The rumbling continued. Stones fell from the ceiling, ancient vaults creaked like an old man's bones. But Trey stood firm. In his eyes danced the light of the mark, transformed into something more. His breath was deep, his movements precise. He felt everything. Each of those who surrounded him. Their fear. Their hunger. Their power.
— You don't understand what you're doing, — the voice of the creature on the throne was now full of cold. — You're trying to burn the ocean. To cut eternity. It's pointless.
— No. This is a choice.
He stepped forward, and at that moment, the first of the faceless ones lunged at him. Movements like a predator, fast, slippery. But Trey didn't back down. He raised his hand, and the mark flared brighter. A stream of black flame swirled around him — not hot, but cold, like death itself.
The faceless one struck — claws aimed straight for his throat. But the flame consumed it. In an instant, the body turned to ash.
— Inner Fire… — Kaira whispered, standing behind him. — This… is impossible. You're not just resisting the mark. You're rewriting it…
— No, — Trey whispered. — I'm reforging it.
The next three attacked simultaneously. One from below, another from behind, the third from above, pushing off the wall. But he was no longer the man who had fled the village. He wasn't just fighting. He was anticipating. Their every step, every movement. The mark whispered tactics to him, and his heart — anger.
He spun, drew his sword, and slashed through the air. A whirlwind of ash rose, and the bodies of the faceless ones crumbled like dusty figures.
The throne shuddered. The creature on it rose to its full height. It was tall, almost unreal. Its arms reached to its knees, darkness flowed from beneath its cloak, in which dead eyes stirred.
— You want to be a god, mortal?
— I want to be free.
— There is no freedom. There is only role. We are the Architects. You must be the Carrier. The vessel. You were created to bear.
— I will destroy everything you have put into me.
It stepped down. The hall trembled. The faceless ones retreated, forming a circle. As if knowing this was not their fight.
— You will become either Flame or Ash.
— Let's see.
Trey lunged forward.
The sword struck the creature's flesh — and slipped. It grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air. Trey's eyes clouded over. He felt not life being drawn from him — but identity. Thoughts tangled. He forgot who he was. Why he was here. What he was doing.
— Let go… — he hissed.
— Become part. Forget. Die.
Something else flared within.
His mother's face.
His sister's.
Kaira's.
And his own.
With the scar. With the shadow.
But with pride.
He screamed.
The mark blazed with a light that wasn't there before. Not darkness, not death — the fire of life. It exploded from within, breaking the grip. The creature recoiled, and for the first time — staggered.
Trey fell to his knees, gasping for air.
— You're not alone, — Kaira's voice sounded. She stood behind him, and a blue rune pulsed in her hands. — I see too.
— You can't… — he whispered. — It's my mark…
— Then let me… share it.
She placed her palm on his back, and for a moment the mark spread. From the center — outwards. Identical lines ran across their bodies. A connection.
The creature roared.
— Betrayal. Connection. You have broken the circle!
— We have created a new one, — Kaira said.
Together they stepped forward. The creature lunged. Darkness surged in all directions. Arches collapsed, the floor gave way. But they were no longer just people.
Trey — with the mark engulfed in flames, and with a new power of foresight.
Kaira — with the Rune of Resistance, repelling pain and fear.
Their alliance — unpredictable.
A strike. Light. Darkness. Falling. Screams. Lightning.
They fought as one. Every step of Kaira opened Trey's strike. Every flame of Trey strengthened Kaira's shield. At the moment of highest tension, he jumped — and pierced the creature in the chest.
There was no blood inside. Only a mirror.
He looked in — and saw himself. But the one he could have become. The one who had submitted.
Trey closed his eyes.
— I am not you.
He shattered the mirror.
The creature howled, and the world around them began to collapse. Debris fell from the ceiling, the ground cracked like ice under the sun.
— Let's go! — Kaira shouted.
They ran, stumbling, jumping over cracks. Stones fell, dust billowed. Behind them — collapsing darkness.
When they emerged onto the surface, the sky was different.
Dark. Reddish. And a feeling of anticipation hung in the air.
— Did we win? — Kaira asked.
Trey knelt down. The mark burned again. But differently now.
— No. We've only just begun.
He stood up, looked at his hands.
— I destroyed the Heart. But I feel it: others remain.
— Who?
— Those who… still carry it. There are many. They don't know. But someday — they will wake up. Or they will be awakened.
— And what will you do?
He turned to her. Determination in his eyes.
— I will find each one. And offer them a choice.
— And if they don't choose the same way?
— Then I will burn them.
Ahead, beyond the hills, dawn was breaking. But the light was cold. The world had changed.
And Trey — had become the one who carries the flame. But not by the will of others. By his own.