The days after the raid… they went by fast.
Too fast, honestly.And yet, the heaviness in my chest didn't leave.
It just sat there, like a weight I couldn't set down.
Liora and I trained. We talked. We kept our weapons close, just in case.
Her trust in me…
it was something I was holding onto tighter than I admitted out loud.
But even with her at my side, there was this… feeling.
Like the sky before a storm.
Like someone standing behind you, and the moment you turn around—nothing's there.
The city carried on as usual. Markets still bustled, hunters still bragged, kids still laughed on street corners… but under it all, there was a tension. A kind of silence you only notice if you're listening for it.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Ended up on a rooftop, legs dangling over the edge, staring at the city lights below.
From up there, they really did look like stars scattered across the earth.
But my eyes kept drifting to the Tower.
Same as always—tall, still, patient. Like it knew exactly when it would make its next move.
My hand was wrapped around the scythe without me realising.
It… pulsed. Just once. Like a heartbeat. Like it was alive.
And the worst part?
I didn't find that strange anymore.
I thought about the dungeon fight—the way the power ripped through me.
Cold, sharp, endless. Addictive, even.And I wondered…
Was this me now?
Or something else wearing my skin?
The wind pulled at my hair, cool against my face. I shut my eyes. For just a second, I almost let myself relax.
Then—buzz.My phone.
A message from the Guild.
Urgent call.
Raid in the city center.
My chest went tight. First thought? Liora.
I was on my feet before I'd even decided to move.
Found her already armed, worry tightening around her like armor.
"We have to stop this," she said.
"Now." No hesitation.
We ran. The streets were chaos before we even got there.
Screams. Smoke. Shadows moving too fast to follow.
And monsters. So many monsters.
These weren't like the ones in the dungeon—they were bigger, faster, meaner.
I didn't wait to think about it. The scythe was already humming in my hands.
Cold power crawling up my spine, curling in my chest.
Liora was there beside me, her blade a silver flash in the haze.
We didn't need to speak. We just moved together—the way two fighters do when they've been through enough battles to know each other's rhythm.
Every monster that fell was replaced by another.
It felt endless.
And then—
I saw her.
A little girl. Trapped under rubble.
My feet were already moving before my mind caught up.
I threw the stones aside, crouched low so I could meet her eyes.
"You're okay," I told her.
"Go. Run."She bolted.
I turned back to the fight.
That voice was back. The scythe's voice.
Smooth, cold, a little too calm:
"Death is near… but so is hope."
I gritted my teeth and went in harder. This wasn't just about winning.
It was about holding onto what mattered.
To hope.
To her.
To us.
The fight dragged on for what felt like hours. My muscles burned, my lungs ached, but we kept moving.
Step by step. Strike by strike.
And finally—
Silence.
The city was a mess. The air was still heavy with smoke. But we were standing.
I looked at Liora. She looked back.
No words were needed.
Because both of us knew…
This was just the beginning.
To be continued...