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Chapter 20: Paths into Darkness
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Nabila — Breaking the Cage
The palace walls glowed with golden light, but Nabila's chambers felt like a prison. Her heart pounded as she stared at the horizon beyond the balcony.
Her father's truth still cut her raw: Child of Destiny. The one who must kill Malik.
But she had chosen differently.
Under Nyx's cold guidance, she pushed her body further each day. Her mystic bloodline awakened, runes etching themselves into her skin when she drew on her power. Her aura was no longer just sharp — it was otherworldly, laced with the whispers of forgotten magic.
Yet training within the King's shadow was not enough. She needed freedom. She needed to walk where the King's reach did not hold.
That night, cloaked in shadows, Nabila slipped away from the capital. Malik was waiting, his violet eyes burning like twin storms in the dark.
"No turning back now," he said.
"There never was," she answered.
And together, they vanished into the night. Their destination: the Kingdom of the Uzumaki — an ancient land of seals, barriers, and forbidden knowledge. If anyone could help them understand Knull and the curse binding Najima, it was the Uzumaki sages.
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Malik — The Journey Begins
For Malik, the journey was more than tracking Knull — it was mastering the beast within.
As they traveled, his body thrummed with unstable energy. The Blacklight Virus was mutating faster than ever, feeding on his deepening bond with the Speed Force. Sometimes his flesh rippled with monstrous forms; sometimes, his aura bent time itself.
But beside him, Nabila's presence anchored him. She sharpened her sword against his storm, sparred with him each dawn, and burned her runes brighter each night.
And for the first time since his rebirth, Malik felt… not alone.
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The King — A Mission of Shadows
In the capital, the King sat upon his throne, shadow banners trembling behind him. His voice cut through the silence.
"Chaos has left my grasp. Send the Dark Knight."
From the darkness, Dick emerged, his wings of void stretching wide, his crimson eyes glowing with hunger. His blade pulsed black, drinking in the light around it.
He bowed low, though madness flickered in his grin.
"Father. Where do you wish me to hunt?"
"South," the King replied. "To the lands of the Uzumaki. Malik cannot be allowed to reach them. End him."
Dick's smile widened, feral and cruel.
"As you command."
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Fiona — The Uneasy Dawn
From a distant balcony, Fiona watched her brother leave. Her golden aura flickered, her hand tightening on her sword.
She had seen what Malik was becoming. She had seen what Najima had already become. And she saw the madness in Dick's eyes.
Whispering to herself, Fiona clenched her jaw.
"Father… the storm you unleash will consume us all."
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