The crack in the Apex's mask glowed faint white.The rift behind it thrashed like a living throat trying to swallow the forest whole.
Vael stepped forward again.His grip was tight, his breath steady, but his shadow trembled—like it sensed something far worse than the Apex waiting beyond the tear.
Lira kept her bow raised."Vael, that thing on the other side… it's almost through."
Talon spat blood and wiped his mouth."Then we finish this before it steps out."
Mira didn't look convinced.The symbols circling her hand flickered, unstable."If the rift widens again, the energy surge might kill us before anything touches us."
The Apex raised its blade.This time, the sound it made was different—deep, metallic, angry.It knew it had been hurt.
Vael moved first.
He dashed in a low arc, shadow streaking behind him.The Apex swung down, the ground cracking under the force, but Vael jumped over it, flipping toward the creature's shoulder.
Talon charged from the right, fist glowing faint red.Lira shot from above, her arrow humming with light.Mira's sigils formed a sudden burst around the Apex's legs.
Everything hit at once.
The Apex staggered, metal groaning.The crack in its mask widened a little more.
The rift reacted immediately—a blast of heat, a roar deep and hungry, and a claw pushing further through, gripping the edges like it wanted to tear the sky open.
Vael felt the pull in his chest.The crown tightened against his mind.
Foolish boy. If the tear breaks fully, the world bends with it. End the mask. End it now.
He didn't hesitate.
Vael vanished into shadow and reappeared under the Apex's mask.His sword rose, wrapped in a thick, swirling dark.
He struck.
The Apex blocked—but the force still cracked its mask deeper.A jagged fracture cut across it like a broken grin.
The Apex roared and lashed out.Vael barely dodged as its fist slammed into the ground, throwing stone and dirt into the air.
Lira's voice shook."One more hit! Just one more—"
The rift screamed.
Everyone froze.
The sound wasn't loud—it was sharp.Sharp enough to cut through the air like a blade, sharp enough to make their hearts skip.
The thing behind the tear pressed its whole head through now.A horned skull of pale bone.Empty eyes filled with swirling ash.The mouth stretched open in a silent scream.
Mira stumbled back, terror breaking her voice."T-that's not an Echo… that's something older."
Talon braced himself."Don't care what it is. It's trying to crawl out."
Vael didn't wait.
He pushed forward, pain shooting through his skull as the crown pulsed too hard.The shadow behind him sharpened into a tall, jagged outline.A flicker of a figure—thin, crowned, watching.
The Apex's mask glowed brighter, sensing the change.
Vael sprinted.The Apex swung wildly, desperate to stop him.Talon caught its arm, muscles shaking."Go! Finish it!"
Lira's arrow struck the crack.Mira's sigil burst beneath the Apex's feet.
Vael leapt.His blade rose.
The Apex looked up at him, mask splitting down the middle.
Vael brought the sword down.
A single sound rang through the forest—metal breaking.
The mask shattered.Light burst outward.The Apex screamed, body cracking apart like burned stone.
The rift behind it convulsed.The creature trying to escape shrieked once—then the tear snapped tight, slamming shut in a wave of black pressure.
Everything went silent.
The Apex collapsed.The rift was gone.The forest stopped shaking.
Vael fell to one knee, panting, sweat dripping down his face.The crown's presence faded, but not fully—it lingered, whispering approval he didn't want.
Lira ran to him, relief flooding her eyes."You did it…"
Talon dropped onto the ground, exhausted."Yeah… he really did."
Mira stared at the place where the rift had vanished.Her voice was low.
"No… something's wrong. That creature didn't retreat."She swallowed hard."It was pulled away. Forced shut."
Vael lifted his eyes slowly.
In the quiet air, he felt it too—a distant pressure, faint but growing.
Someone… or something… had closed the rift for them.
And Vael knew that meant only one thing:
They weren't the only ones watching the tear.
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