The Void King gave no answer.
The darkness surrounding the castle remained perfectly still. Not the stillness of something at rest, but the stillness of something so ancient and immense that movement itself seemed unnecessary. August remained suspended above the ruined city, Luke's body wrapped in the faint remnants of golden light. Above him, the colossal Eye of the Forgotten Realm stared into the darkness. It was August's Soul World, an extension of his existence manifested across Gorgoroth, its enormous pupil observing every creature beneath it.
August's gaze remained fixed on the darkness surrounding the castle.
"If we fight here, neither of us gains anything."
His voice was calm.
"You may be stronger than me."The darkness trembled faintly. "But you are not what you once were."
For the first time, the silence felt different.
August knew the truth.
The Void King was an existence far beyond his own current level. In its prime, even August would have had little chance of standing against it. The being hidden within the darkness was merely an empty shell of that former glory, a weakened remnant of something that had once stood at the pinnacle of existence.
But even weakened, the Void King was terrifying.
August continued.
"And I am not using my own body."
Luke's hand trembled.
Tiny cracks had begun appearing beneath his skin. Golden mana leaked from them like light escaping through fractures in glass. August could feel the deterioration of Luke's body with every passing second. His soul was resisting the possession. His physical vessel was being forced to contain something it had never been meant to contain.
"I have little time left."
The colossal eye remained motionless.
August looked toward the masked figure standing far below.
"Bani."
The masked Bani froze. He had expected many things.
That wasn't one of them.
August knew.
He knew that the figure beneath the faceless mask was an avatar. He knew who had created the mask. He knew what dwelled within it.
"Your avatar is still too weak."
Bani's fingers tightened around his daggers.
"The connection between him and you is unstable. If we fought now, neither your avatar nor this body would survive."
The darkness remained silent. August continued. "But that can change."
The air grew heavier.
"I will make sure Bani grows."
The golden light around Luke's body flickered.
"I will make him strong enough to contain your power."
August paused. "In exchange, you let Luke and his companions leave Gorgoroth."
The words echoed through the city. For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the darkness moved. It didn't attack.
It simply began retreating.
The shadows surrounding the castle flowed backward, pouring through its enormous gates like an ocean being drawn into an abyss.
The pressure gradually disappeared.
The Void King had given no answer. Yet it had chosen not to stop them.
August understood. "Good enough."
The colossal Eye of the Forgotten Realm slowly closed.
Its enormous pupil contracted until the eye vanished completely.
The fractures in the sky began sealing themselves.
One after another, the cracks disappeared. Reality repaired itself. The dim star returned. Gorgoroth breathed again.
August's body immediately staggered. Luke's body was deteriorating faster now. He looked down at his hand. Another crack had appeared.
"That took more out of this body than expected."
Then a sound reached him. Steel cutting through air.
August's head snapped toward it.
Azula.
She was suspended before the castle, bound by chains.
A skin-walker stood behind her.
Its weapon was already descending.
The blade was moments away from cutting her in half.
August disappeared.
The skin-walker's blade stopped.
Two fingers held it.
The creature froze.
August stood beside Azula.
His hand had caught the blade effortlessly.
The force behind the strike had been enough to shatter stone.
Yet the weapon hadn't even scratched his fingers.
Azula's eyes widened.
She was already falling.
August released the blade with one hand and caught her in the same motion.
The skin-walker stared.
August looked at it. There was no anger in his expression. That made it worse.
"You were about to cut her in half." The skin-walker tilted its head. August's eyes became cold.
"Try touching her again."The skin-walker grinned. August's voice dropped.
"And you will regret possessing a life to lose." The creature's grin faltered.
August broke the chains binding Azula and lifted her into his arms.
He glanced toward the ruins.
Reo.
He found the human several streets away. Reo was barely alive. His body lay among the rubble, his purple hair soaked with blood and his breathing so faint that even a trained warrior might have mistaken him for a corpse.
August landed beside him.
"Still alive."
He placed his hand against Reo's chest.
Golden runes immediately appeared.
One. Then another. Then dozens. They formed a vast circular pattern beneath the human's body.
Golden light flowed through Reo. The wounds inflicted by the skin-walkers began closing. Broken bones repaired themselves. Damaged organs regenerated. His breathing became steady. The wounds that had nearly killed him disappeared within seconds. August stopped the spell. He deliberately left several minor injuries. Bruises. Cuts. Scratches.Nothing severe.
Enough to avoid raising unnecessary questions.
Reo's eyes slowly opened. "Luke...?"
"He's here."
Reo looked toward him. Something about Luke's voice felt different. But before he could ask, August lifted him. Azula was already in one arm. Reo was supported in the other. August looked toward the towering gate.
"Hold on." Golden mana erupted beneath his feet. The ground shattered. August shot into the sky. He flew.
The ruined city passed beneath him in a blur. Skin-walkers looked upward as he crossed the streets. Some attempted to follow.
They couldn't.
August moved too quickly. The castle shrank behind him.
The ancient ruins became streaks of black beneath his feet.
Azula remained silent in his arms. Reo could barely keep his eyes open. August continued flying toward the towering gate at the edge of Gorgoroth.
Then he saw it.
Someone or something was sitting beside the gate. The humanoid skin-walker.
The same creature that had kidnapped Luke. It looked up. Its grin slowly appeared.
August descended.
His feet touched the ground. He carried both Azula and Reo without difficulty. The skin-walker stared at him.
August stared back.
"Touch him again." His voice was colder than the surrounding ruins.
"You will regret life itself."
The skin-walker grinned wider. It seemed amused.
August turned away.
He approached the enormous gate. Ancient runes covered its surface.
He didn't touch them. He didn't need to. He simply stood before the gate. For one brief moment, silence filled the area.
Then—BOOM.
An invisible force erupted from August. The enormous gate shook. Ancient dust fell from its frame. The runes covering the stone ignited one after another.
The gate groaned.
Then both massive doors were blasted open. A passage appeared beyond them. The way out. August stepped forward. Behind him, the skin-walker remained seated.
Its grin had disappeared.
It watched August leave. For the first time, the creature seemed uncertain. August carried Azula and Reo through the gate.
And behind them, Gorgoroth remained silent.
Deep within the city, beneath the shadow of the ancient castle, Bani stood alone. The faceless mask whispered inside his mind.
Return.
Bani stared toward the runic array. He could feel the connection. He could feel the Void King. He could feel the mask demanding that he follow.
Bani smiled faintly beneath the mask.
"No."
The shadows around his feet stirred. He turned away from the gate.
For once, Bani wasn't going to obey what wanted him to do. He stepped backward. His body dissolved into shadow.
And the avatar of the Void King disappeared into the darkness of Gorgoroth.