The battlefield… had fallen silent.
Not peaceful—
But empty.
As if the world itself was holding its breath after what just happened.
The sky had returned to normal. No裂. No eye. No overwhelming pressure.
And yet—
No one felt safe.
Aria slowly lowered herself to the ground, Rowan still in her arms.
"Rowan… hey… stay with me…"
Her voice trembled, but she tried to stay strong.
Rowan didn't respond.
His body was burning—
Not from flame…
But from something deeper.
Something wrong.
The red mark on his chest flickered faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat… but not his own.
The Dragon King stepped closer, his massive form casting a long shadow over them.
"…Move aside, Aria."
She hesitated.
"…He's alive."
"I know," the Dragon King replied calmly, "but if we don't act now… he won't stay that way."
That was enough.
Aria slowly let Rowan down onto the broken ground.
The Dragon King leaned forward, placing one claw gently above Rowan's chest.
Golden energy began to flow.
Warm.
Ancient.
Powerful.
But the moment it touched the red mark—
"Ghh—!!"
Rowan's body arched violently.
His eyes snapped open—
But they weren't his.
For a brief second—
They were completely black.
"ROWAN!"
Aria grabbed his hand instantly.
"Come back! Please—come back!"
The mark pulsed again.
Stronger this time.
And then—
A voice.
"…So fragile…"
It wasn't Rowan.
It echoed from his body… but felt distant. Cold. Endless.
The Dragon King's eyes narrowed.
"…The Void is still connected to him."
Aria froze.
"…What?"
Before anyone could react—
Dark tendrils suddenly burst out from the mark, wrapping around Rowan's body like chains.
They spread fast—
Too fast.
"Get back!" the Dragon King roared.
But Aria didn't move.
"I'm not leaving him!"
The darkness surged toward her—
But the moment it touched her—
BOOM—
Golden light exploded outward.
The tendrils burned away instantly.
Aria's power had changed.
It wasn't just light anymore.
It felt… alive.
The Dragon King noticed.
"…Interesting."
Aria didn't care about that.
She held Rowan tighter.
"I don't care what that thing is—
I'm not letting it take him!"
Rowan's body trembled again.
His lips moved slightly.
"…Aria…"
Her eyes widened.
"I'm here! I'm right here!"
"…Don't… let… me…"
His voice cracked.
"…lose… myself…"
Tears filled her eyes.
"You won't! I won't let that happen!"
The mark suddenly flared brighter—
And this time—
It spread.
Across his chest.
Up his neck.
Dark veins mixed with crimson light, creating a terrifying pattern.
The Dragon King stepped back slightly.
"…This is bad."
Aria looked at him.
"What do we do?!"
A pause.
Then—
"We don't fight it."
"…What?"
"We seal it."
The ground beneath them began to glow with ancient symbols.
Magic circles—old, powerful, forbidden.
"…This is a temporary solution," the Dragon King warned, "but it might buy us time."
Rowan screamed.
Not in pain—
But in resistance.
As if something inside him was being torn apart.
Aria held his face.
"Look at me!"
His eyes flickered—
Black.
Then red.
Then—
Normal.
"…Aria…"
"I'm here…"
"Don't… trust… the mark…"
Her heart stopped.
"…What do you mean?"
But before he could answer—
The sealing activated.
Golden chains of energy wrapped around Rowan's body, binding the mark.
The darkness resisted violently.
The ground cracked.
The air shook.
But slowly—
Very slowly—
The mark's glow began to fade.
Rowan's body went still.
Too still.
"…Rowan?"
No response.
Aria's hands trembled.
"…ROWAN?!"
The Dragon King closed his eyes for a moment…
Then—
"…He's alive."
Aria froze.
"…Really?"
"…Barely."
Relief crashed over her like a wave.
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against his.
"…Idiot… don't scare me like that…"
The wind began to move again.
The world… slowly returning.
But something had changed.
Not just outside—
But inside.
The Dragon King looked at the sky.
"…That was not a battle."
Aria looked up.
"…Then what was it?"
"…A warning."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"The Void Emperor…" he continued, "…was testing this world."
Aria clenched her fists.
"…Next time…"
"…He won't hold back."
Her eyes hardened.
"Good."
The Dragon King glanced at her.
"…You're not afraid?"
She looked down at Rowan.
"…I am."
A pause.
"…But I'm more afraid of losing him."
The wind carried her words across the battlefield.
Soft.
But unbreakable.
"I don't care if it's the Void Emperor… or something worse…"
Golden light flickered around her again.
Stronger.
Steadier.
"I'll fight."
The Dragon King smiled faintly.
"…That's why you're dangerous."
Far away—
Hidden beyond reality—
Inside the endless darkness—
The Void Emperor watched.
Silent.
Patient.
And amused.
"The light evolves…"
His eye narrowed slightly.
"And the vessel… still resists."
A pause.
Then—
A low, echoing laugh.
"…Good."
Darkness shifted around him.
Endless.
Hungry.
"Let them grow."
"Let them hope."
His voice turned colder.
"He will break eventually."
"And when he does—"
The void trembled.
"…this world will fall with him."
Back in the human world—
Aria sat beside Rowan.
Unmoving.
Unwavering.
The war wasn't over.
It had just begun.
And this time—
The enemy wasn't just outside.
It was inside Rowan.
And maybe—
Inside fate itself.