The crack in the sky widened without a sound.
A massive black hand tore through the light, each finger stretching wider than the palace towers. It wasn't shadow — it was erasure itself. Wherever it passed, color and air vanished.
The hand came down toward Rin like a falling mountain.
Before it could reach him, the World Tree appeared beside him. She lifted two fingers.
Petals exploded from her touch.
The hand broke apart instantly — not into dust, but into millions of pink petals that danced through the air. They shimmered like tiny blades, orbiting Rin protectively before returning to her side.
She smiled. "Not today, little winter."
The crack ripped wider.
From the darkness, a man stepped out — or rather, the darkness followed him. Every step he took made the world dim. His hair was pale, his robe black as midnight, and a silk blindfold covered his eyes.
He looked exactly like the Codex.
Rin froze, every instinct screaming. Is that him?
No… It couldn't be. But the resemblance was perfect.
"Still meddling, tree?" the man said calmly.
"Still recovering, void," she replied with a small smirk. "Or should I say — a clone of him?"
Void ignored her and raised his hand.
The air bent.
The sky folded inward.
Stars stretched like rubber and vanished into a growing black sphere above them.
A black hole.
Its pull was instant. The clouds twisted into spirals. Buildings groaned as light itself curved toward the center. Even the elves in the city below felt their hearts slow, the rhythm of life dragged toward that single point of nothing.
Rin felt it too — not in his body, but in his soul. The pull wasn't just gravity. It was will. The world itself was choosing to collapse.
Then the Queen moved.
She lifted her hand — and time froze.
Wind stopped. Sparks froze midair. Even the black hole paused.
The Queen's clone appeared beside her, sprinting upward on steps made of glowing frost.
With a sweep of her hand, she spread sheets of silver ice across the torn sky. Not normal ice — divine crystal, unbreakable, unmoving. It sealed the sky shut like a scar that refused to reopen.
Below, the real Queen froze the black hole itself in pure time.
A few seconds later, she released the stop.
The world exhaled.
"Ugly trick," she said. "On our doorstep?"
"On mine," Void replied, his voice cold and lazy. "All doors open into me."
The World Tree stepped forward, bare feet walking on petals. "I don't recall renting the sky."
She reached toward the black hole.
The air shook — then softened. The massive sphere of darkness turned pink, glowing faintly, its edges blooming like a flower. Within moments, the entire black hole had transformed into a spiral of cherry blossoms.
The storm became a garden.
Void watched quietly. "Still nasty as ever."
He took a step — and appeared on the palace courtyard instantly. The air around him shimmered with power.
Rin gripped his sword tighter. That face… that blindfold… it was exactly like Codex's.
"Do not bow," the World Tree said calmly. "He wears a stolen face."
"Stolen?" Void smiled faintly. "I prefer retired."
He touched the ground. The palace stone cracked — then started turning to dust. Pillars collapsed, carvings faded away as if they'd never existed.
The World Tree flicked her wrist. Petals poured from the dust, rebuilding everything he'd erased. In seconds, the palace stood again — white, shining, flawless.
"Stay back, Rin," she murmured. "He's not here for you."
Void ignored her. He pointed toward the horizon.
Far away, half the city disappeared — no sound, no flash, just gone.
The Queen reacted instantly. A crown of petals formed above the city, glowing like dawn. The erased districts reappeared as if reality remembered them.
"Don't touch my people," the Queen said coldly.
Void chuckled. "Borrowed conviction. Charming."
He raised his hand again.
The ground warped, curving inward like a bowl. Buildings tilted, trees shrank, air and light slid toward the center.
The Queen froze time again. Her clone sealed the curve with layers of ice.
The World Tree followed, stretching her hand. The collapsing world rippled, split into petals, and burst into a soft pink storm.
The void turned into a garden once more, and the garden rebuilt the city in an instant.
Void's smile returned. "Nasty as ever."
The petals swirled gently in answer.
And the real fight began.