"My Adam believed," Arachne began softly, "
that no matter how dark the trial, there would always be hope at the end. He carried that belief into the final battle. His friends stood with him. They laughed together before the End descended, promising that if they fell, they would fall as one." Her lips quivered, and she pressed her hands against them to stifle the sob trying to break through. "I watched. I screamed for them to run. But the End is not something one can flee."
Adam stared at her, his throat dry. "What is the End?"
Her eyes lifted to his, and for the first time he saw not just grief but fear in her expression. "The End was the final stage of the world itself. A culmination of every sin, every war, every imbalance that mortals and gods alike allowed to fester. It is not just a monster, but a storm that cannot be endured. It is inevitability given form. When the last stage arrives, the End consumes all."
