolls.
He froze. His boots wouldn't move. His breath hitched.
Zama and Aurelius arrived behind him. Both stopped dead at the sight.
"Lo–Lord Leo… are you…" Zama's voice cracked, thin as paper. "…are you all right?"
But Leo didn't answer. His eyes had gone glassy, fixed on the slaughter. His mind wasn't here. It had slipped back—back to a burning village, to Selene and Caden coughing blood on a dirt floor, to the smell of smoke and iron and loss.
No… not again. Please. First Mother and Father… now… don't take the people I still have. Please. Please, Fate…
His legs carried him forward without thought. Then he saw Zack.
"Zack! Hey—hey, can you hear me? He—"
The words choked out.
A little further on, Sheron lay sprawled, a jagged crystal jutting from his back. Blood slicked the ground under him like a mirror.
Leo's knees buckled. "Za…Zama!" His voice broke, high and raw.
Zama and Aurelius sprinted to him. Zama stopped short, face paling; Aurelius pushed past and dropped to Sheron, hands already glowing.
"Go to Leo," Aurelius ordered. "I'll handle this one!"
Zama knelt beside Leo. "It's okay, Lord Leo. Look at me—it's okay."
But Leo was trembling, not crying—he was terrified. Terrified of blood, of friends dying in his arms, of the past repeating itself. He gasped for air as though drowning.
Zama wrapped his arms around him, pressing a steadying hand to Leo's head. "It's okay. Breathe. Breathe. You're here. You're alive. They're not gone yet."
I have to calm him down, Zama thought. If I lose him now…
Leo shuddered, drew a ragged breath, then another. Finally he whispered, "Thank you…" He pressed a fist to his heart, forcing himself to stand.
Across the clearing, Aurelius's hands blazed with golden light as he worked over Sheron's wound.
Leo turned to Zama. His voice was steadier now, but his eyes were still burning. "Can you heal Zack? Wake him up?"
"Yes, Lord," Zama answered quietly.
Leo took one more breath, then ran deeper into the ruins. Lili… Lyra… Aunt Niya… Lia… where are you? The words tore through his mind like knives. Don't let them be gone. Don't take them from me too.
As Leo stepped deeper into the ruins of the shattered village, the smell of dust and scorched wood filled the air. The silence was heavy—too heavy. Then his eyes caught something ahead.
"Lili!" he gasped, running toward the faint figure lying on the cracked ground. He knelt beside her, gently lifting her head onto his lap. "Hey, hey—Lili! Wake up… it's alright, I'm here!"
His voice trembled despite the words of comfort. Deep inside, a sinking dread gnawed at him. The devastation around them told him what his heart already knew—this place had fallen far beyond saving.
Even Lili… even she couldn't stop this calamity.
Lili's eyelids fluttered, and she managed a faint smile. "Ugh… you took your time, Leo," she murmured weakly.
He brushed the dirt from her silver hair, his voice soft. "It's alright now. I'm here. Where are the others?"
She took a slow breath, her voice strained. "Zack and Sheron… they were near the southern gate. As for Lyra and Lia, I—I don't know. I tried reaching them through telepathy, but… something's blocking it."
Leo frowned, his gaze hardening. "Yeah… I felt it too. Something's disrupting our link. I just got here, but—" He stopped mid-sentence, lowering his eyes to the wreckage around them. "I wasn't able to make it in time."
Lili reached up, her trembling hand brushing against his cheek. "It's okay," she said softly, smiling despite her wounds. "We all knew you'd come… to save us."
For a brief moment, Leo froze—then nodded, his voice low. "…Thanks, Lili."
He stood, eyes narrowing as he scanned the ruins. "Stay here. Let me see what's going on."
Raising his hand, Leo released a surge of magic. The world around him shifted—sand, rock, trees, and even the air itself seemed to respond to his will. His senses expanded across the entire village like a living wave.
And then he saw them—ancient artifacts buried within the debris, glowing faintly with symbols that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"So that's it," Leo muttered. "Those things are releasing interference… cutting off communication."
He clenched his fist. The earth trembled. Stones and roots coiled and tore themselves free from the ground, striking the artifacts with crushing force. One after another, they shattered—each explosion freeing a pulse of energy that made the air shimmer.
When the final artifact broke, Leo felt it—a sudden clarity, a lightness in the air. "It's back to normal," he said quietly. Then his eyes widened. "Lia… Lyra."
He closed his eyes, focusing his mind. Telepathic Link — Activate.
"Lyra… can you hear me?"
For a heartbeat, only silence. Then—
"Leo?! Is that you?" Lyra's voice burst through his mind, bright and trembling with relief. "Leo, finally—you came!"
From the other end of the link, Leo could hear others cheering, voices filled with hope. They had been waiting—waiting for him.
And now, he was finally here.
"Just wait there," Leo said quickly, his voice steady but filled with urgency. "I'll open a portal to your location."
Without wasting another second, he raised his hand and closed his eyes, letting his magic spread like a wave through the air. The world trembled as he focused on their presence—Lyra, Lia, and the others. The faint traces of their mana flared in his perception like tiny sparks amidst the chaos.
"Found them," he whispered.
In the next instant, a surge of golden light erupted around him. Dozens of portals opened across the ruined village, shimmering like ripples in space itself. Each one connected to distant corners—where survivors were still trapped, where cries of despair echoed through the broken streets.
Through those portals, people began to appear. Humans, elves, demi-humans, even goblins—everyone who had survived the calamity stumbled through the golden gateways, their faces a mix of disbelief and grief.
Many ran straight into the arms of their loved ones, crying and calling out names that had nearly been lost forever. Others fell to their knees, clutching the hands of those who would never open their eyes again.
The air filled with the sounds of weeping, relief, and sorrow blending together—a haunting melody of survival.
Leo stood there, watching in silence. His magic still lingered in the air like a faint hum, but his heart felt heavy.
He had saved them… yet so many were gone.
His fingers tightened at his side as he watched families reunite and others mourn. The world he wanted to protect was still trembling under the weight of destruction—and all he could do, for now, was watch.