(Land of Sovereignty)

The air cracked and screamed as the ritual spiraled into chaos. Black and red energy erupted from the massive sigils burned into the stone, a tempest of violent magic tearing through the air, consuming all in its path. The clerics, their robes once symbols of purity and devotion, lay in heaps around the grand ritual circle, their lifeless bodies bleeding dark ichor from their hollowed eyes. The force of the ritual was so overwhelming that it was obliterating the remaining clerics who stood too close, their screams drowned by the unholy roar of the spell.

At the center of it all, standing before the swirling abyss of black and red light, was Sugred. He held Xyenn before him like a human shield, his fingers digging into his captive’s shoulder. The vortex of power surrounding them cut into his own flesh, lacerating his arms and face, but he paid no mind to the wounds. His smile was wide, gleaming, almost euphoric.

Samuel and Yuuna stood just a few feet away, desperately trying to find an opening. They could feel the ritual's power cutting through them—thin, searing slashes appearing along Samuel’s arms and face as the sheer velocity of energy scraped against his skin. But Yuuna… she was untouched. The darkness coiled and swirled around her like a living force, but it refused to touch her. And Xyenn—despite being in the heart of the storm—remained entirely unaffected, like an untouchable relic within the calamity.

Samuel clenched his fists, pushing through the stinging pain, his voice rising above the deafening wind.

"Sugred, stop this!" he shouted, stepping forward. "You know what you're doing—you know this isn’t what we fought for! I didn’t evert want to just open Hell up to create our dream, there was always another way to create the Holyland!”

Sugred turned his head, and for the briefest moment, his expression softened. He looked at Samuel as if he had just seen an old friend after years apart. The chaos around them, the shrieking void, the dying clerics—it all seemed to disappear in Sugred’s mind as he smiled, nostalgic and bright-eyed.

"Samuel…" Sugred exhaled, almost laughing. "You’re really here. It’s been so long."

“Sugred…what happened to you?!”

“King Samuel…king of an entire continent of light, and entire realm of light..a revered king with many accomplishments and victories under his crown..” He took a slow breath, as if savoring the moment, before his fingers tightened around Xyenn.

"The Holyland is coming," he said with an eerie sense of peace. "It’s finally in my grasp. It’s too late to stop it now."

Yuuna’s breath hitched as she locked eyes with Xyenn. The chaos around them was deafening, but she called his name anyway.

"Xyenn…”

He didn’t respond. His expression was unreadable—calm, yet distant—as Sugred held him in place.

Xyenn thought, ‘This bastard…is crazy..of course I lost. I’m nowhere near his level of power. Was it stupid of me to even try to fight? Knowing I could’ve been done for? I’ve grown a backbone, I know. I didn’t want him pushing me around anymore. But this…’

But Xyenn felt slightly relieved. Seeing Yuuna complete her mission, grabbing King Samuel. He was genuinely proud of her, though it didn’t overpower the anxiety upon him as of this moment, it gave him a slight nudge. Their plan kinda worked.

Yuuna said to Sugred, “You idiot! You didn’t have anyone tell you once Hell opens, nothing but monstrosities would crawl through. Or worse, a demon Monarch.

Sugred replied, “Silence, devil! You reigned in evil and darkness for years! Avoiding your death sentence! You were aiming to create a land of Hell already. You can’t tell me how I create the vision, the Holy Land. Even if a few demons come across, they’ll vanish once I conquer Hell!”

“I wasn’t trying to create anything! I was trying to survive! The power the dragon gods used to overpower Gabriel and the All Mother…would surely take me down! I did what I had to do, I was alone here.”

“I was alone for a time. After Samuel was sealed by that woman, I had to take his place as king. And people hated me. I wasn’t Samuel at all, I didn’t have what we had! Confidence, bravery, nothing. Until I earned it myself. Samuel was hated as a kid, until he proved himself to the kingdom and its people. But I stayed with the victim mindset! It’s my fault..for it. I ended up becoming more ruthless than Samuel, not brave. There’s a difference. Lancelot wouldn’t guide me, he would listen to the people of the kingdom more than me. I ended up hating myself, wishing I never became Lancelot’s vessel! Just because I wasn’t…him!! I wasn’t Lancelot! It took the people more than 100 years to warm up to me, it took Samuel a few days!”

Samuel, looking at Sugred with compassion, “I..I’m sorry..why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“How could I tell you that I wanted to be you? I regretted being your friend, I regretted having power. I wanted to fuck off! But I had a responsibility, to achieve me and your dream. I still respect you, Samuel. I always will. I wanted to conquer Hell, then use Yuuna to unseal you, so you can see that I did it. I thought maybe if I did what we dreamed of doing, I wouldn’t hate myself as much. I thought I would end up being like you.”

“You were different..I know. And weird. Yog weren’t good at magic that well, you had a weak body compared to everyone else, and your parents always made you do everything, and you strayed so far to the point where you were creating stick figures and making them your friends. That’s why I came to you to be my friend. Both of us..seen differently by society, you were the only one I could be friends with. But Sugred, there’s gotta be another way to close this portal.. we can gain the Holy Land another way!”

“No! It has to be done! And I already mentioned it’s too late—!”

Then—

A detonation.

The ritual exploded outward like a collapsing star, the entire city quaking under the force. The sheer shockwave sent Samuel and Yuuna staggering back, stone and debris spiraling through the air. In the center of it all, Sugred moved in an instant, a blur of speed, dragging Xyenn with him—straight toward the portal that had ripped open beneath them.

It was a fracture in reality, a gateway into Hell itself, and it would only remain open for one second.

Sugred only needed one second.

‘This is it!’

Sugred vanished in speed, teleporting—But in that instant—before he could vanish into the abyss—

Something pierced through them.

A hand.

No—something worse than a hand.

It was long, jagged, a mix of black, red, brown, and grey, and covered in black thorns, and an aura of pulsing, malevolent energy. It moved at light speed, faster than thought, faster than Sugred himself. Literally stopping Sugred mid-teleportation. In the space of a heartbeat, it had already run through both Sugred and Xyenn at the same time—its wicked talons impaling them both with terrifying precision.

Sugred’s breath hitched. He hadn’t even seen it move.

Xyenn and Sugred both exclaimed, “AGHH!”

The portal beneath them blinked out of existence, its brief lifespan spent.

And then—another explosion.

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Darkness and crimson fire erupted from the impact point, blasting outward in a shockwave of sheer unnatural power. Yuuna’s voice cut through the chaos—

"Xyenn!"

The sky shifted, the explosion blasting everyone away, they were followed by the crimson fire; the air rippled violently in the atmosphere, just the sheer force of it made the ground crack before the heat even reached that area.

A ripple passed through the heavens, spreading like a sickness, a curse upon the fabric of reality itself. The once-clear sky darkened into black and crimson, tendrils of smoke slithering upward like the breath of something ancient awakening. And then—the sky cracked.

Red runes spiraled into existence, ancient, unholy sigils forming in twisting, violent patterns across the heavens. And then—the eyes appeared.

Massive, spiraling red eyes, countless in number, slowly revealing themselves through the veil of twisting clouds. Some were enormous, stretching across the sky like gods watching from beyond the void, their pupils shifting, focusing. Others were small, writhing, moving, blinking, watching.

Samuel and Yuuna staggered to their feet, their bodies aching, their lungs screeching from the force of the explosion.

Samuel said, “Tch! Something got to them!”

Yuuna ignored him, yelling out and running forward, “Xyenn! Xyen…fucking answer me—!”

And then they saw it.

A demon—no, something worse than a demon—hovering in the air before them.

It was twisted, grotesque, incomprehensible, yet terrifyingly deliberate in its form. Its body was skinny, his skin was a mix of black, red, and grey, writhing as if it were shifting between states of reality. Its body was covered in countless mouths, some whispering, some grinning, some shrieking silently as they breathed in the cursed air.

And its eyes—its cursed, horrific eyes—were unlike anything mortal. Each eye had large curling red horns growing from within the pupils, spiraling outward like unnatural crowns. They twisted and pulsed, the horns seeming to grow, move, and change as the demon watched them all.

“Ahhhh…ahhh..”

But what stood out the most was its hand—the very same sharp, monstrous hand that had already pierced through both Sugred and Xyenn.

Yuuna snarled in anger, a dark aura covering her body, her teeth getting sharper and sharper: “Xlemmeth….Xlemmeth!!”

“….I’m sorry, did I pierce your human? Oh I’m sorry, your Jotyin?” Xlemmeth tilted his head, the mouths on his body snickering like annoying children.

Samuel stepped forward, “It’s been years…Xlemmeth…I’m glad we’re able to meet again like this. So I can kill you for good this time!”

“You had a woman come fight your battles for you, a woman who’s weird magic surpasses a dragon god's magic! She’s interesting! If only her soul wouldn’t move all over the place and materialize, the First Monarch wouldn’t have had Death try and claim her soul.”

Yuuna thought, ‘My father..forced my mother to have me..but he didn’t know the full extent of her magic? How is she able to escape Death's purgatory? Now that the First Monarch knows Death couldn’t hold my mother..he wants her back?!’

Samuel’s breath came sharp and ragged. But then—his expression steeled. He took a slow step forward, raising a trembling hand.

“Enough talking!”

And he chanted.

"I summon you…"

His voice was deep, controlled, powerful, even as the weight of reality threatened to crush them all.

"..Kota!”

Yuuna gasped.

The ground shook.

And then—light erupted from the stone, radiant and divine, as something formed.

Kota emerged.

Her form was made of glimmering, astral light, like the stars had gathered and coalesced into something divine. She floated effortlessly beside Samuel, her ethereal form glowing, her presence alone pushing back against the darkness.

And then—power surged.

Samuel’s body burned with divine light, golden and fierce, radiating outward like a holy beacon.

“Let’s finish this..Kota.”

And Kota’s astral magic ignited, swirling around her like a cosmic storm, her form expanding, pulsing with raw, otherworldly energy. She didn’t speak.

One at a time, they powered up.

Yuuna said, “Mom..”

‘She’s actually here…and I’m gonna fight with her…I really am…but I don't feel like she’s physically here..like this is some projection of her. Still..it’s comforting. But Xyenn…I need an opening to grab him and get him to safety!’

The air was thick with the scent of burning stone and blood as the sky twisted above them, runes pulsating in ominous patterns. The spiraling red eyes in the heavens flickered, their enormous pupils shifting as if waiting for something even greater to unfold.

Xlemmeth, floating in the air like an unholy king of the damned, moved with eerie precision. With a single flick of his jagged hand to the left, an unseen force sent Xyenn and Sugred hurtling across the ruined ground. Their bodies crashed against the broken stone, rolling violently before coming to a stop.

Sugred groaned as he clutched his stomach—something was spreading inside him. Dark vines of energy, thorns laced with crimson roses, began to grow from the wound in his abdomen, curling and twisting like a parasitic infection devouring him from the inside. The roses bloomed, their petals drenched in blackened blood, their stems burrowing deeper beneath his flesh.

“Dammit…no, no, no, no, no, no!! I need..to gain the Holy Land!”

But Xyenn… he remained untouched. Whatever unholy affliction was consuming Sugred had no effect on him. Xyenn was already trying to sit up, saying to Sugred, “Told you, dumbass!”

Xyenn looked down at his wound, seeing the hole was bloodier than he thought, thinking, ‘Shit! I won’t be able to fight like this..not with this wound..the only thing that would help me..is to merge with Yuuna! My wound would heal itself during the transformation…’

Xyenn continued to think, seeing Yuuna watching him. ‘I would used to feel embarrassed at this. Being on the ground looking weak, but I don’t feel embarrassed..or weak. Only the opposite..why? Is it because I’ve actually gotten stronger? Because I know that blow would’ve taken me down if not for me trying to make myself better physically…mentally..every damn thing. The Jotyin power in me makes me stronger with every encounter and every training. But so what if I’m a Jotyin, I’m still me at the end of day. I feel open…more aware. More focused..like the mission is praying for me to grab success. Shit, that sounded corny in my head, trying to sound all philosophical. I don’t feel left out, I can fight with them!’

Yuuna saw Xyenn was barely okay, and she moved before she even realized it, her heart hammering as she tried to reach Xyenn—

And then the voice came.

"Don’t move… daughter."

She froze.

It wasn’t Xlemmeth’s voice anymore. It was deeper, colder, yet all too familiar. It sank into her bones, a voice she hadn’t heard in so long yet could never forget.

Her breath hitched in her throat. That voice… That voice.

Her father.

The First Monarch.

Her feet refused to take another step. Fear clawed its way into her chest as she stood frozen in place, the ritual’s energy screaming around them.

The space around Xlemmeth pulsed. Black, glowing effigies hovered in the air behind him, their forms shifting and writhing like living shadows. From each of them, red strings pulsed with dark magic, stretching outward and latching onto his wrists and ankles. The strings pulsed, controlling him, as if the First Monarch himself were puppeteering the demon’s body.

Yuuna’s lips barely moved.

‘Father…’ Yuuna thought to herself, planning not to reply to anything.

Xlemmeth—no, the First Monarch speaking through him—tilted his head, his voice oozing with something both sinister and fond.

"I have missed you, my beloved daughter…"

Xyenn said, “Tch! Don’t listen to him, Yuuna!”

The words from the First Monarch dripped with twisted affection, the deep rumbling echo of his voice reverberating through the battlefield. "How I have longed to see you again. And how I have longed to grasp you and your wretched vessel."

Yuuna’s fingers trembled, her breathing shallow.

Xlemmeth’s grotesque form shifted slightly, his spiraling eyes narrowing. "And you, Samuel… look how much you’ve grown since the last battle. The last time we fought, you and your precious Kota were weak—-unrefined, foolish, helpless against Xlemmeth. Wait, did you even grow at all? Being sealed in stone for hundreds of years?”

His many mouths curled into wide, jagged grins. "But tell me… where is your cowardly god now?"

Samuel’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak.

Xlemmeth laughed, dark and guttural. "Ah, I see. Lancelot hides, does he not? The great Dragon God of Light refuses to face me, even though we are in his own realm. He cowers in the shadows while you fight his battles for him. Pathetic."

The pulsating red strings tightened around Xlemmeth’s limbs as the First Monarch’s voice seeped through him once more. "Ever since Xlemmeth corrupted the Ohnupilath Tree all those years ago, Xlemmeth has waited for my rightful rematch. And now, at last… it is here."

Yuuna’s hands balled into fists. Her thoughts rambling in her head, ‘He been trying to come back this whole time…Xlemmeth..’

The realization hit her like a stone to the chest.

Samuel stepped forward, eyes burning with determination.

"I don’t care what you’ve done to the tree," he said. "I will cleanse it and stop you. I was weak before, I admit it. I thought I could fight you alone, the blessings from my kingdom and people, the way they saw me as a hero, gave me the arrogance and pride I didn’t want but I loved to have…but I’m not alone anymore."

A sinister chuckle rumbled from Xlemmeth’s many throats. "Oh, I am well aware, Samuel. Do you know who else wishes to join this battle?"

The air around them grew colder.

"Death himself."

Samuel’s breath caught in his chest.

"The Lord of the End desires victory over your boy, Xyenn. He has already inhabited another Jotyin—the one they call King Haldrek. How magnificent would it be, I wonder, to have Jotyins such as Xyenn, Haldrek, and yourself among my hellish ranks? You are all such fine specimens. I really hope..Haldrek dies.”

Xyenn heard this, thinking, ‘Lord Of the End? Why is the First Monarch giving Death a nickname?”

His countless mouths grinned wider. "And I plan on claiming the others as well. Along with the elder dragon Gods, they just need to die, then they’re mine.”

A sharp, ragged breath tore from behind them.

"Don’t… ignore me!"

It was Sugred; he fully stood to his feet, blood and dust falling off of his body.

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, his body trembling but burning with power. White light flared around him, searing away the dark roses twisting around his stomach. His head lifted, and the third eye in the middle of his forehead gleamed with terrifying intensity.

The First Monarch’s voice faded, his last words lingering like a ghost, as he said to Xlemmeth’s body:

"Reclaim your victory, son."

Xlemmeth’s body twitched, and then his true voice returned—a deep, guttural growl laced with amusement.

"This is gonna be fun…"

Sugred exploded forward, light flaring in a violent burst as he lunged at Xlemmeth. The moment his hands moved, brutal eruptions of radiant energy detonated inside Xlemmeth’s body, each one bursting like miniature suns within his grotesque form.

But Xlemmeth barely flinched.

He dashed toward Sugred with terrifying speed, black clouds of darkness trailing behind him. His body pulsed, spiraling red eyes forming within the shifting dark void of his flesh.

Then, his hands—dozens of jagged, nightmarish hands formed of black mist, each embedded with a single, spiraling red eye—pointed at Sugred all at once.

Sugred’s body convulsed violently.

A brutal explosion of black light ignited inside him. His muscles seized, his ribs cracked, and a sickening noise escaped his throat as he collapsed to his knees, coughing out thick, black blood.

‘His power..he can convert anyone’s magic and make it dark..and he can send it back to the one who cast it?!’ Sugred thought with anxious panic. ‘As long as we can keep him from pointing at us!’

Xlemmeth loomed over him, shadows curling at his feet like living tendrils.

Sugred gritted his teeth, his hands trembling—then, in a flash, he pressed a glowing rune of light against Xlemmeth’s chest.

The explosion was instantaneous.

A devastating shockwave split the battlefield apart, sending torrents of debris and energy rocketing in all directions. The sheer force of the impact tore the ground asunder, fissures ripping through the earth as if a god had struck the land itself. Xlemmeth was blasted backward, the force hurling him away in a spiraling arc.

Samuel wasted no time.

He darted forward, Kota blazing beside him, their combined energy roaring to life.

Sugred launched after Xlemmeth, his light magic in his veins blindingly bright, streaking toward his enemy like a vengeful comet.

The battle erupted in an explosion of magic and destruction.

Meanwhile, Yuuna ran to Xyenn’s side, her hands trembling as she reached for him.

She kneeled down to him, grabbing his face, saying, “Darling! Are you alive?! Darling?!”

Xyenn smirked, “Obviously!”

“HUH?! No need to be mean!”

“I’m okay, Yuuna.”

“I’m glad…you've gotten stronger, darling.”

“You did too. Not answering your fathers voice, who knows what he could’ve done.”

Yuuna smiled, saying with chaotic energy, “Exactly! What if that was it?! Like he could make me kill all of you?! I’m so smart. Tell me I’m smart.”

“Ugh. You are!”

Yuuna kissed Xyenn on the cheek, and Xyenn cheeks flushed red, saying, “Merge with me, Yuuna!”

“With pleasure, darling.”

‘Seeing Xyenn smile in an environment like this, knowing he could die to Xlemmeth..makes me smile as well. He’s really not scared anymore…’