Darkness filled the hall.
Not just the absence of light—
but something heavier.
Something that pressed against the chest.
Something that made breathing feel… wrong.
Arlen stepped forward.
Slowly.
Each step echoed.
Cold.
Empty.
Unforgiving.
The air carried a faint scent.
Iron.
Blood.
His body reacted before his mind could.
His heartbeat—unstable.
His breathing—uneven.
"…Mira."
Her name came out softer this time.
Not strong.
Not steady.
Almost… afraid.
No answer.
Only silence.
But this silence—
felt alive.
As if it was hiding something.
As if it was waiting.
Arlen moved deeper.
The walls were lined with symbols.
Old.
Sacred.
Or perhaps—
just excuses for cruelty.
A faint sound reached him.
Chains.
A small movement.
Barely there.
But enough.
Arlen stopped.
His eyes shifted toward the source.
At the far end—
a figure.
Kneeling.
Head lowered.
Body still.
For a moment—
his mind refused to understand.
It didn't connect.
It didn't accept.
Because accepting it…
would mean everything was real.
His steps slowed.
Not because he wanted to.
But because something inside him was breaking.
Piece by piece.
"…No."
The word slipped out.
Barely audible.
He moved closer.
Closer.
Closer.
And then—
he saw her face.
Mira.
Her eyes were closed.
Her body weak.
Her presence—
fading.
Time stopped.
Not the world.
Not reality.
Just him.
Everything inside him froze.
His thoughts.
His breath.
His heart.
"…Mira."
This time—
her name broke.
Like something fragile that couldn't hold itself together anymore.
He dropped to his knees in front of her.
His hands trembled.
Slowly—
he reached out.
As if afraid she would disappear if he moved too fast.
His fingers touched her face.
Cold.
Too cold.
Her eyes fluttered slightly.
Just a little.
Just enough.
"…Arlen…?"
Her voice was barely there.
Faint.
Broken.
But it was her.
It was real.
"I'm here."
His voice shook.
"I'm here… I came."
A weak smile formed on her lips.
"…You're late."
The words were soft.
But they carried no blame.
Only sadness.
Only acceptance.
Arlen's grip tightened slightly.
"No… no, don't say that."
His head lowered.
"I'm here now… you're safe."
But even as he said it—
he knew.
She wasn't safe.
Not anymore.
Mira looked at him.
Her eyes—tired.
But gentle.
The same eyes that once smiled at him by the stream.
"…I knew you would come."
A tear slipped from Arlen's eye.
He didn't notice.
"I told you… I wouldn't leave you."
His voice cracked.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
Mira's hand moved slightly.
Weak.
Slow.
It reached for him.
And he held it immediately.
Carefully.
As if it was the most precious thing in the world.
"…It's okay," she whispered.
"No, it's not."
His voice broke again.
"I'll take you away from here… we'll go somewhere else… far away…"
His words rushed.
Desperate.
Trying to fix something that couldn't be fixed.
Mira shook her head slightly.
"…Arlen."
Just his name.
But it stopped him.
Completely.
"…Listen to me."
Her voice was fading.
But her eyes were clear.
"I don't have much time."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Arlen's grip tightened.
"…Don't say that."
But deep inside—
he already knew.
Mira smiled faintly.
"…You always say that."
A pause.
"…But this time… it's true."
His vision blurred.
Not from darkness.
But from tears he couldn't stop anymore.
"…I was scared," she whispered.
"…not of them…"
Her fingers tightened slightly around his hand.
"…but of not seeing you again."
Arlen lowered his head.
His shoulders trembled.
"I'm here… I'm here now…"
Mira looked at him.
Softly.
"…That's enough."
Those words—
hurt more than anything.
Because they sounded like goodbye.
"No…"
He shook his head.
"No… no, Mira… don't…"
His voice fell apart completely.
"I can't lose you… not again… not like this…"
The words slipped out.
Without thought.
Without control.
Not again.
For a moment—
Mira's eyes widened slightly.
As if something deep inside her reacted.
A memory.
A feeling.
Something just beyond reach.
"…Arlen…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"…Why does it feel like…"
She paused.
Her breath weakened.
"…like we've done this before…?"
Silence.
Arlen froze.
Because deep inside—
he felt it too.
That pain.
That familiarity.
That terrifying sense of repetition.
But there was no time to understand it.
Mira's grip weakened.
Her eyes slowly began to close.
"No."
Arlen moved closer.
His voice desperate now.
"Stay with me… please… Mira, stay…"
Her lips moved slightly.
A final whisper.
"…I love you…"
And then—
stillness.
Complete.
Absolute.
Her hand slipped from his.
Fell gently.
Lifeless.
Arlen didn't move.
He didn't breathe.
He didn't think.
Because something inside him—
had just shattered beyond repair.
The world didn't make a sound.
No wind.
No voices.
Nothing.
As if even reality itself—
refused to continue.
Arlen slowly lifted his head.
His eyes empty.
His expression—
gone.
"…Mira?"
No response.
"…Mira."
Nothing.
Silence.
Endless.
Cold.
Then—
something changed.
Not outside.
But inside him.
A slow crack.
Deep.
Spreading.
Something dark.
Something ancient.
Something that had been waiting.
Waiting for this moment.
Waiting for him to break.
His hand slowly clenched.
His head lowered again.
But this time—
there were no tears.
Only silence.
Only emptiness.
Only something rising…
from the ruins of his heart.
The boy who loved—
was gone.
And in his place—
something else began to awaken.
Something the world had never seen before.
Because this moment—
this single moment—
was the one that should have never happened.
The moment that turned love…
into destruction.
The moment that created—
the Undead King.