The Preperation 3

Ubel walked into the room, his fingers adjusting the glasses he had recently taken a liking to. His gaze swept across the chamber, settling on the four figures lost in meditation. Their stillness, their unwavering focus—it all seemed so distant from the kind of battle he waged. Evengarde, sensing his presence, lifted his head and smirked.

"Not joining?" Evengarde asked, voice carrying the weight of expectation.

"Me? Meditate?" Ubel let out a scoff. "I'm not the type to waste my time on something like that. Resonance, enlightenment—leave that to the sentimentalists."

He adjusted his glasses again, as if reinforcing his point. "Besides, unlike you lot, I have actual work to do. I'm engineering something to deal with Duke Erisia."

Evengarde chuckled, amused rather than offended. "Then it's good that I can contact Lethia."

At that, Ubel raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?"

In response, Evengarde reached into his pocket, producing a small artifact—a sleek metallic device with glowing runes engraved along its surface. With a flick of his wrist, the device activated, projecting a flickering holographic image into the room. Lethia's form materialized, her sharp eyes immediately locking onto Evengarde.

"You better have a good reason for calling," she sighed, arms crossed.

"I do," Evengarde said smoothly. "I need to borrow Ren for a while. It's important for the upcoming raid on Erisia."

Lethia exhaled sharply, clearly displeased, but gave a reluctant nod. "Ren."

A figure emerged from behind her in the projection, stepping forward. Without a word, Ren turned and vanished, only for a portal to open in the temple a few moments later. The room rippled as reality bent, and from the tear in space, Ren entered.

The moment Ren's eyes landed on Ubel, they lit up with interest. "You a scientist?"

Ubel, unimpressed, merely shrugged. "I suppose I dabble in the field."

Ren smiled. "Then I think we'll get along."

Ubel adjusted his glasses again. "We probably won't."

Darkness.

An endless void.

Kouneli was drowning in nothingness, floating aimlessly in an abyss with no ground, no sky, no sense of time. His thoughts echoed against the silence, stretching infinitely.

Then—a door.

It stood before him, ancient and worn, as if it had existed long before him and would continue to exist long after. His heart pounded as he reached out, his fingers grazing the cold wood. With a deep breath, he pushed it open.

Beyond the threshold, a figure stood waiting.

Tall. White eyes with rings, piercing and filled with judgment. Hair cascading down his back like silver threads spun under the moonlight. Even without needing to hear his voice, Kouneli knew who he was.

"Talon…" Kouneli's breath hitched. "Talon Atsáli."

His brother.

Talon's expression was unreadable, but his words carried the weight of an executioner's verdict.

"It's all your fault."

A chill gripped Kouneli's spine.

"Mother didn't have to die for you," Talon continued, his voice devoid of warmth. "If you were never born, none of this would've happened."

Kouneli's pulse pounded in his ears. "That's not—"

"If you never used Bloodrend, she'd still be alive!"

The accusation struck like a dagger. Guilt surged like a tidal wave, suffocating, inescapable. He wanted to deny it, wanted to fight back, but his voice refused to come out. His body refused to move.

Talon's form began to fade, dissolving into the abyss as if he had never been there. But before Kouneli could even process his disappearance, the void shifted.

A massive cathedral manifested in the darkness.

Towering spires stretched endlessly into the void. The air grew thick with the scent of blood, the coldness of steel. Before him, standing amidst the grand pillars, was a figure.

A single eye peered from behind a mask, glowing like a burning ember. Red armor gleamed under the dim light, coated in dried blood as if baptized in carnage.

"I have been expecting you," the figure spoke, voice deep and resounding, carrying a weight that sent shivers through Kouneli's entire being.

He was not alone in this abyss.

And something far more terrifying had been waiting for him.