Krisian knelt before the shattered mirror, blood staining his knuckles, his breath shallow as the voice in the glass faded into nothing.
Then—another voice echoed from within.
Familiar.
Softer. But urgent.
"Krisian."
He didn't move.
"Krisian. You need to tell me."
Henry's voice.
Not from the outside world—but from within.
Krisian clenched his jaw. "Not now, Henry."
But Henry's voice grew firmer.
"Yes now. You know exactly what I'm talking about. What happened in the temple?"
Krisian's eyes flickered. The temple.
Henry pressed again. "Why did you block me out? Why did you stop me from seeing what was happening while everyone was inside? I need to know, Krisian. Everyone was supposed to face the Sacred Demon. The trial was part of the plan."
A pause. Krisian stood slowly, facing the mirror frame again, now just a reflection of the night outside.
"I… don't remember."
"What?"
Krisian closed his eyes, frustration bubbling in his chest. "I don't remember, Henry. One second, everything was under control. We were preparing for the Gemini mission. MG and Michael entered the temple. They were supposed to face their trials. Sillax was with me. I blinked… and the next second—"
His fists tightened.
"The Gate of Forsaken Oaths was open.The sky had turned black. The runes across the temple were shattered. MG and Michael were gone. Zak, Alpha, Perfani—gone. Everyone gone except me… and Sillax."
Henry's voice grew quiet. "You mean... they vanished?"
Krisian nodded slowly. "No traces. No energy signatures. No screams. Just… silence. That gate wasn't supposed to be real. It was sealed centuries ago by the founders of both courts."
Henry's voice wavered. "And you… you're telling me you don't remember anything? You don't know what caused it?"
Krisian stepped back, pacing, his expression torn between fury and confusion.
"Something took over. I felt it for a moment. A surge of power that didn't come from me or the temple.""It felt like… the abyss itself reached into our world."
He stopped, glaring at the broken mirror again.
"Henry… we didn't just lose contact. I think we lost time. And whatever opened the Gate of Forsaken Oaths—"
"—knew exactly what it was doing."
A beat passed.
Henry whispered, "Then we've been played."
Krisian said nothing.
Henry added, voice cracking, "We might've won the trials… but we've already lost something far greater."
Krisian closed his eyes.
"Every win has its loss."
The silence between them deepened.
And the shadows outside began to stir.
Henry fell silent inside Krisian's mind, absorbing every word.
Krisian's breathing slowed, but his heart pounded against his ribs. The mirror remained shattered, the room dim and heavy. Outside, the winds had begun to howl, as if nature itself could sense the balance tipping.
Then—the door creaked open.
Sillax stepped inside quietly, her white robes faintly stained with blood. Her violet eyes scanned the room before landing on Krisian, standing amidst broken glass and silence.
She didn't speak at first.
Just looked at him.
Then softly:"You can't stay here, Krisian. You have a court to face."
Krisian didn't move. "They're gone, Sillax. Every single one of them. I led them into that temple. I gave the orders. I believed I had control… and now they're just—gone."
Sillax took a step closer. "You blame yourself. Good. You should. A king who doesn't feel guilt is already lost."
Krisian slowly turned his golden gaze toward her, the anger burning in his eyes now tempered with something deeper: sorrow.
"I could have gone in after them."
"You were unconscious."
"Then I should have died with them."
Sillax's tone sharpened. "And left your kingdom with no one to lead it? No. They didn't die. They were taken. And you're the only one who can bring them back."
Krisian looked away. "The Gate of Forsaken Oaths is not just some cursed door. It's a prison. A void. Those who vanish into it… don't return."
Sillax stepped forward, unflinching. "Then we go into the void."
The moonlight bled through the broken mirror, casting jagged silver lines across Krisian's face as he sat slumped against the wall. The silence of his room was no longer peaceful—it was suffocating. Plans, once perfect, were now ashes in his mind. He had led them. He had promised victory.
Now there was only absence.
And guilt.
He stared blankly at the wall, body still, mind drowning. The voices inside him had gone quiet. Even Henry, who had screamed moments ago, was silent now—maybe from disappointment, maybe from mourning.
Krisian exhaled shakily.
"Maybe… I was wrong."
He stood slowly, swaying slightly. Each step toward the door felt like defeat.
Then—the door burst open.
"Krisian!"
It was Sillax.
Her eyes were wide, burning—not with fear, but with anger. Righteous anger.
"You must stop. And you must wake up."
Krisian froze. He didn't turn. He just whispered, hollow, defeated:
"Everything is gone, Sillax."
She took a step closer, fists clenched.
"No, it's not."
Krisian finally looked at her. His voice cracked, lower now. Broken.
"The ruler of the Celestial Court... vanished.""The angel that was chosen by the crown accepted him. And now he's lost.""Michael—our Michael—the leader of the Onyx Court, gone.""All the Onyx Court descendants we found... disappeared."He looked away, pain twisting in his golden eyes."We lost everything."
Sillax's voice cut through his grief.
"Do you know why I follow your orders, Krisian? Why I respect you?"
He didn't answer.
"It's not because of your strength. Not because you speak like a king."
Her voice softened. "It's because you were the only one who helped me when I was cursed. The only one who saw the evil in this world… and chose to stand against it. When the rest of us hid, you rose."
Krisian shook his head. "But now I've failed."
"Then we fight harder." Sillax stepped in front of him, eyes burning now with fierce loyalty. "This is not over."
"We are getting them back. At all costs."
He looked at her—torn, raw, and for a moment, silent.
Then he whispered, "But we are alone. Sillax. respondNo Zeref The Celestial Court is full. Mikason returned and gathered every last descendant. He's ready for war."
Sillax's lips curled into a determined smile.
"We are not alone."
Krisian blinked.
"I know how we can find them."
He straightened, slowly, cautiously. "What do you mean?"
Sillax turned toward the broken mirror, her reflection fractured and clear.
"You remember the Temple of Echoed Blood?"
Krisian's eyes widened slightly. "That temple was sealed by the gods themselves."
"Not anymore." Sillax's tone sharpened. "The Gate of Forsaken Oaths led somewhere, but it left behind echoes. And that temple? It still holds the voices of those who crossed. If we go there... we can hear what happened on the other side." She stepped closer. "We can track them."
Krisian's heart thudded with new fire—faint, but present.
"If the echoes survived…" he whispered, "then they did too."
He looked up, the weight in his chest slightly lighter.
"Then gather your things, Sillax." His voice strengthened.
"We leave at dawn."