The portal flared open behind them, crackling with raw, violet light. Lucas stood at its edge, his jaw tight, fists clenched, refusing to meet Kai's eyes. The Reaper gave Kai one last look—an unspoken warning—before pushing him forward. The bark scraped Kai's back as he was yanked toward the portal, the chains around his wrists dragging behind him.
When Kai stepped through, the world twisted.
The forest vanished, swallowed by pulsing magic.
And then—he was inside the once-great castle of Elnfia.
But it wasn't the castle he knew.
Walls were scorched black from fire spells. The golden banners that once bore Elnfia's sigil hung in tatters. The scent of smoke and something metallic—blood—lingered in the air. Torches now burned with an eerie green flame. And silence. A suffocating, terrible silence.
Kai was led down the great hall, past the throne room—its doors shattered, the thrones themselves gone—and toward the dungeons. The same dungeons they once swore they'd never use except in direst emergency. Now, they held prisoners.
His heart lurched.
From one cell, he heard muffled cries.
"Liam?" he whispered.
The cry grew louder.
"Alex!" he called, louder this time. "Roy!"
"Quiet," the Reaper hissed, slamming the hilt of his dagger into Kai's gut. Kai fell to his knees, coughing, but still straining to hear the familiar voices of his brothers. He had to know they were alive.
The Reaper finally stopped in front of an isolated cell. With a flick of his fingers, the chains on Kai's wrists vanished, only to be replaced by glowing sigils burned into his skin—binding spells.
He shoved Kai inside. The cell door slammed shut.
Lucas remained outside the bars, staring at him. His eyes wavered for just a second. Regret? Guilt?
"Kai…" he started.
"Don't," Kai snapped. "Not now. Not after this."
Lucas stepped back, stung.
The Reaper chuckled from the shadows. "Let him suffer. It's only the beginning."
And then they were gone.
---
Later that night, in the dim light of his cell, Kai sat with his arms wrapped around his knees. His golden eyes stared blankly ahead, past the cracks in the stone, past the weight of everything.
Then—
A whisper.
"Kai..."
His head snapped up.
A soft, quiet voice floated through the walls.
"Roy?" he whispered.
"Kai... we're okay," Roy's voice said again, weak but alive. "We're... we're still here."
Relief flooded him—but it was short-lived.
Because he knew the Reaper hadn't brought them here to keep them alive.
He brought them here to break them.
And Lucas—his best friend, his brother in all but blood—had helped him do it.