The battlefield was still, choked by dust and silence. What should have been a moment of victory had turned into something else entirely. The sudden attack, the explosion, the fear, it all lingered heavily in the air.
Moments earlier, everything had seemed over. Xekar's body had been burned away, reduced to nothing but ash. And yet, from that ash, a single hand had risen. A mere hand. Broken, charred, incomplete. Somehow, it had still carried enough power to strike from behind. A final, desperate act.
Darius, who had given everything he had, who had stood against the darkness until the very end, had been caught by that sneak attack.
Shock spread across everyone's faces. Horror. Disbelief. No one spoke. No one breathed properly.
The explosion had not even finished settling when they ran.
They rushed forward, straight into the thick smoke, calling Darius's name, their hearts pounding louder than the ringing in their ears. Fear clawed at their chests as they pushed through the dust, expecting the worst.
Then the smoke thinned.
And they froze.
Darius was standing.
He stood exactly where he had been before the explosion, his posture unchanged. Smoke drifted off his body, his clothes more torn, more burned than before. Fresh wounds marked his frame, but he was still upright. Still alive.
For a moment, no one could understand what they were seeing.
Then the smoke cleared fully.
A man stood directly behind Darius.
Casual. Relaxed. Completely untouched by the chaos around him.
He leaned slightly to the side, turned his face just enough for them to see his grin, and raised his thumb.
"Yooo."
Lila's eyes widened. "You are… Kalix?"
Adrian stared, his voice shaking. "How… why are you here?"
Kalix laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Calm down, fans. Sorry I'm late. Got held up. But hey, looks like I arrived at perfect timing."
The rest of the group looked at Lila, Adrian, and the others from the Rising Heroes. Confusion was written all over their faces. Questions piled up, but no one knew which one to ask first.
Adrian stepped forward, uneasy but honest. "He's… someone we kinda know. He's on our side. Or at least, let's hope so."
Kalix laughed again, loud and easy. "Someone you know, huh? Don't worry. I'm on your side." His eyes shifted toward the ash-covered ground. "Now then. Let's catch that hand before things really go out of hand."
He laughed at his own joke.
A few seconds later, more figures arrived.
Riya walked in, her face clearly annoyed as she looked at Kalix. "Was that supposed to be a joke or something?"
Kalix shrugged. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
Behind her came Shin, carrying Drakar in his arms. Drakar's body was limp, his wings damaged, his breathing shallow. It was clear he had been through hell.
Riya knelt immediately, placing her hands over Drakar and channeling her magic. Soft light spread as she focused, waking him gently and beginning to heal not just him, but others nearby who were injured.
Drakar's eyes slowly opened.
Lila rushed forward and hugged him tightly, her voice trembling. Drakar spoke weakly, still confused. "Some guy… he captured me. Said he wanted my wings or something. Before I could even react… I don't remember anything after that."
Alex glanced toward the ashes where Xekar had fallen. "His body is made from different species. Maybe he wanted dragonkind wings. Would make sense."
Before anyone could say more, a voice echoed again.
"Who are you… don't get in the way."
Xekar's voice.
Kalix's smile faded. His tone sharpened instantly. "And what if we don't?"
Everyone turned.
The hand still lay there, blackened and cracked, twitching slightly. It was clear now, it was all that remained of Xekar. It wasn't regenerating. Not yet, at least.
Kalix walked toward it slowly.
The others stayed back, tense. Lila held Drakar close. Riya kept healing. Everyone watched.
As Kalix came closer, the hand suddenly moved, trying to strike.
It didn't get the chance.
Kalix grabbed it instantly, his grip firm, crushing. He stared directly at the eye embedded within the hand.
"I'd like to see you try anything," he said calmly.
Xekar felt it. Fear.
The hand went still. Silence followed.
And just as it felt like peace might finally settle in, the ruins began to shake.
The ground cracked violently. Walls trembled. The air filled with the sound of collapsing stone and surging energy. The corrupted energy that had flooded the ruins went wild, uncontrolled.
Kalix clicked his tongue. "That's bad. We need to leave. Now."
Caelus stepped forward. "I am going nowhere."
Kalix turned sharply. "Are you stupid?"
Before things could escalate, Riya smacked Kalix on the head. "Hear him out first."
Caelus took a breath. "This place is the home of my sword. The spirit of the ruins placed its trust in me. I can't just abandon it."
Riya looked at Kalix. Kalix sighed, understanding immediately. "So we just break the Corrupted Core. Simple enough."
Before anyone could respond, footsteps echoed.
A familiar figure emerged from the rubble, walking slowly, clearly injured.
Caelus drew his sword instantly.
"Tzarkhul," he said, tense.
Only Caelus and Hugo truly understood how dangerous he was. They had fought him. They had barely survived.
"He's very strong," Caelus said quietly. "I only beat him because the ruins and the spirit helped me."
Kalix cracked his knuckles, stepping forward.
But Tzarkhul raised his hand, showing no sign of aggression.
"You're looking for the Corrupted Core, aren't you?" he said calmly.
He opened his palm.
The core rested there.
Caelus frowned. "Why would you help us?"
Tzarkhul looked around at the broken ruins. "I have seen the beauty of this place. It would be a shame to see it destroyed."
Kalix took the core without hesitation. Energy gathered around his hand as he prepared to destroy it.
Then... A ray of dark energy shot from above.
The core was knocked from his hand, flying into the air.
Everyone looked up.
Dark clouds gathered overhead. From within them, a presence descended. A voice followed, calm and cold.
"My greatest experiment ever," it said. "Such a pity to see you in this state."
A figure emerged from the clouds.
And just like that, the war within the ruins took a darker turn once more.