The ground collapsed beneath them. A massive rift tore through the battlefield, forcing Note to step back as Lyric and Bell stumbled free. It wasn't planned—it was pure luck. But Lyric wasn't about to waste it.
Lyric ran.
The weight of the gun in his hand felt heavier than the metal it was made from.
His breath came hard and fast, each exhale burning in his lungs, but his mind wasn't fully in the present. It was back there. Back with the soldiers he had just killed.
The moment he pulled the trigger, the gun roaring in his hands.
The sound of their screams—of armor cracking, flesh ripping, blood splattering onto the sand.
Lyric clenched his jaw and pushed forward, forcing himself to focus on running. They had already escaped the collapsing realm, but the chase wasn't over. The forest blurred past them, dark and jagged, punctuated by deep craters left by the lightning that rained down from the storms above.
But no matter how fast he ran, the memory clung to him like a shadow.
He barely registered Bell flying beside him, her voice urgent. "Where are we even going?"
Lyric forced himself to speak. "Back—back to the beach I landed on."
Bell hesitated for half a second before nodding. "Right. Okay. We just have to get out of this forest first."
A sharp twang snapped through the air.
Lyric barely had time to react before an arrow slammed into a tree ahead of him, the shaft still vibrating from the impact.
His heart lurched.
His head whipped around to see a squad of Imperial soldiers closing in behind them. An archer lowered his bow, clicking his tongue in frustration.
"Missed," the archer muttered.
"Doesn't matter," another soldier growled. "We have them trapped."
Lyric cursed and pushed harder, sprinting through the uneven terrain as arrows ripped through the air around them.
The storm still raged above, the sky twisting with neon green lightning, the wind howling through the trees. Lyric's enhanced speed kept him ahead of the squad, but the soldiers weren't giving up.
Bell zigzagged through the trees beside him. "You know, I was hoping we'd at least get a few minutes to breathe!"
Lyric didn't answer. His eyes locked onto the faint glow ahead—the coastline.
The beach.
He forced himself forward, his boots slamming onto the metal sand. The familiar crunch beneath his feet sent a strange sense of relief through him—right before he started stomping down, hard, over and over again.
Bell's wings fluttered in alarm. "Lyric, what the hell are you—"
Her words died in her throat as realization struck.
She turned, eyes wide. "You crazy little—"
The soldiers caught up behind them, slowing their approach when they saw Lyric and Bell weren't running anymore.
A few of them hesitated. Then, Note stepped forward.
His emerald eyes were calm, unreadable as he spoke. "Surrender your life, boy. And make it easier for yourself."
Lyric deadpanned. "You want me to 'nicely' hand over my life?"
Note gave a small, measured nod. "Yes."
Lyric raised his makeshift gun.
The soldiers tensed.
Then, the ocean exploded.
A deafening roar shattered the air as the lizard-fish tore from the water, its bulbous black eyes glowing with hunger. It crashed onto the beach, sending a wave of water and debris slamming into the soldiers.
The squad immediately panicked.
One soldier barely had time to scream before the creature's razor-sharp teeth clamped down on him, dragging him back into the surf.
Another was launched into the air by a swipe of its massive tail.
The soldiers scattered, some firing at the monster, others running for their lives.
Bell and Lyric?
They were already sprinting back into the forest.
Note didn't move.
As the chaos unfolded around him—his men being slaughtered, the monster rampaging—he simply exhaled.
Then, with an almost casual flick of his wrist, he gathered energy into his palm.
A soft hum filled the air. The space around him distorted.
Then—he stepped forward.
Lyric and Bell dodged branches, jumped over jagged roots, sprinting as fast as they could.
"How the hell is he still chasing us?!" Lyric shouted.
Bell didn't answer—she didn't need to.
A pulse of sheer power erupted behind them, sending a wave of crushing dimensional energy through the trees.
Lyric turned his head for half a second—and regretted it instantly.
Note was gaining on them.
Not running—walking.
Each step he took sent a pulse through the ground, making the air bend and ripple. His cloak barely moved, as if the world itself refused to push against him.
Lyric gritted his teeth. "Bell, does he have a shard?!"
"No," Bell panted. "Some people—rare people—can harness the chaotic energy released when the Divine Realm broke."
Lyric stumbled slightly as he took that in. "You mean he's just... naturally that powerful?"
"Yup," Bell said, not even trying to sugarcoat it. "And he works for one of the many multi-dimensional empires. You know. The ones that conquer entire worlds."
A second later, Note raised his hand.
A shimmering wall of dimensional energy slammed into the ground in front of Lyric and Bell, cutting off their escape.
"You led my men to slaughter," Note said calmly, stepping closer. "Criminals, the both of you."
Lyric threw his hands up. "You literally just tried to kill us!"
Note ignored him.
Instead, he lifted his palm. A swirling orb of chaotic energy crackled in his grasp, warping the very air around it.
Bell's wings twitched. "That looks bad."
"That looks very bad," Lyric agreed.
Then—he moved.
With quick thinking, he scooped up a handful of sand, stuffing it into his gun.
Before Note could fire—Lyric pulled the trigger.
A storm of tiny, razor-sharp sand particles shot forward at bullet speed.
Note reacted instantly.
His energy flickered out, replaced by a protective barrier. The sandstorm slammed into the shield, forcing him to cut off his attack.
Bell gawked. "Holy—did you just make a freaking sand shotgun?!"
"No time," Lyric gasped, reloading another handful of sand.
He fired again.
Note was forced to block a second time. His expression remained **calm, but there was something in his gaze now—**mild irritation.
That was all they needed.
Bell snapped her head up. "Lyric—I sense a rift, not far!"
They ran.
Note recovered instantly, his expression darkening. He moved, closing the distance.
The rift glowed ahead of them.
Bell didn't hesitate. She dived through.
Lyric barely had time to think. He turned—just in time to see Note's silhouette getting closer.
Then—he jumped.
The last thing he saw before the rift sealed shut—
Was Note standing motionless on the battlefield, emerald eyes burning.
He exhaled slowly, pulling out a device.
His voice was cold. Controlled. Lethal.
"Put out a bounty," he ordered.
"A black-haired, gray-eyed seventeen-year-old. Across all conquered worlds."