Kyrai was having breakfast with her mother. She looked at the empty chair and felt the absence of someone who usually sat there. As she swallowed her food, she glanced at Mary, who was still shaken by his departure.
Kyrai raised an eyebrow and asked:"Mom, where is Uncle Poul?"
Mary began avoiding eye contact, moving her hands nervously and trying to change the subject."Jay and your father went to the library. They'll be back soon."
"I know that. I know my adorable little brother is full of love for the Saint and went there to try forgetting her."
Mary attempted to change the topic again but failed."Fine, I'll tell you where he went. I give up."
'She gave up so easily. I'm truly amazing!' Kyrai thought with a proud smile.
Mary took a moment to calm herself before speaking while Kyrai devoured her food. Once composed, she looked at Kyrai with a serious expression and said:"Poul went to war this morning." As she said that, her mask cracked instantly. She stood and moved toward her daughter to comfort her.
The moment Kyrai heard the news, her eyes filled with tears. She began crying."I didn't get to... to say goodbye to uncle."
Meanwhile, Jay stared at that gigantic figure. Smoke rose from its skin, and its eyes glowed intensely.
Startled, Jay asked his uncle Luís what that thing was, but Luís only dropped his book and said with hopeless eyes:"This is the end of our peace and... the beginning of hell."
Hearing Luís' words, Jay's heart tightened. He began sweating cold and swallowed hard. Then Jay remembered Mary and Kyrai. The moment he did, he sprinted toward them.
Luís heard fast footsteps. He turned to the side and saw his adoptive son running. Panic rose inside him as he ran after the boy."Wait, Jay! Don't run like that!" Luís shouted anxiously. "If you run like that, something could—"
Luís stopped mid-sentence, distracted by the possibility of what might happen.
Jay, on the other hand, was determined to flee the city condemned to disaster.'I need to warn Mary and Kyrai or something terrible might happen. Damn it, why aren't you here right now, Poul?!' Jay ran with all his strength to save his mother and sister.
"Jay, be careful!" Luís yelled, but again Jay didn't listen.
Jay felt something hot approaching. Turning his head slowly, he saw a shining object coming toward him.Everything became slow. Even his own body. He turned his head and saw his uncle's desperate eyes. Then he looked up and thought:
'Is this how I'm going to die?! Without even having lived enough in this new life?!' A tear rolled down his face. 'Damn it! I don't... want to die!'
The sky darkened, and as if it hated and rejected Jay's death, a rain of lightning fell. One of those charges struck Jay violently.'The pain, the pain... I feel my whole body burn to my muscles and skin. The only sensation left is death waiting eagerly for me.'
"Jayyy!!" Luís turned pale. Cold sweat drenched him. He wanted to grab a sword and kill that giant.
Then came the roar of thunder. At the same time, the wall collapsed. Gunshots echoed but were quickly silenced. Destruction reigned.
Luís ran toward Jay's body as the lightning stopped electrocuting him. He lifted the burnt body.Seeing Jay still breathing, a relieved smile crossed his pale face.
He carried Jay toward the healers while grinding his teeth in rage.'I can't fail. I have to save Jay, my friend's son.'
Jay was unconscious, burned, unable to move. His muscles wouldn't respond, and his heart slowly weakened. Only his mind was almost intact.
Jay woke up in the body of his past life, wearing his full suit along with his knives and metal ring. As he stood and looked around, he noticed the place was dark, even the ground was pitch black. It was like he stood within the darkness itself.
"What is this place? Did I die?!"
"This beautiful place is your own mind."
Jay quickly turned to the echoing voice."That voice could only be his." Jay sighed with his eyes closed. "Roh, is that you?"
He appeared with a macabre smile as he walked toward Jay."You recognize me just by my voice?! Impressive." He finished with his typical laugh.
Jay, staring at the elemental spirit and confused by the situation, asked:"What the hell is going on?! And why is there an electric elemental giant?!"
Roh laughed before answering. He stared at Jay."He is here because of our fault."
That unexpected answer left Jay speechless and irritated."What do you mean it's my fault and yours?! Explain it properly." Jay replied with anger in his eyes.
Roh gave Jay the middle finger before explaining."Well, we elementals feel power when it starts manifesting along with your adaptation and synchronization with your element. Giants, being larger and having sharper senses than humans, tend to be more sensitive to that. Satisfied with the explanation, dickhead?"
"Yes, I am satisfied."
Jay touched his chin, thinking about synchronization. He didn't want to ask Roh, but his stubbornness led nowhere."Roh! What is synchronization?"
Roh looked at Jay, then turned his attention elsewhere, irritating the boy further.
Jay spent time observing what it felt like to be inside his own mind. He noticed how empty it was.'I never imagined my mind was this empty. I thought it would be clearer... not this dark! It's like the darkness completely swallowed it!'
Roh laughed.Jay heard the laugh and asked:"What is it?"
"Nothing. I'm just laughing because you're admiring this place when it's your own mind and spirit. Which means..." Roh widened his eyes and smiled. "This place defines you. Darkness has consumed your spirit and mind. And when I see you wanting to be happy and move toward the light..."
"I get sad knowing you'll never reach it, because you belong to darkness." Roh finished.
Jay just stared at the ice elemental spirit. He clenched his teeth. Deep down, Jay knew part of that might be true.
"Goodbye. Until next time."
Jay didn't answer. When he finally regained consciousness, he felt heat approaching and pain everywhere. He flinched when he saw a healer's burnt corpse beside him.
Startled, he moved away. Looking around, flames nearly surrounded him completely. Jay stood despite the pain, heading for the narrowing gap being consumed by fire.
'Damn it, I don't have the strength to run.' He gritted his teeth. Walking while holding his arm. 'Shit! I can barely walk. If something appears...'
He reached the side and saw the city burning. Jay covered his mouth and coughed violently.'It's hard to breathe!'
His breath grew heavier, but he kept covering his nose and mouth while searching for an exit.
After some time, his vision blurred, his body grew heavier.'There's a sound, but I can't identify it... It's even hard to hear?!'
He coughed again. Jay took a few more steps before collapsing. Lying on the ground, he could only hear the sound of fire consuming everything around him.
Flames everywhere. Explosions from the battle between the giant and soldiers shook the area.While Hyou Jay slowly died, the giant and soldiers fought relentlessly, mortar shots increasing the destruction.
The giant opened its hand, bringing down a rain of lightning upon the soldiers. Then he searched through the burning city as if looking for something.
Eventually, he saw a hooded human drinking.Beside him lay a sword seemingly forged from darkness itself, its purple blade radiating shadow.
The giant dropped his finger toward him, and lightning fell—but the human vanished. The giant's stern and dead expression turned into shock. He looked around, wide-eyed.
He felt something touch his cheek—then another. The mysterious man struck him with a knee.
The houses below shattered as the giant crashed. The man stared arrogantly at the fallen creature.
With a proud, mocking smile, he said:"So you can destroy this lovely city the moment its strongest soldier leaves, huh?!"
The giant growled with hatred.
"Well, it looked like you were searching for someone." The man touched his chin as if thinking.'Did he come because he sensed that spiritual mana?! I only came here with one objective: capturing and turning that being into my disciple.'
He stepped back, letting the giant rise.
Slowly, he drew his sword. The giant extended his hand and formed an electric blade.
Then, with a sinister grin, the man sliced off the giant's arm in an instant. Blood sprayed as the giant stared in shock—"How did a human do this?!"
He attempted to regenerate using his element, but before he finished, the man laughed and walked toward him calmly, swinging his sword lightly.
The blade suddenly stopped—darkness coated it. The man dashed forward. The giant fired electric blasts while gritting his teeth.
"You're still holding back?!" The man dodged each bolt. "You really want to meet him. Too bad—this is your end."
They neared the roaring flames. After avoiding another barrage, the man leapt, darkness engulfing his blade. The giant who destroyed a city paled from sheer terror of that darkness.
The man plunged the sword into the giant's neck."Your journey ends here. Rest in peace."
Darkness spread through the man's arm. With an arrogant stare, he approached the fallen giant and consumed him with the dark blade.
Afterward, he sheathed the sword—and went to retrieve his future apprentice.
With blurred vision, Jay crawled across the burning ground. His determination was extraordinary. Jay didn't want to live for himself—he wanted to live for the Saint, Luís, Mary, his father, Noa, and Kyrai.
He heard footsteps. Through his hazy sight, he saw only shoes and a voice saying:"I found you!"
The man lifted Jay's unconscious body and calmly walked out of the burning city.
Meanwhile, Luís gritted his teeth in pure rage and bitterness. He had managed to save his daughter and almost lost his wife. His murderous gaze stared at the burning city.
All he could taste was failure. His daughter cried uncontrollably after losing her friend and nearly her mother.
A boy approached him."Uncle Luís... don't tell me... I lost my friend too?!"
Luís turned. The boy's clothes were burned, his hair disheveled, and his empty eyes begged for an answer.
Luís hugged him tightly and whispered:"Yes, Noa... I failed to save your friend. I'm sorry."
In that moment, Noa lost everything—except the love he still carried for the girl who cried in despair. He wanted to comfort her, but he wasn't capable. Noa only laughed—a broken, melancholic laugh.'I don't want to cry. I don't... want to cry.'
He laughed as tears fell. Luís held the boy while watching his wife being treated by elves and the few healers who survived the disaster.
One elf, wearing blue robes with golden details—the commander of the rescue—glanced coldly at the humans aboard the ship and said:"You will all be taken to the elven continent. The journey will last six full days until we reach the Kotei territory.