The image of Rasen faded like smoke, as if the room and his words had been nothing more than an echo inside her mind. But the metallic taste in her mouth and the pressure in her chest remained. Real. When the weight of his gaze vanished, Aisha blinked… and returned to the forest. The darkness. The fog. The suffocating silence. Only the path remained.
And at the end of that path, the Sanctuary of the Last Breath awaited them.
The path to the sanctuary was treacherous. The mist swirled between the dead trees like restless ghosts, and with every step, they sank deeper into land where life had long surrendered.
Aisha walked in silence. The prophecy, the warnings, the broken promises… all echoed in her mind. Beside her, Salomon advanced, with that cold, calculating gaze that seemed to weigh every decision, every breath.
—Here —he finally said, stopping in front of the ruins of an ancient temple devoured by weeds.
The cracked walls rose like the broken teeth of a buried beast. Faded inscriptions and old Nevri symbols decorated the stones, but what was most unsettling was the silence: absolute, oppressive, unnatural.
At the center, a circle of blackened stone. Sariel's remains.Or what was left of him.
Aisha stepped forward, ignoring the chill creeping down her spine. The air reeked of ash, power… and damnation.
Then, the darkness took shape.
A shadow emerged from the cracks in the stone. It had no flesh. No boundaries. Its silhouette shifted between human and monstrous. From its back, a pair of black wings unfolded like obsidian blades, dark as the void itself. And wrapped around its body, like living serpents, coiled ancient, gleaming silver chains — shielding it, imprisoning it, marking the curse that bound it.
Its eyes… they didn't burn with fire. They were worse. Two bottomless, black voids, staring into them was like looking straight into the abyss.
—Well, well… —the shadow whispered, its voice deep, liquid, laced with venom—. At last, I meet you, hunter.
Aisha tightened her grip on her sword but didn't strike. Her heart pounded like a war drum.
—Who are you? —she asked, though deep down, she already knew.
The shadow smiled, its silhouette elongating, black wings surrounding her with an elegant, ominous grace.
—Sariel —he whispered, as if uttering a forbidden secret—. And you? What's your name… your true name?
Aisha hesitated, but she wouldn't show weakness.
—Aisha.
Sariel murmured her name, savoring it as if it were a trophy.
—Aisha… how sweet it sounds. How ironic that you are the one who could seal my rebirth… or hasten it.
Aisha narrowed her eyes. —What do you want from me?
—Not from you… directly —his voice grew darker, sharper—. I need a body. An innocent one. A perfect sacrifice. And once I have it… the threshold will open. This world… your world… will kneel before me.
—You're talking about a child? —Aisha's voice vibrated with contained fury.
Sariel leaned in, his eyes glowing like embers, his pale face carved with inhuman features. His size was imposing. His nails were claws. And from his back, those black wings spread like the shadow of a death sentence.
—How else do you think curses are carried on? How do you think portals open? —Sariel's wings coiled around her, his shadow swallowing the space between them.
—Do you really believe this is just between you and me? —his voice turned into a venomous whisper—. All of this… the chaos, the curses, even my dear brothers… it's only the prelude.
Aisha clenched her jaw.
—What do you mean?
Sariel smiled, but there was no humor in his lips — only the abyss of certainty.
—The demon they call Father… the true origin… must be reborn. And for that… he needs a body.
—A body?
—The strongest vessel. One of the three. One destined…
Sariel's eyes glinted.
—For centuries, I believed it would be Varek. But the coward refuses. So… who's left? —His sharp smile widened.
Aisha swallowed hard.
—Then…
—Then it all depends on me and Rasen —Sariel concluded, his silhouette distorting into smoke and void—. And on you, hunter. Because your blood… unlocks the door.
He leaned in, his icy breath grazing her ear.
—Save Rasen… free him… and they might all die anyway. Or worse… the Father returns, and this time, nothing will stop him.
He laughed, the sound freezing the blood in her veins.
—If you and that pathetic wolf… or your traitorous lover… ever produce offspring… you'll seal your fate. Your world… his brothers… everything you love… will burn to ash.
Aisha's stomach twisted.
—I won't allow it —she spat.
Sariel tilted his head, amused.
—Oh, precious Aisha… I'm already allowing it. I'll tear heaven, earth, and blood apart to make it happen. Even if I have to break Rasen's body, destroy you… or deceive fate itself.
Before she could reply, the ground trembled beneath her feet. Cracks split the stone. The sanctuary began to collapse, as if Sariel's dark energy had unleashed its final wrath.
Sariel faded like smoke, but his hollow, poisonous laughter remained, echoing in the air.
—We'll meet again, hunter.
—Aisha! —Salomon's voice snapped her back. He grabbed her arm and dragged her out just in time. Stones and rubble crashed down as the sanctuary collapsed, burying the remains of Sariel's dead body.
Outside, gasping, Aisha leaned against a tree. Her chest rose and fell as if breathing itself was a struggle.
But it wasn't exhaustion.It was the truth.
Sariel was far from finished.And if she wanted to save Rasen… she would have to face something far worse than an ordinary enemy.She would have to face fate itself.And the Father of the Three.