Sub-Chapter 15.1: The Broken Transmission
The southern sea of Mournvale trembled beneath the storm.
Waves crashed violently against the black cliffs below Eventide Castle as fire and lightning tore across the sky above.
The battlefield had descended into chaos long ago...
yet all eyes remained fixed on the heavens.
Or rather...
on the two figures that continued to clash faster than mortal sight could follow.
-----------------------
Explosions bloomed across the clouds.
Flames.
Darkness.
Steel.
Every collision between Lucifell and Ignivar shook the air itself.
Even through Alquine's telepathic transmission link, the pressure of their battle could still be felt by every ARCANA captains connected across the kingdom.
-----------------------
Then...
everything changed.
A blinding explosion erupted above the sea.
For one brief instant...
the entire world turned white.
And then...
silence.
Not normal silence.
A wrong silence.
-----------------------
Alquine's mana transmission suddenly distorted.
Static echoed violently through every connected mind.
Voices shattered.
Sounds warped.
The image inside the magical link flickered uncontrollably.
-----------------------
Kestrel's eyes widened.
"Lucifell?!"
-----------------------
Then...
the connection snapped.
A sharp ringing exploded across every captain's mind.
Several soldiers collapsed instantly from the feedback.
Even the sea itself seemed to stop moving.
The mana presence that had dominated the battlefield moments ago...
vanished.
Completely.
No aura.
No pressure.
Nothing.
As though Lucifell had been erased from existence.
-----------------------
Static crackled faintly through Alquine's broken transmission.
Then even that began to fade.
-----------------------
Kestrel stepped forward violently, frost forming beneath her boots.
"ALQUINE!!"
Her voice shook for the first time in years.
"Reconnect the link!"
-----------------------
Inside Eventide Castle, Alquine desperately pressed both trembling hands against the glowing crystal array surrounding her.
"I...I'm trying!"
The fairy's wings flickered erratically.
Sweat ran down her face.
"...The signal disappeared!"
-----------------------
Another burst of static exploded through the network.
Then...
nothing.
The transmission died.
Silence consumed the battlefield.
-----------------------
Far above the sea...
Ignivar floated alone amidst burning clouds.
His massive flaming blade slowly dispersed into embers.
Below him...
there was no sign of Lucifell.
Only the endless dark ocean.
-----------------------
Kestrel stared upward.
Frozen.
Breathing unevenly.
"No…"
Her voice came out almost inaudible.
Then suddenly...
"LUCIFELL!!!"
The scream echoed across the coastline.
Across the sea.
Across every connected soul within ARCANA.
But no answer returned.
Only the sound of distant thunder.
-----------------------
Sub-Chapter 15.2: The Coastline Reacts
-----------------------
The silence after Lucifell's disappearance lasted only a few seconds.
But to the soldiers of Mournvale...
it felt eternal.
Across the southern coastline, thousands of eyes stared toward the dark sea where the Commander had vanished.
Fear spread faster than fire.
Because every soldier on that battlefield knew one truth:
If Lucifell fell...
then the war itself had changed.
-----------------------
At the center of the frontline...
Captain Artharuk stood unmoving beside the shattered defensive wall of the Iron Vanguard.
The massive centaur's steel shield was embedded deep into the ground beside him, stained with blood and ash.
Around him, Iron Vanguard soldiers hesitated for the first time since the battle began.
Their formation trembled.
Not from enemy pressure...
but uncertainty.
Artharuk's eyes remained fixed on the sea.
Then he raised his sword.
"Reform the line."
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
Immediate.
Absolute.
"Shields forward."
The hesitation vanished instantly.
Centaur soldiers repositioned themselves at once, slamming massive tower shields together as the defensive wall rebuilt itself.
Artharuk's expression did not change.
But deep within his chest...
something heavy had begun to sink.
Because even he could no longer feel the Commander's presence.
-----------------------
Farther along the battlefield...
Captain Zoandrel of the Blood Oath Squadron stood surrounded by corpses.
The giant executioner's glaive dripped black blood onto the scorched earth below.
A trembling Underworld soldier stumbled backward after hearing the transmission collapse.
Unfortunately for him...
Zoandrel was standing directly in front of him.
The giant slowly lifted his head.
Veins bulged across his neck.
"…You picked the wrong moment to breathe."
SWING.
The glaive tore through three enemies at once.
Bodies exploded apart.
Blood sprayed across the battlefield like rain.
Zoandrel continued walking forward without slowing.
Each step cracked the ground beneath him.
Another enemy lunged.
Another body split apart.
The Blood Oath giants behind him roared in unison as their captain descended into brutal silence.
No commands.
No speeches.
Only slaughter.
Because if the Commander truly disappeared...
then Zoandrel intended to bury the battlefield itself.
-----------------------
At the ruined eastern flank...
Edward stood silently amidst drifting ash.
Unlike the others...
he had not moved since the transmission vanished.
The air around him felt unnaturally cold despite the flames burning nearby.
One of the Ashen Legion mages approached carefully.
"Captain Edward…?"
No response.
Edward's eyes remained locked on the ocean horizon.
Then slowly...
his expression darkened.
"…No."
The nearby soldiers froze.
Edward rarely spoke during battle unless necessary.
The mage swallowed nervously.
"What is it?"
A long pause followed.
Then Edward finally answered.
Quietly.
"…Something beneath the sea just became darker."
The words sent chills through everyone nearby.
Because Edward was not afraid easily.
And whatever he sensed...
had disturbed even him.
Without looking away from the ocean, Edward spoke once more:
"Contact Captain Xien."
The mage immediately activated the communication crystal.
Static crackled weakly through the damaged transmission network.
Then...
a voice answered from beneath the sea currents.
"…I hear you."
Edward's gaze narrowed.
"Captain Xien, Could you find the Commander?,"
Another pause.
Then colder:
"Something below the water changed the moment he disappeared."
For the first time since the battle began...
even Xien went silent.
-----------------------
Sub-Chapter 15.3: The Prayer That Could Not Reach
-----------------------
The rear coastline command zone had fallen into chaos.
Healers rushed between wounded soldiers.
Communication mages desperately attempted reconnecting fragmented transmission lines.
The storm above the sea continued roaring violently...
yet beneath all of it…
there was fear.
Not spoken aloud.
But present in every face.
Because the mana presence of the Commander of ARCANA
had vanished.
-----------------------
Kestrel stood near the cliffside overlooking the dark ocean.
Frozen.
Her black hair whipped violently beneath the storm winds as fragments of broken frost slowly formed around her boots.
She continued staring toward the place where Lucifell disappeared.
As though refusing to accept what her instincts already understood.
Behind her...
AL Henry knelt on the wet stone ground.
Both hands pressed tightly together.
Golden light radiated faintly around his body.
Prayer circles slowly formed beneath him one after another.
Blessing magic.
Protection magic.
Healing magic.
All directed toward the sea.
Toward Lucifell.
Henry's breathing became uneven.
"…Please…"
His voice trembled quietly beneath the storm.
"Just once more…"
The golden light intensified.
Sacred symbols rotated rapidly around his arms as divine energy surged outward across the coastline.
Several nearby soldiers instinctively stepped backward from the overwhelming holy pressure.
Kestrel immediately turned toward him.
"Henry..."
Then suddenly...
CRACK.
The blessing circle shattered.
Golden light exploded apart violently into fragments.
Henry's entire body jerked backward.
Blood spilled from his nose instantly.
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
"GHK...!"
The holy energy surrounding him collapsed all at once.
Kestrel moved immediately, catching him before he fell completely onto the stone.
"Henry!"
Nearby Hallowed Veil members rushed forward in panic.
But Henry barely heard them.
His eyes remained wide.
Confused.
Breathing heavily.
"…I don't understand…"
Kestrel gripped his shoulder tightly.
"What happened?"
Henry slowly looked down at his own trembling hands.
"…My prayers…"
Another small stream of blood dripped from his nose.
"…Something blocked them."
Silence.
Even the nearby healers froze.
Kestrel frowned immediately. "Blocked?"
Henry nodded weakly.
"I tried reaching the Commander through the blessing link…"
His breathing grew heavier again.
"But something beneath the sea…"
A pause.
"…wouldn't let the prayer pass."
The words made the storm feel colder.
Kestrel slowly looked back toward the ocean.
Toward the darkness beneath the waves.
For the first time...
uncertainty entered her eyes.
Not because Lucifell disappeared.
But because something had interrupted Heaven itself.
Behind them...
Alquine's damaged transmission crystal flickered weakly once more.
Static echoed faintly through the air.
Then...
Edward's voice emerged from the broken signal.
Distorted.
Low.
"…Kestrel."
She immediately turned toward the crystal.
"What is it?!"
Several seconds of static passed before Edward answered.
"…Captain Xien is descending deeper."
A pause.
Then:
"…And whatever is below the sea…"
Even through the distortion...
they could hear the tension in Edward's voice.
"…it's still moving."
-----------------------
Sub-Chapter 15.4: Beneath The Black Sea
-----------------------
The deeper Xien descended...
the quieter the world became.
Far above her, the war still raged across the southern coastline of Mournvale.
Explosions.
Steel.
Magic.
Death.
But beneath the sea...
none of those sounds could survive.
Only darkness remained.
Cold.
Endless.
Ancient.
-----------------------
Captain Xien of the ARCANA Navy Squad moved swiftly through the black waters, silver-blue currents spiraling around her trident as dozens of ANS members followed close behind.
The deeper they swam...
the more unstable the ocean became.
Currents shifted unnaturally.
Pressure fluctuated.
Even the sea creatures had vanished.
No fish.
No leviathans.
Nothing.
As though the abyss itself had emptied.
-----------------------
Xien's expression slowly hardened.
"…This sea feels wrong."
One of her mermaid soldiers glanced around nervously.
"Captain… I can't sense any living creatures nearby."
Another added quietly:
"…Even the deep currents stopped moving."
That sentence made everyone uncomfortable.
Because oceans were never still.
Never.
-----------------------
Then...
Edward's words echoed once more through the damaged communication shell attached near Xien's ear.
"Something below the water changed the moment he disappeared."
Xien tightened her grip on the trident.
"…Understood."
The connection distorted again afterward.
Static.
Silence.
Then gone.
The deeper they descended...
the darker the water became.
Until eventually...
even moonlight could no longer reach them.
Only faint blue mana lights from the ANS squad illuminated the abyss.
-----------------------
And then...
purple lightning flashed below them.
Everyone froze instantly.
It lasted less than a second.
But all of them saw it.
A dark purple glow spreading briefly through the depths beneath them like veins crawling across the ocean floor.
One of the ANS soldiers whispered:
"…What was that?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
Xien slowly raised one hand, signaling the squad to stop moving.
The abyss below them had changed.
The water itself felt heavier now.
Almost…
afraid.
-----------------------
Then...
another flash.
Closer this time.
Dark purple lightning silently crackled through the ocean depths.
And within that brief illumination...
Xien saw a silhouette.
Floating motionless beneath the abyss.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Commander?"
The figure drifted slowly upward through the darkness.
Black wings.
Damaged armor.
Fragments of a broken mask.
Lucifell.
Unconscious.
His body floated lifelessly beneath the sea currents—
yet the surrounding water refused to touch him directly.
Dark purple lightning crawled endlessly around his body.
Like living veins.
Like something breathing beneath his skin.
The ocean currents twisted unnaturally around him, avoiding direct contact as if the sea itself feared getting closer.
Behind Xien...
several ANS members instinctively backed away.
One whispered shakily:
"…What is happening to him?"
-----------------------
Then...
Lucifell's body moved.
Not consciously.
Not awake.
Just...
a sudden twitch.
CRACK.
Purple lightning exploded outward briefly beneath the sea.
The surrounding water distorted violently.
Several ANS soldiers were thrown backward instantly by the pressure wave.
Xien's eyes widened.
Because for a single terrifying moment...
she felt it.
Not Lucifell's mana.
Something else.
Something vast.
Something ancient.
Watching from inside him.
Then...
everything became still again.
-----------------------
Lucifell remained unconscious.
Floating silently within the abyss.
And deep beneath the black sea of Mournvale...
the purple lightning continued crawling slowly across his broken armor.
-----------------------
Xien's grip around her trident tightened.
Her silver eyes remained fixed on Lucifell's unconscious body drifting within the abyss.
The purple lightning crawling across Lucifell's armor had begun pulsing faster now.
Rhythmic.
Like a heartbeat charging in darkness.
CRACK.
Another burst of violet energy spread briefly through the surrounding sea.
The pressure alone distorted the currents around them.
Several ANS soldiers instinctively retreated farther backward.
One nearly lost hold of her weapon.
"…Sister…"
Xein voice trembled.
"…the mana density is rising."
Xien already knew.
She could feel it through the ocean itself.
The sea around Lucifell no longer behaved naturally.
The deeper currents were spiraling inward toward him...
as though something beneath the water was gathering.
Charging.
Waiting.
And whatever it was…
it frightened even the abyss.
----------------------
Xien immediately activated the communication shell attached near her ear.
Static crackled violently through the damaged transmission network.
"…Vice Captain Ricky."
Several seconds passed.
Then Ricky's voice answered from the surface fleet above.
"…Yes Captain Xien, this is Ricky."
----------------------
Xien did not take her eyes off Lucifell.
"Move the Dread Cavalry warships away from the impact zone."
Silence.
Then Ricky answered:
"…What?"
Another pulse of dark lightning erupted beneath the sea.
The surrounding water shook violently.
Even the ocean floor cracked slightly beneath them.
Xien's expression darkened.
"…The Commander's body is reacting."
The transmission fell silent again.
Then Ricky's voice returned.
More serious now.
"…Reacting how?"
Xien slowly inhaled.
Searching for the correct words.
But nothing about this felt normal enough to describe properly.
"…It feels like he's charging something."
The ANS soldiers nearby visibly tensed after hearing that.
Xien continued quietly:
"…I don't think the Commander is controlling it."
----------------------
CRACK.
Purple lightning spread farther this time.
The water temperature suddenly dropped.
Then rose again immediately afterward.
Like the sea itself could not stabilize around him.
----------------------
Xien's eyes narrowed.
"If he wakes up…"
A pause.
"…something may erupt from him."
Even saying the words aloud made her uneasy.
Because instinct told her:
whatever was building inside Lucifell...
was not an ordinary mana.
----------------------
Above the sea surface...
Ricky stared silently toward the storm-covered ocean.
Then immediately turned toward the Dread Cavalry crews.
"Move the fleet back!"
The amphibian soldiers froze briefly.
"…Vice Captain?"
Ricky's voice sharpened instantly.
"NOW!"
Warship bells rang violently across the fleet.
Massive ships began turning away from the center sea zone as harpoon chains and magic cannons repositioned rapidly.
----------------------
Far beneath them...
Xien continued staring at the unconscious Commander.
And for one brief second...
she could have sworn the purple lightning around his body resembled wings trying to unfold.
----------------------
Sub-Chapter 15.5: The Kingdom Feels The Silence
----------------------
Far from the battlefield...
far from the boiling sea and shattered coastline...
the disappearance of Lucifell's mana still spread across Mournvale like a silent earthquake.
Not through sound.
Not through fire.
But instinct.
The kind of instinct warriors develop only after surviving countless battles beside the same commander.
And throughout the kingdom...
that instinct had begun screaming.
----------------------
Inside the Royal Palace of Mournvale...
the grand strategy chamber had fallen silent.
Dozens of tactical projections floated above the massive war table, displaying troop movements across the southern coast.
Then suddenly...
every projection flickered.
The mana threads stabilizing the battlefield formations distorted violently for a brief second before dimming.
Captain Donnie slowly lifted his head.
The Oracle Captain's expression remained calm...
but his eyes had sharpened instantly.
"…The transmission collapsed."
Nearby royal officers exchanged uneasy glances.
One cautiously asked:
"Captain… did something happen at the frontline?"
Donnie did not answer immediately.
His fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the table.
Then quietly:
"…The Commander disappeared from the mana network."
Silence consumed the room.
Because everyone there understood what that meant.
----------------------
The entire battlefield coordination system of ARCANA was partially built around Lucifell's overwhelming mana signature.
If even THAT vanished....
then something catastrophic had occurred.
Donnie immediately turned toward the royal guards.
"Lock down the capital gates."
The officers blinked.
"…Captain?"
Donnie's gaze remained fixed toward the southern horizon.
"No one enters." "No one leaves." "Until we understand what just happened."
----------------------
Elsewhere within the palace...
Captain Kahn stood guard outside the royal chambers alongside elite Dread Cavalry members.
The amphibian captain had remained silent throughout the night.
But the moment Lucifell's mana vanished....
his hand immediately tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Instinct.
Pure instinct.
One of the royal guards noticed immediately.
"…Captain Kahn?"
Kahn slowly looked toward the distant coastline beyond the palace windows.
"…Something's wrong."
That was all he said.
But hearing those words from Kahn...
a man known for remaining calm even during naval catastrophes...
made the nearby guards visibly uneasy.
----------------------
At the Great Pope Palace...
the shadows moved strangely.
Candles flickered despite the absence of wind.
And within the silent cathedral corridors...
Captain Elrich suddenly stopped walking.
The Umbral Phantom captain stood motionless beneath the stained-glass moonlight.
Around him...
several shadow clones flickered beside the walls.
Then suddenly...
they vanished.
Not dispelled.
Erased.
Elrich's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What now...,"
Stacy appeared from the darkness nearby.
"Captain?"
Elrich slowly looked toward the south.
His expression remained unreadable.
Yet the air around him felt colder now.
"If the Commander truly falls…"
A brief pause.
"…then the balance of Mournvale falls with him."
----------------------
Far north of the capital...
inside the Black Smith village...
the rhythmic sound of forging suddenly stopped.
CLANG.
Baldur's hammer slipped from his hand and crashed against the forge floor.
The dwarven captain froze completely.
Molten sparks drifted slowly through the air around him.
Several blacksmiths nearby turned immediately.
"Captain Baldur?"
But Baldur did not answer.
His gaze remained fixed toward the distant south.
Toward the war.
Toward something he could no longer feel.
Slowly...
the old dwarf clenched one massive hand.
"…Don't you dare."
The forge flames reflected across his eyes.
"…not before I finish your next armor."
Silence returned afterward.
Heavy.
Uneasy.
And throughout all of Mournvale...
the kingdom could feel it.
The absence.
The missing pressure.
The silence left behind by the Nightbringer.
----------------------
Sub-Chapter 15.6: The Ones Beneath The Roots
----------------------
Far beneath the Dark Elven Forest...
the underground pathways had grown silent.
Not peacefully silent.
Tense.
Like the entire buried world was listening.
The distant growls of Underworld creatures had faded.
Even the trembling of the ancient tunnels seemed weaker now.
As though something far away had suddenly changed the rhythm of everything beneath the earth.
And standing near the broken gate...
Marvelerick slowly lowered his communication crystal.
Static still crackled weakly from its surface.
But no voice returned anymore.
Only fragmented noise.
"…The transmission's gone."
No one answered immediately.
----------------------
The ARCANA squad stood motionless beneath the flickering crimson crystals embedded across the cavern walls.
Even Gromyr and the advancing Abaddon Legion had temporarily halted their movement from the distant abyss below.
Like the underground itself had noticed Lucifell's
disappearance.
----------------------
Luna quietly tightened her grip around her mage staff.
"…Do you think he's…"
She stopped herself before finishing the sentence.
Because no one there wanted to hear those words spoken aloud.
Harald exhaled slowly beside his restless unicorn.
"…It's the Commander."
His voice sounded uncertain for the first time.
"…He'll come back."
But even he didn't sound fully convinced.
Nearby...
Winona glanced downward silently.
Worried.
Not just for Lucifell.
But because she had never seen ARCANA members this shaken before.
Meanwhile...
Jacob looked toward Marvelerick.
Waiting.
Instinctively.
Because even without Lucifell present...
someone still needed to lead.
Marvelerick remained staring at the silent crystal for several long seconds.
Then slowly...
he closed his hand around it.
"…Eyes up, squad."
Simple words.
Calm.
Steady.
But hearing them somehow stabilized the atmosphere slightly.
Marvelerick looked toward the underground pathway ahead.
Toward the darkness where the Abaddon Legion waited.
"…Until we receive confirmation…"
He inhaled slowly.
"…the Commander is still alive."
Luna's eyes shifted toward him briefly.
And for some reason...
the pressure in her chest eased slightly hearing those words.
Not because they guaranteed safety.
But because Marvelerick himself sounded certain.
Confident.
Warm.
Nothing like the cold rumors surrounding the Eclipse Guard.
Then....
a low chuckle echoed nearby.
Lavik.
The cursed elf warlord stood atop a broken stone pillar overlooking the gate below.
But something felt different now.
The usual madness in his smile had weakened.
"…Impossible…"
His burning orange eyes remained fixed toward the distant ceiling far above the underground world.
As though he could somehow see through layers of stone toward the sea itself.
"…That monster cannot die yet."
And hearing someone like Lavik call Lucifell a monster
without mockery...
made the atmosphere even colder.
Flamini slowly folded his arms.
"You sound worried."
Lavik's smile returned slightly.
Thin.
Unstable.
"Of course I am."
A faint poisonous mist escaped from the cursed scales beneath his neck.
"Because if the Nightbringer disappears now…"
His eyes slowly narrowed.
"…then the thing beneath this world will eventually walk freely."
----------------------
Silence followed immediately afterward.
Even Gromyr remained still in the distance.
Waiting.
Watching.
----------------------
Then suddenly....
the crimson crystals along the underground walls flickered violently.
CRACK.
A brief pulse of dark purple lightning crawled across the cavern ceiling.
Everyone froze.
Only for a second.
But they all saw it.
Luna's expression darkened immediately.
"…That wasn't normal mana."
"No," Lavik answered quietly.
And for the first time since ARCANA arrived...
the cursed warlord no longer looked amused.
He looked afraid.
----------------------
The dark purple lightning faded from the cavern ceiling as quickly as it appeared.
But the silence afterward felt heavier than before.
Marvelerick slowly turned toward Lavik.
The young Eclipse Guard member's eyes narrowed slightly.
Not fearful.
Observant.
Because ever since the transmission collapsed...
Lavik had been reacting differently.
Too differently.
The cursed elf no longer looked entertained by chaos.
He looked unsettled.
And that alone felt wrong.
Marvelerick stepped forward slowly.
"…You know something, don't you?"
The question echoed quietly through the underground cavern.
Lavik's burning orange eyes shifted toward him.
For a moment...
the warlord said nothing.
Only smiled faintly.
But this time...
the smile looked tired.
Not insane.
Not cruel.
Just…
uneasy.
"Heh…"
Lavik lowered his gaze briefly toward the cracked stone beneath his feet.
"…I know instincts."
The poisonous mist around his body thickened slightly.
"And mine are screaming right now."
Jacob frowned immediately. "That explains literally nothing."
Lavik ignored him.
His eyes slowly drifted upward again.
Toward the layers of earth separating them from the sea above.
"…Your commander was never normal."
A pause.
"…But whatever just answered beneath the ocean…"
Even Lavik's voice weakened slightly there.
"…felt older than him."
----------------------
Silence.
Cold silence.
----------------------
Then suddenly...
a deep laugh echoed upward from the abyss below.
Gromyr.
The giant cyclops slowly dragged his colossal mace across the stone floor.
SCREEEEEECH.
The sound alone shook dust loose from the cavern ceiling.
"…HAHAHAHA…"
The One-Eyed Cataclysm grinned wider.
Its single crimson eye glowed brighter within the darkness.
"So the black-winged monster finally cracked?"
Several ARCANA members immediately tensed.
But Gromyr continued laughing.
Not mockingly.
Excitedly.
Like a beast smelling blood.
"The Underworld whispers about him constantly…"
The giant lifted the colossal mace onto his shoulder.
"Some call him cursed."
Another laugh.
"Others call him chosen."
Then Gromyr's massive eye slowly narrowed.
"…But the old things below?"
A grin spread wider across his grotesque face.
"They call him heir."
----------------------
The cavern froze.
----------------------
Lavik's expression darkened instantly.
Marvelerick stepped forward again.
"…Heir to what?"
For the first time...
Gromyr's laughter stopped completely.
The giant cyclops stared silently upward.
Toward the distant world above.
Toward the sea where Lucifell had fallen.
Then quietly...
almost reverently...
Gromyr answered:
"…Something the Underworld itself fears waking up."
----------------------
Sub-Chapter 15.7: The Queen Who Refused To Feel
----------------------
Far beyond the southern sea of Mournvale...
far beyond the underground pathways beneath the Dark Elven Forest...
deep within the burning heart of the Underworld Kingdom...
the Queen of Acheron sat silently upon her throne.
Black flames drifted slowly across the vast crimson hall.
----------------------
Massive pillars carved from obsidian stretched endlessly upward into darkness while rivers of molten fire flowed beneath the palace floor like veins beneath flesh.
And upon the throne of black iron...
Leinca slowly opened her eyes.
Something had disturbed her.
Not the war.
Not the movement of armies.
Something else.
Something sharper.
A strange ache tightened briefly within her chest.
Her fingers curled slightly against the throne's armrest.
Then...
silence returned.
But the feeling remained.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
The Underworld generals standing below her throne immediately noticed the shift in atmosphere.
None dared speak.
Because the Queen of ACHERON rarely showed emotion.
Yet now...
the flames surrounding the throne flickered irregularly.
As though reacting to her heartbeat.
Leinca slowly turned her gaze toward the distant ceiling above the throne chamber.
Toward the world above.
Toward the southern sea.
And deep within her...
something old stirred.
A memory.
Silver-white hair beneath sunlight.
Blue eyes.
Wings burning against the sky.
A promise spoken long ago.
The feeling struck harder this time.
Pain.
Fear.
Sadness.
Leinca's expression tightened immediately.
"…No."
The word escaped quietly beneath her breath.
Not denial toward the war.
Toward herself.
Because another voice whispered deep within her thoughts.
Cold.
Cruel.
The newer self.
The Queen shaped by the Underworld.
Why does his disappearance disturb you?
Leinca's eyes narrowed sharply.
The black flames around the throne intensified.
He is your enemy now.
Another pause.
So why does your heart still tremble?
Leinca slowly clenched one hand against her chest.
As though trying to crush the feeling itself.
Because deep down...
beneath the Queen of Acheron...
another soul still remembered him.
And she hated it.
Not because the feeling was weak.
But because it refused to die.
----------------------
Far below the throne chamber...
the flames of the Underworld suddenly shifted unnaturally.
Several nearby demons immediately lowered their heads in fear.
Because for a brief moment...
even the Underworld itself seemed restless.
Leinca slowly stood from her throne.
Her long crimson-black garments flowed behind her like living shadow.
Then quietly...
almost unwillingly...
she whispered:
"…Lucifell."
The name echoed softly through the throne hall.
And hearing it spoken aloud after so many years...
made the flames tremble.
----------------------
The flames around the throne dimmed suddenly.
Not extinguished.
Suppressed.
A cold wind drifted silently through the Underworld hall.
And from the darkness beside Leinca's throne...
a figure slowly emerged.
One of her ACHERON Captain.
A wraith.
Tall.
Thin.
Wrapped in tattered black veils that flowed like smoke beneath water.
Its face remained hidden beneath endless shadow, yet two pale silver eyes glowed faintly beneath the hood.
The Captain of Nihil Oracle.
The Whispering Wraith.
Renova.
----------------------
The atmosphere inside the throne chamber immediately changed.
Even the surrounding demons instinctively lowered their heads further.
Because unlike the Captains of Acheron...
Renova did not serve the Underworld Kingdom.
Not truly.
The wraith stopped beside Leinca silently.
Then softly...
almost thoughtfully...
she spoke:
"…Perhaps."
Her voice sounded distant.
Like several whispers speaking at once.
"…I pushed him too far."
Leinca's eyes narrowed immediately.
Not because of the words.
Because of who they referred to.
"…You mean Lucifell."
Renova said nothing.
Which itself became an answer.
The Underworld General slowly turned toward the wraith now.
Curiosity flickered behind her cold expression for the first time in years.
Because Renova rarely involved herself in the affairs of kingdoms.
Yet somehow...
the wraith had been watching Lucifell closely.
----------------------
The black flames surrounding the throne shifted uneasily.
Then Leinca finally asked:
"…Why?"
A pause.
"…Why does Tiamatus care about him?"
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
The pale glow beneath Renova's hood flickered faintly.
Then slowly...
the wraith looked upward.
Toward nothing.
Toward somewhere far beyond the throne hall itself.
"…Because Tiamatus was never allied with the Underworld Kingdom or anything..."
----------------------
The answer stunned the chamber into silence.
Even the nearby demon generals slowly lifted their heads in confusion.
----------------------
Renova's tattered veil drifted softly around her shadow-like body.
"The Primordial Beasts do not kneel to kingdoms."
Another whisper escaped beneath the hood.
"They existed long before everything."
Long before demons.
Long before crowns.
Long before war itself learned its own name.
Leinca's gaze sharpened.
Because suddenly...
many things no longer made sense.
If Tiamatus was not allied with the Underworld…
then why were the Elemental Knights marching alongside Acheron armies?
Almost as though Renova heard the question forming inside her mind...
the wraith answered softly:
"…Tiamatus is not helping you conquer the surface."
A pause.
The silver glow beneath the hood dimmed slightly.
"…He is waiting."
The throne chamber grew colder.
Leinca slowly stepped down from her throne now.
For the first time...
true curiosity appeared within her eyes.
"…Waiting for what?"
Renova became silent again.
Then slowly...
very slowly...
the wraith turned her gaze toward the distant world above.
Toward the southern sea.
Toward the place where Lucifell had fallen.
And beneath the hood...
something almost resembling fear moved briefly within those pale silver eyes.
"…For him to awaken."