Chapter 34 : inferno

I blink, gasping.
Snow crunches beneath me as I sit up, frost clinging to my lashes. The sky above is a flat, bruised gray, and silence stretches in all directions — the kind of silence that feels like it's listening.
We're no longer in Paradise.
I then remembered the fight and...Mira.
She was cornered by Aldah, Vix and Kael
Well, that went better than expected.
I stare at his shadow, stunned. We were almost vaporized by seven holy spears and wait you are a beast again?
Six, he corrects but didn't answer my question.The seventh one missed.
How generous.
“What !? ” Lara asked surprised.
“I wasn't talking to you I...I feel dizzy”
“you just died, your brain is probably processing what happened and what is happening” said Vix, staring at me. “ I can believe you really bring him back Lara and he's still himself not a mindless walking dead”
I push myself to my feet, the orb — no, the prison — still in my hand. It's warm again, even in the cold. Too warm. Like it’s dreaming.
Around us, the landscape stretches endlessly — white hills, frozen trees, distant cliffs wrapped in fog.
The beast sighed I really liked my human body, sadly I had to save us, I'll stay in room for now.
You mean a void.
Such a negative term, he replies.
I almost fall when I start walking, Lara offer me support, Vic was right, I think my brain is really processing.
And then I hear it.
A whisper.
Not in my ears. In my bones.
"A snowy place, interesting "
I clutch the orb tighter. He’s awake again.
No, my partner says, suddenly serious. He never went fully back to sleep.
I look at him.You tricked him.
He gives me a lopsided smile. No. I negotiated. Big difference.
You lied.
Details.
He’s going to realize it. And when he does…

He’ll be pissed, yes. My partner nods. Which is why we need to find the Architect before he does.?

I stop. Wait. The Architect is real?
My partner’s grin fades. “don't know maybe
I can't believe the angel tricked us, she asked us, to literally deliver danger, was she really about to give the beast a body? 
You think Yelmor’s return is part of her plan?
To what?
His eyes flick to the orb. “we are going to find out anyway”
I take a breath. The air here tastes like copper and old dreams.
“Lara?”
She smiles down at me, her hand pressed to my chest, glowing softly with runes I don't recognize.
“You died again.”
“Yeah,” I croak. “Kinda noticed.”
She pats my chest lightly. “You’re back now.”
I smile at her.
“I wasn’t with you,” she says, standing. “I’m your healer, I'll learn to fight and...and...”
Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she was apologizing for her absence.
“ hey Lara... It's ok, I'm alive. 
“Guys!” Mona screamed as she ran toward us. “we need to leave right now”
Aldah left her post as Mira's guard and slapped Mira.
We were all in shock — even the beast.
"I always knew you were fake — but to the point of abandoning us during a delivery?!"
Mona stayed silent before saying harshly, “Did you actually think you and I were friends? How many times did you get rejected before finally finding a healer? Nobody wanted you. The worst part is your naivety, naive girls like you always end up being manipulated by the very person they trust the most.”
The girl’s hands clenched at her sides, trembling, but she forced herself to meet Mona’s gaze.“You don’t know anything about me,” she said, her voice shaking but steadying with each word.
Mona gave a cold laugh. “Oh, I know enough. I’ve seen your type a hundred times.
Her words cut like blades, each one deliberate, cruel.“You’ll learn soon enough. And when you do, don’t come running to me.”
“We don’t have time for this,” Stellar said quickly. “Ryo, Vix, Lara, Aldah—get your things. Now.”
Ryo frowned, confused. “What’s going on?”
“Soldiers,” Mona snapped, her voice tight. “From South Geneva, if we stay here, we will be captured. We came to drag you out before it’s too late.”
Vix cursed under his breath. Aldah’s expression hardened.
But before anyone could move, a roar split the air outside, shaking the ground beneath their feet. A villager’s scream pierced the night.
Ryo's blood ran cold.Through the smoke and fire, a towering figure emerged—twisted, monstrous, its body marked with glowing runes.
“Nhar’zel…” Mira whispered, her face pale.
The creature swung its clawed arm, sending villagers flying like broken dolls. Houses crumbled under its weight as fire spread wildly through the streets.
Mona cursed under her breath, drawing her blade.“what the hell is that?”
My stomach twisted as I watched a man desperately shield his family, only to be swept aside like straw. “We can’t just leave them!”
“They killed you ! ” Lara shouted punching my chest 
The duo stared at me.
“Don’t be stupid,” Mona snapped, stepping in front of him, “ I don't think that thing is something you fight head-on unless you want your bones decorating the ground. Our new mission is to keep you four alive.”
The ground shook as Nhar’zel let out a guttural roar, its runes pulsing brighter. Flames licked higher as it charged again, slamming into another row of houses.
---
Stellar raised a barrier of light just in time to shield the group from flying debris. “Move!” he shouted.
Unfortunately the barrier didn't protect everyone.
Mira was crushed beneath falling debris. Kael lunged toward her, but Mona grabbed his arm, yanking him back.
“There’s nothing you can do!” she barked, though her voice wavered.
The flames consumed Mira’s cry as Nhar’zel stared at her.
---
By the time they broke free of the village’s edge, the air was thick with smoke and grief. The survivors collapsed on the road, coughing, eyes wide with horror.
Mona wiped blood from his blade, her jaw tight. “She bought us time,” she said lowly, not meeting anyone’s gaze. “Don’t let it be for nothing.”
Kael clenched his fists, the image of Mira’s final moments burning into his mind.
Stellar looked back at the inferno that had once been the village, his voice heavy. “Why do I have this strange feeling that this is only the beginning?”