It's funny if you think about it. Breaking the fourth wall is nice and all but in the others' eyes, you are just a fool talking to the air.
- Author
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Von stepped into the ruin.
The wind howled like a wounded beast. Shattered remnants of the hideout spiraled in the storm—walls torn apart, steel beams bent like paper. Dust and debris danced in chaos. And at the heart of it all stood Egotheon, body wrapped in seething shadow, his dark aura twisting around him like a living flame.
The moment he appeared, the world shifted. The air grew heavier—thick with pressure, thick with dread.
A quiet tension settled. A lone crow on his shoulder cawed once, then vanished into the broken rafters. Shadows crawled across the floor as his black aura spread like ink, draining all warmth.
"Ray!" Von called out. "You good to stand?!"
Ray, leaning on a cracked table, gritted his teeth. He was pale, slick with sweat. But his eyes—they still burned.
"I can fight," he said, voice rough as gravel and iron.
Von stepped forward, aura tightening. Time began to bend around him, warping at the edges.
"Stay back," Ray warned.
Egotheon tilted his head, amused. He didn't lift a finger. "Two of you now?" His voice rolled like distant thunder. "And here I thought the Fallen One had learned not to drag children into my presence."
He stepped forward—and the wind responded like a serpent.
Von barely had time to react before Egotheon was on him. A punch came like a hammer. Von twisted, but it clipped his chin—still enough to feel like getting hit by a truck. He went flying, crashed through a column, skidding across the ground.
Ray moved in next—slow but steady—summoning a flickering shield of light. Egotheon shattered it with a single kick to the gut, sending Ray crashing back in a spray of blood.
The wind screamed. Egotheon's aura deepened, wild and alive.
"Come on," he said with a cruel grin. "There's two of you, and yet you feel so small."
Von reappeared behind him. Clock Hands—two golden blades slashed out like clock arms striking midnight. But the moment they neared, the wind shattered them. Von was thrown again, tumbling like a rag doll.
"You want to know why I've never feared you?" Egotheon's smile widened. "Because even surrounded—I'm still in control."
His passive—Pride. The more enemies he faced, the more overwhelming he became. It wasn't just power. It was presence. A god playing with mortals.
Von's eyes flared gold. Lotus Eyes. Time slowed, distortions rippling through the air. He weaved through a flurry of strikes, barely brushing past them—then landed a blow to the ribs. Another. Still, Egotheon didn't flinch.
A backhand cracked the air. Von raised his arm to block, but the force sent him flying—straight into Ray.
They hit the ground hard.
"You see now?" Egotheon's tone dropped to something near pity. "It's sad. I wanted the version of you that mattered. Even back then, you lost. And now, look at you. Shadows of who you were."
Ray was the first to rise, blood staining his lips. "Von," he rasped. "Slow the field. Just one clean shot."
Von's chest heaved. His mana was running dry. His heartbeat stuttered. But he nodded.
Time slowed.
Dust froze in the air. The roar became a low, distant hum.
Ray gathered what little he had left, forming a lance of pure light in his hand.
He lunged.
Time snapped back into motion.
Egotheon turned just as Ray appeared—lance aimed straight for his heart.
But the wind shifted.
He moved like smoke, catching Ray's wrist mid-strike. A twist—then a sickening crack. Ray gasped, the light vanishing from his hand.
"No—" Von whispered, too far away.
Egotheon raised his hand. A spear of wind formed, whistling and sharp.
"You die now, Fallen One."
He struck.
Von blinked.
Time folded.
He reappeared between them, arms wide. The wind spear tore through his side. Blood exploded across the ruined floor. Von collapsed, twitching.
Ray's eyes went wide. "No—Von!"
Von coughed, crimson spilling from his lips. The pain was blinding. But his head turned—just enough to see Ray, still breathing.
Ray dropped to his knees, hands gripping Von's shoulders.
"Don't," Ray said, voice shaking. "You know this is your last one."
Von blinked.
"And you are the center," Ray finished, gaze steady.
Von's lips parted. For a heartbeat, his resolve cracked.
Egotheon watched in silence, entertained.
"But—" Von tried.
"No!" Ray barked, something deeper beneath the words now. "I made my choice. You know this story... isn't about me. So go."
Von trembled.
Then he vanished.
Egotheon lunged the moment he did—but Ray, somehow, deflected. Just enough to survive. Just enough to hold.
Outside the ruin, Von stumbled into the ash-choked light, clutching the hole torn through his side. Each breath was a dagger. He turned back.
The hideout in the distance twisted in slow-motion collapse. The wind still raged inside. A bright golden light appeared from where Ray and Egotheon were at.
He shut his eyes.
And for the first time in centuries—
Von wept.
---
On the other side—
Elias turned to Stella. "Stay here. I'll find the others."
Stella didn't respond. She just stood there, eyes locked on the distant battlefield where Von, Ray, and Egotheon fought. The landscape looked torn straight from a nightmare—too much movement, too much chaos. The air itself felt like it was breaking apart.
"Wendy!" Elias shouted as she caught sight of her buried under a pile of bricks and dust. She dropped to her knees and began pulling debris away. "Come on, I've got you."
"Go find Joseph first," Wendy croaked, her voice cracking with fear. "Please, Elly. I'm okay. Just… just find him."
Her voice trembled like a snapped string, straining to hold together. There were tears in her eyes, not from pain, but from sheer panic.
Elias froze. She didn't want to leave Wendy alone. But she couldn't say no.
"Please…" Wendy whispered again. "Go."
Elias bit her lip. "Tsk." And then, without another word, she turned and ran.
Wendy lay there for a few seconds, chest rising and falling in sharp breaths. Her body ached—bruises along her ribs, sharp pain in her wrist—but nothing was broken enough to keep her down.
She pushed herself up slowly, coughing dust. Blood dripped from a cut near her hairline.
A few minutes passed.
And then Elias returned—her arm wrapped around Joseph's waist, helping him limp forward. His shirt was torn, his brow smeared with blood.
"Wendy," Elias called again, a note of relief in her voice.
But Wendy didn't answer.
She was standing still, her entire body stiff with shock. Her eyes locked on something in the distance. Her lips parted, trembling.
Elias turned.
Then Joseph turned.
And silence fell between them.
There, far off across the battlefield, a radiant golden light began to rise. It was beautiful—warm, impossibly bright.
And completely wrong.
"No…" Elias whispered, the word catching in her throat. Her legs gave out beneath her and she crumpled to her knees.
Joseph's breath hitched.
Wendy took a step back, a whimper escaping her lips.
That light—it wasn't hope. It was an ending. A flare of finality that didn't belong in this world.
They all knew what it meant.
The golden light flickered one last time—then vanished into the storm.
Ray was gone.
And in that moment, the battlefield wasn't the only thing that broke.
Something inside each of them shattered too.