Before they can catch their breath, the sinister green aura seeps from Lyle's body, swirling through the air like smoke.
Bran coughs, clutching his chest. His eyes widen, veins turning black. "What... what is this?"
Mira's eyes widen. "Bran! No!"
The green aura slams into Bran's chest. His eyes flash green, his flames reigniting with twice the intensity.
Bran's expression shifts, a manic grin spreading across his face. "Now this... this is a body worth taking."
Zayne stumbles back, horror-stricken. "Bran...?"
Envy cackles, rolling his neck as green flames roar around him. "That fool was already lost in his envy. Taking over was a breeze."
Mira's fists shake, eyes filling with tears. "Bran... don't do this!"
Envy's grin widens. "Why wouldn't I? All I ever wanted was to be stronger than both of you."
⸻
Zayne raises his spear, sweat pouring down his face. "Mira... we can't keep up. He's stronger than Lyle ever was."
Mira nods, fists clenched. "But we can't give up. Not on Bran."
Envy cracks his knuckles, green flames coiling around his fists. "You think you can handle me? You're not the ones who usually deal with us."
Zayne's eyes narrow. "Us?"
Envy grins, eyes flashing. "Oh, you're clueless. The ones who usually hunt us down... they'd eat you alive."
⸻
Zayne takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. He whispers the words again.
"Spirit and body... become one."
Frost spreads across the ground, and his veins turn blue. His spear becomes encased in ice, his body shaking violently.
"Frozen World..."
Mira's eyes widen. "Zayne, no! That's... that's forbidden!"
Zayne's lips tremble, steam escaping his mouth as the ice spreads across his body. "I'm sorry, Mira."
Envy snarls, flames surging. "You think that'll stop me?"
Zayne raises his spear, tears freezing against his cheeks. "Bran... I'm sorry."
The temperature drops drastically. Frost spreads across the ground, crystallizing everything it touches. Zayne's body shakes as the ice crawls up his arms, veins glowing a haunting blue.
Mira stumbles back, breathing heavily. "Zayne... you can't! You'll—"
Zayne's expression is grim, his eyes fixed on Bran — or rather, Envy. Steam rises from his body as his blood begins to chill. "There's no other way."
⸻
Envy cackles, flexing Bran's fists. Flames roar around him, the green energy now laced with black tendrils of power.
"Oh, Zayne... using a forbidden output? How desperate. But it doesn't matter."
Envy clenches his fists, and the flames explode outward. The green fire sweeps through the chapel, walls crumbling under the intense heat.
Mira raises her stone-clad arms, trying to block the flames. The fire cracks her stone armor, scorching her arms beneath.
"Mira!" Zayne shouts.
Mira falls to her knees, gasping. "Zayne... he's too strong... and you're... you're freezing yourself!"
⸻
Zayne staggers forward, each step slower than the last. The frost continues to spread, forming ice along his arms and chest. His breath is visible, each exhale a puff of mist.
Envy charges forward, flames swirling around his fists. "Let me show you how pathetic you really are!"
Envy's fist slams toward Zayne's face.
Zayne raises his spear. "Aegis Flow!"
A wall of frozen water surges up, intercepting the strike. The ice barrier shatters under the impact, sending shards flying.
Zayne grits his teeth, stumbling back. The frost reaches his neck, creeping closer to his face. "Not... yet."
⸻
Envy laughs, flames flaring hotter.
"Look at you! You're dying to beat me! You're pathetic, Zayne! Always so calm, always so controlled... but inside, you were just like me. Jealous. Weak."
Zayne's eyes narrow. "Maybe I was... but I won't let you take Bran."
⸻
Envy lunges, his fists wreathed in flames.
Zayne drops to one knee, driving his spear into the ground. The ice surges up, forming a spiraling barrier.
"Frozen World!"
Envy's flames clash against the ice, steam hissing and filling the room. The intense heat begins to melt the ice, but Zayne keeps pouring his energy into it, reinforcing the barrier.
Zayne's vision blurs, his eyelids heavy. The frost spreads up his face, veins turning a deeper blue. His body trembles, on the verge of collapse.
⸻
Mira crawls forward, forcing herself to stand. Blood drips from her arms, and her stone armor is shattered. But she refuses to stay down.
"Zayne! You can't... you can't do this alone!"
Envy grins, eyes locked onto Zayne. "You hear that, Zayne? Even Mira knows you're too weak to beat me!"
⸻
Zayne's eyes meet Mira's. A single tear rolls down his cheek, freezing mid-drop. He forces a weak smile.
"I'm sorry, Mira... for everything."
Mira's eyes widen. "No... Zayne...!"
⸻
Zayne raises his spear, the ice now fully covering his body. His eyes are barely visible beneath the frost. With his last breath, he whispers the final attack:
"Frozen World – Absolute Zero!"
The ice barrier surges forward, a wave of subzero frost that races toward Envy. The ground cracks, the air itself freezes, and Envy's flames are snuffed out in an instant.
Envy's eyes widen as the ice slams into him, encasing his body in a massive, jagged glacier. The flames flicker beneath the ice, but they're quickly extinguished.
⸻
The entire chapel is silent. Steam rises from Zayne's frozen body, now encased in a thick layer of ice. Mira stumbles forward, her breath ragged.
"Zayne..."
Her gaze drifts to the frozen mass where Bran once stood. The ice cracks, splitting down the middle. With a shattering sound, the frozen barrier crumbles, revealing Bran's lifeless body.
His eyes are closed. His face, peaceful. But there is no mistaking it — he's gone.
⸻
Mira drops to her knees beside Bran, her fingers trembling as she reaches for his hand. His skin is ice cold.
"No... Bran... you..." Tears stream down her face, her shoulders shaking. "Why... why did it have to end like this?"
Zayne collapses beside her, barely able to breathe. The frost covers half his body now, his lips turning blue. He stares at Bran's lifeless face, the memory of his friend's smile flashing through his mind.
⸻
Mira turns to Zayne, fury and grief twisting her expression. "You killed him... you killed Bran!"
Zayne coughs, blood staining his lips. "I... I had to. He was already... gone."
Mira shakes her head, teeth gritted. "No! He was our friend!"
Zayne closes his eyes, his breath shallow. "It was the only way to stop Envy. Bran was already consumed by it. There was no coming back..."
⸻
The ground beneath them shakes. Mira and Zayne look up, and their faces pale.
A new, ominous presence fills the air — darker, colder, and more sinister than before.
Mira's eyes widen. "No... there's... there's another one."
Zayne shivers, his body barely able to move. "Another... Sin?"
Mira clenches her fists, her jaw set. "If there's more... we need to find out who they are. We can't let this happen again."
Zayne's eyes flutter shut, his body finally succumbing to the frost. Mira catches him as he falls, cradling his limp form against her.
Her tears mix with the blood and ice, and she looks up at the shattered ceiling, a single, anguished scream tearing through the night.