For a while, he couldn't quite make sense of it all. He stood frozen, his eyes still locked onto the depths of the peeled eye. Then, slowly, he brushed his fingers against the ring—the one that had appeared to him the moment Yrrakal fell.
As soon as his fingers touched it, the ring glowed with a wine-colored light. But the moment he removed his hand, it returned to its normal hue. He brushed it again. Again and again. Each time, the color changed—different with every touch. He kept testing it, trying to understand its nature.
"The ring on your finger belonged to someone."
Watching him closely, Nyxara turned to leave the room. But just before stepping out, a name slipped from her lips—almost unintentionally.
"Kael."
Even after she had left, the name lingered in the air between Leo and Oliver.
"Who is that?"
Leo turned to Oliver. His voice was low, questioning—hoping Oliver might recall something. But Oliver only shook his head.
Kael? Why did Nyxara turn her back before saying that name? What's the connection between it and the cycle? Is Kael the first version of me… or someone else entirely?
The questions wouldn't stop. They followed him as he stepped away from the bed and from the disturbing sight on the table. Yet even as he walked, he felt a pang of pity for Yrrakal. Why was his body sliced apart like that after being brought into the building?
Leo reached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. They stepped out together.
"Why did the door fly to her? It got blasted off its hinges…"
Oliver tried to piece it all together, but the logic was elusive. The massive being that had smashed him—its memory still pulsed in his mind as if it had happened only moments ago.
Before Leo could fully take in the air outside, a voice whispered—like a warning from the empty room behind them.
"Be careful how you treat him."
Startled, Leo narrowed his eyes at the table. It felt like the words had come from it—or from something just beside it.
How did I hear someone speak when no one is there?
Is it the bottle she gave me—the one filled with that strange liquid Lysandra told me to swallow and share with her?
Or is my mind simply unraveling?
"Hew…"
The moment they stepped out, they spotted Lysandra and Virelle waiting beneath a tree—one untouched by the clash between Yama and Yrrakal.
As they approached, Lysandra hugged Leo. But Virelle… she just stood still, her gaze locked with Oliver's. It was as if an unseen force kept her rooted in place, preventing her from moving closer.
Then she smirked. And something clicked in Oliver's mind.
It pushed him forward—he nearly stumbled into her arms. At that moment, a voice echoed inside his head:
"Congratulations!
60% completed.
Complete fully to prevent more death."
He spun around toward the building they'd just exited—but now, the door was perfectly intact. Everything looked untouched.
Oliver's gaze found Virelle's again. Meanwhile, Leo and Lysandra were deep in conversation. Oliver and Virelle simply stared at one another, neither knowing how—or who—should speak first.
Leo, sensing the tension, gently nudged Oliver into Virelle's arms. They nearly fell, but Oliver steadied himself.
Then laughter broke out between them—relief after the trauma he'd just endured. As he drew closer, Virelle caught a scent on him. It was sharp—deadly. To Oliver, it was nothing. Barely noticeable.
"Why didn't you tell us he had the same smell as you!"
Virelle turned sharply toward Leo, her tone playful but serious. Hearing that, Oliver was taken aback. What else has Leo told them? But he kept calm.
The old Oliver would've crumbled in a conversation like this. But now—something was different. Even after catching that deadly scent, Virelle wouldn't leave his side. It was as if he'd gained some strange charm, just by meeting a woman's gaze.
Leo noticed. He was stunned. Once, he had been the one giving Oliver advice. Now the roles were shifting. Oliver, with quiet precision, corrected Leo in small ways—and strangely, it was helping Leo get closer to Lysandra.
Still, Leo was amazed.
Then, just before they parted ways, Virelle gave Oliver a deep, heartfelt hug. Leo only received a firm handshake from Lysandra. Watching how she turned and walked away—leaving the three of them behind—stung more than he expected.
As Virelle joined Lysandra, Oliver felt something shift again.
The air thickened.
The pressure—it felt exactly like the moment before the tiny dragons had fused into his body. That same terrifying energy was back. Something—or someone—with that aura had just passed… or was passing.
But there was no one.
No footsteps. No one walking by. Only scraps of rubber rustling in the wind.
Yet as they walked, Oliver began to see something—shapes like human figures standing at the corners of the road. In every direction he looked, the sensation returned.
He blinked. Gone.
"Can you also see someone—or something—in the corners?"
Oliver turned to Leo, pointing in several directions, trying to reassure himself.
"Nah, I don't see anything like that. Don't stress. And ignore whatever that witch lady said."
But Leo kept glancing around nervously. Seeing the doubt on Oliver's face, he knew his friend wasn't convinced.
As they passed a particularly dark corner, Leo suddenly ran toward it—then came back. His face looked horrified at first… but then he burst into laughter.
Oliver laughed with him, letting the tension fall away.
But far away, where Yama's body had been swallowed, the earth began to tremble. A pulse. Then another. Like something underneath was preparing to rise.
The shattered piece of the tree—where Yama's blood had drawn his outline—caught fire. It burned and burned until only ashes remained.
Above, the sky swirled violently. Strange creatures flew in circles—not birds, not bats, not insects. Yet they resembled all three. Some parts of them even looked disturbingly human.
They filled the sky.
And then, red liquid began to fall—thick and slow—like blood pouring from the heavens.
Then the creatures dove.
They crashed into the ground with tremendous force, creating an opening.
One by one, the rest of the swarm followed—diving deep into the earth.