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The Dark Cloud Punishment Zone trembled with the sound of sorrow and clashing destinies.
Mariano lay on the ashen ground, her once-radiant white dress drenched in crimson. An arrow had pierced her chest, and her lifeblood spread like a stain against the cursed soil. Dylan, his heart fractured, dropped to his knees beside her. His trembling hands gripped hers tightly, as though he could anchor her fading soul to this world.
"Mariano… stay with me…" his voice cracked, heavy with despair.
Beside him, Irin struggled against the silver Heaven-forged chain shackled to one wrist. Her other hand was free, but powerless. Tears blurred her vision as she reached toward Mariano, whispering her name, her voice broken with grief.
A short distance away, Xander stood frozen, bow still in hand. The killer arrow that had struck Mariano was his doing. Shock rippled across his face. His grip trembled, the reality of his actions piercing deeper than any weapon could.
And near him—Fiona, her lips parted in horror, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Her voice cracked into a whisper, trembling on the edge of disbelief.
"Mother… Mariano…"
The echo of that word struck like lightning.
But then, as if waking from a cruel trance, Xander's eyes hardened once more. He raised his bow again, hatred reigniting. His gaze locked on Irin—his target. Slowly, deliberately, he drew forth another killer arrow, the tip glistening with lethal intent.
Just as he steadied his aim, a metallic hiss tore the silence.
—Shing!—
Xander staggered, eyes widening in disbelief. Someone had drawn the sword from his hip and driven it against him. His fingers fumbled, dropping the killer arrow as pain lanced through his body.
The world around him flared in a blinding surge of white aura.
Turning sharply, his enraged gaze landed on the culprit.
"Fiona!" he roared, his eyes burning red with fury. "Why?!"
Before him, Fiona stood trembling, her sword stained with her own blood. She had struck herself, plunging the blade into her chest. Her wound poured crimson, but from it radiated the unmistakable brilliance of Heaven's aura.
Irin cried out desperately, "Fiona! No!"
But Fiona's eyes, though dimmed by pain, held only resolve. She turned to Xander with sorrow and fire mingling in her voice.
"I know it now… Xander. The truth you hid from me. You sealed your core Heaven energy inside me—without my knowledge—so your enemies would never find it. You used me as your vessel. And now… I have no choice but to stop you…"
Xander staggered, disbelief and weakness overtaking him as the stolen Heaven energy burned against him.
"Fiona…" his voice shook with anguish, "…I never expected you—the one I love—to betray me like this. You… who now stands with my enemies…"
Fiona's tears spilled freely, her grip trembling on the sword. "Even I never expected that the man I loved… would hurt my people. The saddest part is… you always protected me. I thought it was because of love… but it was because of the Heaven core you buried inside me. Tell me, Xander…" her voice quivered, "Did you ever… truly love me?"
The storm in Xander's crimson eyes broke. His anger wavered, pain breaking through the façade.
"Foolish woman…" his voice cracked with rawness. "You doubt my love? I protected you—not because of that energy—but because you… you alone!"
Fiona's body trembled. His truth shattered her, shaking her heart to its core. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Then why… Xander? Why hurt my people? Why hurt me?"
For the first time, his mask faltered. A shadow of regret flickered in his eyes, but pride pulled him back.
"If you choose their side… so be it," he muttered darkly. "But remember this: if I fall… I will drag my enemies into the abyss with me."
"Xander, no!" Fiona screamed, but before he could turn, steel flashed.
A blade pierced through his stomach—driven mercilessly by Dylan.
Xander gasped, coughing blood, but still managed a pained laugh. He turned his head toward Dylan, whispering through the crimson at his lips.
"You..?."
Dylan's eyes burned with hatred, his chest pounding with years of agony. "This ends here, Xander."
But Xander, even in torment, smiled cruelly. His laughter rang out, bitter and broken.
"Kill me if you wish… but you'll never find the truth you seek. The one who killed your father…I only know that....."He laughed
Dylan's rage erupted, his roar echoing across the storm. "Who? Tell me who did it!"
Xander's grin widened despite the blood pooling in his mouth. "Do you think I'd tell you? My wife betrayed me because of you. And your wife…" his eyes flicked toward Irin, "she too will suffer because of you."
Dylan seized his collar, snarling. "What game are you playing?!"
But Xander only whispered, "It's not a game… it's a fate greater than either of us."
Beside them, Fiona's strength finally broke. Her inside white heaven aura flickered and faded as the xander Heaven core within her dissolved into nothingness. Her eyes clouded, her body swayed.
"Xander…" she whispered weakly, her gaze softening with the last remnants of love. She turned her fading eyes toward Dylan and Irin. "Forgive me… I'm sorry…"
And then she collapsed, her final breath escaping as silence embraced her.
"Fiona!!" Irin screamed, straining against her chains, but they held her down. Tears streaked her face, her heart breaking as her friend's life slipped away before her eyes.
Xander's face twisted in anguish as he watched her fall. He felt weak after his core Heaven energy inside Fiona drained. His pride, his fury, his pain—all tangled into one. He coughed blood again, smirking despite the weakness pulling him under.
"You'll never know… Dylan," he whispered coldly. "The truth of your father's death… will burn with me forever."
Then he looks at breathless Fiona he whispered....you don't know the truth behind it, why I buried my Core Heaven energy inside you....I did.... that for you....he closed his eyes...tears falling in his cheek
His fingers wrapped around the blade lodged in his body. With a grim smile, he yanked it free.
Blood gushed forth, his body collapsing with a sickening thud against the stone floor. Yet his eyes… his crimson eyes… remained wide open, defiant even in death.
The battlefield fell silent, broken only by Irin's sobs and Dylan's ragged breaths.
Two bodies lay still—Fiona and Xander—and the shattered bonds of love and betrayal echoed louder than the storm itself.
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