—[cassie Pov]—
Cassie wondered when everything had gone wrong. Why had this outcome come to pass? Why had her visions been wrong?
The question echoed in her mind like a persistent refrain as she narrated what had happened through the version recreated by the Nightmare spell. Song of the Fallen—the name she had given to that artifact which allowed her to share her visions with others—projected blurry images showing the journey they had undertaken after Uriel's fall.
It all began when they discovered that Uriel had been corrupted, transformed into a nightmare creature. The news hit them like a hammer blow. The Uriel they knew and cherished, the one who had fought alongside them against countless horrors, was gone. In his place, a corrupted version that would not hesitate to kill them now occupied his spot.
It was a difficult decision, but a necessary one: they had to bring peace to his torment through death. That was why they traveled to Aleteia's island—to rescue Jet and Effie, who had been trapped in the temporal loops created by the Mad Prince. It was there that Cassie discovered the true nature of her situation: she had been caught within the loop because she shared her senses with Sunny and Nephis. Across countless cycles, she had seen the same scenario repeat over and over, desperately searching for a way out.
They formed a plan—meticulous and precise—that finally allowed them to rescue Effie and Jet, and break the loop that had held them prisoner. The liberation was bittersweet; they knew the nightmare was not yet over, that they had only overcome the first obstacle.
After breaking the loop, they faced the Devouring Beast and the Silent Massacre—the corrupted versions of Effie and Jet created by the Mad Prince. The battle was hard and difficult, a deadly dance where every move could be the last. Cassie had seen this fight in her visions, but reality was far more brutal. The sweat, the blood, the smell of death that permeated the air... none of that appeared in her premonitions.
But they managed to eliminate two of the four threats. The Devouring Beast fell under the combined attacks of Sunny and Kai, while the Silent Massacre was defeated by Nephis and Mordret in a combat that left scars on both body and soul.
With Effie and Jet rescued, they left Aleteia's island. They emerged from the River of Time to reach Twilight, the place where the Soul Thief and the Lord of Terror awaited them. The journey was exhausting—a trek through distorted landscapes where time and space lost all meaning.
During the journey, Effie, who had been pregnant, gave birth within a nightmare. It was a difficult, risky delivery that endangered both mother and newborn. But Effie, stubborn as always, refused to give up. The child was born with a cry that resonated across dimensions—an omen of what was to come.
Cassie, though she had originally known this would happen through her visions, had tried to subtly keep Effie from participating in Ariel's Tomb. But her plans crumbled because of Effie's personality, her unwavering loyalty, and her refusal to abandon her friends when they needed her most.
"I can't stay behind while you all face this," Effie had said, child in arms and fierce determination in her eyes. "I'm part of this group, and I'll fight to the end."
This also led to a moment of tension when Effie and Jet learned about Uriel, and how once the Lord of Terror and the Soul Thief were dead, they would have to kill him. The silence that followed the revelation was heavy, laden with unspoken emotions.
In the end, Jet and Effie accepted that it was the best option, with a certain sadness and resignation. Effie stroked her son's head as she nodded slowly. Jet simply closed her eyes and said, "If it has to be done, then so be it. But we'll make it quick. We owe him that."
Finally, after weeks of travel, they arrived at Twilight.
But no sooner had they set foot in the city than they were subdued by Mordret, the King of Nothing, who explained Twilight's state and the time trap left behind by the Mad Prince. The city was a labyrinth of overlapping realities, where every step could take them to a completely different place.
That was when everything began to unravel.
Cornered by the Soul Thief, Cassie didn't know exactly what happened. One moment she was still, processing the information Mordret had given them, and the next she found herself in a distant place alongside Effie and Jet, whom she had placed within the amulet to protect them. She needed to get away before everything exploded due to Nephis detonating her seven soul cores. The explosion would be devastating, and she didn't want Effie and her child to be in danger.
Elsewhere, she observed how Sunny, Kai, and Mordret fought against the Lord of Terror—a powerful Corrupted Tyrant. Cassie used the marks she had placed to see everything that happened. Through her companions' eyes, she witnessed the battle as if she were there.
She saw how Nephis vaporized a large part of Twilight in a terrifying explosion of white flames. The heat was so intense that even from her distant position, she could feel it on her skin. The city, already devastated by years of corruption, became an inferno of fire and ash.
She saw how Kai, Sunny, and Mordret cornered the Lord of Terror to put an end to its existence. Kai's arrows cut through the air with supernatural precision; Sunny's shadows writhed like hungry serpents; and Mordret, with his power over nothingness, distorted reality to trap the beast.
But everything changed.
The Lord of Terror escaped before receiving the mortal blow that would end its life. It was a quick, almost imperceptible movement, as if the creature had anticipated the strike and slipped through a crack in reality.
This was the first time in all her existence that Cassie had seen what was destined simply vanish, replaced by darkness. Her visions had always been precise, always showing what would happen without error. But now, before her eyes, the future had faded like smoke in the wind. A sensation of panic began to grow within her.
What happened next was difficult to witness. Cassie saw how a black flash descended from the sky at monstrous speed, falling upon the Lord of Terror like a bolt of midnight lightning. The creature tried to dodge, but it was too late. The flash reached it, and subsequently decapitated it with a single motion—as if cutting off the head of a Corrupted Tyrant was as easy as slicing an apple.
When everyone, shocked by what had occurred, could finally see what had happened, they only saw Uriel.
It wasn't the Uriel they remembered. This Uriel was different—unrecognizable. His attire was an ancient, worn black tunic, tattered by time and use. His hair was black and greasy, plastered to his face like seaweed after a storm. One of his eyes was missing, leaving behind only an empty socket that resembled a bottomless abyss. The eye that remained was red as blood, gleaming with a malevolent light that chilled the blood.
And he had a smile. A smile full of sharp teeth, like blades ready to tear flesh. In one hand, he held a curved black sword, similar to the imposing, sharp fang of a wild beast. The weapon seemed to vibrate with dark energy, as if it were alive and hungry.
Along with his appearance, an invisible pressure pressed down on all of them, as if the world itself were being bent under a superior will. Cassie felt the weight of that presence even through her connection to the marks. It was as if a god had descended to judge them, and they were nothing more than insects before its gaze.
"Uriel..." Sunny whispered, his voice barely a thread of air.
The being that had been their friend looked at them with its single red eye. The smile on its face widened even further.
"Uriel?" it repeated, its voice distorted, as if two people were speaking at once. "That name means nothing to me anymore. Now I am something more. Something better."
Cassie felt fear take hold of her. Her visions—the ones that had always guided her, the ones that never failed—had broken. She hadn't seen this. She hadn't anticipated this version of Uriel. What had gone wrong? Had it been her fault? Had she misinterpreted the omens?
Effie and Jet, from within the amulet, also felt the presence. Effie hugged her son tightly, protecting him from the darkness that loomed over them. Jet, always the most pragmatic, began tracing an escape plan in her mind.
"We have to leave," said Jet. "That's not Uriel. We can't fight that."
Cassie nodded, though she knew that even fleeing might be impossible. The pressure emanating from the being was so overwhelming she could barely move. It was as if the very air had turned solid.
Nephis, always the bravest, stepped forward. "Uriel, if there's still anything left of you in that body, you have to listen to me. You don't have to do this. We can help you."
The being laughed. A horrible laugh, tearing through the air like shattered glass. "Help me? I don't need help. I'm more powerful than ever. More powerful than any of you. More powerful than anything in this damned place."
Kai readied his bow, arrows gleaming with divine light. "We don't want to fight you, Uriel. But if you force us—"
"Force you?" the being interrupted, its red eye blazing with intensity. "Come on, then. Show me what you can do. Entertain me."
Sunny moved first, his shadows extending like tentacles to ensnare the being. Mordret followed suit, distorting the space around Uriel. Nephis prepared her sword, white flames enveloping it. Kai unleashed a rain of arrows that cut through the air like comets of light.
But the being simply laughed.
Its black sword moved, and everything stopped.
Cassie, from her distant position, saw Sunny's shadows dissipate like smoke. She saw Mordret's distortion shatter like glass. She saw Nephis's flames extinguish, and Kai's arrows fall inert to the ground.
"Pathetic," said the being. "So much time has passed, and you're still so weak. So much wasted potential."
The being raised its sword, and Cassie knew it was about to attack. Everything she had seen, everything she had planned—it had all been in vain. Uriel was lost, and now they were all going to die.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The sword stopped mid-swing. The being's red eye flickered, and for a moment, Cassie could have sworn she saw a glimmer of recognition within it.
"What...?" the being murmured, its voice wavering for the first time. "What is this?"
The moment passed as quickly as it had come. The smile returned to its face—more cruel than before. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. Only death matters."
The being turned toward Cassie, its red eye finding her position. "And you, seer—what do you see now? Do you see your death? Or theirs?"
Cassie felt fear consume her. Her visions—the ones that had always guided her, the ones that never failed—had broken. Now there was only darkness—a darkness spreading toward the future like a shroud of despair.
What had gone wrong? Why had her visions been wrong? Had it been her fault? Had she misinterpreted the omens?
As the being began to move toward her, Cassie could only think of one thing: this was not the first time something like this had happened. And she feared it would not be the last.