For a long time there was nothing.
Not darkness.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yxj42sk2o
Not light.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBuqv7clPm
Only a slow, pulsing rhythm—like the heartbeat of the world—echoing somewhere beyond his reach.
Koha floated weightless in the soundless void. His body didn’t feel real; it was memory made of light. Wisps of color drifted past him—red, blue, green, gold—each flickering like the dying sparks of an old fire.
He drew a breath that wasn’t air. I’m still here…
The thought steadied him. The last thing he remembered was the chamber, the crushing pressure, the command to endure. Now the pressure was gone, replaced by silence so deep it felt eternal.
Then a voice stirred.
“You linger between worlds, child of balance.”
Koha turned, startled. A figure formed out of mist: neither male nor female, its outline shifting like flame.
“Who—who are you?”
“We are what you command and what you deny. We are the pieces you fractured to survive.”
Around him, the void rippled. The drifting lights converged, dividing into six forms—fire, water, wind, earth, light, and shadow. Each shimmered with its own presence, distinct yet linked.
Koha’s pulse quickened. “The elements…”
Fire spoke first, voice sharp and impatient. “You called for power, and I answered. But you feared to burn.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3e0o5fKpv
Water followed, calm and sad. “You sought peace, yet drowned your heart in hesitation.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOiVNVbi50
Wind laughed, restless. “You wanted freedom but chained yourself to doubt.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtD8ptbTlaC
Earth rumbled. “You built walls when you needed roots.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHOdeDhun9
Light whispered. “You gave too much of yourself away.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jvMfUIFMq
Shadow hissed, low. “And when they tried to take you, you let them.”
Koha’s hands clenched. “I… tried to protect everyone.”
Fire: “By hiding.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYuIXaVhE1
Shadow: “By surrendering.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYpxzjRdfH
Light: “By breaking.”
He closed his eyes. “Then what should I have done?”
The six forms circled him slowly, their voices overlapping.
“Listen.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEAMc9oDxx
“Feel.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPdX0lG2yI
“Remember.”
A single tone filled the space—like a chime struck at the dawn of creation. Every color brightened until the void glowed.
Flashes came to him in rapid succession—Rio’s stubborn grin as sparks danced across his sword; Yin’s calm voice whispering instructions; Huo’s hand on his shoulder; Sky’s teasing wink before a battle. Every image stung, because it felt distant, almost unreachable.
Koha whispered, “I need to go back to them.”
Wind: “Then claim your center.”
The elements drew back, revealing a sphere of pure white light. Inside, faint lines formed a seal—complex, fractal, the pattern of his own soul.
Doojin’s voice, quiet but unmistakable, echoed from somewhere unseen.
“Strength isn’t given. It’s claimed when everything else is stripped away.”
Koha froze. “You again…”
“You learned what pain means,” the voice continued. “Now learn what choice means. Who are you when no one commands you? When no one pities you? When no one saves you?”
He wanted to shout that he didn’t know. But the words caught in his throat.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVeqBmxKLU
No one saves you. The echo burned.
He stared at the light-sphere. “If I touch it…?”
Light: “You will remember.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxZ8XSpb5v
Shadow: “You may not like what you find.”
He stepped forward anyway. His fingers grazed the surface—and the void exploded.
He was standing in the ruins of an old city. Towers of glass rose and crumbled in the same breath; rivers flowed upward into the sky. Everything shimmered between destruction and rebirth.
A child stood at the center of the street, small and silver-haired.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiPF8OTE5f
Koha’s breath caught. “That’s—me.”
The boy clutched an old tome, trembling as flames and thunder tore through the sky. He was trying to shield a group of faceless figures—villagers, perhaps—from an approaching storm of light. His spell wavered, collapsed, then surged out of control. The blast annihilated everything.
Koha fell to his knees. “Stop! I didn’t mean to—”
You feared them.
The voice wasn’t Doojin’s now—it was his own, older, colder.
You feared what you could do. So you learned to hide behind gentleness, because gentleness felt safe.
“I wanted peace!”
And peace demanded silence.
Images flooded faster: years of study, endless solitude, the look of awe and fear in other mages’ eyes when they saw his power. Every compliment carried distance. Every friendship faded.
Then came Rio’s laughter cutting through that distance.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQaq8wiupA
“Hey, prodigy—try keeping up for once!”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqk5yUKh2F
Then Yin’s gentle reprimand: “Don’t bow your head every time you speak. You’re allowed to be seen.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujnMOZxd9K
Huo’s calm certainty: “Power isn’t sin, Koha. It’s responsibility.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5oV91KChv
Sky’s teasing voice: “If you can summon the sky, maybe look at it once in a while.”
The memories intertwined, forming a web of voices around him.
Koha whispered, “They never wanted me small.”
So stop being small.
He raised his head. The boy version of himself dissolved into light. In its place stood six elemental figures again—but this time, they bowed.
Fire: “Will you wield us?”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YirPiRQkA
Water: “Will you trust us?”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fgduBGqF6
Wind: “Will you let us breathe?”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGUV5DdEqS
Earth: “Will you stand firm?”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZPmoTwrb2
Light: “Will you shine?”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphUwywL77t
Shadow: “Will you face me?”
Koha’s reply came steady. “Yes… all of you.”
The sphere of light pulsed. Symbols spiraled out, wrapping around his arms and chest. Each rune glowed a different hue—ruby, sapphire, jade, amber, ivory, obsidian. The fusion burned but did not hurt.
The void shook. Cracks of pure magic split through the space.
Fire: “Your heart decides the storm.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyU8X8rvBPo
Water: “Do not fear its weight.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuAviYz5re
Light: “Go. They’re calling.”
Outside – Citadel Ruins
Wind howled across the broken battlements. Rio pressed a hand to the stone, sparks of lightning crawling along his arm. “I can feel him. His aura’s everywhere—unstable.”
Yin hovered nearby, a sphere of blue-white energy in his palm, scanning the air. “It’s not unstable—it’s resonating. He’s… rebuilding himself.”
Huo adjusted his gauntlets. “Then we find the source before it tears the Citadel apart.”
Sky tilted his head toward the horizon. “No point charging blindly. His signal’s flickering between planes. We need a bridge.”
Rio shot him a glare. “You have a better idea?”
“Actually,” Sky said, drawing an arrow and letting a drop of his blood touch the tip, “yes. Koha linked to all of us once—Elemental Convergence training, remember? We can anchor him the same way.”
Yin nodded. “A harmonic tether. Dangerous, but possible.”
Huo’s jaw tightened. “Do it. I’ll keep the barrier stable.”
They formed a circle: Rio’s lightning, Yin’s light, Huo’s earthfire, Sky’s wind. The moment their auras touched, the ground beneath them fractured, glowing with ancient runes. The air bent inward, forming a single vertical slit of pure light.
“Koha!” Rio shouted into the rift. “You hear me, you stubborn mage? Get back here!”
No answer—only the echo of his voice fading into static.
Yin closed his eyes, whispering, “He’s fighting something. Doubt, maybe. Pain.”
Sky smirked faintly. “Then yell louder, boss.”
Rio inhaled sharply. “Koha! I don’t care what that shadow made you think—you’re not alone! You’ve got four idiots waiting on the other side!”
The light trembled.
Inside the Void
Koha heard it. A faint crack in the silence, a voice—familiar, fiery, alive.
He turned toward it. “Rio?”
You hear them now.
Doojin’s echo returned, quieter.
Go then. Prove you can stand without my chains.
Koha’s pulse steadied. “I don’t need to prove anything to you.”
Then prove it to yourself.
The void began to collapse, folding inward. Koha reached for the light. The six elemental figures surrounded him, each placing a hand—or flame, or shadow—against his back.
All Elements: “Go.”
He leapt.
Outside
The rift exploded outward in a bloom of light and wind. The shockwave knocked the four to their knees.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxkDW8nawY
When the glare faded, Koha stood in the center of the circle, barefoot, robes torn but his eyes steady—no longer violet but radiant silver-white.
Rio staggered forward first. “You—You’re—”
Koha smiled weakly. “Still me. Mostly.”
Yin exhaled, relief flooding his face. “You did it…”
Sky whistled. “Well, someone leveled up.”
Huo stepped closer, scanning him. “You’re… stable. For now.”
Koha looked down at his hands. Energy pulsed quietly under his skin, steady as a heartbeat. “It feels… balanced.”
Rio grabbed his shoulders. “Don’t scare us like that again.”
Koha met his gaze. “I didn’t mean to.”
“You never do,” Rio said softly, releasing him. “But we still follow you.”
Koha’s smile flickered. “Then let’s make that worth something.”
A tremor shook the ground, deep and resonant. Yin’s staff lit automatically. “What now?”
Huo looked toward the collapsed Citadel. “Whatever happened inside that chamber—it woke something.”
Koha’s eyes glowed faintly. “Then we face it together.”
They turned toward the ruins, the first faint light of dawn breaking through the cloud cover. The sky, once black, was streaked with violet and gold—the colors of Koha’s new aura bleeding into the horizon.
For the first time, he felt no fear in the silence. Only the hum of power, shared and steady.
The air trembled.
From the ruins of the Citadel, a dark pulse spread outward — slow at first, then violently expanding until it cracked the floor beneath their feet. The once-silent corridors lit up with spirals of black energy, warping the remaining symbols Koha had left behind.
Rio stepped forward, hand already on his blade.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRZRzPoiy3
“Everyone, stay alert,” he warned. “That pulse wasn’t natural. He’s still here.”
Yin’s eyes narrowed, the soft blue glow around his fingers shifting into defensive sigils.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGLT18zTze
“I can feel the distortion. Shadow magic, but… it’s tied to Koha’s aura somehow.”
Huo looked back at where Koha lay — unconscious, but faintly glowing. His body levitated slightly off the ground, a soft violet-white hue forming around him like a fragile cocoon.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1lpEyjou7
“Then he’s the key,” Huo muttered. “Whatever’s left of that man is trying to get through him.”
“Doojin,” Sky said flatly, raising his bow. “Figures he wouldn’t die quietly.”
The temperature dropped. The light from the chamber’s crystals dimmed to grey.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFamGM7C5U9
Then — a voice, low and cold, rippled through the hall.
“You think you can protect him… but he was never yours to guard.”
The shadows behind the broken archway twisted, coalescing into a tall figure. The form was half-real, half-wraith — Doojin, but stripped of flesh, woven entirely from aura and resentment. His eyes burned crimson, and his voice reverberated with unearthly calm.
Rio gritted his teeth. “You again. Guess I didn’t cut deep enough last time.”
Doojin smiled faintly, his expression both cruel and tranquil.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZj2xOcbA5x
“You misunderstand, swordsman. I’m not the man you fought. I’m what he left behind — the echo forged from Koha’s fear.”
He lifted a hand; the ground rippled outward like liquid shadow.
Yin shouted, “Barrier up!” and raised both hands.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUVkyx60QD
Couronne de Lumière!54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfEZrUMQbj
A radiant circle flared into existence, shielding them from the first wave of darkness. Energy struck it with a deafening boom, sparks scattering like rain.
Rio crouched low, gripping the hilt of his blade. “I’ll distract him. Huo, guard Koha. Sky, cover me.”
“Copy that,” Sky said, notching an arrow already glowing with runes. “Let’s make this fast.”
As Rio dashed forward, his blade ignited with twin streams of fire and lightning.
용의 심장—Yong-ui Simjang!54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHh8WSXqcgJ
The Dragon’s Heart roared to life. Every slash cut through the dark mist, scattering fragments of Doojin’s form.
But the shadow only reformed, laughing quietly.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxny7kjgNr
“Anger. Passion. The flame of mortals—so easy to feed upon.”
Rio’s eyes widened as the shadows coiled around his legs, trying to bind him. Huo slammed his gauntlet into the ground.
Muralla del Titán!54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3J4l6QSv7g
A wall of glowing stone burst upward, intercepting the tendrils just before they could reach Rio.
“Focus!” Huo shouted. “You can’t overpower what isn’t solid!”
Sky’s voice rang from above as he launched a volley of arrows, each one imbued with a different element. “Then we scatter him until he can’t pull himself together!”
The arrows rained down — bursts of flame, shards of ice, streaks of lightning. The hall filled with light and noise, momentarily drowning Doojin’s voice. But when the dust cleared, his form remained — thinner, but still standing.
“You fight like fragments,” Doojin said, voice echoing through every shadow. “Disconnected. Unbalanced. Just like him.”
He turned his gaze toward Koha. The young mage’s body trembled within the aura cocoon. The violet light flickered, pulse growing erratic.
Inside the cocoon, Koha’s consciousness stirred.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI15fgAGACq
He heard the battle — faintly, like echoes underwater.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaUPdBPSYJ
“…Rio… Yin…?” His voice was weak. He could barely move. The pain in his chest throbbed in rhythm with Doojin’s words.
Then he heard another voice — one only he could perceive.
“Do you still fear me?” it whispered. “You created me. I only exist because you couldn’t let go.”
Koha’s eyes fluttered open, dim violet light spilling from his pupils. “Doojin…?”
“Not him,” the voice murmured. “What you saw in him. The power you gave him over yourself.”
Koha struggled to rise. His arms shook. “No… not anymore.”
Outside, Rio parried another blow. Sparks flared where his sword met the shadow’s claws.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNnBQljta4
“Yin!” he shouted. “He’s trying to reach Koha—keep him away!”
Yin planted his staff, channeling his energy through the glowing sigils on the floor. “Lien Sacré! Bind his aura!”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCHCoR8Fnh
Golden chains of light shot forward, wrapping around Doojin’s form. For a moment, the shadow hissed and split, parts of it dissolving into mist.
But the moment didn’t last. Doojin raised his head, eyes burning red.
“You can’t bind what isn’t afraid of being broken.”
The chains shattered with a flash of black energy. Yin staggered backward, clutching his staff.
Huo caught him before he fell. “You all right?”
“Just—drained,” Yin gasped. “He’s feeding on fear. The more Koha resists, the stronger he gets.”
Sky’s next arrow shattered mid-flight, consumed by the aura before it could hit. “Then how do we stop something like that?!”
The ground beneath Koha’s cocoon began to glow, shifting from violet to white. A low hum filled the air, and the shadows recoiled instinctively.
Rio turned. “Koha?!”
Inside, Koha pressed his trembling hand to the floor. “No more fear,” he whispered. “No more control.”
The glow intensified. Energy rippled outward, steady and rhythmic like a heartbeat. The cocoon cracked open, releasing streams of light that spread through the room.
Koha stepped forward, barefoot, unsteady but radiant. His eyes shimmered white. “You’re not Doojin,” he said softly. “You’re the part of me that believed I was powerless.”
The shadow paused.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitnt0J8E1G
For the first time, its expression faltered.
“And if I am?” it said, voice low. “If I am your weakness—your fear—your shame—what will you do?”
Koha raised his hand, aura flickering between violet and white. “Then I’ll stop fighting you. I’ll accept you.”
The shadows rippled violently.
“Acceptance is death,” it hissed. “Without fear, you are nothing.”
“No,” Koha said, his tone calm but resolute. “Without fear, I am free.”
He stepped forward, and every element responded — flames flickering, water streaming along the floor, wind curling around him, light fracturing through the dust.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpe9ETqjYbJ
The others froze, watching as Koha’s presence stabilized the chamber.
Rio’s lips parted. “He’s… controlling it?”
Yin smiled faintly, though his voice trembled. “No. He’s harmonizing it.”
The shadow screamed — a sound like thunder tearing through glass. It lunged toward Koha, claws outstretched, but this time, it never made contact. The light expanded outward, swallowing it whole.
Koha closed his eyes. “Rest.”
There was silence. Then — nothing but fading embers of shadow falling like ash.
The team exhaled as one. Sky lowered his bow first. “Did we just… win?”
Huo snorted softly. “If that was winning, I’ll pass on the next one.”
Rio approached Koha carefully. “Hey,” he said, voice soft but roughened by worry. “You with us this time?”
Koha blinked slowly, exhaustion and warmth mingling in his eyes. “I… think so.”
Rio gave a small, crooked grin. “Good. Don’t scare us like that again.”
Yin approached next, placing a hand on Koha’s shoulder. “Your aura… it’s stable. You did it.”
Koha smiled faintly, gaze drifting to the place where Doojin had vanished. “No… we did.”
Sky stretched, his voice lighter now. “You know, for someone who couldn’t even stand five minutes ago, you sure like making dramatic exits.”
Koha’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I… didn’t plan that.”
Huo laughed quietly, crossing his arms. “You never do.”
The tension broke — not completely, but enough to let them breathe again. The Citadel trembled one last time before settling into silence.
Koha looked up. Above them, the ceiling had cracked open, revealing a sky filled with swirling light — dawn breaking through storm clouds.
Rio followed his gaze. “That’s new.”
Yin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “No… that’s him. The balance is stabilizing. Koha’s resonance changed the sky.”
Koha took a slow breath, feeling the air move differently around him — lighter, calmer, alive. “Then maybe,” he said quietly, “this is only the beginning.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaOXNBSxVd
The light that had swallowed Doojin fractured. From its center came a single pulse—deep, resonant, terrifying. The fragments of shadow re-formed, coiling together until the tall, black figure returned, now brighter, sharper, alive with scarlet fire.
Rio froze. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Yin’s voice dropped to a whisper. “That wasn’t his full power.”
Doojin stepped forward, the floor cracking beneath him. “You thought acceptance could erase me, boy?” His tone turned almost pitying. “No. It made me whole.”
Koha’s knees buckled. The aura surrounding him flickered violently, draining faster than he could control it.
“Koha!” Huo caught him before he fell. “He’s collapsing!”
Rio’s sword hummed with unstable lightning. “We’re not winning this one.”
Sky scanned the chamber, calculating distances. “Then we need an exit—now.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6eiQsP4Ns
A wave of darkness ripped through the air. Rio blocked the first strike; Huo countered with a pillar of stone that shattered instantly under the pressure. Doojin advanced with inhuman calm, each step spreading cracks through the ground.
Yin pressed his palms together, chanting quickly. Vague Éthérée! A surge of light pushed the shadows back just enough for the team to breathe.
“He’s absorbing the energy from this place,” Yin warned. “If he finishes, this entire ruin will collapse.”
Koha stirred weakly in Huo’s arms, voice trembling. “You… have to leave. I can’t… stop him.”
Rio knelt beside him, shaking his head. “Not happening. We don’t leave you.”
Koha’s hand lifted, faintly glowing. “If you stay… none of us will survive.”
The floor rumbled, and a fissure opened between them and Doojin. Shadows poured from it like smoke.
Sky drew another arrow, frustration flaring. “We can’t even get close!”
Huo gritted his teeth. “Then we don’t fight—we run.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykBXL5OJuJ
Rio turned to Yin. “Can you teleport us?”
“Not from here,” Yin replied, sweat beading down his temple. “The distortion’s too strong. But—if I can reach the upper sigil chamber, I can open a portal.”
Huo nodded. “I’ll carry Koha. Sky, cover Yin. Rio, buy us time.”
Rio cracked a grin despite the chaos. “You love giving orders, don’t you?”
“Move, swordsman!” Huo barked, already lifting Koha onto his back.
Koha tried to protest. “No—if you use too much magic, he’ll track you—”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Rio cut in. He turned back toward Doojin, blade rising. Lightning danced across the steel, reflecting in his amber eyes. “Let’s see how long I can keep a god busy.”
Rio charged.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIftGvfuSG
Flames burst from his boots as he launched forward, blade slashing in arcs of red and gold.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgw8jAywwb
폭풍 무도 — Tempest Dance!
Each strike collided with Doojin’s aura, sparks scattering like meteors. The air itself screamed. For a few moments, Rio held his ground, every blow pushing the shadow back a fraction.
Doojin merely smiled. “Bravery… admirable. Futile.”
With a sweep of his arm, a black shockwave hurled Rio across the hall. He crashed into a column but forced himself up again, coughing blood. “Still standing!”
Sky’s arrows rained down, lightning chasing them through the air. “Hey! Over here!”
Doojin turned his head, momentarily distracted. Yin used the opening to run toward the stairs, tracing glowing runes into the walls as he went.
Huo followed close behind, Koha limp but conscious on his shoulder. “Hold on, kid,” he murmured. “Almost out.”
Koha’s eyelids fluttered. “Huo… you shouldn’t… have to…”
“Save your breath,” Huo said gently. “You’ve done enough.”54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1u5DwwIUx
Yin reached the upper hall first. His hands moved in a blur, weaving circles of light into the broken floor. “I need sixty seconds,” he called.
“Make it thirty!” Sky shouted from the stairs, firing another arrow down the corridor. “He’s catching up!”
Rio stumbled in, cloak torn, lightning still crackling around him. “Where’s the exit?”
“Right here—if I can finish the seal!”
The entire ruin shook. A dark spear ripped through the ceiling, missing them by inches. Doojin’s voice echoed from below.
“You cannot flee from your own shadow!”
Koha stirred at the sound, eyes half-open. “He’s… following the link… my aura…”
Yin didn’t stop casting. “Then sever it!”
Koha hesitated. “If I cut it wrong, I’ll—”
“Koha,” Rio said firmly, crouching beside him. “Trust yourself.”
For a moment, their eyes met—fear against fire. Then Koha raised a trembling hand and pressed it to his chest.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLRMRhNDHT
“Jikū Seigyo — Temporal Control.”
Time slowed. The tremor of collapsing stone froze midair. Doojin’s advancing shadow hung suspended below. Every heartbeat stretched into eternity.
Koha’s voice was barely audible. “Break the chain.”
The violet light around him exploded into white. The link between his aura and Doojin’s shattered, sending shockwaves through the Citadel.
Time resumed.
“Portal open!” Yin cried.
The air split into a whirl of light. Beyond it lay open sky and wind.
“Move!” Huo roared, sprinting through with Koha in his arms. Sky followed, releasing one last arrow that detonated behind them in a blinding flash.
Rio lingered a heartbeat longer, staring down at the rising shadow below.
Doojin looked up, crimson eyes burning.
“Run if you wish, mortal. The bond is broken—but the lesson remains.”
Rio tightened his grip on the sword. “We’ll finish this later.”
He leapt into the portal as the Citadel collapsed behind him.
They emerged onto a windswept cliff overlooking the sea. The portal snapped shut, leaving only silence and the distant cry of gulls. The ruins of the Citadel were gone—swallowed by light and shadow far below.
Huo laid Koha down on the grass. The young mage’s breathing was shallow but steady.
Yin fell to his knees, utterly spent. “He’s still alive. Barely.”
Sky sank down beside him. “So that’s what ‘retreat’ feels like.”
Rio sheathed his sword, jaw tight. “We’re alive. That’s enough for now.”
Koha’s eyes fluttered open. “Did… we make it?”
“Yeah,” Rio said softly. “You did.”
Koha looked toward the horizon, where dark clouds still twisted above the sea. “He’s still out there.”
Huo nodded. “And he’s not done.”
Yin raised his head, eyes faint but resolute. “Then neither are we.”
Rio looked at each of them in turn. The team was bruised, drained, shaken—but alive. “Rest while we can. Next time, we finish it on our terms.”
Koha closed his eyes, whispering to himself, “Next time, I won’t need saving.”
The wind carried his words out to sea, where somewhere beyond the horizon, Doojin’s laughter echoed faintly before fading into the storm.
ns216.73.216.33da2
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