Footsteps echoed ominously through the grand halls of the Palace of Mire.
Bolt moved slowly, his hand clenched behind his back, grey hair flowing softly across his face as he strode with quiet fury.
Zephyria and Aquaris followed closely, their faces marked with worry as they watched him, sensing the storm brewing within him.
Bolt's eyes burned with rage. "How dare he challenge me?" he muttered through gritted teeth, voice low but furious.
"I am the prince of Mire, the most powerful element… and he dares to stand against me?"
Zephyria stepped forward cautiously, her voice gentle but firm. "Bolt… I think you should calm down… you're—"
Before she could finish, Bolt raised his hand sharply, cutting her off. His gaze was intense, filled with a mix of hurt and anger.
"Look at all this, Look yourself" he said, pointing down at the trembling crowd beneath the towering staircase.
"He once said he would never hurt them—never. He said he would protect me, the people, Mire..." His voice cracked, eyes blazing with fury.
"I was so hurt… I can't take it anymore. Who does he think he is?"
He turned sharply to Zephyria, who was ready to embrace him, but he held her off, his expression heavy with pain.
"I can't believe this battle has to happen, I tried so hard to avoid it." he whispered, voice trembling with sorrow.
Aquaris, standing silently, ran a hand through his silky blue hair, offering a quiet but poignant comment.
"We know, Bolt… you and him were inseparable. Good friends. But sometimes, even the strongest bonds don't last forever."
Suddenly, a commanding voice sliced through the tense silence.
"Where is Bolt?" Terranox's voice was sharp, authoritative, and cold. Behind him, Emberion emerged, their majestic robes rustling softly as they stepped into the grand hall of the Mire palace.
Bolt saw his father and quickly bowed respectfully.
"Here I am," he said softly, then stood tall once more.
"Why isn't the prince of Night dead? I trusted you with this task," Terranox demanded, eyes narrowing.
Bolt nodded, his voice steady but filled with resolve. "He will be dead soon. Mark my words," he replied, a dark promise in his tone.
Terranox smirked in satisfaction and strode inside, his presence commanding the room.
Suddenly, Emberion's voice cut through the charged atmosphere, calm but pointed. "Will you do it? Really?" she asked quietly yet firmly. "You're going to kill your best friend?"
Bolt hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"I am," he said quietly, almost to convince himself. "He's no longer my friend—he's an enemy now."
Emberion looked at him with a mixture of concern and disappointment. "Very well. Suit yourself, Since you want this battle to happen so badly. You want to prove yourself to be the strongest so much. Then so be it." she replied softly, her voice trailing into the heavy silence that followed.
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Mysta, or Joy as she was sometimes called, clasped Ji-Hoo's trembling hand as they stepped out into the chaos.
The once-vibrant city was now a shadow of itself—streets littered with debris, fires casting flickering red and orange glows against the blackened sky.
The air was thick with despair, and her heart pounded with a desperate hope to save him.
"Be fast, Ji-Hoo… Walk fast," she whispered urgently, her voice catching.
Without hesitation, she sliced through a horde of zombies—most of them once-human, now grotesquely twisted by the infection.
Their faces were swollen and decayed, eyes staring blankly with a hollow hunger. Jagged wounds oozed pus and blood, and their rotting flesh emanated a sickening stench.
Ji-Hoo, panting and exhausted, was being dragged along, his face pale. Mysta quickly hid him behind her, shielding him from the oncoming nightmare.
"Stay behind," she urged softly, tears threatening to fall. "I can handle this… I got this."
With a burst of her power, Mysta teleported from one point to another, her blades flashing as she dispatched the undead monsters.
Her heart ached with each kill, each life snuffed out in this bleak place.
A zombie lunged at Ji-Hoo, its claws reaching for his fragile body, but Mysta darted forward, slicing its rotten head clean off.
Another zombie grabbed her arm, its rotten fingers digging into her skin, but she spun around, smashing its skull and returning to Ji-Hoo's side.
"Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes filled with concern and love.
He nodded faintly, trying to reassure her, but her heart was breaking.
Her mind raced with fear—fear of losing him, fear of what this darkness might do to the one she loved.
Then, with a gentle flick of her wrist, Mysta summoned a shimmering portal. Without hesitation, they stepped through into another world.
The colorful world of Mire—once a land of radiant skies, lush green fields, and sparkling rivers—was now shrouded in darkness.
The sky was heavy with swirling storm clouds, the light of the sun swallowed by shadows.
Buildings lay in ruins, their walls blackened and crumbling. The air was thick with silence, broken only by the distant echoes of destruction and despair.
Creatures of Night had ravaged this paradise, leaving behind only death and ruin.
They entered the palace, and Mysta's stomach clenched at the sight of Bolt, Aquaris, Zephyria, Terranox, Emberion, and Elara—all of them staring at her with wide eyes filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief.
"It's okay, guys," Mysta tried to smile through her tears, her voice trembling. "It's just Ji-Hoo." But her voice cracked, revealing the depth of her pain.
The others drew their swords, their faces tense and wary. Mysta looked at Ji-Hoo, her heart pounding.
"Guys… can't you hear me?" she called out, desperation thick in her voice, pressing her hand to her head. "Ji-Hoo?"
But there was only silence.
Her gaze fixed on Ji-Hoo, and suddenly her breath caught. His face was different—his skin was cracking, dark veins spreading across his cheeks and neck.
His eyes, once bright and full of life, had turned cold and grey, hollow and distant. He looked at her with a haunted, sorrowful expression.
"Joy…" she whispered softly, a flicker of hope and heartbreak mingling in her voice.
He hesitated, then slowly stepped back. His body trembled, a sickening odor emanating from him.
The cracks in his skin deepened, peeling away like dead bark, revealing decaying flesh beneath. His eyes rolled back, and a sinister snarl twisted his face.
"Forgive me… please," Ji-Hoo's voice cracked as tears streamed down his face.
He reached out, revealing the bite wound from the zombie—proof of how close he had come to losing himself.
His skin continued to decay, becoming ashen and grey, his body shivering with the darkness overtaking him.
"J-Hoo… no… no…" Mysta's voice broke into a sob, her heart shattering into tiny pieces.
"Please… forgive me," Ji-Hoo whispered, voice trembling with anguish. "I fought… I fought so hard… to stay with you. I love you, Mysta. I always have… I wanted to protect you… I never wanted this to happen…"
His voice was trembling now, haunted by memories of their moments together—how she had been there when he needed her most, how her smile had been his light in the darkness.
Every word was a knife twisting inside her.
His face contorted as his skin cracked further, parts of it peeling away to reveal grey, rotting flesh beneath.
His eyes, once full of warmth and love, now reflected only the cold emptiness of the undead.
"Come on, Ji-Hoo you can control it… you don't have to do this," she begged, tears streaming uncontrollably. "Please… don't make me do this. I love you—I still love you!"
But Ji-Hoo's voice was hollow and broken. "You have to… you have to end it… for both of us," he rasped softly.
''Just Kill me... Joy...!'' He shouted in pain.
''Just Kill me Joy!! If you love me you would Save all this people before I turn into a Monster Joy.''
Her hand shook as she began lifting her sword, trembling with grief. "No… I can't… I won't…" she cried, voice breaking with every word.
He growled softly, a guttural, pained sound. His eyes shone with grey malice, and he charged forward, his body a shell of the boy she loved.
"Kill me, Mysta," he begged softly, tears streaming down his decayed face. "Please… just end it… I can't fight this… I don't want to turn into… one of them."
Her heart shattered beyond anything she had ever known.
All the memories of Him and Her, From being not able to stand each other of loving each other to the core.
She hesitated, trembling, tears blurring her vision. Her hands shook violently as she raised her sword.
"Ji-Hoo… I'm so sorry," she whispered, voice barely audible. "I loved you… I still do… but I can't… I can't watch you become one of those monsters."
With a cry of anguish, as he attacked her, Mysta stabbed him, Not wanting though.
Blood burst from his wound, bubbling and spilling onto the cold ground as his body jerked.
His eyes—once filled with love and hope—flickered one last time before going dark.
He collapsed, lifeless, on the bloodstained ground.
Mysta dropped to her knees beside him, clutching his cold, bloodied hand, tears falling in torrents.
Her voice was a broken whisper. "Ji-Hoo… I'm so sorry… I loved you… I always will… but I had to do this… I had to…"
''Trust me I never wanted to do this. Don't leave me'' She said voice low before bursting out to tears, uncontrollable one.
Bolt rushed forward, pulling her into a tight embrace.
They stood there trembling—two souls shattered by grief, their hearts torn apart by the cruel, unrelenting hand of fate.