The warriors, exhausted from the nonstop battle, began to slow down and the monsters that should've taken this as an opportunity to end them were frozen in place, their bodies shaking violently.

"What is going on?"

"What is this?"

"...did we win?"

The exhausted warriors murmured within themselves, and the group leaders, Varok, Valak and Marin, frowned at the monster's strange behaviour.

Suddenly, one by one, the monsters began to explode in dark dust.

Everyone's eyes widened beyond disbelief, and before their disbelieving gaze, the beings that had plagued them for thousands of years were gone, turned to mere dust.

"We won...?" Zukah whispered and fell down his back as the fatigue finally came crashing down on him.

Another warrior fell. Then another. Then another. Finally, all of the warriors fell onto the ground and looked at the boundless evening sky with tired eyes that conveyed everything they wanted to say.

They had won, they were free. They no longer had to continue their endless duty — they were finally allowed a life that was beyond a basin or den... a life beyond the mountains.

Cheers didn't erupt; they simply sat or lay on the ground, feeling the moment of finally achieving what they and their predecessors had always wanted.

Dora climbed down the Redwood tree, and a small smile tugged her tired face as she walked towards Mira, who was sitting at the rear.

All of a sudden, a sonorous hum rippled throughout the mountains, and Dora froze in her tracks.

Everyone looked at the sky, and their eyes fell on the rippling barrier that was about to break.

Joy spread across them but Dora wasn't a part of it.

With each passing moment, her breathing became heavier and inky black lines spread across her body and eyes.

Stumbling back, she mumbled in desperate disagreement, "N-No no... t-this can't be... I have o-one more year, leave m-me alone...!"

The damned prophecy that she had borne witness to had come for its payment.

As the dread settled deep within her, dark tears streamed down her face, and she blabbered weakly, "I am s-sorry... sorry that... I-I didn't tell you... I j-just couldn't see you sad..."

Forcing a bright smile, she wiped her tears, though it proved harder because of the armour she was wearing, her eyes sinking further into the abyss of her dark fate.

Her lips parted, and she spoke in a rather hollow yet prideful tone, "The lost one of shackled wings... shall unchain those bound of blood... and soar above the brilliant sky."

A defeated chuckle escaped her, and she stepped forward, her steps shaky and her eyes heavy as the end neared her, but suddenly, an unfamiliar voice resounded in her head, <How cruel must the fate be...>

Her eyes widened, and the voice continued, <From this day forth, you'll not live. Your life will become your hell, and you'll die every single moment.>

"Who...?" She whispered heavily, and suddenly something hit her at a blinding speed, throwing her off her feet.

A loud clang echoed throughout the battlefield as she fell to the ground. The bead of pure demonic energy pierced through her armour and sank deep into the centre of her chest.

"AHHHH—!" A chilling scream tore through her as the pure demonic energy began to ravage her body from the inside out.

Hearing her haunting scream, the warriors sprinted towards her.

"Dora?!"

"Lady Dora!!"

A searing pain coursed through her body as the bead sank deeper inside her, purple veins bulged across the inky black lines that had covered her, and the pain intensified even further.

She trembled violently, her fists and legs slamming into the ground, her jaw wide in pain, but no voice left her.

The worried voices of the warriors disappeared into nothing, and she cried inwardly, 'R-Rion... H-Help...'

'I-I don't wanna die...'

"DORAAAAAAAA!" A desperate roar tore through the battlefield, and all of the warriors turned towards the voice.

"What...?"

"What happened to him?"

"Why is the high commander..."

They murmured in disbelief upon seeing the purple veins bulging across his body.

He tore the distance between himself and Dora within a moment and fell right beside her.

Everyone stared at him in shock, but he ignored all of them and focused solely on Dora, who was writhing on the ground, her face contorting under the raging pain.

His face twisted in horror and fear, he lifted her head with trembling arms and called out, "D-Dora...?" His voice was trembling.

He wrapped his arms around her and stopped her from hurting herself as she was slamming her limbs into the ground out of sheer agony.

"I-It's fine," he mumbled, tears gathering at the edge of his eyes. "Everything would be fine..."

Though unable to hear him, feeling that he was near her, allowed her to calm a little, but the pure demonic energy coursing through her wasn't something she could control just by willpower.

All of a sudden, the pure demonic energy that was flowing through her body began to slow down, the pain began to decrease, and she was able to scream again.

The warriors watched in silence as Rion sealed the demonic energy at the centre of her forehead.

With each passing moment, her pain lessened by a little, and before long, her screams turned into agonised cries, then into pained sobs and finally into sobs not of pain but of fear.

Fear of losing her life and, more than that, fear of not being able to stay with the person she loved more than her life.

"Everything is fine," Rion whispered in her ear and tightened his arms around her.

"I...sniff...know..." Dora answered through her sobs and tightened her grip around him, her nails failing to dig into his back.

"You are safe," he whispered, obsessive light returning to his eyes.

Dora nodded, and her head sank into his chest.

He placed his face on her head.

The warriors looked at each other before turning around and leaving while scratching the back of their heads.

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