The air was heavy with silence.
Not the peaceful kind that whispered between trees or lingered after rain — this was the kind that carried despair. The kind that followed war.
Ava sat beside Megumi's still form, his chest rising and falling weakly, each breath sounding more fragile than the last. The mortal body of the once-divine Fallen King now lay wrapped in linen and shadow, illuminated by the dim glow of starlight filtering through the stone arches of Uranus's hall.
Her hand trembled as she brushed the strands of black hair from his forehead. "He's cold," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He was never cold before…"
Leonidas stood nearby, his red cloak swaying in the faint wind that drifted through the open chamber. The Demon King's eyes, usually ablaze with calm strength, now shimmered with quiet worry. "He's human now," Leonidas said, his tone low and steady, as though trying to anchor himself as much as her. "His power's gone, Ava. The river's blessing, the divine spark… all of it's been stripped away."
Ava looked up at him sharply. "And you call that comfort?"
Leonidas sighed and turned his gaze toward the open horizon beyond the balcony. "No," he admitted. "It's truth. Sometimes truth is the only thing that keeps us from falling apart."
Ava pressed her forehead to Megumi's shoulder, tears streaking down her cheeks. "He saved us all once. He brought back the gods, gave them humanity… he even gave me back my life. And now—" Her voice broke. "Now he's fading because he tried to save us again."
Leonidas stepped closer, the sound of his boots echoing faintly. "He wouldn't want you blaming yourself," he said gently. "If he made this choice, it was his own."
"But it wasn't his choice," Ava snapped, her sorrow twisting into anger. "Cronos made him do that ritual. They all did! They used him!"
Leonidas didn't deny it. His silence was answer enough.
She stared at him, her purple eyes glowing faintly with pain and fury. "Tell me the truth, Leonidas. Did you know this would happen? Did you know they could kill him?"
The Demon King's jaw clenched. For a moment, his demonic aura flickered like a dying flame, the crimson veins of power beneath his skin pulsing faintly before dimming again. "I knew the ritual was dangerous," he confessed. "But I thought Cronos had control of it. I thought…" He stopped, the weight of guilt crushing the rest of his words. "I thought he was strong enough to survive anything."
Ava stood, trembling, her tears drying into anger. "You thought wrong."
Leonidas looked away, unable to meet her eyes. The wind outside carried the faint hum of divine energy, like distant thunder — the echo of the chaos still unfolding between Uranus and the King of Erasure.
Then the sound came.
A shudder through the ground. The mountain itself groaned, deep and low, as if the world was protesting something ancient being unbound. The stars outside dimmed for a heartbeat, and the torches flickered blue.
Leonidas's head snapped toward the horizon. "He's moving again," he said under his breath.
Ava stood frozen. "Who?"
"The King of Erasure," Leonidas answered. "That… thing that came out of Megumi. His power is growing. Uranus and Cronos won't be able to hold him for long."
Her heart pounded. "Then what are we supposed to do?"
Leonidas turned to her, eyes dark but resolute. "You're going to stay here and keep him alive." He motioned to Megumi. "He's weak, but as long as his heart beats, there's hope. If Uranus fails, you'll be the last line between that monster and what's left of this world."
"I can't just sit here while he's fighting out there," Ava said, shaking her head. "I've lost him once, I won't lose him again—"
Leonidas gripped her shoulders firmly. "If you go out there and die, he'll never forgive me. You think I don't want to fight? You think I don't want to rip that creature apart? But if you die, if the child of Megumi Valentine grows up without her mother—then all he's done will mean nothing."
Ava's breath caught. He was right. And that made it hurt even more.
She looked down at Megumi again. His face was calm, almost peaceful — the faintest trace of gold flickering under his eyelids. She wondered if he was dreaming. If somewhere in that fragile human shell, the Fallen King was still watching over them.
"I don't want to lose him," she whispered.
"You won't," Leonidas said softly. "But right now, we have to protect what's left of him. That means being strong, Ava. Stronger than either of us thought we'd have to be."
⸻
Hours passed. The battle outside the sky raged unseen, but its echoes reached them as tremors, light pulses, and distant, otherworldly roars that made even the air shiver.
Ava knelt beside Megumi, clutching his hand. "Remember when you told me you'd build a world where our daughter could smile without fear?" she murmured. "Don't you dare break that promise now."
She closed her eyes, leaning close. "Please… fight your way back."
Leonidas watched from the doorway, his demonic senses scanning the horizon. He could feel it — the clash of forces far beyond his realm. Uranus's divine energy radiated like an ocean of light, but beneath it, a dark pulse grew stronger — an eroding hum that felt like the end of everything.
And then, faintly, he heard a voice whisper on the wind.
Leonidas.
He froze.
Leonidas… he's slipping further.
The voice wasn't human — it was Uranus's. A telepathic whisper that brushed through the walls of space itself.
Leonidas clenched his fists. "No," he muttered. "Not like this."
He looked back at Ava. She was still beside Megumi, praying in silence, her tears glinting like shards of moonlight. He couldn't bear to tell her what he just heard.
Instead, he turned to the window, gazing out into the storm that was beginning to build across the heavens. The stars themselves seemed to tremble.
"Hold on, kid," he whispered to the wind. "Don't let that monster win."
⸻
The sound of Megumi's breathing changed.
Ava looked down and realized his chest had stopped moving for a moment — a horrible, silent pause — before he gasped, as if struggling against some unseen force.
"Megumi!" she cried, clutching his face. "Stay with me! Please, stay with me!"
His golden eyes fluttered open halfway. For a brief instant, they glowed faintly — not with the warmth of divinity, but with the cold reflection of the void. Ava recoiled slightly, heart pounding.
Then his eyes softened, and his voice came out in a weak whisper.
"Ava… I saw him."
Her breath caught. "Saw who?"
"The King of Erasure," he said faintly. "He's not gone. He's still inside me — somewhere deeper than I thought possible. He's… trying to pull me back."
Ava's eyes filled with tears. "No. No, you're stronger than him. You always have been."
Megumi shook his head weakly. "Not anymore. I'm mortal now. The power I had—it was the only thing keeping him sealed. Without it… he's free."
Ava pressed his hand to her heart. "Then we'll find another way. There's always another way."
He smiled faintly, the same soft smile he'd given her so many lifetimes ago. "That's what I used to tell you."
His hand fell limp again.
"Megumi—"
Leonidas was beside her in an instant. "He's alive," he said quickly, checking the faint pulse under Megumi's wrist. "Barely, but he's still here."
Ava broke down, sobbing into her hands. "I can't lose him, Leonidas… I can't."
Leonidas looked out toward the storm once more. His crimson eyes flickered, his horns glowing faintly with demonic energy. "You won't," he promised. "Not while I still draw breath."
He turned to her, his voice low. "Stay here. If Uranus fails, I'll go to him myself. I'll make sure that thing never reaches this place."
Ava shook her head, gripping his arm. "If you die—"
He smiled faintly. "I've already died once. I got better."
Despite her tears, she almost laughed.
⸻
Outside, thunder cracked open the sky.
A wave of divine light streaked across the heavens — and within it, a black pulse writhed, splitting clouds and tearing reality itself for a heartbeat.
Leonidas turned sharply. His eyes widened. "He's not fighting anymore," he whispered. "He's feeding."
Ava stood. "Feeding?"
"On the void itself," he said grimly. "He's becoming something far worse than the Fallen King ever was."
Her heart sank. "Then we're out of time."
Leonidas nodded. "Yes. And if Uranus can't stop him…" He looked at her, expression grim. "Then there's only one being left who can."
Ava followed his gaze to Megumi's still body. "But he's—"
"Not gone yet," Leonidas said, his eyes hardening. "The world hasn't lost its hope. Not until his heart stops beating."
He turned and stepped toward the door, demonic energy flaring faintly around him. "Keep him alive, Ava. Whatever it takes."
As he disappeared into the storm, Ava looked back at Megumi and whispered through trembling lips, "Come back to us, my love. You're still the light that holds this world together."
The wind howled through Uranus's halls, and in that moment — just for a breath — Megumi's fingers twitched.