A SKY AND A SHADOW THAT LIGHTS UP.

The tall grass swayed in the wind and for an instant he deluded himself that it was all over. But the calm never lasts long here. Ikel dropped onto his back in the meadow, panting. Asimil remained standing, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The sky was too clear, too still. It felt like a painting, something artificial. An icy foreboding ran through him, the echo of a forgotten dream where a sky like this was shattered, revealing an infinite darkness behind.

— Can't you feel it? — Ikel asked. The rivals are plummeting, it's strange.

An unnatural squawk, like metal scratching glass, tore through the silence.

The herald raven, that creature of shadows and purple runes, materialized in the air above them, its motionless wings defying gravity. It opened its beak and a voice, which was the echo of a thousand souls, proclaimed with terrible solemnity:

[ The veil of shadows has fallen! No soul can hide anymore! Let the hunters see their prey! ] 

After his squawk, the sky itself seemed to become a star map of blood. Dozens of red, pulsating points of light appeared in the celestial vault, each marking the position of a surviving soul. And just above them, in the middle of an unsheltered clearing, one of those red stars shone with unmistakable intensity.

It was as if the entire universe had placed a bull's-eye over their heads.

— We have to move! — Ikel exclaimed.

They ran, trying to disappear into the bushes. They thought they had cheated the system. Until the ground began to shake. A gigantic stone golem emerged from the ground, its yellow eyes locked on him. Panic paralyzed him. It was too big. — Run! — he shouted, although his legs refused to move.

The golem raised its arm, but the shadow of its attack never came. A burst of light disintegrated it. Asimil coughed, and as the dust cleared, he saw her. It was Noelia, standing on a hill, her figure radiating a security that made him feel small.

She descended with that arrogance of hers that he found so suffocating. — It's a miracle you found a friend, Asimil. — she said with a crooked smile. — I thought you'd still be hiding.

Her words stuck in him. She raised her hand slowly, as if to caress his head. And for an instant, he didn't see condescension. He saw an echo of another gesture, of a caress in a dark cave, a silent promise... The illusion was shattered when he saw the mockery in her eyes.

At that instant, Ikel reacted. He held Noelia's wrist in the air.  — No — he said coldly. — Don't touch him. —

The atmosphere grew tense. Noelia arched an eyebrow in surprise before a dangerous smile peeked out. — How interesting... the little dog does know how to bark. —

With a sharp turn, she jerked her hand away, glaring at Ikel. — Tch...defending a coward like him...I thought you had better judgment. —

Her eyes bore into him again, and shame burned in his chest. His fists clenched. For the first time, he didn't want to be silent. — And what do you know about me? — he said. — You speak from above as if you were untouchable. What do you gain by humiliating me? —

— Why would it hurt me to humiliate you, if you're not even relevant? — She replied, — What's surprising is that you're still standing. I guess it takes time for garbage to decompose, too. —

— Do you know what the worst thing is? That I... when I first met you, I thought that behind that mask there was someone who... —

— Stop it! — She interrupted him. — Don't project your illusions on me. I am not your salvation. — She paused, and her voice dropped to a whisper almost to herself. — I wasted my time with you... —

A shiver ran through his body. And then, he saw him. The hooded man. It was him. And with his arrival, he felt the same unnatural heaviness as in the coliseum, as if reality was warping around him. The dread he felt wasn't just fear, it was... recognition.

— So you use an intimidation spell, Corvus, huh? — said Ikel, stepping up beside him, excited by the challenge. But before he could attack, with a single finger, the hooded man sent him flying through the air.

Who the hell was that? Asimil watched as he and Noelia turned away, ignoring him. He felt offended, invisible. Still, he pushed his luck.  — Answer me! — he shouted, his throat tearing. — What's going on? —

Noelia did not react.

— Look at me, damn it! — He reached out and touched her shoulder. His hands trembled. — Why are you ignoring me?! —

Finally, she spoke.

— He is my best friend, Saitras Thalru — she said with a calmness that destroyed him. — And we were sent to contain something you should not know about. Something that threatens to break through into this world.

His tone brooked no lies.

— Why... why are you looking at me like that? — he asked as he saw her eyes, now expressionless, turn to him.

— Because your presence is unbearable to me. You remind me too much... of my brother. —

The silence hit him harder than any punch. And in her eyes, he saw not only the pain of a lost family member, but the loss of all hope and the agony of a love that his soul mourned without his mind being able to remember it.

He wanted to ask, but his lips did not move.

Saitras extended his hand. Noelia took it without hesitation. A glow enveloped them and they disappeared.

He was left completely alone, with Ikel gone and the weight of a truth that was far greater and more painful than he could ever have imagined.