The battlefield lay in ruins. Smoke curled into the night sky, carrying with it the bitter stench of ash and burnt stone. The Forgotten Host stood silently among the wreckage, their veiled faces unreadable, their blazing blades dimming to a steady glow.
Maxwell sat against a shattered pillar, sword resting across his knees. His body trembled with exhaustion, every muscle screaming, but his eyes still glowed faintly silver. The whispers were gone. For now.
Gabby moved quietly among the Host, speaking in low tones, her wings dragging slightly with fatigue. She carried herself with her usual poise, but her golden eyes betrayed how close she had come to breaking. When she returned to Maxwell's side, she crouched beside him, her expression soft.
"You fought him — not just with your sword. You fought him in here." She tapped his chest gently. "That's the greater battle, Maxwell. And you won."
Maxwell exhaled, staring at the ground. "For now. But I felt how close I was. If you and Anthony hadn't…" His voice trailed, tight with guilt. "I almost gave him everything."
Gabby shook her head firmly. "You didn't. That's all that matters."
Across the ruins, Anthony hunched over the Codex, his hands bandaged and trembling. The holy book lay open across his lap, its pages burned and torn, the glow within faint but steady. His voice was hoarse as he finally spoke.
"The Codex has changed. The battle woke it. Words I've never seen before… prophecies hidden until now."
Maxwell lifted his gaze, wary. "What kind of prophecies?"
Anthony hesitated, then read aloud, his voice unsteady. "'When the storm resists the flame, the Abyss shall open wide. Three shall walk its path: one of light, one of word, one of blood. Only together shall the chains be broken. Only together shall the end be stayed.'"
Silence fell. Even the Watchers shifted, their veiled heads turning toward Maxwell.
Gabby frowned, her golden blade resting across her knees. "The Abyss. Samael's domain. It means…" She met Maxwell's eyes. "It means we can't just wait for him to come again. We'll have to go to him."
Maxwell's chest tightened, but he didn't look away. His voice came low, steady. "Good. I'm done letting him choose the battlefield."
The lead Watcher finally stepped forward, its veiled face glowing faintly with fire. Its voice shook the air like distant thunder. "The prophecy binds you three. Our blades cannot follow. The Abyss rejects us. But we will hold the line here, until your return — or until the world burns."
Anthony swallowed hard, his eyes flicking between Maxwell and Gabby. "If we fail…?"
The Watcher's silence was answer enough.
Maxwell pushed himself to his feet, sword in hand, his body aching but his resolve harder than ever. He looked at Gabby, then Anthony, then the ruins around them.
"Then we don't fail. We've come this far together. We'll see it through. All the way to the end."
The wind carried ash across the battlefield, whispering through the broken stones. Somewhere far below, deep within the Abyss, Samael's chains rattled — not in defeat, but in anticipation.