The morning came quietly.
Almost too quietly.
Ravenholt slowly began to wake.
The streets were mostly empty.
The shops had only just begun opening.
The castle servants moved through the halls as they normally did.
But something was different.
Everyone was talking.
Whispers traveled from room to room.
"Did you see it?"
"The light?"
"I saw it from the walls."
"It looked like the sun appeared in the middle of the night."
Others spoke about the sound.
That terrible scream.
The battle.
The shaking ground.
Nobody knew exactly what had happened.
Only that something had happened.
Something powerful enough to be felt throughout Ravenholt.
Outside the castle...
The training grounds were silent.
The ground was scorched.
Cracks ran across the earth.
Broken pieces of stone and wood were scattered everywhere.
And in the center...
The broken greatsword remained.
Exactly where Levi had left it.
Nobody had touched it.
Nobody had moved it.
It stood in the ground like a monument.
Levi stood several meters away.
His arms rested at his sides.
He stared at the broken blade.
For a while...
He said nothing.
Footsteps approached behind him.
Gaius.
He stopped beside Levi.
Neither spoke.
They simply looked at the sword.
After a moment...
Gaius broke the silence.
"That's the man?"
Levi nodded.
"Eyeless."
Gaius looked at the broken weapon.
"I've heard stories."
"So have I."
Gaius crossed his arms.
"He was strong."
Levi looked down.
"Very."
A pause.
"And he wasn't fighting like a normal soldier."
Gaius looked at Levi.
"What happened?"
Levi didn't answer immediately.
He looked toward the sword again.
"He was being controlled."
Gaius's expression changed.
"Controlled?"
"Something was using him."
Levi remembered the purple spirit.
The chains.
The way Eyeless had screamed.
"The thing he believed was his wife..."
Levi paused.
"...wasn't her."
Gaius remained silent.
"It had been with him for years."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
"Making him believe it was protecting him."
Gaius looked toward the castle.
"The Black Church."
Levi nodded.
"Most likely."
Gaius sighed.
"So even after fifteen years..."
"Their influence is still spreading."
Neither spoke.
The wind passed through the training grounds.
The broken sword made a faint sound.
Clink.
Levi looked at it.
"He deserved better."
Gaius glanced at him.
"You respected him."
Levi shook his head slightly.
"I respected the man he became at the end."
Gaius understood.
He looked back at the sword.
"A warrior who fought against his own chains."
Levi nodded.
"Exactly."
Footsteps suddenly approached.
Several guards stopped at a distance.
"My Lord."
Levi turned.
"What is it?"
The guard hesitated.
"We've begun cleaning the training grounds."
Levi nodded.
"Good."
The guard glanced toward the broken sword.
"Should we move..."
"No."
The guard immediately stopped.
Levi's voice became firm.
"Leave the sword."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Do not repair it."
The guard nodded.
"And don't let anyone touch it."
"Understood."
The guards bowed and left.
Gaius watched them go.
"You really intend to leave it there?"
Levi looked at the broken blade.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Levi remained silent for a moment.
Then...
"So people remember."
Gaius raised an eyebrow.
"Remember what?"
Levi looked toward the castle.
"That not every enemy we fight chose to become our enemy."
Gaius said nothing.
Levi turned away.
"Come."
They began walking.
As they crossed the castle courtyard...
Several children were nearby.
Elias was among them.
He looked toward Levi.
"My Lord!"
Levi stopped.
Elias ran over.
The other children followed.
"Are you okay?"
Levi looked at him.
"I'm fine."
Elias glanced toward the training grounds.
"Was that the man from last night?"
Levi nodded.
"Yes."
"Was he..."
Elias hesitated.
"...a bad person?"
Levi thought for a moment.
"No."
The children looked surprised.
Levi continued.
"He did terrible things."
"But..."
He looked toward the broken sword.
"I don't think he was a terrible person."
Elias lowered his head.
"What happened to him?"
Levi's expression softened.
"He found his way back."
Elias looked confused.
"Back from where?"
Levi smiled faintly.
"From the darkness."
The children remained quiet.
Levi walked past them.
"Come on."
Elias followed.
The others followed him too.
For a brief moment...
Ravenholt felt normal again.
But far away...
Beyond the mountains.
Deep within a place hidden from the rest of the world...
A candle went out.
The High Priest sat alone inside a dark chamber.
His eyes were closed.
He suddenly opened them.
"..."
Something was missing.
A presence.
A connection.
Gone.
He slowly stood.
"Eyeless..."
No response.
The High Priest stared into the darkness.
"Interesting."
A Cardinal standing nearby lowered his head.
"Your Holiness?"
The High Priest raised one hand.
"Silence."
He closed his eyes again.
He searched for the connection.
Nothing.
Eyeless was gone.
Not merely unconscious.
Not merely defeated.
Gone.
The High Priest smiled.
"So..."
He walked toward the enormous black symbol carved into the wall.
"Ravenholt killed him."
The Cardinal remained silent.
The High Priest placed his hand against the symbol.
"Then the Vessel has truly begun to awaken."
The Cardinal looked up.
"The Vessel?"
The High Priest smiled.
"You still don't understand."
He turned toward him.
"Eyeless was never the Vessel."
Silence.
The Cardinal's expression changed.
"Then..."
The High Priest looked toward the distant mountains.
"The boy."
Back in Ravenholt...
Levi returned to his office.
He sat down at his desk.
For the first time since the battle...
He allowed himself to relax.
The room was quiet.
His sword rested beside him.
Azhir.
Still glowing faintly.
Levi stared out the window.
The sun had fully risen.
Ravenholt was alive again.
People were working.
Children were playing.
Guards were returning to their posts.
Everything continued.
Yet...
Something bothered him.
It felt as if someone was looking at him.
Not from inside the castle.
Not from the streets.
Somewhere farther away.
Levi slowly turned toward the window.
Nothing.
Only the distant mountains.
The forests.
The roads leading away from Ravenholt.
He narrowed his eyes.
'Someone is watching.'
He remained still.
His hand slowly moved toward Azhir.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Levi stepped toward the window.
He looked across the horizon.
Nothing.
Still...
That feeling remained.
As if unseen eyes were following every movement.
'Was it the battle?'
He frowned.
'Maybe I'm just tired.'
But he couldn't shake the feeling.
Someone was watching him.
And they were watching from very far away.
Levi finally stepped away from the window.
He didn't know...
That beyond the mountains...
Something was watching.
Far beyond Ravenholt's borders.
The Archbishop stood before the glowing pentagram.
The purple spirit hovered above it.
Her body flickered occasionally.
The violet smoke surrounding her was thinner than before.
She was clearly weakened.
The Archbishop stared at her for a moment.
"...You're weaker."
The spirit looked down at herself.
"I know."
Her voice was quieter.
"That boy..."
She clenched her hand.
"...His light was far stronger than I expected."
The Archbishop smiled faintly.
"Yet you're still here."
The spirit looked at him.
"I told you."
She slowly spread her fingers.
Violet flames appeared around her hand.
They flickered.
Then disappeared.
"I cannot truly die."
(The Undying were not like ordinary demons.)
(They could be destroyed.)
(They could be defeated.)
(They could even be killed.)
(But death was never the end for them.)
(No matter what weapon was used...)
(No matter what spell struck them...)
(No matter how completely their bodies were destroyed...)
(They would simply return to Hell.)
(And eventually...)
(They would return once more.)
The Archbishop stepped closer to the pentagram.
"That is why you are useful."
The spirit gave him a cold look.
"Useful?"
The Archbishop chuckled.
"Persistent, then."
"Better."
She crossed her arms.
"I have existed for longer than your cathedral."
"And yet..."
The Archbishop looked at her weakened form.
"You were defeated by a single man."
The spirit's expression darkened.
"He was not ordinary."
"The Vessel?"
"No."
She paused.
"The other one."
"The boy?"
"The swordsman."
The Archbishop's smile faded slightly.
"Azhir..."
The spirit nodded.
"That sword carried something I have never felt before."
"Light."
"Not ordinary light."
She looked toward the darkness beyond the cathedral.
"It felt like it was revealing everything."
The Archbishop remained silent.
Then...
He smiled.
"Perhaps that is why the Vessel has begun to awaken."
The spirit slowly turned toward him.
"You believe he is close?"
"I believe..."
The Archbishop placed his hand over the edge of the pentagram.
"...that everything is finally moving again."
The spirit's violet eyes narrowed.
"And what do you want me to do?"
The Archbishop looked directly at her.
"Nothing."
She seemed surprised.
"Nothing?"
"Rest."
His smile returned.
"You were recently killed."
The spirit scoffed.
"I returned."
"Yes."
He glanced at her flickering form.
"But you're not at full strength."
The spirit looked down at herself.
"...True."
"We waited fifteen years."
The Archbishop turned away.
"We can wait a little longer."
The spirit remained silent.
Then...
She smiled.
"Very well."
Her body slowly began dissolving into violet smoke.
"But when you summon me again..."
The Archbishop looked back.
"...I will be ready."
The spirit disappeared.
The pentagram slowly dimmed.
The Archbishop stood alone in the darkness.
Then he whispered...
"Until then."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Return to Hell."
The Archbishop whispered.
"The Black Cathedral has waited fifteen years."
The candles suddenly reignited.
"Now..."
His smile widened.
"...we've lost another fucking chance?!"
He clenched the glass in his hand.
CRACK!
The glass shattered.
Blood spilled between his fingers.
The Archbishop stared at his bleeding hand.
Then...
He began laughing.
A low laugh at first.
Then louder.
More manic.
"We waited fifteen years..."
He slowly looked toward the glowing pentagram.
"What's a few more days?"
His laughter returned.
"Or months..."
He opened his hand, letting the blood drip onto the stone.
"It changes nothing."
His smile widened.
"It'll only delay the inevitable."
---
Back in Ravenholt...
The castle had finally gone quiet.
The guards had returned to their posts.
The children were asleep.
Even the training grounds had fallen silent.
Inside Levi's office...
A single candle continued to burn.
Levi sat in his chair.
His eyes remained fixed on the documents scattered across his desk.
Reports.
Supply requests.
Guard rotations.
Repairs.
Everything that still needed to be done.
He slowly reached for another paper.
His hand stopped halfway.
"..."
His eyes grew heavier.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
He tried to force himself awake.
'Just one more...'
His head slowly lowered.
His hand slipped from the desk.
The paper beneath his fingers crumpled slightly.
Levi's body finally gave up.
He fell asleep right there.
Not properly.
Not comfortably.
His head rested against his arm.
His body was still sitting upright in the chair.
One leg was stretched out awkwardly.
His other foot barely touched the floor.
The candle beside him continued to flicker.
Hours passed.
The door slowly opened.
Gaius stepped inside.
He had come to check on Levi.
He stopped.
"...Levi?"
No response.
Gaius looked at the papers.
Then at Levi.
He sighed.
"You idiot."
He walked closer.
Levi didn't move.
Gaius placed a hand on his shoulder.
Nothing.
"...You really exhausted yourself."
He carefully moved the papers aside.
Then...
Gaius bent down.
He lifted Levi from the chair.
Levi barely reacted.
His head rested against Gaius's shoulder.
Still asleep.
Gaius carried him out of the office.
Through the quiet hallway.
Past the guards.
None of them said a word.
They simply watched their lord being carried away.
Gaius entered Levi's room.
He walked toward the bed.
Slowly...
Carefully...
He lowered Levi onto the mattress.
He adjusted his position.
Pulled the blanket over him.
Then moved Levi's arm away from underneath his body.
"There."
Gaius stepped back.
Levi remained completely asleep.
For once...
He wasn't thinking about Ravenholt.
He wasn't thinking about the Black Church.
He wasn't thinking about Eyeless.
He wasn't thinking about what would come next.
He was simply sleeping.
Gaius looked at him for a moment.
"...Get some rest."
He turned toward the door.
Before leaving...
He glanced back one last time.
The candlelight from the hallway faintly illuminated Levi's sleeping face.
Gaius quietly closed the door.
Click.
Silence returned.
And for the first time since the battle...
Levi finally rested.