"There are times when you have to walk alone, not because no one wants to accompany you... but because it's the only way to protect them."
The night wind blew gently through the cracks of the ruins. The remnants of fallen bricks echoed soft whispers, as if reminding me that our time was running out. Elvira sat leaning against the wall, her hands busy tidying up the tattered map we found in the altar room. Meanwhile, I stood near the hole in the roof, gazing at the dark sky without a single star to adorn it.
The darkness of this night felt different. Heavier. Like a thick blanket pressing down on the chest. Like a warning.
"I still can't believe you're really going alone," Elvira murmured, her voice almost swallowed by the wind.
I took a deep breath, holding back the weight in my chest. "It's the only way. They're not after anyone... except me."
She stopped rolling up the map, looking at me. "Are you sure this isn't just a burden you're forcing yourself to carry?"
I smiled faintly—bitterly. "If I fail, Elvira... then no one can stop them. Not you, not anyone."
A long silence enveloped us. Only the occasional creak of the ruins accompanied the silence, like an old elegy.
With heavy steps, Elvira stood up and walked toward me. Her hands clenched at her sides, clearly holding back something she wanted to say.
"You always act like this world isn't yours, Minato," she said, her voice trembling. "But you're wrong. This world is yours too. You have the right to live... to be happy."
I looked at her face. There was sincerity in her eyes, sincerity I knew I didn't deserve. I was part of something darker... something that shouldn't drag down someone as pure as Elvira.
I turned my gaze to the empty sky, hiding the emotions stirring inside me.
"Take care of yourself, Elvira," I whispered softly. "If I don't come back... you know where to go."
She grabbed my sleeve tightly, as if refusing to let go. "You will come back, Minato," she said, her eyes burning with conviction. "Because if you don't, I will come to get you myself, even if it means crossing through hell."
I bowed my head, letting her words warm my heart for a moment... before I stepped into the night.
That night, I slipped into the enemy's territory—a deserted old temple. Now, the place had become the center of the ancient magic resurrection ritual. Surrounding it stretched a dead forest, filled with withered trees and jagged ruins jutting out like dead hands from the earth.
The guards—creatures of magical engineering, half-organic giants—patrolled around the temple, sniffing out any foreign presence. I moved silently, blending with the shadows, using only enough magic to blur my presence.
Every step felt heavy, every second brought me closer to something I could no longer avoid.
I reached the main courtyard of the temple. There, stood the figure that had been waiting for me—draped in deep red robes, a black mask covering his face, veins of purple magic pulsating across its surface.
"Finally..." he muttered in a heavy, echoing voice. "The heir of Archa Tempest comes to greet me."
I drew my sword from its sheath. Our eyes met under the dim light, as if the world had shrunk down to just the two of us.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice flat but sharp.
"What should have been ours," he replied, raising one hand to the sky. "Ancient magic is not a curse, Minato. It's an inheritance. By fully awakening it, we can destroy this rotten world... and rebuild a new one. A world without castes, without kingdoms... only pure strength."
I frowned. "And how many have to die for your dream world?"
He smiled bitterly, though hidden behind his mask. "Sacrifice... is the price of purity. Even the gods were born from blood."
I gripped my sword tighter. This man—he wasn't just insane. He truly believed in his words.
"I won't let you touch this magic," I said coldly.
He nodded slightly. "You think you can run from it, Minato? You think you're not part of this ritual? Since the moment you accepted that power, your fate was already written."
The sky trembled. The magic circle on the altar floor began to glow, forming complex patterns in dark purple. Wild winds swirled, lifting dust and fragments of stone.
I leaped forward, my sword gleaming in silence, slicing through the air toward the masked figure.
He raised his hand, forming a barrier of energy that blocked my strike. Sparks of magic scattered, lighting up the night with flashes of purple and red.
Without waiting, he retaliated with a wave of pure energy, hitting me hard and nearly tearing my chest apart. I rolled to the ground, blood seeping from the wound on my shoulder.
"Come on, Minato," he shouted, his voice filled with excitement. "Show me the true power of Archa Tempest! Don't hide who you are!"
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. In an instant, red and black aura began enveloping my body, pulsating from the ancient mark etched on my arm.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.
If this was the price of this journey... then I would pay it in full.
I opened my eyes.
"You want to see it?" my voice echoed in the silence. "Then take this—"
I raised my sword high.
"Tempest: Damnation Flame!"
An explosion of aura shook the ground. Light shattered the darkness.
The real battle had just begun.
Minato infiltrated the heart of the enemy's power, sacrificing his own safety to stop the resurrection of ancient magic. But what awaited him at that old altar was not merely a clash of sword and magic...
But the final test—of who he truly was, and what path he would ultimately choose in a world on the brink of collapse.