The ground trembled.
A sudden surge of mana ripped through the air—so powerful, so concentrated—that every mage in the region felt it spike like a blade against their skin.
Then—
BOOOOM.
A pillar of bright blue light erupted straight into the sky from the distant mountains.
It pierced the clouds, swallowed the sun, and for a brief, terrifying moment the daylight twisted—
the sky dimmed as if night had fallen early.
The members of MagiTechia froze mid-step.
Rosalia's eyes narrowed. "That's not natural light."
Edelgard clenched his fists, stone cracking around his knuckles. "No… that's pure mana. Someone unleashed a massive amount all at once."
Surya felt his heartbeat spike. His light magic resonated—answering, reacting—almost as if the blue flare was calling to him.
Kael swallowed hard. "Surya… that came from the direction of the Order's base."
Larra's expression sharpened. "Then they've started. Either a test… or the device is entering its final stage."
Hazen lifted his hand, gathering frost around his arm.
"Everyone—prepare for immediate deployment!"
Cain's illusions flickered to life behind him, forming spectral soldiers ready to scout ahead.
Fanggard spread his wings, the shadows around him shivering.
"Heh… looks like they wanted to give us a welcome signal."
Mia, already on a rooftop, shouted from above, "Evac routes will be dark for a few minutes. That blue light is messing with visibility."
Surya stared at the fading column of light.
He didn't know why—
but something inside that flare felt familiar.
Warm. Cold. Calling. Warning.
As if someone—or something—was trying to reach him.
Larra placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Surya… what's wrong?"
He took a breath.
"…I felt someone inside that light."
Everyone turned to him.
Hazen stepped closer. "Who?"
Surya lowered his gaze.
"…Hokori."
Silence.
A heavy one.
Rosalia hissed, "Tch. That traitor again?"
But Surya shook his head.
"I don't know if he's an enemy or an ally anymore… but he's trying to tell us something."
Another rumble shook the mountains in the distance.
A second wave of blue light bloomed—smaller, but unstable.
Kael gripped his sword.
"That's our signal. If we don't move now, the mana device will activate sooner than expected."
Larra nodded.
"Everyone—move out!"
And like streaks of light, shadow, and elemental power, the greatest mages of the continent launched into the sky.
The battle for the kingdoms had already begun.
And Surya's destiny was now burning brighter—and more dangerously—than ever.
Two kilometers away from the Order's base, the wind shifted.
Surya, Larra, Kael, and the strike team slowed their pace as a cold pressure pressed down from above—
a mana presence so heavy and sharp it felt like needles sinking into their skin.
Rosalia stopped first. "…This aura…!"
Edelgard clenched his fists. "One of the rulers."
The shadows ahead twisted.
A figure stepped forward from black mist—
tall, slender, wearing a long black overcoat that swept the ground like a dark tide.
A white shirt beneath, neatly buttoned.
Black trousers, polished shoes.
And most striking—
A top hat.
And a smiling white mask with empty black eye holes.
The same one who captured their friend.
He tapped his cane lightly on the ground.
"Not so fast," he said, voice calm, elegant… yet hollow.
Mia drew her bow instantly. "You bastard… Eliot."
The masked mage slowly bowed, one hand behind his back.
"You remembered my name. How flattering."
Fanggard's wings spread wide. "Move aside, clown, unless you're eager to become my dinner."
"Oh, trust me," Eliot chuckled lightly.
"I'm very eager… but not to die."
He lifted his cane, pointing it directly at Surya.
"You three—Surya, Larra, Kael."
His voice lowered, tone becoming almost playful.
"My master is quite interested in you."
Surya stepped forward, fists glowing yellow.
"You're the one who took our friend. Where is he?"
Eliot tilted his head.
"Safe. For now. Although 'safe' is a flexible term, don't you think?"
The ground suddenly warped beneath them—
like ink spreading through water.
Cain cursed under his breath. "Illusion magic… no—this is something else."
Eliot snapped his fingers.
The sky shattered like glass.
Their surroundings twisted into a black void filled with floating white lights, each one flickering like a soul trapped inside a lantern.
Larra grabbed Surya's wrist.
"Don't let go. This dimension feels unstable."
Eliot spread his arms theatrically.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome… to my stage."
A curved grin formed on his mask.
"Your mission ends here."
Rosalia stepped forward, blades drawn.
"If you think one illusionist can stop us—"
"Oh?" Eliot tilted his head.
"Who said I'm here to stop you?"
He raised his cane lightly.
"I'm here to thin the numbers."
A pulse of mana burst outward.
The void shook.
Five enormous silhouettes formed behind him—twisted puppet-like soldiers made of shadows, each wearing a mask identical to his.
Kael's eyes widened.
"Tch—reinforcements!"
"No," Surya said quietly.
Everyone turned.
His golden eyes glowed.
"They aren't reinforcements."
Surya's magic flared—Eye of Feelings activating.
"They're copies… of the people Eliot has controlled before."
The puppet masks cracked open.
A distorted voice echoed:
"Ho…ko…ri…"
Surya's heart stopped for a moment.
Larra whispered, horrified,
"He's using their memories as weapons…"
Eliot tapped his cane again.
"Ready, children?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"Because the curtain rises—now."
And the battlefield erupted.
Eliot's cane hovered in the air for a moment, the tip glowing with a faint violet shimmer.
"Enjoy your past, everyone," he said softly, almost gently.
"I hope you overcome it."
Tap.
The sound echoed like a hammer striking the world itself.
A wave of mana exploded outward—silent, invisible, yet impossibly heavy.
It washed over the entire battlefield like a tidal wave of memories.
Surya's eyes widened.
"Wait—!"
The light in the domain flickered.
One by one, the strongest adventurers of MagiTechia staggered.
Rosalia's dagger slipped from her hand.
Edelgard's stone armor cracked.
Mia's bowstring snapped as her arms went limp.
Fanggard dropped to one knee, fangs exposed but powerless.
Larra reached toward Surya, fingers trembling.
"S–Surya… don't… fall asleep… don't—"
She collapsed.
Kael fell soon after, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Surya fought it the longest—
his Light Magic trying to burn away the invading spell.
"No… I can't… let it—"
A flood of memories slammed into his mind.
His childhood.
His home.
His parents' voices.
Hokori's scream.
The moment he first awakened Light Magic.
And deeper—
memories he had forgotten, or maybe refused to remember.
He fell to his knees.
"Larra… Kael… anyone…"
His vision blurred.
His heartbeat slowed.
And then—
Darkness.
Everyone… unconscious.
Except one.
Eliot stood perfectly still, cane resting on his shoulder, mask tilted as though admiring his own handiwork.
He sighed softly.
"You all carry such heavy pasts," he murmured.
"I wonder… who among you will break first?"
He walked between the unconscious bodies like a conductor strolling through an orchestra.
"This domain," he whispered, "forces each of you to face the very memory that shackles your hearts."
He tapped Surya's forehead lightly with his cane.
"For you… the fear of losing everything."
He leaned down, speaking almost kindly:
"Let's see if your light can survive the darkness of your own past."
The ground split open beneath the unconscious mages, each falling gently into their own isolated worlds of memory—
invisible prisons shaped from their deepest scars.
Eliot stepped back, raising his hand.
"Sweet dreams."
The domain dimmed.
And the nightmare began.
Surya opened his eyes.
He wasn't in the forest.
He wasn't on the battlefield.
He wasn't even in reality.
He stood in a bright, grassy field—the training ground behind the old adventurer outpost.
Warm sunlight.
A cool breeze.
And two familiar voices.
"Surya! Catch!" Kael shouted, tossing him a mana orb.
Larra laughed as she dodged around them. "You're throwing it too slow, Kael!"
They were younger—not by much, just enough that they looked carefree.
No missions.
No battles.
No Order.
Just friends training together, laughing, failing, trying again.
Surya smiled without thinking.
"Oi, Kael, don't cheat! That was totally a lightning spell!"
"That's called innovation, Larra!"
"More like 'almost blowing us up'!"
Surya's chest felt warm.
This… this felt like home.
But then—
The sky dimmed.
Wind stopped.
Light flickered, like a candle dying.
Kael froze mid-laugh.
Larra's smile slowly stiffened.
Their bodies trembled—then shadows crawled up their legs like ink.
Surya's eyes widened.
"Hey—Kael?! Larra?! What's happening?!"
Darkness crept faster, swallowing their legs, their hands, their faces.
"SURYA!" Larra screamed.
"HELP ME!" Kael reached toward him.
Surya sprinted forward—
but the ground warped beneath him, stretching the distance like a nightmare hallway.
"NO—DON'T TOUCH THEM!" he shouted, firing blasts of light.
The beams disappeared into the black fog like drops of water in an ocean.
Their figures were swallowed whole.
Then silence.
A heartbeat later—
Voices.
Not theirs.
Not human.
Whispers slithering around Surya like snakes.
"Why didn't you save us…?"
"You let us fall…"
"You failed your friends…"
"You let the Order take everything…"
"You are not a real friend."
"I hate you."
"You don't deserve them."
Surya staggered back, head throbbing.
"Stop… STOP…"
The whispers grew louder.
"You couldn't save the library…"
"You couldn't save your friend from Eliot…"
"You couldn't save us…"
Surya fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"Shut up… shut up… SHUT UP!"
The field dissolved, swallowed by pitch-black void.
Shadows formed distorted figures of Kael and Larra, reaching toward him with empty eyes.
Surya's heart pounded—his breath sharp and uneven.
Then, beneath all the lies—
he heard something true.
A soft voice inside him.
No… these aren't them.
Surya gritted his teeth, eyes burning with light.
"You're wrong…" he whispered.
The shadows hissed and warped.
Surya stood up, fists shaking but steady.
"You're WRONG!" he shouted, light bursting from his core.
"Kael and Larra would never say that! They're my friends—MY FAMILY!"
The shadows recoiled as the light flared brighter.
"And whoever you are…" he growled, glaring into the darkness,
"STOP using their voices. COME OUT!"
The void trembled—
a crack splitting open in front of him.
From the darkness…
a tall silhouette stepped forward.
A figure with a mask.
A cane.
And a smile hidden behind cold, painted lips.
Eliot's illusionary form bowed slightly.
"Impressive, Surya Noor," he said softly.
"You woke up faster than I expected."
Surya's fists blazed with light.
"This time," he warned,
"I'm NOT alone.
And I'm NOT breaking."
The nightmare dimension shattered like glass around Surya—
shards of darkness dissolving into dust.
The real world snapped back.
Surya found himself on his knees in the middle of a scorched forest clearing.
Around him, dozens of elite mages and adventurers lay unconscious—
including Hazen, Mia, Fanggard, Rosalia, Claire, Hauling, and even Kael and Larra.
Their bodies glowed with faint traces of Eliot's illusion magic, trapped in their own pasts.
Only Surya stood.
Barely.
His heartbeat thundered. Sweat dripped down his chin. His fists still glowed with trembling light.
Eliot stood calmly a few steps ahead—
top hat tilted, cane resting lightly on his shoulder, his long black coat fluttering in the cold wind.
He tapped his cane once.
Tok.
Then twice.
Tok.
Then a third time.
Tok.
He grinned behind his porcelain mask.
"Well, well, well…" Eliot's voice echoed mockingly.
"That was quick. Very quick!" His tone rose with amusement.
"Most people drown in their past. Some never wake up at all."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"But YOU? Breaking free in a minute? Impressive!"
Surya clenched his teeth, light radiating from his skin like cracks in a shell.
"Undo this. Wake them up." His voice trembled with fury.
"NOW."
Eliot tilted his head.
"Now what, Surya Noor? Attack me?"
A chuckle slipped out, cold and sharp.
"And hope to win?"
Surya flashed forward—the ground exploding under his feet—but Eliot snapped his fingers.
In an instant, Surya froze mid-stride.
Not trapped—
not bound—
but confused.
Eliot wasn't there.
His voice appeared behind Surya.
"You still don't understand…"
Surya spun, swinging a glowing punch—
but hit nothing as Eliot's figure dissolved like smoke.
The masked mage's voice echoed from above now.
"You are not fighting a swordsman."
His voice whispered from behind.
"Not a brawler."
From the left.
"Not a beast."
From the right.
"And definitely not someone you can overpower with light."
Eliot's real form appeared leaning casually against a tree, tapping his cane with a bored expression.
"Attack me," he repeated,
"and you'll only attack what I allow you to see."
Surya tightened his fists.
"I don't need to see you."
Eliot paused.
For the first time—
he sounded genuinely curious.
"Oh? And what exactly do you think you can do?"
Surya's eyes flared open, glowing white-gold.
"The Eye of Feelings."
Light roared through his irises—
his sensory magic awakening fully.
He wasn't looking at Eliot's body.
He was looking at—
his emotions.
And what Surya saw wasn't calm.
Behind Eliot's mask was—
A storm.
Scarlet anger.
Void-like emptiness.
Crushing grief.
And a heartbeat trembling like a broken glass clock.
Surya slowly raised a hand and pointed at Eliot.
"You're scared."
Eliot went still.
Completely still.
The masked mage's voice, usually mocking and theatrical, lowered into something cold.
"…You saw that?"
Surya nodded once.
"I see everything you feel."
Eliot's grip on his cane tightened.
The forest wind grew silent.
"You…" he whispered quietly under his breath,
"are becoming troublesome."
The air distorted.
Eliot lifted his cane.
"Very well then, Surya Noor."
Magic spiraled from the tip—
reality bending.
"If you've awakened that eye…"
his masked face leaned slightly forward,
"…then I'll stop holding back."
Everything around them trembled.
Eliot lowered his cane, letting its tip touch the ground.
Tok.
A pulse rippled outward—
the unconscious bodies around them flickered with faint illusion runes.
Surya's eyes widened.
"What did you do to them…?"
Eliot exhaled dramatically and shrugged.
"Relax, they're not dying."
He tilted his head.
"Yet."
Surya clenched his fists.
Eliot continued, voice smooth and theatrical:
"To wake them up…"
He pointed the cane directly at Surya,
"…you must defeat the source."
Surya narrowed his eyes. "And the source is…?"
Eliot spread his arms wide, as if presenting himself to a cheering crowd.
"Me, of course!"
The air around him distorted—
a swirling haze of mana twisting like ink in water.
"Every illusion, every memory loop, every nightmare they're trapped in…"
He tapped the side of his mask.
"…all of it comes from me. My domain. My will."
He snapped his fingers.
All the unconscious bodies jolted at once—
but only slightly—
like something trying to force them deeper into sleep.
"Break the caster," Eliot said simply,
"and you break the spell."
Surya stepped forward, a bright glow rising behind him like a burning sun.
"So I beat you," Surya said,
"and everyone wakes up."
Eliot's masked smile widened.
"But of course."
He twirled his cane elegantly.
"Simple, isn't it?"
A chilling wind swept the clearing.
Eliot leaned forward, voice lowering into a sharp whisper.
"But let me warn you, Surya Noor…"
His cane traced a circle around his boots, carving a glowing ring into the earth.
"If you lose—"
the glow erupted into swirling darkness,
"—their minds will be trapped forever."
Surya's heartbeat spiked.
"You… what?!"
Eliot chuckled softly.
"Oh, don't look at me like that. I rarely kill."
He paused.
"But I do enjoy making people wish they were dead."
He struck the ground with his cane.
The forest around them split apart—
colors draining, sky darkening, trees bending inward like shadows.
Surya's light flared instinctively.
"What is this?!"
Eliot stepped forward, crossing the threshold of his own spell.
"My true domain—"
Reality shattered.
"—THE THEATRE OF DREAD."
Mask glowing.
Cane dripping darkness.
Eyes invisible, but staring straight into Surya's soul.
Eliot extended his free hand toward him.
"Well then…"
His voice echoed like a thousand whispering actors behind a curtain.
"Wake your friends…"
A slow grin formed beneath his mask.
"If you can."
THEATRE OF DREAD — ROUND 1
The world twisted into a spiraling vortex of shadows and floating lights.
The ground beneath Surya's feet shattered like glass, revealing a stage of black marble and crimson mist.
Rows of shadowy figures appeared in seats above him—
faceless silhouettes clapping slowly.
Clap… clap… clap.
Eliot bowed to them like a performer greeting his audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, voice echoing through the void,
"your entertainment has arrived."
He snapped his fingers.
A spotlight fell on Surya.
Surya gritted his teeth. "This is all just your magic… Your illusion."
"Not illusion," Eliot corrected.
"Recreation. Performance. Reality bent to my will."
He raised his cane.
"Let the show begin."
The First Act — Flash Strike
BOOM—!
Eliot disappeared in a burst of black feathers.
Surya's eyes widened. "Fast—!"
A cane tip struck his back.
CRACK!
Surya flew forward but flipped midair, blasting light from his feet to stabilize himself.
"LIGHT DASH!"
A streak of brilliant gold tore across the arena as Surya shot straight toward Eliot.
The masked mage applauded lazily as Surya approached.
"Beautiful speed!
But predictable."
Eliot twirled his cane —
and an entire wall of mirrors erupted from the floor.
Surya slammed into a reflection of himself and shattered through it.
CRASH!
Glass turned to dark smoke around him.
Eliot stepped onto one of the floating mirror shards like stepping on air.
"Tell me, Surya…
do you fear seeing yourself break?"
Surya wiped dust from his cheek. "I fear nothing."
"Wonderful," Eliot said.
"Then fear this."
Act Two — Illusory Blades
Hundreds—no, thousands—of floating blades materialized overhead.
Black steel, dripping with purple magic.
They angled down at Surya.
"…Oh crap."
"Curtain fall!" Eliot declared, slashing down with his cane.
A rain of blades crashed toward Surya like a hurricane.
Surya crossed his arms.
"LIGHT BARRIER!"
A dome of golden light erupted around him.
The blades stabbed the barrier—
PING! PING! PING!—
sparks flying everywhere.
But cracks started forming in the shield.
Crack… crack…
"Not good—!"
Surya lowered his stance, channeled mana into his arm, and shouted:
"LIGHT FIST — SHATTER PULSE!"
He punched upward.
BOOOOOOOM!
A massive shockwave exploded the barrier outward, scattering every illusionary blade into sparks of light.
Surya inhaled sharply.
Eliot's clapping echoed again.
"Magnificent. Truly. I see why Hokori spoke of you."
Surya stiffened. "Hokori…? What does he—"
But Eliot was already gone.
Act Three — Time Skip Mirage
Surya blinked—
And suddenly the sky was red.
The marble floor cracked.
His body felt… older?
"What—?"
Eliot's voice whispered behind him.
"Five years into the future.
A possibility… where you failed."
Surya looked around.
All his friends appeared—
Larra, Kael, Thriller, even Vellia—
Dead.
Dust.
Ash.
Surya trembled. "This isn't real… This isn't real!!"
Eliot touched his shoulder gently.
"But the pain is."
Surya screamed as magic surged through his body—
A burning illusion pain meant to break his mind.
He dropped to one knee.
Eliot whispered, "Say it, Surya…
Say you can't save them."
Surya's aura flickered—
darkness edging into his golden light.
For a moment—
he almost broke.
Almost.
Then.
He whispered:
"Light…
doesn't…
break."
His eyes flashed bright gold.
"LIGHT ERUPTION!"
FWOOOOOOM!!!
A beam of pure light burst from his body, tearing the fake future apart like burning paper.
The arena returned—
but now shattered, unstable.
Eliot stumbled back.
His mask cracked slightly.
"Well… well…" he muttered.
"Looks like the kid bites back."
Surya stood, light swirling around him like a blazing crown.
"The next act," Surya said,
"is mine."
Eliot lifted his cane and smirked beneath his mask.
"Then show me, Surya Noor—
show me the Act Four of your light."
Surya vs. Eliot — The Domain of Refractions
Eliot rested his cane on his shoulder, tilting his head like a stage performer before a finale.
"Remember, boy," he said, smiling beneath his porcelain mask, "every spell you cast, every step you take… all of it is reflected back at you. Defeat me, and your allies awaken. Fail, and they stay in my dream forever."
Surya clenched his fists. Behind him, Kael, Thriller, Hazen, Rosalia and the others lay scattered on the ground, unconscious, unmoving. The battlefield was silent except for the whispering wind.
Then—
Eliot tapped his cane. Once.
The world shattered like glass.
Pieces of reality drifted upward, forming a floating circular arena of fractured mirrors. Surya found himself standing at the center, surrounded by hovering shards showing memories—some real, some twisted.
Eliot stood atop one floating mirror panel, cane pointing down like a conductor about to begin a symphony.
"Let's start the performance."
---
Act I — Mirrors That Fight Back
Eliot flicked his arm. A dozen mirrors shot toward Surya.
Surya raised his palm.
"Solar Shield!"
A dome of golden light bloomed around him—
but the mirrors caught the light and twisted it, firing it back at him as thin, needle-sharp beams.
Surya rolled aside.
"Seriously?!"
Eliot laughed, tapping his cane again.
"Your magic shines beautifully in my domain. Too beautifully."
Surya countered with a sweeping arc of radiant energy—
"Solar Wave!"
The slash of light tore across the arena—
but the mirrors bent, shifted, redirected the wave behind him.
BOOM.
Surya was thrown forward.
Eliot's voice echoed all around.
"Act I: Learn the stage. In this world, nothing moves without my permission."
Surya wiped blood from his lip.
"Then I'll break your permission."
He stomped his foot, firing a pulse of magic downward, flipping one of the mirrors up like a shield. The redirected blast scattered Eliot's next volley. Surya grabbed the shard midair, compressed light into it, and hurled it like a spear.
Eliot raised a finger. The spear froze, split into butterflies of golden glass, and dissolved.
"Good," Eliot said. "Keep me entertained."
---
Act II — Illusion Waltz
Eliot clacked his cane twice.
The mirrors rippled.
Suddenly dozens of Eliots stepped out—full illusions, each wielding a cane, each speaking differently:
"You failed them."
"You're too weak."
"You are nothing."
"You will lose again."
Surya's pulse spiked.
They were using the same tactic from earlier—the same whispering torment.
"Not this time," he said.
He slammed his palms together.
"Solar Pulse!"
A huge burst of light exploded outward, vaporizing half the illusions. The remaining ones attacked from every angle, casting purple chains, gravitational snares, and slicing arcs of mirror-shard magic.
Surya vaulted upward, letting sunlight stream from his heels. He spun, firing a dozen light arrows that homed in on each illusion, bursting them into motes of dust.
But then—
The real Eliot appeared behind him instantly.
"Too slow, young star."
A cane tap to Surya's back—
CRACK.
Surya slammed through a mirror, shattering it like ice, tumbling into open space.
He caught himself midair with a burst of light.
"Grr…!"
Eliot smiled coldly.
"Act II ends. Let's raise the stakes."
Act III — Limit of Light
Eliot lifted his cane to the void.
Every mirror orbiting the arena glowed a deep violet.
He spoke softly:
"Stage Command: Collapse."
The mirrors turned inward and shot toward Surya simultaneously—hundreds of them.
Surya inhaled sharply.
This was meant to kill him.
"I won't die. Not while they need me."
His mana flared.
His chest glowed.
A circle of golden runes built around him like a spinning sun.
"—Solar Ascension!"
A pillar of blinding light erupted, vaporizing mirrors for fifty meters. The blast reached Eliot, who shielded himself with a rotating prism barrier.
Eliot slid back, coat whipping from the force.
"Finally!" he said. "Now you're worth fighting!"
He tapped his cane again, and multiple layers of dimensional rings formed behind him like clock gears.
They began firing beams of refracted magic at speeds Surya struggled to track.
This was the climax.
Climax — Sun vs. Reflection
Surya shot upward, dodging blasts that carved the sky.
Eliot warped from mirror to mirror, teleporting unpredictably.
Surya fired a continuous beam—
Eliot split it into five beams and sent them back.
Surya countered with a sphere of light—
Eliot refracted it into a spiral attack.
Back and forth.
Magic and geometry collided.
Light bent, twisted, shattered.
Finally, Surya closed the distance, appearing behind Eliot in a flash of solar speed.
Eliot smirked beneath the mask.
"Too predictable."
He swung his cane—
—but Surya wasn't aiming to strike him.
He grabbed Eliot's mask.
A direct touch.
The domain flickered.
Eliot gasped. "W-What are you—?"
Surya's eyes blazed.
"You hide behind mirrors. But light… passes through everything."
The domain's mirrors turned dull.
The illusions cracked.
Eliot's power weakened.
Surya finished it with one last strike—
"Solar Breaker!!"
A colossal burst of focused light erupted point-blank, sending Eliot crashing through layers of collapsing space.
The entire mirror dimension shattered into a storm of shining fragments—
BOOOOOOOM.
And everything went black.
Result of the Battle
Surya landed on real ground again, panting heavily.
The mirrors were gone.
The void was gone.
The battlefield returned to normal.
Eliot lay on his back, mask cracked, cane broken beside him. He wasn't dead—just defeated, trembling from mana exhaustion.
As promised—
one by one, the allied warriors began waking up.
Kael blinked.
"W-What happened…?"
Thriller sat up, panting.
"I had a nightmare… but it's gone."
Rosalia groaned.
"Ugh… my head…"
Surya let out a shaky breath.
He did it.
He beat one of the Four Rulers.
Eliot chuckled softly, staring up at the sky.
"…A star that defies its own reflection," he murmured. "Maybe you really are worth fearing."
A shadow portal opened under him, dragging him away.
"Until next time… Sun child."
He vanished.
Surya stood alone, surrounded by allies slowly regaining consciousness—
but with the weight of the Order's warning pressing on his shoulders.
In less than five days…
a device capable of destroying everything would detonate.
And Surya knew—
This was only the beginning.