No ripple was visible on Rayuka's face, but his steps suddenly quickened.

  He disappeared his sword into the shadows and moved down the corridor like a black flash of lightning.The shadows along the walls retreated from him, as if they themselves feared what awaited outside.

  In the frigid stillness of the throne room, everything stood motionless—except for one small object.

  The Orb stirred in Rintal's pocket.

  First it only pulsed.Then it began to tremble, as if something were calling to it.

  Something deeper.Darker.More ancient.

  Areday looked up, blood dripping from his mouth.

  — “Rintal… do you feel this? It… it wants to connect to that light… to that… horror.”

  Rintal's hand involuntarily shot to his pocket. The Seal practically burned his skin.

  — “It's drawing the Prince to itself… or vice versa…”

  Areday grabbed Rintal's shoulder.

  — “I don't care! We have to get out of here! Now!”

  Both were barely standing, but fear snapped them back to reality in moments.

  The Seal’s red flared, and Rintal broke free from the shadow grip, as if another force had torn him from the path.

  — “The tower…” Areday gasped.

  — “We can break Rayuka's technique on the top floor. We can get out of here from there.”

  Rintal nodded.

  And they began to run.

  The stairs coiled upward in a spiral. The walls were covered in cracks, as if the tower itself were terrified of what had happened below.

  Black rain fell through the windows—acidic shadow-tears conjured by Rayuka's presence.

  A dark light flowed between the stones, as if some corruption were spreading inside the castle.

  The air was thick, metallic-tasting, as if the world were dying.

  Areday hissed with every step, and Rintal coughed up blood, but the Seal kept shoving them forward.

  Rayuka stepped out of the throne room through the shattered passageway, and what he saw… even he was unprepared for.

  At the end of the corridor stood the figure of light.

  As the blinding radiance slowly dissipated, outlines appeared.

  Vaynar. The Demon Prince.

  His body was tall, almost superhuman.

  His skin was pale ash-grey, streaked with black cracked patterns, as if constantly being torn anew.

  His horns curved slightly backwards, their tips glowing red.

  His hair was long, snow-white, like freshly fallen ash.

  And his eyes… two blood-red abysses where entire worlds seemed to have burned out.

  Behind him, the body of the Pack Leader lay in pieces, and Geremisz was on his knees, gasping for air.

  Vaynar slowly opened his palm. Light and darkness swirled within it, as if night and day obeyed him simultaneously.

  His voice was deep, echoing, yet clear.

  — “Finally… I am free from the curse. The curse that Christ cast upon me… so I could not reach the Orb. Your God sent his only son to protect you in this prison, a place he and my father can no longer access.”

  — “How ironic…”

  Vaynar smiled.

  — “Two omnipotent beings banished from their own creation.”

  A cold smile crossed his face.

  — “And look… on the day of my resurrection, they tried to save you again.”

  When he spotted Rayuka, the smile turned savage.

  — “And here he is… Christ's chosen one. The spawn of the shadow.”

  Rayuka remained motionless for a moment.

  Then he gestured to the side.

  — “Back, all of you.”

  Gnatz and Xnaider immediately retreated.

  Geremisz pointed at Vaynar.

  — “This won't be easy… you'll need help, Rayuka.”

  Rayuka closed his eyes.

  When he looked up again…

  his eyes were completely black.

  — “You would be in my way, brothers.”

  The air around him began to vibrate, the shadows seemed to celebrate.

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  Geremisz took a step back.

  — “Everyone back to the ship!” he roared.

  — “Rayuka… is shifting into Feral Eclipse form!”

  The darkness began to gather around Rayuka, as if he were sucking the shadow out of the entire castle.

  The atmosphere cracked.

  The world began to darken.

  Climbing toward the upper level of the tower, the staircase suddenly moved beneath them, as if the building itself were protesting their presence.

  The Orb in Rintal's pocket did not calm down—it pulsed, as if something lived inside it, and that something was awakening.

  Areday leaned against the wall with great difficulty, black smoke seeping from his wounds due to Rayuka's poisoned shadows.

  — “Faster, Rintal… we're almost there…” he breathed.

  They reached the penultimate level of the tower.

  Cracks ran along the walls, and some black substance flowed through them, as if darkness itself were trying to tear apart the castle's law.

  At the top lay a circular hall.

  In the center stood an old, ancient stone altar.

  The walls bore angelic and demonic patterns—all scratched and mutilated.

  The tower was windowless, yet a faint red light glimmered within.

  Areday leaned against the altar, gasping.

  — “Place the Orb on it… we need to break out before Rayuka—”

  But Rintal did not reply.

  The Seal on his arm screamed.

  The Orb began to vibrate as if it wanted to tear Rintal's ribs apart.

  The Seal adapted to this, making Rintal feel the pain.

  Areday’s face contorted in pain, and black smoke was now seeping through his skin.

  — “Rintal… hurry…”

  Then it happened.

  The Seal suddenly darkened.

  The red light was extinguished for a moment—then reignited with a black flame.

  Rintal fell silent.

  His pupil contracted.

  The world around him trembled.

  A thin black thread originated from the Orb—and connected to the Seal.

  The air in the tower cracked.

  As if the gate to a memory had opened within him.

  Everything suddenly exploded in Rintal's head.

  All the images of his life flashed by:

  the shipwreck,the orphanage,the forest of wolves,his mother's death—which Areday witnessed,Zofia's death,the screaming of the Seal,Areday's smile,Areday's cry.

  The images did not come in sequence.

  But all at once.

  As if a thousand hands were tearing apart his brain.

  Areday watched in a daze as Rintal sank to his knees.

  — “Rintal? What's happening? What is the Seal doing—?”

  But Rintal looked up at him…

  …and saw no friend.

  Only a shadow-monster.

  A demonic grotesque.

  The Seal distorted Areday's figure as if Rintal's deepest fear had returned.

  — “GET AWAY FROM ME!” Rintal screamed, jumping back.

  His eyes wept blood.

  Red lightning flashed through his brain.

  And the voice of the Seal spoke.

  Not humanly.

  Not understandably.

  But like a thousand intertwined chorus of worms.

  “He. Is. Not. Your. Friend.”

  “He. Is. Why. You. Suffer.”

  “Kill. Evolve. Ascend.”

  “KILL. EVOLVE. ASCEND.”

  Areday's breath caught in his throat.

  — “Rintal… please… it's me! Your brother! Can't you see?!”

  But there was no recognition in Rintal's eyes.

  The Seal had completely taken over his consciousness.

  The world around him began to distort.

  The tower walls seemed to draw closer.

  The stone altar began to crack.

  The shadows thickened.

  Rintal screamed.

  Black veins spread beneath his skin like a spiderweb.

  Areday fell to his knees before him.

  — “Please, Rintal… come back… this isn't you…”

  Rintal’s voice became double, as if two souls were speaking at once.

  — “TRAITOR.”

  At that moment, the top of the tower began to crumble.

  Outside, Rayuka and Vaynar's attacks shook the island.

  The Seal took complete control.

  Rintal disappeared.

  When Areday looked up…

  Rintal was already behind him.

  His hand burned with black light.

  The Orb pulsed violently.

  Areday smiled weakly.

  — “If this is how it must be… even so… I'm proud of you…”

  Rintal whispered a single word.

  — “…Die.”

  His hand lunged forward.

  Not with a weapon.

  But with the Seal's black claw.

  The energy tore through Areday's chest and ripped out the light around his heart.

  Areday's body stiffened.

  His eyes widened.

  Then he collapsed silently in Rintal's arms.

  The Orb exploded in black flame.

  And vanished completely.

  No ash.

  No fragments.

  As if it had never existed.

  The curse holding the island captive ceased to exist.

  The island shook violently.

  Rayuka stepped back.

  Vaynar froze.

  Black light burst from his chest.

  — “My soul… finally free.”

  Rayuka did not wait.

  Darkness swallowed him.

  — “Finally… an opponent.”

  The two figures vanished.

  The air split.

  The ground exploded.

  Shadow and demon-light collided.

  Rayuka finally grabbed Vaynar's throat and slammed him into the ground.

  Then his sword descended.

  Vaynar's head fell.

  But his voice echoed.

  — “This is not over, little shadow…”

  The body turned to dust.

  And the dust fled toward the forest like dark wind.

  The tower crumbled.

  But Rintal did not move.

  He only held Areday's body.

  The Seal pulsed quietly.

  Satisfied.

  Watching.

  Rintal carried the body out of the ruins.

  He found a clearing near the castle.

  And began digging.

  With bleeding fingers.

  With broken nails.

  Each handful of earth was pain.

  Each movement a memory.

  Rain.

  Night.

  Mud.

  A small boy.

  Areday carrying him through dark streets.

  — “You will live. Even if I break myself for it.”

  The memory faded.

  Rintal finished the grave.

  He placed Areday inside.

  Smoothed the earth.

  His hand trembled.

  — “You were everything to me… brother.”

  — “I will never forgive myself.”

  Rintal stood.

  Drew his sword.

  Raised it to his chest.

  — “If there is no meaning in living… then let it end.”

  The blade touched his heart.

  Then—

  A voice spoke.

  Cold.

  Clear.

  — “Would he want you to remain weak?”

  Rintal turned.

  — “Who are you?”

  The darkness formed a silhouette.

  — “My name… is Anonime.”

  And the wind fell silent.