The silence after the war was deafening.
The crimson clouds that once burned over Arctis were gone, leaving a cold gray dawn. The ruined spires of the old capital stood like broken teeth, blackened by demonic fire. The battlefield smelled of dust and rain, the aftermath of gods.
Kaien stood at the edge of the crater where the Demon King had fallen. His once-golden aura had faded to a dim, trembling light that barely clung to him. The mark on his chest—the one that linked him to the abyss—still pulsed faintly.
Lira approached, her cloak fluttering in the soft wind. "It's over," she said quietly, as if afraid the world might hear her and disagree.
Kaien shook his head slowly. "No. It's sleeping."
She frowned. "You mean the Demon King?"
He didn't answer. He stared into the crater, where molten black veins still glowed under the ground, like the world itself had a heartbeat. "He's not gone. When I cut through him, I felt it—something deeper than his power. A core. A presence that didn't die."
Lira's eyes widened. "You mean the Heart of the Abyss."
Kaien turned to her. "You've heard of it?"
"It's only a myth," she said, though her voice betrayed doubt. "The heart that births all demons. They say it beats in the void, feeding on despair."
Kaien looked back at the crater. "Then that's where he went."
Arven joined them, dragging his broken spear behind him. "You can't be serious. You barely survived this fight. Going after that thing again will kill you."
Kaien gave a tired smile. "Maybe. But if the heart beats again, the Demon King will rise stronger. We'll just be living in a calm before another storm."
Lira's hand brushed his shoulder, hesitant but steady. "Then we'll go together."
He looked at her, the corners of his mouth softening. "No. I need you to rebuild the seals. If I fail… someone must guard this world."
Her voice cracked. "Kaien, don't—"
But he was already walking away, his silhouette outlined by the faint morning light.
---
By nightfall, Kaien had reached the edge of the frozen wastes. Beyond them lay the Void's Scar—the only known passage into the Abyss itself. He stood there, snow falling softly over his torn armor.
As he stepped forward, a faint glow emerged beside him. Ethan appeared, his spirit form flickering faintly in the air, like a memory refusing to fade.
"You really can't stop, can you?" Ethan said, his tone half-teasing, half-sad.
Kaien smiled faintly. "You know me."
Ethan crossed his arms, or tried to—the motion was ghostly. "You realize if you go in there, there's no guarantee you'll come back. You're already tied to the abyss. It could consume you."
Kaien's hand tightened on Noxveil's hilt. "Then I'll cut my way out."
Ethan's expression softened. "You're still that stubborn kid from Arctis. Always thinking you can fight the dark by yourself."
Kaien turned toward him. "I'm not fighting it alone. You're still here."
For a moment, Ethan smiled—the same easy grin that used to light up the training grounds years ago. "Then let's end this right."
Kaien nodded once. Together, they stepped into the void.
---
Inside, the world was a sea of black glass and drifting fragments of memory. Shadows whispered as they passed—voices of the fallen, echoes of pain, fragments of souls devoured by the abyss.
The deeper they went, the heavier the air became. Kaien's sword glowed faintly, the only source of light in an infinite night. His steps echoed like thunder in an empty world.
At last, they reached it.
Suspended in the center of an endless chasm floated a massive, beating core—the Heart of the Abyss. It pulsed like a dying star, each beat sending waves of darkness across the void. And around it, chains of pure light struggled to hold it in place.
Ethan's eyes widened. "It's still sealed… barely."
Kaien approached, his aura flaring. "That seal's Lira's ancestor's work. The King's power must've weakened it during the battle."
A deep, resonant voice rumbled through the void.
You returned to me.
Kaien froze. The voice wasn't from the Heart—it was inside him.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Ethan whispered. "He's still inside you."
Kaien fell to one knee, clutching his chest as black light flared beneath his skin. The Demon King's voice grew louder.
You cannot destroy what you are. You are my fragment, my weapon, my will.
Kaien roared, driving Noxveil into the ground. "I am not your weapon!"
The Heart throbbed violently, its pulse matching his. The chains of light cracked.
Ethan grabbed his shoulder, shouting over the roar. "Kaien! If the heart's reacting to you, then you are its key! You can seal it—or destroy it—for good!"
Kaien's vision blurred. He saw flashes—his childhood, the first demon he slayed, the day he lost Ethan, the light in Lira's eyes. Everything he'd fought for.
He lifted his sword. "Then I'll end it. For everyone."
The Heart screamed. Shadows swirled, forming the faint outline of the Demon King's face.
Then end yourself!
Kaien's aura burst into golden flame, laced with shadow. He stabbed Noxveil straight into the Heart. The void convulsed. Every demon in existence howled as light and darkness clashed in a storm of creation and ruin.
The explosion tore through the abyss, consuming everything in its path. Ethan's voice echoed faintly through the chaos—calm, proud, and fading. "You did it, brother."
And then, silence.
---
When the light cleared, Kaien stood alone in an empty world. The Heart was gone. The chains were gone. Even the shadows were silent.
He looked down. His own body was beginning to dissolve into particles of light. He smiled faintly. "Guess I really was the key."
Then, a hand reached through the light—Lira's. Her magic circle shone faintly around her as she pulled him through the collapsing void.
"Not yet," she whispered fiercely. "You don't get to disappear yet."
Kaien blinked, his vision fading between the void and the world. Her voice was the last thing he heard.
"Come back home."
---
When he opened his eyes again, the sky above was blue. The first real blue he'd seen in years. Lira was beside him, asleep, her hand still gripping his.
The mark on his chest was gone. The world was quiet.
For the first time, Kaien couldn't feel the abyss whispering back.
He smiled, whispering to the wind. "Ethan… we did it."