he chamber door slammed shut with a deep thud, leaving Mira frozen—mouth parted, eyes wide.
The Soul King's telepathic voice still echoed in her skull.
Too ancient to grasp.
Too real to ignore.
She didn't speak.
Couldn't.
The silence was thick—until Elias broke it with a dry cough.
"Well… at least we lived."
He looked around, rubbing his temples.
"But how the hell are we supposed to find this damn monster soul eater?"
Lucien, still recovering from the weight of the King's presence, deadpanned:
"I just wanna know… what does he shit out when he goes to the restroom?"
The group went silent—then burst into laughter.
Even Mira cracked a tired smile, wiping the tension off her face.
Elias pointed at her.
"Okay, okay… good one. But seriously—no map, no clues, no signal. We're just supposed to walk into the Soul Realm like it's a dog park and yell 'here boy'?"
Lucien shrugged.
"Worked for worse ideas."
Mira's voice brought the mood back down—calm, steady.
"We don't find him."
They turned to look at her.
"He finds us."
Elias blinked.
"How comforting."
Mira scanned the terrain—flickering remnants of soul-paths glowing faintly beneath their feet, fading like breath on glass.
"Let's at least head toward her place. Her niche. Her altar… whatever's left of her in this realm."
Lucien nodded.
"If Vulkran's tied to judgment… maybe he lingers near where truths die."
And so, they walked.
Not just toward Laeticia—
But toward a creature that didn't need to be summoned.
A beast that moved through silence…
And came only when you were ready to be unmade.
They stepped into the forbidden zone—the Hollow Grounds.
Even the Soul King's guards refused to follow.
Mira glanced back once, watching them wait at the edge like statues—unwilling to take another step.
This wasn't just a no-man's-land.
This was Vulkran's territory.
A place where the Soul Realm forgot how to breathe.
Lucien scanned the haze. "Anyone see any signs?"
Elias, ever the detective, crouched and brushed his hand across cracked ash.
"Yeah. One weird thing…"
He stood slowly.
"There's no footprints. No trails. Not even a drag mark."
Lucien didn't look at him when she spoke.
"That's because he doesn't walk."
She swallowed.
"He just… appears. So stay quiet."
They pressed forward—uneasy, wordless, tension coiling like fog around their ankles.
Then they saw it.
A massive collar.
Rusted. Ancient.
Half-buried in the ground—large enough to cage a demon.
Etched in deep glyphs, a name burned across the tag:
"VULKRAN"
Lucien and Mira said in unison:
"Oooh boy. Nope. Let's head back. I'd rather fight the Soul King's army than mess with that thing."
Elias raised a brow, arms folded.
"What? It's just a collar. What are we afraid of—a dog?"
Lucien stared at him, taking a slow step back. Her voice dropped low.
"It's not just a damn dog, Elias."
She moved like something was already watching them.
Like her body knew before her mind did.
"It's the Seven Sins wrapped in fur and rage.
Gluttony. Wrath. Pride…
All of it—trapped in one body."
She looked at him sharply.
"And before you call it just a dog again… maybe look behind you."
Elias turned.
And froze.
Vulkran was already there.
Silent. Massive. Watching.
Half his body cloaked in shadow.
Eyes glowing radioactive green.
Fangs long as knives.
Fur thick like a Tibetan guardian beast—
Only larger.
Heavier.
Wrong.
He didn't growl.
He didn't move.
He didn't have to.
Elias took a slow step back, his breath catching in his throat—
And just like that—Vulkran vanished.
Gone like he was never there.
Then—
A voice.
Low. Heavy.
Tearing through the silence, straight into their minds.
"So… my old master finally sends me food?"
Lucien's eyes widened.
"That voice… was that the dog?"
Mira whispered, terrified.
"Since when do dogs talk?"
The link flared—
Suddenly flooded with rage.
"I am NOT a dog, you FOOLS!"
His voice echoed from every direction—
No way to locate it.
The soulglass around them cracked under the pressure.
"You think you can walk into my domain…
Threaten me…
And walk away alive?"
Then—lightning ripped across the sky.
And for a split second, they saw him:
Vulkran. In full.
Glowing. Crouched.
Ready to end everything.
Elias took a step back, voice dry, heart pounding.
"F*ck no…
I was just happy to make it out alive before.
But now?"
He looked at Lucien and Mira.
"Yeah—we're dead."