The night air clung to them like a second skin as they left the ruins behind. The path ahead was dark, uncertain, but one thing was clear — staying here was no longer an option.
"The demons won't let this slide," Elara said, wiping sweat and soot from her brow. "We killed an Upper Demon. The others will come, and they'll bring hell with them."
"Then we head for Havenmere," the High Priest spoke, his voice rough but steady. "It's the capital city of the Isles — priests hold high authority there, and their sanctums are fortified against demonic influence."
Lumi blinked. "Havenmere? That place is crawling with church officials and nobles. Are you sure?"
The priest gave a faint, grim smile. "It's the one place they won't dare assault openly. And…" he hesitated, "there's someone there. A hero."
"Hero?" Tsukasa muttered, his voice low.
Elara shot a wary glance toward the priest. "You mean that knight they call the Lightbringer?"
"The same," the High Priest confirmed. "Renar Vaelion. A warrior blessed by the gods, or so they say. The people worship him, and the church shields him. He's… dangerous, in his own way."
Tsukasa's magenta eyes narrowed slightly, reading between the lines. "Dangerous how?"
The priest's expression darkened. "Not all light casts clean shadows. Renar's strength comes with a cost — one he hides well beneath his shining armor and holy oaths. But if we're to stand against what's coming… we'll need to know who's on our side. And who isn't."
Lira, still pale but standing steady, spoke for the first time in a while. "Then we better move. Before those bastards track us down."
Without another word, they set off — toward Havenmere. Toward the city of sanctified towers and blood-stained altars. Toward a hero the people adored… and a secret that could unravel the fragile threads holding the Isles together.
And as Tsukasa glanced up at the darkened sky, he felt it. A pull. A storm gathering, not of wind and rain — but of war, betrayal, and the clash of powers both divine and profane.
He smirked faintly to himself.
"Guess this world's full of interesting characters after all."
They vanished into the night, bound for a city where salvation and damnation wore the same face.
The journey to Havenmere was long and grueling. The roads winding through the Isles were treacherous, flanked by dense mist-wrapped forests and jagged cliffs where old battle ruins still stood in silent vigil. More than once, they felt eyes in the shadows — but whatever lingered beyond the tree line kept its distance, wary of the storm walking among them.
By the third day, the towering spires of Havenmere came into view.
The city rose from the mist like a vision of heaven and nightmare entwined. White stone walls gleamed in the cold light of dawn, etched with countless wards and symbols of old gods. Massive statues of robed priests and sword-bearing saints loomed over the gates, their faces severe, their hollow eyes watching every soul who passed beneath them.
The streets beyond bustled with life — merchants, priests, pilgrims, and soldiers. But something hung in the air. A forced peace. The kind where everyone smiled too quickly and glanced over their shoulders too often.
Lumi shivered. "This place feels… wrong."
"It always does," the High Priest muttered, pulling his hood lower. "Sanctity masks more sins than any den of thieves."
As they passed under the main archway, guards in ivory cloaks barely gave them a glance — though their hands never strayed far from their sword hilts. The group made their way through the winding streets, toward the heart of the city where the great cathedral rose like a jagged spear of glass and stone.
Elara leaned close to Tsukasa as they walked. "You sense it, don't you? The pressure here."
He gave a slight nod, his magenta eyes scanning the faces in the crowd. "Yeah. Something's off. The people smile like they're free, but their eyes scream prison."
It didn't take long for the rumors to reach them.
"Did you hear? Lord Vaelric Drenmor's dead — ripped apart by that demonspawn stranger…"
"I heard it was the Lightbringer's doing, cleansing the land of corruption."
"No, no — they say a man in a magenta coat did it. And he's headed here."
By the time they reached the central square, the stories had twisted a dozen different ways. And in the center of it all, before the steps of the great cathedral, stood a man who looked carved from light and war.
Renar Vaelion. The Lightbringer.
Tall, clad in immaculate white-and-gold armor that shimmered as if kissed by dawn itself. His hair was silver-blond, his face flawless, his emerald eyes sharp and cold as a dagger of ice. The commonfolk cheered his name, children tossed flowers at his feet, and a dozen high priests chanted prayers in his wake.
And Tsukasa saw it.
A shadow, clinging behind those perfect eyes. A darkness coiled so tightly it became invisible to those who wished to see only a hero.
Tsukasa smirked. "There's the hero, huh?"
The High Priest grunted. "And the biggest monster in this city."
Renar's gaze turned — locking onto Tsukasa as if drawn by instinct. The moment stretched, the world narrowing to a thread of tension.
And then Renar smiled.
A perfect, saintly smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I've been expecting you," the so-called hero called out, his voice carrying clear and steady over the murmuring crowd.
The square fell silent.
And the war none of them spoke of had quietly begun.