Kazimir's jaw tensed. His soaked shirt clung to his skin, the hallway's silence broken only by Neve's trembling breath. Everyone was frozen in place: Riah at the hallway's edge, Tyrone still seated but now alert, and from the common room entrance, Jessie, Lihanna, Gendai, Felicia, Raijin, and Kamaki had quietly gathered, drawn by Neve's shout.
Kazimir's voice came low and cutting:
"You speak as if you know what it's like… to have a god whisper you were born to destroy."
Neve stepped closer, unwavering.
"No. I don't. But I do know what it's like to watch someone I care about drown in silence while pretending he's untouchable."
Kazimir's eyes flared with Imaginary Essence—but just for a flash. He turned his head, disgusted with himself.
"You think I want to be alone? That I enjoy pretending to be fine while people spit on everything we've bled for?"
Lihanna clenched her fists. Gendai gritted her teeth, standing beside Felicia. Kamaki whispered, "They're fighting again…"
Raijin, for once, looked serious. "He's cracking."
Neve pointed at Kazimir, voice ragged:
"Then stop acting like this world's burden is yours alone. We're not your pawns, Kaz. We're not ornaments you pull out when things go dark. We're your people. And I'm sick of you choosing pride over truth."
"And what truth is that?" Kazimir snapped. "That I'm tired? That I'm done being your messiah?"
"Then be human for once!" Neve shouted, voice breaking. "Let us in before there's nothing left of you to save!"
Everyone flinched.
Kazimir stepped forward, face inches from hers. For a brief moment, his lip quivered.
"You don't want what's inside. You never did."
Riah stepped between them. Her phoenix fire shimmered faintly across her skin.
"Enough," she said gently, but firmly. "This isn't who we are."
But outside… it was.
EXT. PRISMIC GATHERING HQ – SAME TIME
The night had erupted into chaos.
Torchlights flared. Hologram screens above the city streamed images from Kazimir's dungeon battle, spliced with fearmongering captions:
"False God Ascends — Who Will Stop Him?"
"Is the Prismic Gathering Now a Cult?"
Protestors pressed against the barricades. Some wore military cadet jackets, others civilian clothes soaked in rain. Placards waved high:
"NO GODS. NO MASTERS."
"DISBAND THE GATHERING."
"KAZIMIR = NEBULA'S HEIR."
A rock crashed against the HQ's outer force field, sparking bright. More followed. The hum of the protective barrier began to flicker.
Among the crowd, masked agitators stirred unrest. One raised a speaker staff:
"You think he's your savior?"
"He slaughtered his own kind!"
"He let two of his best friends die!"
The crowd roared. Tension climbed.
Suddenly—a surge of power flared from within the HQ.
Everyone paused.
INT. HQ – PRIVATE WING
Kazimir stood there, breathing hard. The Imaginary Essence had surged out of him like an involuntary exhale. A light flickered in his eye—a brief glow of Nullity—and vanished.
He looked at everyone.
Broken.
"If you think you can save me… then you haven't been watching me at all."
Jessie's lips trembled. Lihanna looked away. Gendai's wings twitched, her succubus senses picking up the grief vibrating off him.
Neve's voice cracked as she stepped back.
"And if you think cutting yourself off from us is protection… then maybe we really don't know you anymore."
Silence. A sharp, cruel silence.
Then the HQ alarm blared.
Riah's head turned. "They're trying to breach the gate."
Kazimir didn't move. Just turned slowly toward the elevator.
"I'll handle it."
Neve stepped in front of him.
"You're not walking out there alone."
"I'm not asking you to come," he said. "I never have."
Neve's eyes shone with tears.
"And that's the real tragedy."
He brushed past her.
EXT. PRISMIC GATHERING HQ – GATE PERIMETER
As the front line of protestors surged, a low spatial hum echoed.
Suddenly—
KAZIMIR APPEARED.
No fanfare. Just a spatial distortion.
He stepped out into the rain, blade still sheathed. His presence alone silenced hundreds.
Some protestors faltered. Others raised weapons.
He said nothing.
Then behind him—
Riah landed in a flash of phoenix fire.
Neve, Jessie, Gendai, Tyrone, Raijin, Felicia, Lihanna, and Kamaki emerged one by one.
A united front.
Gasps spread across the crowd. Some protestors stepped back.
Kazimir's voice finally broke the silence:
"You came to see a monster. So here I am."
The wind howled. Rain dripped from his fingertips.
"But remember this—monsters aren't born. You made me."