For a long moment, no one moved.
The lingering energy of the pact crackled in the air, a faint pressure pressing against their skin—like the final breath of something immense, something that had been watching them from the edges of reality.
Then—it was gone.
The tension in Aiden's shoulders loosened slightly, though something inside him still felt... different. Not broken, not shattered—but changed.
Mephisto stretched, his arms moving with an unnatural ease—like someone shrugging off a heavy coat. His usual smirk returned, though there was a flicker of something deeper behind his crimson gaze.
The dust settled.
The energy of the pact had dissipated, leaving lila with a little surprise of her own.
Something cold yet familiar coiled at the edge of her awareness, seeping up from the ground beneath her. Not the Core. Not corruption. This was something else.
Something that was once hers.
A ripple of darkness surged at her feet, twisting, rising, solidifying.
Lila inhaled sharply as a massive, two-handed blade coalesced from the shifting shadows, its edge gleaming with an unnatural sheen, like obsidian infused with midnight.
She hadn't called for it.
But it had answered anyway.
The weight of it was perfect. Balanced. A part of her.
The same weapon she had been forced to use back in the Otherworld—one she had thought was lost with the Core's destruction.
Her grip tightened around the hilt.
Lila stared at it, heart hammering.
"...No way."
Aiden turned, eyes locking onto the blade.
His voice was brimming with concern, but certain.
"It's back."
Lila swallowed. She should have been worried too. But instead...
It felt right.
Like it had always been waiting for her to reach out.
Aiden exhaled, his fingers tingling. His palm twitched—something was there.
Slowly, he opened his hand.
The orb was gone.
In its place...
The ring of vows. It was his once more.
But it wasn't the same.
The Ring had changed. The band had inverted, twisting into something almost unrecognizable. The three embedded gemstones—violet, red, and green—pulsed with an unfamiliar light, neither comforting nor ominous, just… waiting. Yet, despite its warped form, its weight in his hand was familiar. A steadying presence.
He slid it onto his right ring finger.
Power surged through his veins. It wasn't overwhelming, nor did it feel foreign—it felt like stretching a muscle long left unused. It settled in him, steady, waiting. An extension of his will, just like before.
Across from him, Rowan's weapon shifted.
Her broken spear mended itself, its form changing as the cracks melted away. The design had altered. Its frame bore the fiery curves of a phoenix, its golden hues deepened with streaks of smoldering embers. Rowan exhaled as she ran a hand along its shaft.
For a brief second, something whispered her name. A breath on the nape of her neck. She turned sharply, heart hammering, but—nothing. Just the weight of her own unease, pressing like unseen hands against her skin.
"Well, would you look at that?" Mephisto grinned, spreading his arms dramatically. "It worked! And even better—" he leaned forward, voice dripping with amusement, "you're both still alive!"
Eri shot him a sharp look. "Stop playing around," she muttered, her breath unsteady. The effort of the pact had taken its toll—she was fading faster than before.
She hated to admit it, but she wasn't sure how long she could keep it stable.
Aiden, Lila, and Rowan exchanged glances.
Lila stepped forward, her voice quiet but firm. "You gave us a fighting chance," she said, locking eyes with Eri. "You've done more than enough."
Mephisto's playful smirk faltered for half a second before he staggered forward, his balance failing.
Eri caught him.
She propped him up, her own form trembling under the weight of it all. He was heavier than he looked.
The shadow cat moved out of the way hissing at almost being stepped on. It turned slow blinking at lila.
It moved with purpose, its tail curled delicately around a small, warm bundle. The baby.
The cat stopped before her, lifting its tail. She hesitated for a moment, then gently took the infant into her arms. The weight of it—of everything—settled onto her shoulders.
She looked up. "What's our next move?"
Rowan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she turned back—to Garrison.
"I'm taking him."
She crouched, lifting his lifeless body onto her back. His weight bore down on her, but she didn't falter. She refused to leave him behind.
A sudden rustling.
Then—panic.
The shadow squirrels poured from his jacket, scattering in confusion before scrambling toward Lila. They ran up her leg, clambering onto her shoulder, their small forms trembling with agitation.
They didn't understand.
Their new friend wasn't moving.
Aiden swallowed hard.
His grip on the ring tightened, his inner monologue cutting through the haze of his exhaustion.
"Goodbye, old man. I never said it enough, but… thanks. For everything"
As they made their way through the ruined halls, Lila hesitated.
Something had her skin crawling on end.
As Lila adjusted her grip on the baby, a scared wimper from the infant pierced the silence. The infant's tiny fists clenched, its face scrunching in distress.
Not physically, but deep beneath her skin. A familiar pull.
The Otherworld.
Before she could say anything, the apartment warped.
The walls rippled, stretching, folding in on themselves. For a moment, it was as if reality itself bent at the seams—colors bleeding together, the air vibrating like a plucked string.
The baby let out a sharp, piercing wail—not just a cry, but a sound of deep, primal fear. Lila held the infant tighter, instincts flaring.
Then—it settled.
Everything looked the same as if it never happened.
Rowan lurched forward, hand grasping at nothing. Empty. The weight that had pressed against her shoulders, his weight—gone. Like he had never been there at all..
"No—no, no, no."
Garrison's body was gone.
"What the hell?!" Rowan's voice cracked. "He was—he was right here!"
Lila's eyes widened, her pulse thrumming against her ribs.
"It wasn't us."
She turned to face the others, her expression grim.
"The building."
Aiden's stomach dropped.
"It got pulled into the Otherworld."
No one spoke.
The silence stretched.
Rowan's breath shuddered. Her fingers curled so tightly around her weapon, her knuckles ached.
Aiden clenched his jaw, stepping forward, past the threshold of what was once an apartment complex.
Above them, the sky hung low, heavy with a storm that hadn't broken yet.
He looked up, exhaling sharply.
"Hey, Sylva."
His voice was quiet. Tired.
His first words to her in years.
"Long time no see."
His inner monologue was far softer, quieter.
"Please, take care of him."
"He deserves better than this."
The wind howled.
But no answer came.
Then—mephisto grin returned.
Bigger.
Wider.
Unrestrained.
"Ahh," he exhaled, rolling his shoulders with the ease of a man slipping back into a forgotten skin. His fingers twitched—like a pianist itching to play the next note.
"I've finally done it."
Aiden frowned. "What?"
Mephisto's smirk deepened, his red eyes glinting with something wicked. "I've hacked back into their minds." His grin only widened as he tapped at his temple. "Carlos. His little band of renegades. Their thoughts, their location… I know exactly where they are."
Silence.
Then—Aiden's shoulders squared.
"Take us there."
Mephisto tilted his head, as if savoring the order. Then—his grin split, sharper than ever.
"My pleasure."