The night was unnaturally still.
Serian and Kira had left the Hollow far behind, trekking through the frost-bitten woods toward a forgotten ruin said to hold memories older than even the gods.
> "Are you sure this place exists?" Kira asked, eyes scanning the shadows.
> "I'm not sure of anything," Serian admitted. "Except that someone… or something… wants me to find it."
---
The Silent Sanctuary
They found it at dawn.
A temple, buried under roots and snow. Cracked statues of winged warriors lined the path. Words long erased whispered from the stones as they stepped inside.
Kira shivered.
> "This place feels… alive."
Serian knelt at the center, where a broken sigil pulsed faintly.
As he touched it, his vision was torn away—
---
A Vision from Another Life
Flashes.
A battlefield soaked in blood.
The Hero and the Demon God standing back to back. Enemies—yet strangely… synchronized.
A massive blade came down—
Too strong. Too fast.
They died.
Together.
And their souls—
Twisted.
Fused.
Serian gasped, falling back, eyes wide.
> "I saw them…"
> "Who?" Kira asked.
> "Me. And… me."
---
Elsewhere: The Demon Lord Dreams
In the Black Citadel, the Demon Lord jolted awake.
Sweat poured down his neck. The same vision burned in his mind.
> "What is this… feeling?"
He looked at his reflection.
For a moment—he didn't see the Demon Lord.
He saw a boy.
Lost.
Afraid.
Curious.
> "Who am I really?"
---
The Third Arrives
Back in the Sacred Lands, cloaked in divine aura, the Third Clone stepped through a cathedral of flame.
Her blade hissed as it left its sheath.
> "Target Alpha: Serian.
Target Beta: Demon Lord.
Mission: Terminate."
But as she moved through the fire, one ember clung to her skin—an ancient flame tied to the original soul.
For a second…
She hesitated.
And that was the first crack.
---