The being, who Guhin could only think of as Fukujin, stepped closer. Its silver, rusted armor, clinking and clanging with every step.

It has to be him, Guhin thought, his heart pounding against his ribs. He could feel it. “Tell me.” his voice cracked as his eyes locked on to the winged creature. “Is that really you, F—”

His words died in his throat as the being raised an armored hand above him, waving it to the side in a sweeping motion. The black roots that had held Guhin captive shattered instantly, crumbling into dust. He felt their grip release him, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.

The being reached its hand toward him, gentle almost, inviting even, yet Guhin hesitated. Was this truly him? Could this creature be the crow that was always by his side?

As his fingers inched toward the outstretched, gauntlet of silver, he noticed something. The being hesitated. A shiver of doubt rippled through its armor, so brief that it could have been imagined.

Whether Guhin was following instinct or ignoring it, he wasn’t sure. Regardless, he reached out. When their hands finally met, a wave of energy coursed through his entire body. It wasn’t pain, it was more than that. It was reunion.

For a moment, time stopped, as if nothing else existed. A connection formed between them. Guhin could feel it, like a locked door being forced open, and in that instant, he knew. It's him. He thought to himself, his fingers wrapping around Fukujin's gauntlet.

But as soon as Guhin got to his feet.

A deafening horn blasted through the air, a sound so powerful it seemed to vibrate through his soul. It was the sound of doom, the announcement of some cataclysmic event. Guhin’s hand slipped from Fukujin’s grip as he stumbled back, shielding his eyes as the sky above split open with a blinding light.

“What’s happening?!” Guhin shouted, his voice drowned out by the chaos.

Fukujin didn’t answer. His gaze shifted upward, his black wings unfurling with a soft rustle. Guhin followed his lead and squinted into the heavens. The sky erupted in an inferno of orange and gold, flames licking the horizon like hungry beasts.

The ground beneath them trembled, cracks spreading out across the village as massive chunks of Aryan began to collapse into an abyss. The destruction was instant, merciless. Within moments, all that remained was the main plaza they stood on, a lone island of stone amidst a sea of fire and nothingness.

Through the swirling fog that still clung to the edges of the square, Merin appeared behind Guhin, her broken, naked form mending itself with every step as she emerged like a specter from the mist. The last strands of fog twirling around her body, transforming her as they dissipated. Her long, brown hair darkened to an inky black, shortening as though it had been eaten by the shadows of grey. Her features sharpened, youthful and bold, beauty tinged with menace.

image [https://i.imgur.com/cvoaOR2.png]

“He’s here…”

As soon as the words left Merin's lips, she vanished, dissolving into the fog as swiftly as she had appeared. Guhin's head whipped around. “Merin!” he shouted after her, but it was too late, she was already gone.

Guhin’s hands clenched into fists as his eyes darted between Fukujin and the sky above. “Answer me!” he demanded. Fukujin didn't respond, his black, feathered wings stretched wider, shielding Guhin from the infernal heat. His hollow gaze, fixed on the abyss below, now shifted upward as something clawed its way out of the void.

It rose from the depths, a monstrous construct that defied logic. Ruins, broken castles, and warped spires, melded together like some, godless cathedral. Guhin watched, stunned, as it climbed higher and higher.

And when it finally came to a halt. The air grew deathly still, the raging inferno that devoured the sky, snuffed out in an instant, leaving only darkness, that fell over the floating island of stone.

Guhin staggered back, his boots scraping against the stone. “What… what is that?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.

With a slow turn of his head, Fukujin's vizor of silver met Guhin’s. “It is the end,” he said, his voice resonating from everywhere at once. Low, distorted, final.

The world began to shift once more. The ashen clouds above churned violently, parting to reveal crimson eyes that bubbled and bursted like festering wounds, emerging from the very fabric of the sky.

Guhin’s body tensed as he stared up at them, their baleful light searing into his mind. His amulet, usually cool against his skin, began to burn. A snarl of pain escaped his teeth as his attention went back to Fukujin.

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Something was wrong.

Fukujin’s armor groaned, a deep, metallic wail that sent a chill through Guhin’s spine. Plates of tarnished silver seemed to warp and bend, straining under an invisible force. Guhin stepped back instinctively. “Fukujin?” he called out, but there was no response.

One by one, like an infection spreading throughout his body, crimson eyes began to appear on Fukujin, just like the ones from above, staring, unblinking, ...

“Fukujin!” Guhin shouted again.

Without warning, Fukujin lunged at Guhin, his wings snapping open as black feathers scattered into the air from the impact. The speed of the attack left Guhin no time to defend himself, but he didn’t need to.

From within him, two shadowy arms manifested like tendrils of living night. They shot forward, intercepting Fukujin’s strike in a violent clash that sent shockwaves through the stone beneath them.

The arms held firm, their clawed hands digging into Fukujin’s forearms.

Guhin froze, staring at the dark appendages that had burst forth from his own chest. “What...?” he breathed, his voice barely heard over the sound of grinding metal as the arms pushed back against Fukujin.

Guhin stumbled back, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched the dark limbs stretch out before him. The darkness that had birthed the arms fully manifested. It stepped out of Guhin himself, peeling away from his body as though it had always been a part of him, waiting for this moment.

As it stepped forward, a voice, rich with venom and confidence, rang out from its toothy maw. “Not this time,”

Fukujin let out a guttural roar, his wings twitched as he pushed harder against the darkness. Sparks flew as their clash intensified, the crimson eyes on Fukujin’s body blazing brighter.

Fighting back with all of its might, the darkness twisted its head toward Guhin, its glowing eyes narrowing into sharp slits. “Wake up, you fool!” It commanded.

"I can't hold them back any longer! You have to wake up, now!".

Before Guhin could react, the ground beneath him gave way. The floating stone cracked and splintered, and he felt himself falling. The clash between Fukujin and the darkness grew distant as he was pulled downward into the endless abyss. Yet, as he fell, all he could think about was... them?

High above, nestled between the spires of the construct, under the crimson madness in the heavens. Two, unblinking eyes bore down at him, glowing with a light that was neither flame nor star. They didn’t just look at him, they pierced him.

Guhin gasped, his body trembling as he felt the gaze follow him, even as he fell farther away. Whatever it was, it was watching him. The crimson glow of the eyes above vanished, replaced by an all-consuming blackness. And when he thought he couldn't fall any deeper...

He woke up.

Lightning tore across the sky, illuminating everything around him in sharp bursts of white light as he found himself lying in the middle of a thrashing storm. Rain lashed against his face, while the wind howled through the trees, rocking the branches back and forth.

Etro, Bokun’s massive steed, neighed wildly nearby, rearing up and slamming its hooves into the sodden earth. The beast’s movements were erratic, its eyes wide and wild as it tried to tell Guhin what was happening.

Guhin staggered to his knees, his fingers digging into the mud for balance. His breaths came in uneven gasps, his lungs burning as if he had been running for hours. Yet, none of it, not the rain, not the cold, nothing, could distract him from the images that still burned in his mind. Not even Etro’s cries could pull him from the nightmare replaying behind his eyes.

The horse’s hooves slammed down again, he glanced at it briefly, the sound of its neighs fading into the background. Etro was trying to warn him of something, something urgent, but Guhin ignored it. What was the darkness trying to hold back?

Lightning flashed again, and he caught his reflection in a shallow pool forming in the mud. His face was pale, his eyes, haunted. A shiver ran through him as he ran his tongue over his teeth, still expecting to taste the ash of that crumbling world.

Guhin's breathing slowed as he sat back on his heels. That thing inside him, the voice he had spent years silencing, had saved him, protected him. Not just a whisper in the back of his mind, eating away at his sanity. It acted as a guardian, as a shield.

His grip tightened on the amulet, his fingers digging into its worn frame. “Why?” he asked himself. His head lowered, rain streaming down his face, but the question hung in the air.

Has he been wrong all this time?

The memory of the creature's smile, its hideous maw, ready to sink its teeth into him at any chance it got. No, he couldn’t trust it. He wouldn’t. After all, it was just a dream. Ishu, Lira, Aryan, Merin—none of it was real.

He shook is head, drops of water falling down his hair. “It was just a dream,” he said, trying to convince himself. “Just a dream…”

But the unease wouldn’t leave him. It coiled in his stomach like a snake, tightening with every second of silence. For the first time, Guhin reached out willingly, his fingers curling around the edges of his amulet. He closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. Say something, he willed, reaching into the dark where the voice had always been.

“Anything,” he said, louder this time, desperation cracking his voice.

Nothing.

The emptiness it left was more unsettling than the voice had ever been.

He exhaled, his breath fogging from the cold. “Fine,” he spat, his voice laced with bitterness, letting the amulet fall back against his chest with a dull thud. “Coward." He said, a final, futile taunt.

Before he could make sense of it all, a distant sound pierced through the howling wind, the unmistakable clash of steel on steel, followed by a burst of harsh, mocking laughter.

Etro reared up again, its hooves slamming down with frantic force. The beast’s nostrils flared wide, steam rising from its breath as it snorted and tossed its head, trying to catch Guhin's attention.

“Bokun,”

His gaze turned skyward, to the swirling vortex above. The storm wasn’t natural, it wasn’t just a force of nature. He knew what was happening.

The hunters had returned. That damn idiot, I told him to run! he thought, a surge of both irritation and concern flooding through him.

Then, faint and fleeting, it came.

A melody.

Drifting through the storm like a whisper, it carried that same tone. The same song she had hummed in his dream, Merin's song. It came from the west, from Aryan, as though the land itself was calling to him.

The pull was overwhelming, his body angling toward it without thought. He had to go. He had to know... if they were still alive. If Ishu and Lira, were alive. If anyone was. It felt wrong to ignore it, wrong to wait.

The clashing of steel yanked him back to the present. He shook his head, forcing the melody from his thoughts. Not now. Not when Bokun was out there, fighting for their survival. This time, Guhin wouldn't let him face it alone.

GUHIN!