After leaving the purification altar, the sky above them seemed to change. Dark red clouds slowly rolled across the horizon, as if realizing that something had shifted. The world now reacted to the awakening power, and their time was running out.
At the foot of the mountain, they gathered on a quiet highland, illuminated by the dim light of dusk. Miru was still weak, but she was fully conscious. Her gaze was sharp, harboring both trauma and newfound resolve.
"Where is the Fifth Gate located?" Reina asked Akito, who stood while examining an ancient map spread out on a flat stone.
Akito pointed to three locations. "These are the three routes that could lead to the final gate. But none of us knows for certain which one is real, and which are just decoys."
Miru silently stared at the points. "Yurina must know we're trying to stop her. She'll send troops or even illusions to confuse us."
Akito nodded. "That's why we need to split up."
Suddenly, everyone turned their heads. "Split up?" Hana asked hesitantly. "That's too risky."
"The risk is indeed high," Akito replied. "But if we attack from just one point and it turns out to be a trap, we'll lose our last chance. We have to gamble."
They looked at each other in heavy silence. Finally, Itsuki stepped forward. "Alright. We split into three teams."
He pointed to the map. "I will go to the Northern Route, to the Ruins of the Sky Temple. That place has a history with summoners. If Yurina wants to open the gate from the sky, that's where she'll do it."
Reina nodded. "I'll head to the Eastern Route—Shadow Valley. It was a battlefield when the second gate was opened. If there's residual energy there, it's likely they'll use it."
Akito looked at the last point, the Southern Route: the Black Lake. "Miru and I will go there. That lake was once the main seal of the Black Emperor. If they want to resurrect the Emperor's body, that's the place."
Hana looked at the three of them. "And I will be the balance. I'll use the Third Eye artifact to monitor each route. If any of us finds the real gate, I'll signal."
Itsuki looked at them one by one. "We don't know who will encounter Yurina first. But if any of us finds her, don't attack alone. We face her together." Everyone nodded.
That night, they camped for the last time as one group. Under the starry sky, they shared food and memories in silence. Each of them was aware that tomorrow might be their last meeting.
As dawn approached, before parting ways, Hana approached Itsuki.
"You've changed," she said. "You were just an ordinary boy who knew nothing. Now you're leading us to the edge of the world."
Itsuki smiled faintly. "I don't lead. I just walk with you."
Hana nodded. "Keep it that way. Because in the end, what can save this world is not strength, but heart."
When the sun rose on the eastern horizon, they parted ways, each taking one of the three paths toward the end of everything.
The world held its breath. The Fifth Gate awaited.
Voice from Black Lake**
The footsteps of Akito and Miru echoed among the flat stones surrounding Black Lake. A thin mist cloaked the surface, reflecting the gray sky that seemed lifeless. This place was silent, too silent even for a world ravaged by spiritual destruction.
"This is the place..." murmured Miru, clutching the protective talisman Hana had given her tightly.
Akito stepped ahead, his black cloak fluttering in the wind. "This lake was once the main purification site before the Black Emperor was imprisoned. But after the seal was broken, it became a conduit between the spiritual realm and the human world."
Right in the middle of the lake, they saw a rising stone altar. On it, a glowing circle pulsed softly, like a beating heart. Darkness energy radiated from it.
"Is that the gate?" Miru asked, breath catching.
"Maybe," replied Akito. "But it could also be a trap. We won't know for sure until we touch it."
As they stepped closer, strange whispers began to sound like ancient language that they couldn't understand, yet echoed directly into their minds.
Miru shivered. "Did you hear that?"
Akito nodded. "Those are the voices of trapped souls. They were drawn into the spirit world when the previous gates were opened. Now they wait to be released or used."
Suddenly, the water in the lake boiled. A tall figure cloaked in fog emerged from the surface, its eyes vacant, face familiar.
"Dad?" Miru whispered in shock.
But Akito quickly pulled her back. "No. That's just the form the spirit took to confuse your mind. They know your weakness."
The figure spoke, but not in human voice. It called Miru's name with a mournful tone, as if pleading for help. Miru froze, but Akito stood between them.
"Don't be influenced," he said firmly. "That's not someone you know."
But before Akito could finish his warning, something shot out from within the fog— a black arrow piercing the air, nearly striking his neck. He immediately drew his sword, and from behind the fog, two cloaked figures appeared, their faces hidden behind wooden masks.
"Gate Guardians," muttered Akito. "Yurina has prepared everything."
The fight erupted instantly. Akito battled with full force, his sword dancing swiftly, deflecting dark attacks from the enemies. Miru, despite her weakness, summoned light energy to defend herself. But the pressure was overwhelming.
One of the enemies sneered, mentioning Miru's name mockingly. "Child of the Lightkeeper. You'll never be strong enough to reseal this gate."
Miru was silent for a moment. Then she looked at the altar, sensing the voices within.
"No," she whispered. "I am not alone."
With renewed determination, she planted Hana's talisman into the ground. Protective energy flared, forming a layer of light around them. Akito seized the moment to launch a counterattack, slashing one of the guardians until their mask cracked.
Behind the mask, an unexpected face appeared.
"Yuto?"
Akito froze.
That was his fellow disciple's face—who had vanished during training years ago, presumed dead in the spirit world.
Yuto smiled grimly. "Not everyone lost can come back. But I remain here. As an eternal guardian."
The atmosphere turned icy. Akito bowed his head in silence. "Forgive me…"
But Yuto simply shook his head. "No need. Continue your path. The world needs someone who can do what I cannot."
With a quick movement, he leapt toward the altar, destroying himself along with the other guardian, clearing the way toward the gate. Darkness energy burst upward, and from within the stone circle, a woman's voice sounded—cold and commanding:
"So, you've come too."
Yurina. Miru held her breath. Akito gripped his sword tighter. The final game had begun.
The air around Black Lake changed dramatically. The wind turned sharp as a knife, tearing branches and leaves that tried to hold on. In the sky, clouds swirled in a vortex, slowly spiraling toward the altar's center. From the crack in the energy, Yurina appeared.
She floated, as if no longer part of this world. Her cloak fluttered, decorated with faintly glowing ancient symbols. Her face, although still human-looking, had lost warmth—replaced by a chilling calmness of a creature that had forsaken emotion.
"My daughter. I feel you. But why does only a shadow come?" Yurina's voice echoed heavily from all directions.
Akito stepped forward, shielding Miru behind him. "You are no longer Yurina. You are merely a fragment of a soul trapped in power."
Yurina's gaze shifted to him. "Akito. The stubborn student who always wanted to go beyond limits. Now you return to challenge me, or to save someone?"
"We come to stop you," Miru answered, trembling but clear. "You've opened the Dark Gate, and if the third one opens, this world will be destroyed."
Yurina smiled. But that smile was not of a mother, but an entity much older and hungrier for destruction.
"The Final Gate is not just a portal," she whispered. "It is a mirror. And everyone standing before it will face the darkest version of themselves. Including you."
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently. From the left side of the altar, a chasm opened and spread like a gaping wound, forming a dark valley split in two. Shadows loomed from within, tall, shapeless, whispering in an incomprehensible language.
Akito and Miru retreated, keeping their distance. But from within the chasm, a figure emerged that nearly made Miru's heart stop.
"No… Is… that… me?"
The shadow resembled herself. But her eyes were dark, and the smile on her face was that of a monster. "I am you… fearless. Without regret. Without weakness."
From the other side, a dark version of Akito appeared. With open wounds, a body scarred from battles, and a hand holding his head… Reina?
Akito froze.
"You've never saved anyone," the shadow said coldly. "All you protect is your own ego."
Yurina raised her hand, and both shadows advanced simultaneously.
"This is the judgment of the Third Gate," she said. "If you cannot face the darkest side of yourselves, you are unworthy to touch the final seal."
The battle began, not only between swords and magic but also between conviction and doubt. Miru shouted, attacking her own shadow while recalling all the reasons she was fighting. Every attack stemmed from doubt, every defense from hope.
Akito fell to his knees as his shadow rained memories upon him. Reina's burning. Hana crying. Itsuki left behind. But from the darkness, a faint voice touched his mind—Reina's voice.
"You are not your past. You are your choices in this moment."
With wide-open eyes, Akito rose. He slashed at his own shadow, not with a sword, but with the belief that he could still change.
Miru, nearly collapsing, was pushed back by her shadow. But just as she was about to fall, something shone from within Hana's talisman hanging around her neck. Warm light erupted, wrapping her body. The shadow disappeared.
Yurina narrowed her eyes. "So you choose to reject the darkness within yourselves…"
"Not reject," replied Akito, standing beside Miru. "We accept it. But we will not let it control us."
Yurina looked shaken. The light from the altar began to fade, and the screams from the valley gradually disappeared. However, before Yurina vanished, she offered a faint smile.
"You will come to me, Itsuki. Sooner or later. Because your blood is the key to sealing everything."
And with that, she disappeared into the vortex. The lake became silent again. The mist receded. The valley closed. But what remained in Akito and Miru's hearts was a bitter truth: the final battle was very close.