Final Hope for Order

I pushed my body forward, forcing one foot in front of the other. The ache in my chest still throbbed with every breath, but it didn't matter—my heart pounded too heavily to care.

The corridor was deathly silent, save for the echo of our footsteps.

Why the rush?

They dragged me here the moment I woke up, throwing around words like "Fated One" and all that cryptic nonsense.

But no matter how much I tried to make sense of it, everything felt too perfectly orchestrated.

From the moment I got the game until now, it was as if someone had already predicted my every move—and prepared for it.

How did our team find the ruins faster than the Volteric House? The forest twists its paths, disorienting intruders. No matter what map Ryken had, he should've gotten lost.

And that chamber—the Verdant Core. No one should have been able to find it without surviving countless battles against the Giant statue. I made it. Because I had played the game.

And now, these people—they had waited for a Fated One to appear.

Wasn't this all a little too much for coincidence?

My fingers curled into a tight fist.

Someone was pulling the strings, planning everything down to the last detail. But I hate being a pawn in someone else's game.

I exhaled sharply. "Hey, how much farther?"

Drussera didn't look back. "We draw nigh."

I gritted my teeth. Good.

Because my legs were about to give out.

Drussera halted after a few steps, turning toward the wall. Her green eyes shimmered, casting a faint glow as light reflected off the stone's surface. She raised a hand and murmured in a low, melodic whisper:

"Zyrrh'vath olmen'dar,

Sekk'tul veyr'ahmar,

Dor'ka thren'vas ulm,

Xath'ra nohm var'zul!"

The corridor trembled. A jagged crack split across the wall, widening as stone groaned and shifted.

Without hesitation, Drussera stepped through the opening, her movements regal and deliberate. The darkness swallowed her whole.

I hesitated. The space beyond was pitch black, an abyss that consumed all light. I reached out cautiously—my hand vanished into the void. But there was no pain. No sensation at all.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Huh?

There was no floor beneath me. Yet—I wasn't falling. Am I floating?

I tried pushing my body forward. It moved effortlessly, as if drifting through water. A strange sense of tranquility washed over me. The ache in my body faded. My mind felt light.

Maybe I could stay here a little longer.

Wait… why did I even get here?

It didn't matter. Everything was fine.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed mine—yanking me forward.

BAM!

I slammed onto solid ground, pain jolting through my back.

"Huuuuhhh—" I gasped, my breath ragged. Had I not been breathing?

What the hell was that place?

Drussera knelt beside me, her grip tight around my wrist. Her expression was laced with concern.

"Art thou well?" she asked, her voice tinged with guilt. "Forgive me, O Fated One. I hath faltered in my vigilance."

"Haa… haa… it's fine. I should've been more careful too."

I turned toward the black void behind me, dread crawling up my spine. What the hell was that?

Shaking off the lingering unease, I finally took in my surroundings. The room was eerily still, the air thick with something ancient. The torches lining the walls burned with deep purple flames, that painted the chamber in an eerie purple glow.

The space was empty—except for a massive door at the center.

Dark obsidian. Red runes carved across its surface, pulsating like veins filled with molten energy.

I swallowed. "That's the place?"

Drussera nodded slowly. "We were bid to bring thee hither the moment thou didst arrive."

Did she mean they were ordered to bring me here immediately upon my arrival?

My gaze returned to the door, a strange pull tightening in my chest.

I stepped forward, my body moving by instinct.

With every step, the runes pulsed brighter, as if responding to me.

My hand lifted, almost reflexively, pressing against the cold obsidian.

The runes ignited—blazing red.

Blinding light filled my vision.

A deep groan echoed through the chamber as the door creaked open, and before I could even process it, my body moved on its own—drawn inside by an unseen force.

Inside the Chamber

Dim light. Absolute silence.

Torches, mounted on towering pillars, flickered with an eerie purple glow.

At the center of the room—a stone altar.

Perched atop it, a grotesque gargoyle statue frozen in a twisted scream.

I approached, my breath steady but my pulse betraying my unease.

Then—blink.

Its eyes snapped open.

A searing yellow light burst from its gaze, sweeping over me—scanning.

My muscles tensed.

The gargoyle suddenly lurched forward, its stone wings grinding as it moved.

Flap. Flap.

It took flight—hovering for a brief moment—before plunging straight into the altar.

The stone rippled like water.

What…?

I hesitated, then extended a hand toward the altar's surface. My fingers sank through.

A portal?

My heart pounded. No turning back now.

I jumped in.

A rush of cold air swallowed me whole.

Eldermoon Forest…?

Moonlight. Trees. Silence.

I gasped. The Eldermoon Forest. The place I knew better than anywhere.

But—was I really back?

A chilling sensation crawled up my spine. My instincts screamed at me—RUN.

I froze.

Something moved above the treetops.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

The moon was gone.

Instead, a massive silhouette blocked the sky.

A towering, humanoid figure.

Two colossal eyes loomed over me, their heavy gaze pressing down like a weight I couldn't shake.

A primal terror sank its claws into my chest. My breath hitched. My stomach twisted. My body… shook.

What… what is this?

Just looking at it sent my body into a panic I couldn't control.

The pain in my chest flared—warm blood soaked through my bandages, dripping onto my robe.

Then, a voice—deep in my consciousness—whispered in my mind.

"Weakness is death. Kill it, or it kills you."

My eyes widened.

I… where have I heard this before.

I clenched my fists.

Yes. Weakness is death.

I've already faced it—again and again. The venom of a snake. The stab of a blade. The cold grip of death itself.

And yet—I'm still here.

Death is simple. Peaceful.

Living is the real battle and I refuse to cower anymore.

I looked up. The shadowed figure's glowing eyes bore into me.

I glared back.

Come. Let's see who trembles first.

The air trembled as a deep, rumbling voice filled the forest—so powerful it shook my bones.

"Oh…?"

The massive figure tilted its head, studying me.

"The scent of fate lingers once more… Alas, we meet again."

I stiffened. Again?

Have we met before?

My throat felt dry, but I forced the question out. "What are you?"

The towering figure tilted its head again, then moved—fast.

A blur. Swoop.

Its glowing eyes loomed inches from my face.

I gasped, my breath catching in my throat.

Instinct screamed at me to move. To run.

But my body refused.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails bit into my palms.

The creature's gaze bore into me—not just my body, but my very being.

It felt like my soul was being peeled apart, unraveled, studied.

Then, just as suddenly, it pulled away, its massive form gliding back into the shadows.

"Ah… merging your soul has left its mark. How delightfully unexpected."

Merging souls?

A chill crawled up my spine. Was this connected to my transmigration? To the demon that saved Noctharis?

Before I could voice my thoughts, the creature interrupted.

"I can feel the storm of doubt swirling within you."

It paused, eyes narrowing.

"But alas, the answers you seek are not yet yours to claim. This form is but a mere fragment of my soul—I cannot linger. And… they are watching."

They?

A sharp tension pulled at my chest. The gods?

The demon's voice rumbled, as if amused by my realization.

"This forest… a masterpiece woven from the remnants of a fallen god. I shaped this sanctuary as a veil, a refuge from the ever-watchful eyes of the divine." As it moved its hand, the trees trembled and swayed in unison, obeying its silent command.

My heart pounded. Eldermoon Forest… is a shield against the gods?

The demon exhaled, a sound like grinding stone.

"But this veil frays… I cannot hold it much longer. Endure... and grow stronger. I shall be waiting in the shadows."

"Where?" I pressed, ignoring the weight crushing down on me. My head throbbed, my nose dripping blood from the sheer pressure of its presence, but I can't let this opportunity slip away.

"Are you the one who summoned me?"

The demon's form flickered like an illusion, its presence beginning to unravel.

"In time, the answers will unveil themselves to you… naturally. My time is at the end."

My jaw clenched. What kind of bullshit is—

The demon suddenly lifted its hand.

A gaping void sat in its palm—endless, devouring.

A deep, violet glow coiled outward, encircling me in shifting tendrils of energy.

"Ensure the Hollow One's gaze never finds you… or all will be lost."

Pain.

A raw, consuming agony surged through me as the violet energy pierced into my skin, spreading through every pore, every vein.

My vision blurred. My eyes rolled back.

Breath ragged.

Mind fading.

The last thing I heard was its final whisper—

"Beware… the Parasite of Order lurks, ever hungry."

Parasite of Order…?

My hearing vanished, and the darkness consumed me entirely.

---

The demon watched as Nathan's unconscious body lay sprawled on the forest floor, violet sparks crackling around him.

It sighed.

"I have poured every last ember of my essence into you. The path beyond this point… is yours to walk."

It glanced at its own hand—fading.

Its body was unraveling, dissolving into the void.

"Ah… It seems I have overreached in shaping this space."

With a final breath, it turned its gaze toward the darkness.

"Take him back."

A low grinding sound.

The gargoyle emerged from the shadows, wings unfolding as it lifted Nathan's body into the air.

The demon watched as they disappeared into the night.

Then, as the last remnants of its form faded, it murmured:

"Do not fail us. You are this world's final hope for order."

And with that—it was gone.