A flash of light.
That was the sound that broke the heavy air. And then… silence.
Everything around them froze. The swirling energy from Varnex's massive thunder sphere disappeared in an instant. Everyone's eyes widened as they saw something that didn't seem possible, something that even their combined power couldn't do.
A single thunderbolt had pierced straight through Varnex's chest. The dark, swirling aura that had wrapped around him faded away, like smoke carried off by the wind. Varnex coughed out blood. His body trembled, his eyes, once full of fury and corruption, now looked hollow.
And then he fell.
Varnex's body hit the ground with a heavy thud. The impact echoed across the ruined chamber. His claws twitched once, and then he lay still. The great Thunderclaw… was no more.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Their tired, wounded eyes slowly turned toward the direction the thunderbolt had come from.
And there, standing at the edge of the battlefield, was a figure they didn't expect to see ever again.
He stood casually, as if nothing had happened, like he had just arrived from a walk. His white robe fluttered gently in the breeze. Thin lines of golden lightning danced across his arms. His expression was calm.
It was Kalix...the Divine Lightning.
"Yo, losers," he said with a small smirk.
Silence. Fear. Everyone stood frozen. Even Kael, who had fought him before and "won," felt his heart sink.
None of them could understand it. Just one strike… and Varnex was defeated. All of them together had barely managed to hold their ground against the corrupted dragon. And yet, Kalix did it in a single moment. His presence alone felt heavier than thunder, sharper than any blade.
Before the weight of that realization could fully settle, another figure appeared behind Kalix, and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Quit joking," she scolded. Kalix stumbled a little, rubbing the back of his head.
"Blah blah blah," he muttered. "Come on, I was just trying to make the room comfortable."
The two of them jumped down from the high platform and landed softly between the broken floor tiles of the ruined chamber. Kalix waved his hand casually.
"Ah, well… don't worry. We're not here to hurt you," he said with a light grin.
The woman next to him stepped forward. She was dressed in simple robes, glowing faintly with pale green light. Her eyes were kind, calm, and glowing with soft magic. She didn't say a word, but raised her hand and chanted a quiet spell.
A warm light spread across the entire room like a soft breeze after a storm.
In just a few seconds, the wounds on everyone's bodies began to heal. Darek, who had been lying on the ground unable to move, slowly sat up with a surprised look. Vaela flexed her shoulder—she could move again. Drakar's injured wing straightened slightly. Even Kael, still kneeling from exhaustion, felt the strength return to his limbs.
The pain, the fatigue, the heavy weight in their bodies, was just gone.
"W-What was that?" Ruvan asked softly, his eyes wide.
Kalix raised a finger. "Divine-class healer," he said, pointing at the woman beside him. "And a very good friend."
The healer rolled her eyes and gave Kalix another smack on the back of his head.
"Ow!" he yelped. "Okay, okay, I get it!"
"Now's not the time to be acting like a clown," she scolded again.
Kalix turned back to the others, smiling with a little more seriousness this time. "I know you've got questions. Trust me, I'd have questions too if I were you."
He looked around at them, all of them still catching their breath and trying to understand what just happened.
"But here's the thing," Kalix continued. "This dungeon is collapsing. And if we don't get out of here soon, even I won't be able to stop it from falling apart."
The walls around them shook gently, as if to confirm his words. Small cracks ran along the ground. The ceiling above flickered with dim energy.
The healer gave Kalix a sharp look.
"I'm not joking this time," he said, raising his hands.
"Good," she replied calmly.
There was a long pause as everyone looked around at each other.
Despite their confusion, despite their exhaustion and disbelief, they followed Kalix and the healer.
They didn't have a choice, not yet. The ground was growing unstable, and the entire dungeon seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
But for Kael, something inside felt different.
As he walked behind the group, Nympera resting quietly on his shoulder, his eyes remained fixed on Kalix's back.
He had fought Kalix before. He had seen that confident smirk, those calm dodges, the playful taunts. He remembered how it felt to win that battle, how it felt to believe, just for a moment, that he was stronger.
But now…Now he saw the truth. Kalix had never fought seriously. Not once.
Even when Kael had landed a strike, even when Kalix had vanished into ash, it was all part of something else. Kalix had planned something. Something Kael still didn't understand.
And now the one who had lost was him. He wasn't angry. He wasn't frustrated. He was curious. Why did he let him win? What is he planning? But those questions would have to wait. For now, all he could do was keep walking. The answers would come, eventually.
The group followed Kalix and the mysterious healer, stepping through the broken halls of the collapsing dungeon. The air behind them grew colder, the stones falling apart as Varnex's dungeon crumbled without its master.
One chapter had ended.
And the next had only just begun.