Lightning cracked overhead as Jin and Naelle clashed with the advancing horde. The corrupted creatures, now empowered by Aegis' presence, moved faster, their attacks more coordinated, as if driven by a single will.
Naelle spun through the chaos, her blade dancing like silver wind. Every strike was precise, every dodge razor-thin. Beside her, Jin moved with fluid grace, his strength unleashed in full. He no longer held back.
But even as the tide of battle slowly shifted, the weight in Jin's chest only grew heavier.
Aegis watched from a raised plateau formed by the warping earth, arms crossed, his eyes burning with that pale, eerie glow. He didn't move—yet the ground trembled beneath him as if the world itself feared his presence.
With one final slash, Jin cleaved through the last of the creatures closest to him. He turned toward the plateau, breathing heavily.
"Aegis!" Jin shouted. "Enough of this!"
Aegis didn't respond at first. Then, slowly, he raised his head.
"You fight well, Master," he said, his voice almost fond. "But you're still too late."
A swirling mass of dark energy began to form behind Aegis—massive, like a storm of shadows ripping open the sky. The rift widened unnaturally, distorting the very air around it.
Naelle's eyes widened. "What is that?!"
Jin narrowed his gaze. "That's not just a portal…"
"No," Aegis whispered, smiling darkly. "It's a door."
The earth cracked again. From the rift, a low hum began to echo, deep and unnatural—like a heartbeat from another realm. The air grew heavy with pressure, and the sky above dimmed, clouds spiraling toward the dark vortex.
"A door to what?" Naelle asked, backing up a step.
Aegis looked directly at Jin.
"To them."
Jin's blood turned cold. He knew what Aegis meant—beings that existed beyond the realm of mortal understanding. Creatures that even the old world had feared. Forbidden entities sealed away long ago.
"You're summoning the Elders," Jin said grimly.
Aegis nodded. "They showed me what lies beyond strength. Beyond death. They offered me what you never could—freedom from weakness."
Jin stepped forward. "Then you've become their puppet."
That made Aegis pause. "I chose this path. Because you were gone. Because no one else was strong enough to carry the burden."
The sky cracked open. A sliver of something monstrous stirred within the rift—a hand, impossibly large and grotesque, formed from shadows and twisted bone.
Naelle's voice trembled. "That's coming through?!"
Jin didn't hesitate. "We stop this now."
He broke into a sprint, Naelle right behind him. Aegis raised a single hand—and the air shattered like glass. Waves of force slammed toward them. Jin cut through the first, but the second wave struck, sending them tumbling across the rocky field.
Naelle hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop with a gasp.
Jin struggled to rise. His bones ached. His blade pulsed in his hand, almost as if warning him.
"You're not ready, Jin," Aegis said softly, stepping down from the plateau. "But they are coming. This world will fall. And when it does... you'll remember that I tried to prepare you."
He raised his arm toward the sky. The rift above pulsed violently.
"I'll see you again, Master. When the gates fully open."
A massive flash of light engulfed Aegis—and then, he was gone. The vortex above shrank in on itself, sealing temporarily with a thunderous shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet.
Silence returned to Valharen Ridge.
Jin coughed, slowly standing. Naelle sat nearby, eyes still wide with disbelief. Around them, the battlefield was littered with fallen monsters and wounded students, but the real wound was far deeper.
"He… called you Master," Naelle said quietly.
Jin didn't answer immediately. He looked up at the sky where the rift had closed.
"I used to be someone else," he said finally. "And that man… Aegis... was once one of mine."
Naelle's voice was barely a whisper. "What are you?"
Jin didn't turn to her. "I'm someone who has a lot to make right."