The Warden was gone.

Just six floating lights remained.

Six spheres. Glowing. Beautiful. Deadly.

The golden one pulsed brighter than the others.

That was the special one. The First Hero's Mark.

The one with the wish.

Everyone stared at it.

The cavern felt too quiet. Too heavy.

A moment ago, they'd been celebrating. Hugging. Laughing.

They'd survived the dragon. Won the trial.

But now?

Now they were enemies.

Six people. Six marks.

But only one wish.

Dante watched them all. Reading their faces.

Lana's eyes were locked on the golden sphere. Hungry. Desperate.

She wanted it so badly she was shaking.

Erica kept glancing between the mark and Dante. Torn.

She wanted the wish. But she wanted him more.

Jin and Talia stood close together. Hands almost touching.

Their faces sad. Thoughtful.

Even Masha—cold, logical Masha—had a strange look in her eyes.

They all wanted it.

The power to change everything. To bring back the dead. To rewrite fate.

And Dante? He'd been waiting for this moment since the beginning.

This wasn't a competition.

It was a performance.

And he was about to give his best act yet.

Jin broke the silence first.

"So," he said. Voice rough. Tired. "That's it, then?"

He looked at the golden mark. Then at everyone else.

"The final test. Who gets to play God?"

The words hung in the air.

Nobody answered.

Because they all knew. Someone had to take it.

Someone had to choose.

And whoever chose would have ultimate power.

Dante took a breath.

Time to begin.

He stepped forward. Slowly. Like his body hurt.

His face looked sad. So sad.

He stared at the golden mark for a long moment.

Then he looked at his team.

"There is no choice to be made," he said quietly.

His voice was serious. Heavy.

"There is only a promise to be kept."

Everyone watched him. Listening.

He looked around. At the empty spaces where people should be standing.

Where Eric should be. Where Rina should be. Where Kael should be.

"We are not six survivors," he said.

His voice got thicker. Like he was holding back tears.

"We are what's left of an army."

He paused. Let that sink in.

"We stand here on the graves of our friends."

Another pause.

"On the courage of Eric. Our shield. Our wall."

Erica's breath caught. Her eyes started watering.

"On the gentle heart of Rina. Our healer. Our light."

Talia looked down. Biting her lip.

"On the sacrifice of Kael. Who gave everything. Not once, but twice."

Jin's fists clenched. His jaw tight.

Dante's performance was perfect.

Every word was a knife. Cutting their hearts.

Making them remember. Making them hurt.

'Good,' he thought coldly behind his sad mask. 'Let them bleed.'

"I made a vow," he continued. Voice rising.

"I swore on my soul that I would not let their deaths mean nothing."

He looked each of them in the eyes. One by one.

"I promised them. I promised all of you."

His voice was shaking now. Passionate.

"That I would win this trial. That I would claim the wish."

He pointed at the empty spaces.

"And that I would bring them back."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Erica's tears spilled over. Running down her face.

Jin was breathing hard. Fighting his emotions.

Even Lana looked moved. Though her eyes stayed sharp.

Inside, Dante was laughing.

'Bring them back? Are you insane?'

'Why would I waste the ultimate power on corpses?'

'They served their purpose. They died. They're done.'

'Eric was useful as a shield. Now he's more useful as my puppet.'

'Rina was a healer. Now she heals without complaining.'

'Kael was weak. His death gave me a wider set of possibility in future.'

'Why would I bring back problems? Bring back emotions? Bring back people who might question me?'

'No. The wish is mine.'

'I'll wish for my arm back. Or for godlike power. Or for immortality.'

'Whatever gives me my perfect ending.'

But his face showed none of this.

His face showed a noble leader. A grieving commander.

A man carrying an impossible burden.

"This is not a prize," he said softly.

"It is a responsibility."

He lowered his head slightly.

"A burden that I, as your leader, must carry."

He looked up. Met their eyes again.

"I don't want this power for myself."

The lie came out smooth as silk.

"I want it for them. For us."

His voice cracked perfectly.

"To make our family whole again."

The silence that followed was beautiful.

He'd done it. The perfect manipulation.

Used their love. Their grief. Their loyalty.

Turned it into chains. Binding them to his will.

Erica broke first.

"He's right," she said. Wiping her tears.

Her voice was thick. Emotional.

"Dante is the only one who can do this."

She looked at the others. Pleading.

"He's the strongest. The smartest."

She turned back to Dante. Eyes shining with devotion.

"It has to be him."

'Yes,' Dante thought. 'Good girl. My loyal Erica.'

Lana spoke next.

"She's right," she said.

Her voice was calmer. More controlled.

But her eyes were watching Dante closely. Analyzing.

"He is our leader."

She tilted her head slightly.

"The prize belongs to the him."

'She sees it,' Dante realized. 'She knows I'm lying.'

'But she doesn't care. She's choosing me anyway.'

'Interesting.'

Jin and Talia were the hard ones.

They stood together. Looking at each other.

Having a silent conversation.

Dante could see them struggling.

The wish could be theirs. They could use it for themselves.

They could ensure they'd never be separated. Could have a future together.

But...

But Eric had died protecting them.

Rina had healed them countless times.

Kael had saved their lives.

How could they be so selfish?

How could they keep their friends dead just to have power?

Jin closed his eyes.

Took a long breath.

"For Eric," he said finally. Voice rough.

Talia nodded slowly.

"For Rina," she whispered. "For Kael."

They chose their friends over themselves.

'Fools,' Dante thought. 'But useful fools.'

The last one was Masha.

She'd been quiet this whole time.

Just watching. Thinking.

Now she looked at Dante.

Really looked at him.

Her grey eyes saw everything.

She knew.

She knew he was lying. Manipulating. Using them.

She knew he had no intention of bringing anyone back.

She knew this was all an act.

But her face didn't change.

She just stared at him. Cold. Calculating.

Then she glanced at the others.

Erica crying. Jin and Talia holding hands. Lana smiling.

All of them broken. Emotional. Weak.

She looked back at Dante.

At the monster in human skin.

The tyrant who'd led them through hell and kept them alive.

And she made a choice.

Not the moral choice. Not the good choice.

The practical choice.

"The logic is sound," she said.

Her voice was flat. Empty of emotion.

"The wish is a strategic asset."

She crossed her arms.

"It must be used by our strongest commander."

A pause.

"It must be Dante."

Done.

Victory.

He'd won without fighting. Without arguing.

They'd given him the wish willingly.

Handed him ultimate power with smiles and tears.

'This is why I always win,' Dante thought. 'Because I understand people.'

'I understand what they want. What they fear. What they love.'

'And I use it all against them.'

He gave them a final, solemn nod.

The look of a man accepting a crown he didn't want.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I won't fail them. I won't fail you."

Another perfect lie.

Then he turned.

Walked toward the floating spheres.

His footsteps echoed in the silent cavern.

Five silver-blue marks floated in a circle.

In the center, higher than the others, was the golden one.

The First Hero's Mark.

The wish.

His wish.

He walked past the regular marks. Didn't even look at them.

Stopped directly in front of the golden sphere.

It pulsed. Warm. Alive.

Calling to him.

Behind him, his team watched. Holding their breath.

Dante raised his hand. His only hand.

The stump of his other arm was a reminder of what he'd sacrificed.

'But that ends today,' he thought. 'Today, I take back everything.'

'Today, I become God.'

His fingers touched the golden light.

WHOOSH.

The world disappeared.

Not violently. Not with pain.

Just... gone.

He was standing in emptiness. Pure white space.

No ground. No sky. Just light.

And in that light, he felt it.

The wish.

It wasn't a spell. Wasn't a command.

It was a promise. A possibility.

A single perfect choice that could rewrite reality itself.

It flowed into him. Became part of him.

Settled into his soul like it had always belonged there.

He felt complete. Whole.

More powerful than he'd ever been.

The white space faded.

WHOOSH.

He was back in the cavern.

The golden mark was gone. Absorbed into him.

His chest felt warm where it had entered.

The other five marks still floated. Waiting.

His team was staring at him.

"Did it work?" Erica asked. Voice small. Hopeful.

Dante looked at her.

Smiled.

Not his fake smile. His real one.

The smile of a predator who'd just won everything.

"Yes," he said simply. "It worked."

The gate behind them pulsed.

Glowing brighter.

It was ready. Waiting for them to pass through.

To the new world. The goddess's realm.

Where their real lives would begin.

Dante looked at the gate.

Then at his team.

These people who trusted him. Followed him. Believed in him.

These tools he'd used so perfectly.

'The trial is over,' he thought. 'I won.'

'I have the wish. I have the power. I have everything.'

He turned back to the gate.

Started walking toward it.

"Come on," he said over his shoulder. "Let's go claim our marks."

"Let's go meet our new world."

Behind him, they followed.

Erica and Lana close on his heels.

Masha walking alone, face unreadable.

Jin and Talia together, hands finally clasped.

Six survivors. Six heroes.

Walking toward a shimmering gate.

Toward an unknown future.

And leading them all was Dante.

The tyrant. The monster. The god.

With ultimate power resting in his soul.

And a perfect, terrible plan in his heart.

The trial was over.

And what comes next would decide the future of new world.

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