"Huff… Huff… Huff…"
Daniel panted heavily, his chest rising and falling with exhaustion. He tightened his grip on his sword, its red aura flickering, growing fainter with each passing second.
"This is your end, Karnixm."
Karnixm's sharp gaze locked onto the fading glow. A slow, knowing smile crept across his face—cold, calculating.
"This isn't the end for me." [Karnixm sneered, his voice dripping with unwavering confidence, as if the battle had already been decided in his favor.]
Daniel raised his sword to strike—but suddenly, his fingers slackened.
His vision blurred, his limbs trembled, and in the next instant, the weapon slipped from his grasp, clattering onto the bloodstained floor.
Before he could process what was happening, his knees buckled, and his body collapsed forward, landing face-first at Karnixm's feet.
The metallic clang of his fallen sword sent a chilling wave of fear through Alicia and the others. Their heads snapped toward Daniel, their eyes widening in horror.
A sickening sense of dread twisted in their stomachs.
Karnixm let out a deep, guttural laugh, his shark-like teeth gleaming under the dim light. The sinister sound echoed throughout the ruined hall, making Alicia's breath hitch.
For a brief moment, she was completely paralyzed by fear.
"Looks like your sword drained too much of your energy, doesn't it… Daniel Willington?" [Karnixm mocked, his laughter reverberating like a death knell.]
Then, his gaze shifted.
His soulless, glowing eyes locked onto the group huddled around Ethan. Ava stiffened, a tremor running through her body. Her breath hitched as Karnixm took a slow step forward.
Ethan remained unconscious, his body limp. His clothes, soaked with blood, clung to his skin. The deep wounds across his stomach and shoulder refused to stop bleeding.
Karnixm inched closer, his steps slow and deliberate. The group's hearts pounded in their chests. They had no options left—no strength to fight, no plan to escape.
Karnixm loomed before them, watching with a predatory gaze. Though his own wounds were severe, his green blood dripping from his mouth and open gashes, he still had the upper hand.
His deep, guttural growl sent another shiver down their spines.
"In the end… I won. Again." [Karnixm's lips curled into a sick grin.] "No one can defeat me."
His laugh echoed through the wreckage of what was once Ethan's home. Clara and Sara collapsed to their knees, their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
Alicia sat beside Ethan, stroking his bloodstained hair as grief consumed her.
Ava clung to Ethan's unconscious form, wrapping herself around him, her tears soaking his already-drenched shirt.
"I—I couldn't protect you…" [Ava choked out, her voice breaking between sobs.] "I'm useless…"
Her tears trailed down his neck as she held him tighter.
Karnixm watched the pathetic display with amusement before opening his mouth wide. His jaw unhinged, stretching unnaturally large to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Sara, Clara, and Alicia's eyes rolled back as unconsciousness claimed them, the overwhelming fear shutting down their bodies.
Then –
A blinding beam of light pierced through Karnixm's stomach
A strangled snarl escaped the monster's lips as he stumbled back. His gaze darted downward, shock flashing across his grotesque features.
A radiant glow burned through his flesh—a beam of light coming from Ethan's outstretched finger.
Karnixm took another staggering step backward, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Ethan… was standing.
But something was different.
His posture was rigid, his wounds still fresh, yet he moved as though he felt nothing. An ominous, bone-chilling aura radiated from his body.
Ava's breath caught in her throat. She watched him with wide, fearful eyes.
"E – Ethan?" [Her voice trembled.]
Ethan didn't respond. Instead, he slowly rolled his neck, cracking his bones with an eerie, unsettling sound.
Karnixm's entire body trembled as the chilling aura around Ethan grew heavier, denser. It was a power he recognized—one he had felt before.
A power only one being possessed.
"F-Finally… I'm free. Though, this body isn't in perfect condition, I must admit." [Ethan's voice had changed.]
It was deeper, laced with an unearthly resonance that sent a shiver crawling down Ava's spine. Her mind screamed at her—this wasn't Ethan. This was something else.
Karnixm took a cautious step back, his entire form trembling.
"Ly – Lyrus Celestial?" [Karnixm stammered.] "Th – That's impossible."
Ava's heart nearly stopped as the name echoed in her mind.
"Lyrus Celestial? Who was that? Was he referring to Ethan? Or… something inside him?"
Ava's thoughts spun in a whirlwind, confusion clouding her mind as her gaze locked onto Ethan.
Ethan stood motionless, as if frozen in time. Blood continued to pour from his wound, but it didn't seem to matter. He didn't feel it—not now. Because, in this moment, he wasn't Ethan… he was someone else entirely.
"Hmmm… you still know your master… interesting." [Ethan, or perhaps Lyrus now, spoke with a calm, unsettling tone.]
Ava's heart skipped a beat as she heard him—Ethan's voice, but something was off. He wasn't Ethan anymore. Not really. He was someone else, trapped in his body.
Ethan—no, Lyrus—cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and unsettling. He spoke again, his voice colder, more distant and more unearthly,
"After all this time... I've finally found a body to call my own. Do you know the price I paid to come to Earth, just to claim this vessel?"
"S-Sir, I... I'm sorry to ask, but... w-why did you choose this body? It's... weak." [Karnixm's voice trembled, fear seeping into every word.]
Ethan's cold gaze locked onto Karnixm, and the intensity of it sent a shiver racing down his spine.
"It's not like I wanted to choose a weak body." [Ethan (Lyrus) replied, his voice icier than ever, that Ava never heard before. It was not Ethan's voice.] "This is the only one that can support me and my divine Aethon power."
Alicia, Clara, and Sara lay unconscious, their bodies slack from the sheer terror that had overtaken them. Ava slowly rose to her feet, her hands trembling as she forced out the words.
"Wh-Who are you? Y-You're not Ethan... are you?" [Her voice trembled, uncertainty and fear lacing every syllable.]
Ethan (Lyrus) turned slowly, his gaze locking onto her with an unsettling calm.
"Humans… always thinking so highly of themselves..." [Ethan (Lyrus) said with a cold glare.]
"Y-Yes, master... I was about to kill them, but then you arrived..." [Karnixm's voice wavered, a hint of fear creeping into his words as he lowered his head in submission.]
Ava watched Ethan (Lyrus) for a few moments, her mind racing. Suddenly, an overwhelming, invincible force gripped her tightly, paralyzing her.
Her eyes shot to Ethan's (Lyrus) hands, raised in front of her, and she realized with growing dread that it was him.
Ava began to float, her body rising against her will. A fearful gasp escaped her lips, and her heart pounded in her chest.
She noticed that his hand was in the same direction as hers, controlling her every movement. He was toying with her, playing with her fear like a puppet on strings.
"M-Master, if you don't mind... may I ask you a few questions?" [Karnixm's voice trembled, uncertainty creeping into his words.]
Ethan (Lyrus) slowly formed a fist, and the invisible, unyielding force around Ava tightened, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
The pain was unlike anything she had ever known—sharp, relentless, suffocating. A scream tore from her throat, but the agony only deepened, a cruel, unending wave.
Ethan (Lyrus) smirked at the sight of her suffering; his cold gaze fixed on Ava. Then, without a flicker of empathy, he turned to Karnixm,
"Go on. Ask what you need to?" [His voice was calm and cold, almost amused, as if Ava's torment was nothing more than a passing distraction.]
"May I know why you are here? I—I mean, did your sister, the Shadow Goddess, Advika Celestial, send you?" [Karnixm's voice wavered with uncertainty, his fear evident in his stutter.]
Without a word, Ethan (Lyrus) flicked his hand, and Ava was torn from his grasp, thrown violently toward the wall.
She collided with a sickening thud, the impact sending shockwaves of pain through her body. Her breath hitched as she slowly struggled to her feet, her arm screaming in agony.
She could feel it—her arm was broken, the sharp, burning ache almost unbearable.
"Ethan…" [she whimpered, tears streaming down her face.]
Lyrus ignored her, his eyes burning with rage.
"I came here to find a perfect body. For too long, my soul wandered the Soul Realm… until I found my way here. But above all else, I'm waiting for my dear sister Advika. How dare she send me to that cursed prison?!" [Ethan (Lyrus) said, clenching his teeth.]
He turned toward Ava, his gaze filled with cold amusement. He grabbed her throat, lifting her effortlessly into the air once more.
Ava's breath came in shallow gasps. She struggled weakly.
"E – E – Ethan…"
She whispered weakly; her voice barely audible as she fought against his unrelenting grip. With each shallow breath, her strength seemed to slip further away, her chest tightening as panic set in.