The air was thick — too thick — every breath Azareal took clawed at his throat.
Smoke, ruin, silence.
And her.
He blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the scene before him.
"What's happening here? Who… who is she?"
His own voice sounded far away, muffled like he was speaking underwater.
A piercing pain bloomed in his chest and he stumbled, clutching himself.
"It… it hurts… it pains a lot," he muttered, voice breaking.
Across the shattered field, Kalel trembled.
The man's body spasmed like it was being pulled apart by invisible hands.
Why was he shaking? Why couldn't he speak?
Azareal tried to move closer—but the air around Appolyth shimmered, distorting like a dying flame.
"Why is Kalel trembling? Is he… afraid?"
"And how did I even get here?"
"I was in… a void—"
He stopped, panic flashing in his amethyst eyes.
"Wait… where is Kalel?"
His gaze darted to the ground. Only dust remained—floating like dead snowflakes, glowing faintly, then fading away.
"Just one touch…" Azareal whispered.
"His form scattered. He screamed until nothing was left. What did she do?"
"What is she?"
His breathing quickened, the reality crashing in. Kalel was gone.
Completely.
Silence.
Then—movement.
Appolyth turned, her once-warped form slowly reshaping—
her hair shifting, her eyes turning green, her face softening into something familiar.
Reheil's body.
Her mother's face.
Her voice.
"You've grown into such a good man…" she said, smiling eerily.
"…son."
Azareal froze, his eyes wide and glistening with disbelief.
His heart pounded so hard he could hear it echoing in his skull.
"What are you?" he screamed, his voice trembling between rage and terror.
Appolyth's smile deepened — it didn't reach her eyes. Those eyes were endless pits, voids that swallowed all warmth.
"What am I?" she whispered, her tone dripping with dark mockery.
"I am your mother… your real, worthy mother."
Azareal's amethyst eyes shone — not with hope, but with despair.