The skies above the capital turned crimson, as if bleeding from the light that burst from the Abyss. Thunder rolled without clouds. The air grew heavy with fear and awe.
Lan stared at Nam, now levitating above the broken ground, radiating an overwhelming force. She could hardly recognize him. The warmth in his eyes had dimmed—replaced by something deeper, older, and far more dangerous.
"Nam," she called out again, her voice cracking, "You have to stop. This power—it's not meant to be yours alone!"
Nam looked down, not with arrogance, but with clarity.
"I didn't choose this path, Lan. It chose me."
He waved his hand. The air shimmered. From the cracked surface below, roots of dark crystal burst forth—snaking toward the horizon, infecting the very ground with arcane energy.
Bao drew his twin blades. "If you won't stop, then I will. Even if it kills me."
Nam didn't react. Instead, the shadow behind him extended its form—a twisted mockery of wings—and let out a silent roar that shattered the stone beneath Bao's feet.
Lan rushed to stop him. "Don't! He's not our enemy... not yet."
But Bao charged, slashing toward Nam with a cry.
And then—time halted.
Or it seemed to.
Nam caught Bao's blade mid-air with two fingers. Energy rippled outward, freezing the world for a breathless second.
"Your courage is noble," Nam whispered. "But you're fighting a god now."
He released Bao. The warrior dropped to the ground, unconscious but alive.
Lan ran to him, holding back tears.
"Nam, listen to me—whatever is inside you, it doesn't define you. You're still human. You're still… mine."
The glow in Nam's eyes flickered, just briefly.
And then a tremor shook the land.
Far to the north, the once-dormant Temple of the Seven Moons cracked open. Lightning poured from the sky into its spires. Guardians who had slept for a thousand years awoke.
In the east, the ocean began to boil. The Leviathan stirred.
"Others are awakening too," Nam said, turning his gaze toward the distance. "I'm not the only one. They'll come for me—and for you."
Lan stepped forward. "Then we fight together."
Nam hesitated. For the first time, his voice wavered.
"Together... may not be enough."
And as the sky began to fracture with a scream that echoed across dimensions, the true enemy stirred—watching, waiting, smiling in the dark.