Die Until You Learn To Live

The laughter echoed through the plaza like a death knell.

Deep.

Resonant.

Pleased.

Jin lay sprawled on the cold concrete, blood pooling beneath him, vision fractured like a shattered lens. Every breath scraped against broken ribs, and his fingers refused to move.

He couldn't tell if Seul and Joon were still breathing.

The Face of Honor stood tall, its bone armor cracked and charred, golden light pulsing slowly through the fractures. It lifted its glaive — not to strike, but to plant it into the ground, resting both hands on the weapon's hilt.

It watched them.

Patient.

Unmoving.

Like it had all the time in the world.

Then, without a word, it knelt, placing one skeletal hand against the ground.

A wave of golden energy rippled out, washing over the shattered plaza.

The blood-soaked ground drank in the light.

The corpses of the fallen crumbled to dust.