The earth was still bleeding from the wounds of war…
Though some peace had returned, it felt fragile—like a thin crust atop a volcano that had not yet gone dormant.
Xiao stood upon the ruins of the ancient altar—where it had all begun.
He took a deep breath… but felt something missing.
Something that could never return to how it once was.
Esther approached, her eyes searching for answers:
_"Is this… the end?"_
_"Or just the calm before the real ending?"_
He answered in a quiet voice:
_"There's still something I don't understand… The entity I saw said I had surpassed the truth."_
_"But what does 'truth' mean if it changes every time?"_
He paused… then looked at the palm of his hand, where a new mark had appeared—
a circle intertwined with a spear and a chain.
_"It's a new seal…"_ he murmured.
_"A power I never asked for… but one that chose me."_
Heim stepped closer, holding his spear—damaged from their last battle.
_"I saw you vanish… then return. What did you see, Xiao?"_
Xiao stared at him for a long moment… then said:
_"I saw everything.
I saw how heroes are born not from light… but from ash.
And I saw that blood isn't a curse… it's a mirror."_
Suddenly, the earth trembled.
They all looked around…
From afar, the ancient Gate of Time began to open—despite its seal having been broken in the previous chapter.
But what emerged… wasn't a monster.
It was a familiar figure.
It was… Krayos, one of the Pillars of the First World, thought to have vanished millennia ago.
With a hoarse voice, he said:
_"Xiao… the time has come to settle debts."_
He raised his hand, revealing the Eternal Blood Key—the final piece of the curse's mystery.
_"A new curse has awakened… beyond the gates. And no one but you can face it."_
Xiao rose, eyes burning with fury and resolve.
_"Then the journey isn't over yet…"_
He grasped the key, and with it, accepted a new destiny.
He whispered to himself:
_"If the world won't give me peace… then I'll forge it myself."_
And with Krayos, he vanished into the red light—heading toward the *Inverted Alfheim Gate* —
a realm never before mentioned, existing between worlds, in the shadow of truth.
Behind him, Esther and Heim gazed toward the horizon…
And they knew, deep within:
What was coming…
Would be far greater than anything they had faced before.