Zack's voice trembles, his body completely still. His spear falls from his hand, breaking the silence upon its impact.

"You stupid, stupid girl," Hearon whispers, downing one of his potions. I move to her other side, blood soaking into my armor. Her eyes flutter weakly as our healer tries his best to stop the bleeding. Zack stumbles to my side, falling to his knees, tears streaming down his face. His expression is unnerving. It's completely blank, even though his face is covered in tears.

"I cannot stop this," Hearon says, panic in his voice. His face goes red with strain as he tries in vain to use his gift, but it continues to gush. Both of them are shell-shocked. I'm the only one who can help her. I quickly take off my belt, shoving Hearon out of the way. Surprisingly, he gives immediately. There is no need to panic. I've done this tons of times.

"Hearon, lift her torse." He lies still, his gaze far away. Fuck. I glance at Zack and grip his arm with all my strength. His eyes snap to mine, "Prop her up now." he says nothing but helps me sit her up. I wrap my belt around her stump, pulling the belt as tight as I can. The blood starts to slow, and I pull harder, wrapping it multiple times around her shoulder. The blood stops, and some color returns to Azu's face. Good, at least she won't bleed out. I grab Zack's shirt, cut a piece of it off, and wrap it around the open wound. I wipe my brow and sit back. Hopefully, she'll be able to live until help comes. Thank god my time in the tower helped me save a life for once instead of taking one.

Zack traces a hand on her face, and she opens her eyes. Tears continue to stream as she smiles, "There you are."

"I'm sorry," Zack whispers.

I turn to Hearon. "Try to close her wound. Surely you can do that." He nods slowly, pulling another potion from his belt. He winces as a few veins on his face turn black, but otherwise, he looks fine.

Azu looks at me proudly, "See? I knew there was more to you than your ability to fight." I shake my head. I don't deserve her praise. After all, it was me who made her act. I stand, eyes on the door, Nebula in hand. "Hearon, you stay here and keep her alive. I'm going in."

I approach the doors, and Zack approaches me and hugs me. I freeze. Uh, what? I gingerly put a hand on his back, and he pushes back, hands on my shoulder, and looks me in the eye, "I can never repay you. I am forever in your debt."

I grin, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Then we're even."

He hesitates, then lights up, one of his rare genuine smiles decorating his face. "You aren't going alone." I nod. With a deep breath, I lean into the double doors and push, both giving rather easily.

The inside is sparse, with no pews or furniture decorating the space. Stain glass depicting the tower lines the walls, giving the entire room an ethereal look. At the far end, raised up by a small platform, stands Silo. No, John. He's looking at the wall at the very end, hands tracing the impressive sight—a depiction of the tower with hundreds of Runic letters filling the space inside.

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We approach, with Zack staying behind me but near enough to help. John does not face me as he speaks, his voice buttery and warm, just like Silo, "That was quite the display. Enough to bring a grown man to tears." He moves to the left end of the wall, a circle decorated with multiple layers of Runic, just like the right side, if it had not been destroyed, with nothing but a natural smooth circle remaining.

"John." I spit out, venom coating my voice.

He pauses, placing a hand on the center, "You remember? No, I still sense hesitation in that voice of yours." He turns to me, a smile tracing the fake's lips, "I suppose I have drug this out long enough. Maybe this will jog that feeble mind of yours."

He waves a hand over his face, and it starts to melt. I take a step back, bile rising in the back of my mouth. My brother's face melts away, his perfect skin replaced by a gray, raspy version. The thing's nose and lips disappear, leaving both teeth and nose cavity exposed, and its eyes shrink away, only red dots showing they even exist. I grip Nebula, memories flooding back. This creature, it tricked me. A keeper of the library it said it was. Harmless is what it said. Nothing but a seeker of knowledge. But when I and Silo gave it blood, it teleported us out and killed my family. It destroyed everything I knew. My mother. My brother. My home.

The rest of its body reveals itself. A sash covers one side, leaving the other exposed. Nothing but skin and bones to show off. Its sandels are made of reeds. John lets out a deep sigh, "Ah, how good it is to be back in my body. The boy Silo was truly a speicmen of a human. So much potential. Such a waste." His voice echos slightly, and every word is cold as ice.

Burn. He must die. My sword ignites, flames licking the blade. A sickening feeling rises in me—a tiny piece of my body telling me to run. But it's quickly drowned out by rage. Hate. A feeling so overwhelming it consumes everything. Bloodlust. I step towards the monster, the floor cracking. Hotter. My sword flickers blue. Hotter. Purple flares down the now blue blade. The temple shakes as I approach, each step sending shockwaves through the entire building, shattering the glass. More. MORE! My roaring blade becomes silent as the black blade becomes violet, blue sparks flying off the weapon. I cannot feel the heat, but the tip of my sword melts the floor, even though it does not touch the stone.

I stand in front of the monster. It is at least two feet taller than me, but I feel like I am looking down at it. "You. Will. Die." The ground cracks underneath us.

"My, my. Silen, you have grown." I raise my blade and will it down with every ounce of weight possible. Every fiber of my being is burning with my blade. Die.

A scream from the depths of my soul, from the depths of my pain, tears through my throat, and I swing the weapon down. An explosion envlopes me, Zack yelling nearby. But I hear nothing. Feel nothing. How can I? My enemy, the creature that has destroyed me to the core of my being, stands there, holding my burning sword in one hand.

"I must say, this is quite the weapon. One worthy to slay a god. But alas, it is null against me." I quiver in horror as a small black sphere floats to John's side—a black core. With a squeeze of his hand, Nebula shatters, and I fall to my knees, my sword falling in front of me, the sound of twinkling metal destroying all feeling from my body.