chapter 48: Fires of the Fall
Location:* The Ruins of _Gardheim_ — the second kingdom to fall under the dominion of the Black Shadows.
After emerging from the Gate of Sin, the world granted Xiao no moment to breathe. The instant he resurfaced, he realized that time had accelerated and events had moved beyond him. Just three days within the core had been enough for entire kingdoms to ignite.
The first thing he saw was a blood-colored sky, trees burning in silence, and shadow creatures creeping through the wreckage of ancient cities.
---
*Aster's Call*
The voice he had heard in the previous chapter wasn't an illusion. It was a distress call—Aster's last cry, sent with the remnants of her divine energy.
> "Xiao… the shadows have reached Orin. Loki has returned… they're hunting you… don't trust even me if my voice changes…"
The message shook him—not just for its warning, but because it ended with a voice that wasn't Aster's…
It was Loki's, whispering:
> "The closer you draw to the truth… the more you become an ally of chaos."
---
*A New Journey… and Old Allies*
Xiao knew that time was no longer on his side. He couldn't fight alone.
He returned to one of the places where he had left _Hem_, his old companion—the warrior who had never failed him, even at his lowest.
But when he reached the abandoned fortress of _Draven_, he found Hem locked in fierce combat… against a dark version of himself.
---
*Hem vs. the Dark Hem*
In one of the most brutal battles yet, Hem faced his alternate self—a form conjured by the _Shadow King_ using Hem's buried regrets and fractured memories.
> *Dark Hem:* "You're a coward… you chose to follow Xiao instead of leading. And now, this is where you fall."
> *Hem:* "If you're me, then you know why I chose. That's why I'll destroy you."
Xiao did not intervene. He knew this battle belonged to Hem's soul, not his blade.
The battle ended in a bitter victory. Hem dropped to his knees, blood covering his hands, the Dark Hem's voice dissolving into the wind.
---
*Fires of the Fall*
On the road to _Orin_, a new figure joined them: _Leona_, Fire Priestess of the kingdom of _Vanhalt_ —one of the last kingdoms yet to fall.
She carried a message from the Fire Sage:
> "If the _Sanctum of Blood_ isn't sealed within seven days, the Nameless One will awaken… and the Nine Realms will collapse."
The sanctum she referred to was an ancient altar, buried in the heart of the Shadow Realm—serving as a power nexus for Loki himself.
---
*The Chapter's Tragic End*
Before they could reach the outskirts of Orin, they saw fire rising in the distance—but not fires of resistance… fires of total annihilation.
At the heart of the blaze stood Aster, cloaked in the Mask of Shadows. Her eyes reflected only void.
> *Xiao, softly:* "No… he's taken her…"
---
*End of Chapter 48*
> "When the earth burns, and the heart is extinguished, only truth remains… and the courage to face it."