———Domnik———

I step back into the labyrinth, the cold air wrapping around me like an unseen hand. A shiver crawls down my spine, a primal instinct telling me something's wrong.

I turn quickly, and there he is—Hail, standing in the shadows of the stone walls, his figure tall and foreboding. His eyes gleam with a cold fury, and in his hand, he draws his icy blade that gleams like a shard of frozen moonlight. The air around him crackles, and the temperature drops, biting at my skin.

"What... what are you doing here?" I ask, my voice steady, though the unease surging through me is impossible to ignore.

Hail's lips curl into a sneer beneath his mask as he strides toward me, his footsteps purposeful, unrelenting. "I'm here for you, Domnik!" His voice rings with a chilling conviction, the weight of his words settling in my chest like a stone.

"You... I did what you wanted. You helped us. You saved us from Muthos." I take a step back, my hand instinctively resting on the hilt of my sword. There's no doubt in my mind that he's here to finish what he started.

His eyes narrow, his voice cutting through the air with a biting edge. "Wrong. I saved him, Red. Something I wouldn't have had to do if you hadn't led Muthos there in the first place. And now the Empress is dead!"

The words hit me like a physical blow, the weight of betrayal sinking in. Hail is no ally, no savior. He's been playing his own game all along.

Before I can react, he swings his blade—swift and vicious—cutting through the air toward me. I draw my sword in a heartbeat, meeting his strike just inches from my face, the clang of metal against ice ringing out in the silence of the labyrinth. Sparks fly from the impact, the force of the blow vibrating up my arm.

His eyes burn with cold fury as we stand locked in the moment, the weight of his anger pressing down on me like a storm ready to break.

I grit my teeth, my muscles straining against the force of Hail's strike. His blade is sharp, almost too sharp, and I feel the chill of it seeping through my own steel. We've fallen from any semblance of peace.

"You think this is what I wanted?" I growl, pushing back against him, but he doesn't budge. His stance is firm, as cold and unyielding as his eyes.

Hail sneers, twisting his blade as he presses harder against mine. "I think you've always been too soft. You let Muthos in. You let the Empress fall." His voice cracks like ice, his anger cutting deeper than his blade. "You let them all die. And now, you'll answer for it."

I pull back, barely dodging as Hail swings his sword in a wide arc, the air around it freezing. The temperature in the labyrinth drops further, frost creeping along the stone walls. I can feel the sting of cold in my bones, but I won't let him see my hesitation.

"You're wrong," I hiss, circling him. "I didn't let anyone die. Muthos was always going to come for us. I never wanted this—none of us did."

But Hail only laughs, the sound harsh and bitter. "It doesn't matter what you wanted, Domnik. Your mistakes are final. And now, you'll pay the price, you filthy Daem."

He lunges again, his blade aimed straight for my chest. I twist sideways, narrowly dodging the tip as it passes by me, the cold air it leaves biting my skin. I parry, the force of his strike pushing me back several paces. My feet slip slightly on the slick stone floor, but I steady myself, knowing I can't afford to let my guard down—not even for a second.

"You're making a mistake, Hail," I say, my voice low but steady. "If you want to kill me, you'll have to do better than that."

His eyes narrow, his expression a mask of pure venom. "Oh, I plan to."

In a blur of movement, he swings his sword again, but this time I'm ready. I sidestep, and with a sharp twist of my wrist, I knock his blade aside. The momentum carries me forward, and I drive my sword toward him, aiming for his shoulder.

He's fast—faster than I anticipated. He manages to twist just in time, and my blade grazes his armor instead of slicing through his flesh. He grunts, spinning away to regain his footing, but his icy glare never leaves my face.

"I never wanted to get wrapped up in this shit, Domnik," he sneers. "But you and your mother just had to pull me into it!"

I take a deep breath, steadying myself as I watch him. The fury in his eyes is palpable, and I know he won't stop until one of us is dead. But as much as I want to end this—end him—I know I have to keep my head.

"You think this is about me?" I say, taking another step back. "Hail, you don't understand. This is bigger than both of us."

For the first time, there's a flicker of doubt in his eyes, but it's gone in a second, replaced by his cold determination. "No, Domnik. You don't understand. I'm the one who gets to decide what happens next."

The tension in the air is thick, and I know it's only a matter of time before one of us makes a mistake.

The clang of our blades resounds through the labyrinth, each strike echoing louder than the last. Hail's movements are precise, each swing an extension of his fury, but there's something in his eyes now—something flickering beneath the ice. I can almost see the hesitation, a crack in the unyielding wall he's built around himself.

But it doesn't matter. He won't let it show, not yet.

I keep my stance low, my sword steady in my hand, waiting for my moment. His blade swings again, a blur of cold ice cutting through the air. I parry it just in time, the shock reverberating up my arm, but I can feel my strength waning. The cold is creeping into my bones, the weight of the battle settling in.

I can't keep this up forever.

"Why are you doing this?" I demand, locking eyes with him. "I got through to you that night in the alley. Why turn on me again?"

Hail's face twists in anger. "Your mother, she took everything from me. You couldn't see it, but I always knew this would end in blood. You're my way to her, she took my family and now I'm going to take hers."

His words sting more than his sword ever could. I step back, the weight of his betrayal sinking in, but I can't afford to let it distract me. If I let my guard down for even a moment, this fight will be over.

"But why me? Why not go straight to her? I had nothing to do with her taking your family from you," I snap, desperation creeping into my voice. "I had nothing to do with Mia's death!"

"Don't you dare say her name!" He lunges again, his sword aimed straight for my throat. This time, I don't hesitate. I twist sideways, narrowly dodging his strike, and in one swift movement, I counter, driving my blade toward his side.

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The tip of my sword sinks into his armor, the force of it sending a jolt through my arm. Hail staggers back, a grunt of pain escaping his lips as he clutches his side. The blood, dark and thick, drips from the wound, but his fury doesn't fade. If anything, it intensifies.

"You think this will stop me?" he growls, his voice low and guttural.

I don't answer. Instead, I raise my blade, prepared for whatever he throws at me next.

Hail snarls, pulling back to regroup. The air is thick with tension, crackling with the weight of everything we've both lost. His eyes are wild now, filled with rage and something darker—something desperate.

He charges again, faster this time, but I'm ready. I meet his blade head-on, the clash sending sparks flying as the cold ice meets the heat of my resolve. For a moment, I'm caught in a whirlwind of fury and rage, neither of us giving an inch.

Then, with a sharp twist of my wrist, I disarm him. My blade shattering through his, the harsh sound of the shattered pieces of ice landing on the stone floor. He stumbles back, his eyes wide with disbelief, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

I don't move, keeping my sword trained on him. He's vulnerable now—his weapon gone, his arrogance shattered—but I can see the fight still burning in him. I can feel it in the way he stands, his posture stiff, ready to pounce.

"You could stop this," I say quietly, my voice almost pleading. "This doesn't have to end in death, Hail."

For a long moment, he doesn't speak. His chest rises and falls, his eyes locked on mine, searching for something—anything—to justify his anger. But all I see is the emptiness, the hollow space where his humanity used to be.

And then, without warning, he charges again. But this time, it's not with the intent to fight—it's with the intent to die.

I don't have time to process it. My instincts take over as I step aside, letting him charge past me. But as he stumbles forward, I see the finality in his eyes—the last vestiges of the man he used to be gone.

I raise my sword, but it's too late.

His hilt stabs my chest and I feel a million blades tear through my body. My sword drops from my hands as I look down to see his blade in my chest. The pieces of ice that were on the floor, now reassembled into the blade in my chest.

He pulls it from my body and I collapse to the ground, my body crumpling out of my control, my blood staining the stone beneath me. My blade lies discarded beside me, forgotten.

He stands there for a long moment, his breath ragged in the silence that follows. The labyrinth is deathly still, the weight of what's just happened settling over me.

My cling to what I can, gasping. Reaching for whatever sliver of life I still have but it's no use, I'm slipping.

"You filthy fucking Daem." He mutters.

I take in what seems to be my last breath and then I let go.

———Red———

We soar through the portal, a cascade of swirling colors wrapping around us like a living ribbon of light. It feels different—strangely serene, as though this passage isn't twisting and reshaping my body like the void portals usually do. Instead, it feels smooth, like gliding through a glass tube.

All around me, millions of stars stretch endlessly in every direction, glimmering like distant memories. When I look ahead, my breath catches. Two massive vortexes dominate the horizon—a black void and a blinding white spiral, locked in an eternal struggle. Their swirling edges clash violently, spilling radiant matter in streaks of energy that stretch across the cosmos. The sight is both mesmerizing and deeply unsettling.

Then, in an instant, the ride ends. I'm hurled to the ground, landing hard on polished metal. The air feels different, the gravity subtly unfamiliar. I push myself up and glance around. We're somewhere new, but it's not Naurus—I can feel it in my bones.

The room is enclosed by seamless glass walls, offering a view of a vast, sterile environment. The portal frame still hums behind us, its energy spinning with a faint, otherworldly rhythm.

Alyse stands by one of the glass panes, her breath fogging the surface as she stares out in awe. Suddenly, her face lights up, and she begins jumping with excitement.

"Kylen?" she exclaims, her voice trembling with hope.

I follow her gaze and freeze. On the other side of the glass, Kylen stands, alive and whole, surrounded by people in pristine white coats. Their faces are etched with a mixture of awe and caution as they stare at us like we're specimens under a microscope.

Kylen's smile breaks the tension, wide and genuine. "Alyse? Red?" His voice comes through faintly, distorted like sound traveling underwater.

He steps toward a door in the corner, his hand reaching for the handle. Alyse bolts to the other side, practically vibrating with anticipation as she waits for him to open it.

But before the door moves, a loud bang reverberates through the room. I whirl around, my heart stopping. Draco lies on the floor, his golden armor cracked, his breaths shallow and labored.

"Draco?" I cry, rushing to his side. I kneel, panic clawing at my chest as I take in his battered state. "Are you okay? Please, hold on!"

Draco's eyes flutter open, dull and unfocused, but a faint smile crosses his lips. "Red..." he rasps. "I always wanted to meet you. But... there was so much I had to do. My brothers and sisters... they needed me."

His voice wavers, and tears sting my eyes. "Don't talk like this. We can help you. Alyse!" I look to her desperately, but her expression is already filled with sorrow.

"There's nothing we can do," she says softly, her voice breaking.

I turn back to Draco, refusing to accept it. He lifts a trembling hand, revealing a thin, metallic bracelet nestled in his palm.

"Take this," he whispers.

As I reach out, the bracelet reacts on its own. It springs from his hand, snaking through the air before latching onto my left ankle. The metal feels cool against my skin, then goes silent, as though it's waiting.

"This is up to you now my Phoenix," Draco says, his voice growing weaker. His eyes lose their luster, fading into a pale, empty gray. His head slumps forward, and his body shudders.

"No," I whisper, my voice cracking. "No, no, no. Stay with me!"

Draco's body begins to glow, his form trembling as though it's unraveling from within. He collapses inward, shrinking until all that's left is a radiant orb of light. The glow intensifies, brighter and brighter, until I have to shield my eyes.

Then, with a surge of heat, the light slams into my chest. My entire body convulses as energy courses through me, searing into my very core. My heart feels like it's burning, but not in pain—it's something deeper, something transforming.

"Draco, I—" I start to speak, but the words die in my throat. A sudden, visceral pain erupts in my chest.

I gasp, clawing at the source of the agony, but there's nothing there—no blood, no wound. Yet I feel it, sharp and unrelenting, as if a blade is being driven into my heart.

I choke, my breath catching as my lungs fill with phantom pain. It's not mine.

It's Domnik.

He's dying.

"No!" I rage out.

———Alyse———

I watch as Red rises into the air, his feet just leaving the ground. The air around him distorts, waves of unbearable heat radiating from his body. His eyes burn—not just with fire, but with raw, unfiltered rage.

Panic grips me, and I whip around to the door. Kylen is standing on the other side of the glass, his face pale, his expression a mirror of my own terror.

"Open the door! Kylen, open it now!" I scream, desperation clawing at my voice.

Without hesitation, Kylen lunges forward, yanking the door open. He grabs my arm, pulling me into the adjoining room before slamming it shut behind us. The door seals with a mechanical hiss.

"Will the containment hold?" a woman beside him asks, her voice strained.

Kylen glances at her, his jaw tight. "I don't know, Claire. But I'll reinforce it, just in case."

My legs are shaking, my breaths uneven as I cling to the doorframe. "What's happening, Kylen? What's going on with him?"

Kylen doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he raises his hands, palms outward, as an ethereal white glow begins to swirl between them. "I don't know," he says finally, his tone grim. "But I'll do everything I can to keep it contained."

The glow stretches and snakes out toward the glass room, wrapping it in a shimmering force field. Its edges ripple like thin paper, giving the fragile appearance of something that shouldn't hold.

Inside, Red's power spirals inward, compressing around him like a collapsing star. His scream reverberates through the walls, a sound filled with rage, despair, and something deeper—something broken. Then, with a thunderous crack, his flames explode outward with his scream of rage.

The fire consumes the room, roaring in every direction. It licks at the walls, leaving fissures spidering through the glass. The stone floor beneath him glows, melting and warping from the sheer heat. The portal frame groans under the onslaught, fractures splitting its intricate design as Red's power surges.

It isn't just fire—it's alive, like a blazing red phoenix, rising and burning everything in its path.

The flames crash through the walls and into Kylen's barrier, a violent collision of forces. Kylen staggers, his teeth gritted as the force field buckles under the pressure. Claire moves to steady him, but he doesn't falter. Somehow, the barrier holds.

Then, as abruptly as it began, the inferno stops.

The room falls silent. The air is thick with smoke and heat waves, but the fire is gone.

Through the haze, I see Red, now sitting on the scorched floor. His shoulders shake, his head bowed. Quiet sobs escape him as he stares at the portal frame, now shattered and lifeless.

"Red..." I whisper.