Minutes passed before Barry finally came to a halt.
The massive Titan Golem let out a deep, heavy rumble as his body lowered slightly, exhaustion evident even in his stone form. The ground beneath him cracked faintly from the weight.
One by one, the group climbed down.
Silence lingered between them—thick, heavy, almost suffocating.
,,Heinrich: …What now?
He looked at the others, uncertain.
,,Heinrich: We've got Barry back… we've got our gear… but what do we do next?
Anna turned toward Noah, her expression soft but concerned.
,,Anna: Yeah… Noah, what's the plan?
No response.
Noah stood still.
Unmoving.
His eyes distant.
"…you will lose them… one by one…"
His breathing slowed… then quickened again.
The voice.
Still there.
Still echoing.
,,Karoschi: Noah…?
,,Johann: Oi! Noah!
The world suddenly snapped back into place.
The voices faded.
The forest returned.
,,Noah: …What?
He blinked, as if waking from something far deeper than sleep.
,,Karoschi: What are we doing now?
Noah hesitated for a second… then forced himself to focus.
,,Noah: Right… the valley.
He straightened slightly.
,,Noah: That was our goal. We only got interrupted because of Lilithra.
A pause.
,,Noah: We keep going.
Karoschi nodded slowly.
,,Karoschi: …Alright. Then let's move.
The group set off again.
The forest felt different now.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Even the wind seemed hesitant to pass through.
Hours Later
A sudden sound shattered the silence.
A roar.
Loud.
Violent.
Echoing through the trees.
Then another.
Something was fighting.
Something big.
,,Johann: What the hell was that?!
,,Noah: I don't know—move!
They broke into a run.
Branches snapped beneath their feet.
The smell hit them next.
Fire.
But not normal fire.
Something… heavier.
Something wrong.
Smoke rose into the sky.
Dark.
Thick.
Twisting unnaturally.
Then—
Silence.
The roars stopped.
Abruptly.
Like something had been… silenced.
The group slowed as they reached the source.
And what they saw—
froze them.
In the sky—
A shadow.
Massive.
Skeletal.
Wings stretched unnaturally wide, its form incomplete—like something that shouldn't exist.
It didn't fly.
It glided.
As if the air itself feared resisting it.
And then—
It vanished into the clouds.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
,,Johann: …What the hell… was that?
His voice barely came out.
Karoschi stared at the sky, his expression darkening.
,,Karoschi: …
He didn't answer.
Instead—
they looked forward.
And saw it.
A dragon.
Lying motionless on the ground.
Its massive body torn apart.
Claw marks.
Bite wounds.
Chunks of flesh missing.
Burn marks glowing faintly—
green.
,,Anna: …No…
Her voice trembled.
,,Anna: What… did this…?
,,Karoschi: That's a fire dragon…
He stepped closer, his gaze sharp.
,,Karoschi: Which means…
He swallowed slightly.
,,Karoschi: Something stronger… killed it.
Silence.
,,Johann: …Yeah no, I don't like where this is going.
He suddenly covered his nose.
,,Johann: And what the hell is that smell?!
Karoschi's voice dropped.
Low.
Heavy.
,,Karoschi: Souls.
Everyone froze.
,,Karoschi: The souls of the victims… burning for eternity.
Johann's expression twisted.
,,Johann: …That's messed up…
But they kept moving.
Because stopping here—
was worse.
Suddenly fog appeared
At first, it was subtle.
A thin layer creeping along the ground.
Then thicker.
Denser.
Until the forest around them was swallowed whole.
,,Anna: I don't like this…
,,Heinrich: Stay close.
Noah's breath grew uneven again.
The moment the fog appeared—
so did the voice.
,,Karag: This is the end.
The words slithered into his mind.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
,,Karag: Today is the day… your friends die.
Noah clenched his fists.
His heart pounded violently.
,,Karag: And there is nothing you can do to stop it.
Then—
Something appeared.
A strange gas.
Magenta.
Turquoise.
Shifting unnaturally between colors.
It gathered slowly…
twisting…
forming—
a shape.
A figure.
Humanoid.
Unstable.
Watching them.
,,Johann: …What the hell is THAT?!
No one answered.
Because they all felt it.
That presence.
That pressure.
That fear.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Then—
it spoke.
,,Karag: Hellooo…
The voice was calm.
Mocking.
Familiar.
Karoschi's eyes widened in pure terror.
Something inside him broke.
,,Karoschi: …No…
His voice trembled.
,,Karoschi: No… no no no…
He stepped back.
Shaking.
,,Anna: Karoschi? What's wrong?!
Karoschi's breathing became erratic.
Panic took over completely.
,,Karoschi: We're going to die…
His voice cracked.
,,Karoschi: We're ALL going to die!
Noah's heart slammed against his chest.
Faster.
Louder.
Uncontrollable.
Karag's presence grew heavier.
Closer.
And this time—
he wasn't just in Noah's head anymore.
He was here.
Watching.
Waiting.
Smiling.
And for the first time—
the group wasn't facing a monster.
They were facing something far worse.
Something that wanted them to break.