Rees stepped through the misty entrance of the ruined village, his boots crunching over fallen leaves and weathered stone. Behind him, the elite soldiers fanned out in silence, their weapons drawn but not raised. The sound of the waterfall behind them echoed like a distant drumbeat.
As he reached the clearing, Rees spotted the small campfire where Raphael, Isan, and the others were seated. They turned their heads, rising cautiously as Rees approached.
"There they are," Rees said coldly, stopping a few paces from them. He didn't meet their eyes. "Now you can capture them… or whatever you're supposed to do."
Isan stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "You think you can just hand us over? That it's going to be that easy?"
Rees didn't flinch. "I can't do it myself," he replied flatly. "But the army outside can. You're surrounded."
Behind the trees and hills surrounding the village, dozens of soldiers waited in silence. Hidden, but ready. Trained, armed, and prepared to move at a moment's notice.
A few hours earlier...
Inside the war room, the president looked across the long table at Rees, who stood in front of a digital map of the village location.
"Rees," the president began solemnly, "we've assembled what remains of our strongest surviving forces. The last of our elite units. If Raphael and the others truly know how to stop the entity, we need them—but I know they won't surrender easily."
Rees nodded slowly. "Understood."
"I want you to lead the mission," the president continued. "No one else knows the terrain like you do. And you've faced the entity firsthand. You're the strongest we have left."
Rees took a breath. "Alright. I'll do it."
He didn't feel strong. Not after Allen. Not after Avern. But he knew this was bigger than his guilt. If Raphael held the key to defeating the entity, then this was a risk they had to take.
Back in the village…
A tense silence hung in the air as Rees and Isan locked eyes.
"We don't want to fight you," Rees said. "But if you don't cooperate, they'll come in. And this place will turn into another battlefield."
Isan clenched his jaw, glancing at Raphael and the others. "Then I suggest you listen closely… because you have no idea what you're about to start."
And somewhere behind the waterfall, orders were about to be given.
Raphael rose from his seat, his eyes sharp and unyielding as he faced Rees and the soldiers in the distance. "If it's a fight you want," he said coldly, "we're ready to raise the kill count. These soldiers don't matter to us. We only want you."
Isan stepped forward, his voice like steel. "Send every last soldier you've got, Rees—if you dare. But know this: we won't hold back."
Tension crackled in the air like a storm about to break. But Rees didn't flinch. He took a deep breath and raised his hand, signaling his men to hold their positions.
"I'm not here to start a bloodbath," he said firmly. "I've seen enough death. I didn't come to add more names to that list."
Raphael narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you here?"
"I want to talk," Rees said. "That's all. I need answers. And I think, deep down, you all want the same thing."
Isan exchanged a quick glance with Raphael, then gave a slight nod. "As you wish," he said.
Behind Rees, one of the soldiers leaned in and whispered, "Sir, why aren't we engaging? We outnumber them. I believe we can take them down."
Rees shook his head. "You don't understand. I'm not afraid of losing a fight. I'm afraid of losing more people… because of me. Too many have died already. I won't let that happen again—not if I can stop it."
There was a pause. The forest held its breath. Guns lowered ever so slightly.
For the first time in days, there was silence not born of fear, but of fragile hope.
In the heavily fortified meeting room of the World Leadership Council, a thick air of tension filled the space as the leaders of the surviving nations convened. They sat around a polished circular table, surrounded by holographic maps, glowing data screens, and flustered advisors.
"We've located Raphael," one of the senior council members announced with a smug tone. "Our forces have already moved in to capture him. Now… the real plan begins."
Several murmurs of approval echoed through the chamber, but another voice—more cautious—rose above them.
"Real plan?" a middle-aged leader from the European bloc interjected. "We've barely scratched the surface of understanding this entity. We don't even know how to kill it, let alone survive an encounter. There's no plan yet."
Disagreement rippled through the room, and voices began to clash—some confident, others wary. The usual cocktail of political arrogance and desperation filled the room, drowning out the possibility of unity.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
A distant rumble shook the windows. Then came the screams.
The council members fell silent, their eyes shifting from each other to the ceiling, as an eerie roar grew louder. The lights flickered. Monitors glitched. And then—
Boom.
A massive explosion shattered the ceiling above them as an enormous dark mass descended into the chamber. It wasn't just smoke—it was alive, seething, pulsing with malevolent energy. The Dark Entity had arrived.
Panic exploded within the room.
"Security!" a leader shouted, diving under the table. "Get us out of here now!"
Guards rushed in, trying to hold formation, but chaos reigned. In the panic, civilians outside cried for help as tremors rocked the entire district.
One of the security officers, horrified by the scene outside, turned to a nearby council member. "Sir, we need to evacuate the civilians as well. There are thousands—"
A gunshot rang out.
The officer collapsed, his body slumping onto the floor. One of the top-ranking leaders held a smoking pistol, his face twisted in rage. "We should be the top priority. We're the heads of state! If the civilians die, so be it. This is about preserving leadership!"
The other guards froze in disbelief.
From above, the Entity hovered motionless for a moment, watching them like a god peering down on insects. Its voice cracked the air like thunder.
"This... this is exactly why I exist."
All eyes turned upward.
"I've seen your kind over and over," the Entity growled. "You raise flags and draw borders. You kill in the name of control. You lie, manipulate, and then abandon your own people. That's why I was created. To erase the rot. To extinguish the arrogance. Every death you caused... will return to you."
Without warning, a barrage of high-pressure water droplets—each like a bullet—rained down with terrifying speed. The leaders screamed, but they had nowhere to run. The water pierced metal, flesh, and bone with precision, cutting through them one by one. It wasn't a quick death. It was excruciating.
Blood soaked the marble floor. The meeting room was reduced to a bloodied ruin.
Outside, stunned civilians and surviving security personnel watched the building collapse under the weight of the attack. The Entity emerged from the rubble, its shadow looming over the wreckage.
One trembling guard, barely holding his rifle, dared to speak.
"Wh-why?" he stammered. "Why are you doing this? Why are you slaughtering us? What's the point of all this genocide?"
The Dark Entity turned toward him, its form flickering with chaotic energy. "Why?" it repeated, almost mockingly. Then it stepped closer. "This is the reason."
The guard's breath caught in his throat.
"You treat each other like pawns," the Entity continued, its voice dark and calm now. "You worship power, not people. You sacrifice the innocent for your own safety, and then call yourselves leaders. You kill in silence, and weep only when the camera turns on. Your world is built on the backs of forgotten corpses."
The Entity paused for a moment, as if allowing the truth to settle.
"I am not your enemy," it said. "I am your reflection."
And with that, it vanished into thin air—leaving only devastation behind.
The city lay in ruins. Smoke spiraled into the sky, a black signal of what had just taken place. The entire world would wake up to the news of the massacre. Footage—if any had survived—would soon spread across the planet, showing the corpses of once-powerful rulers, murdered in the very room where they had planned to rule the future.
There would be no more illusions of safety.
There would be no more doubt.
The Dark Entity was no longer a rumor or a myth. It was a force. A judgment. And now, no one was beyond its reach.
In the shadow of crumbling stone walls and scorched earth, the ruined village behind the waterfall was now a meeting ground between two forces—one battered and desperate, the other worn but quietly resolute. The echoes of past battles lingered in the air, and the scent of ash clung to every rock and ruined structure.
Rees sat on a cracked boulder, the weight of responsibility heavy in his posture. He looked across the quiet space at Raphael, the man who had once led a mysterious but powerful resistance.
"We came here because we need your help," Rees began, his voice steady but urgent. "To stop the Dark Entity and end its tyranny once and for all. You hold information that could help us. Maybe even a way to kill it."
Raphael leaned against a broken pillar, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were sharp—piercing through Rees's hope like a blade.
"And what exactly do you think you can do with that information?" Raphael said calmly. "Even if I told you the Entity's weakness, or handed you the secret to damaging it, it wouldn't matter. The time you'd need to upgrade your weapons or form a strategy is the exact time it needs to wipe out what remains of humanity."
He stepped forward, gaze locked on Rees. "You can't stop it with just knowledge."
Rees clenched his fists. "So what—you expect us to do nothing? To accept death without even trying?"
Isan stepped up beside Raphael. His tone was grave, almost sympathetic. "What we're saying is that you can't do anything to it… not the way you are now."
Rees stood from the rock, a fire in his eyes. "We're the front-line fighters! The ones out there risking everything. If we're going to stand a chance, we need the truth. Give us the information—or we'll be forced to take it from you."
A tense silence followed. The wind rustled through the broken remnants of the village. Then, Raphael spoke again, quieter this time, but with authority.
"Fine. I'll give you what you want—but in return, you hand us the front line."
"What?" Rees blinked in disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Izaki, standing nearby, stepped forward in shock. "Dad, what do you mean by that? You think we can fight that thing?"
Akin added, his voice cracking with anxiety, "We're not strong enough! You've seen what it can do."
Isan held up a hand to calm them. "We're not asking you to fight alone. We'll be there too. We've trained for this… we've survived it. And if we have any chance at defeating the Entity, it will be by taking control of the battlefield ourselves."
Rees shook his head. "This isn't a deal. This is suicide. You old brats and those kids can't stop that thing. You'll die before you can even blink."
Raphael didn't flinch. He took a slow breath, stepped forward—and in a flash, grabbed Rees by the collar.
In one clean motion, Raphael lifted Rees and slammed him into the ground, the earth cracking beneath the force. The squad behind Rees reached for their weapons but froze as Raphael's eyes flared with an energy none of them had seen before.
"Do you understand now?" Raphael growled, his voice low and controlled. "Do you feel the difference between you and us?"
Rees coughed, struggling beneath the grip. "Erghh—what the hell was that?"
Raphael released him, letting him collapse to the dirt. "We're not some tired old fools hiding in ruins. We are survivors of the Entity's wrath—and we learned from it. While you were running and losing battles, we were fighting it directly. Again and again."
Rees groaned, trying to sit up. "Urgh… okay… I get it… Leave me…"
Raphael looked down at him, his voice quieter now. "I don't want you dead, Rees. I want you to understand that blind bravery isn't the same as strength. If you go in half-prepared, all you'll do is feed the very thing you want to destroy."
The tension in the air remained, but no one moved. Finally, Isan walked forward and offered Rees a hand. After a long pause, Rees took it, pulling himself up.
"I didn't come here to start a war," Rees muttered. "I just wanted to stop the killing."
"Then let's stop it together," Isan said. "But you have to trust us."
Rees looked at the others—the young warriors who had survived so much, and the veterans whose eyes told stories of pain and persistence. He turned to his own squad, who now looked unsure, watching him for a decision.
"I'll take your help," Rees said finally. "But if this fails… if anyone dies again because of a mistake—"
"We all die," Raphael finished. "There is no margin for error. There never was."
A heavy silence followed. The wind whistled through the broken stones again, carrying with it the weight of what was to come.
In the ruins of a forgotten village, a fragile alliance had been forged—not with promises or contracts, but with the shared knowledge that the future of humanity hung by a thread. And now, that thread would be tested.
Together, they would prepare—not just for a fight—but for the war that would decide the fate of the world.
Just a few minutes later, Rees's phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the screen and quickly answered. A shaken voice came through on the other end.
"Sir… all the world leaders… they're dead. The Dark Entity attacked during the summit. No one survived."
Rees froze, his face paling. "What…? It killed them all?"
The call ended abruptly, leaving a cold silence in its wake. He slowly lowered the phone, his mind racing to process what he had just heard.
Raphael, standing nearby, let out a quiet breath and said flatly, "Well… one more problem is gone."
Rees turned to him, disbelief and anger flashing in his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about? They're dead. All of them!"
Isan stepped forward, his tone calmer but equally blunt. "Rees… you know as well as we do—they were never going to help us. Those leaders were more concerned with protecting their own power than protecting the people. They never would have agreed to unite, not unless the Entity was at their doorstep—and even then, they would've turned on each other."
Rees looked down, gripping his phone tightly. "I… I hate to admit it… but you're right. They always made decisions that suited themselves, never humanity. Every negotiation, every call for unity… it was just a show."
Raphael nodded. "Their arrogance cost countless lives already. Maybe now, with them gone, we can finally move without political chains holding us back."
Rees let out a long breath. "It's hard to believe… but this might be the first time we actually have a chance."
"We do," Isan said firmly. "But only if we act fast. The world is leaderless and afraid. We need to step up before the Dark Entity strikes again."
Rees looked around at the group—warriors, survivors, people who had lost so much but still stood ready to fight.
"Then let's not waste this moment," he said. "We take command—not for power, not for politics—but to end this nightmare once and for all."
And with that, the ruined village behind the waterfall became the birthplace of a new alliance—one not of nations, but of resolve.