The fortress trembled.

  The dark chamber echoed with agonized screams, but they weren’t human.

  They were the voices of shattered souls, wailing as if desperate to break free.

  Vierd stood his ground, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness, his sword still charged with the energy he had used before.

  Across from him, Rain remained motionless, his body tense but unreadable.

  They weren’t attacking.

  They were studying their enemy.

  The creature—a mass of writhing shadows shaped like a colossal humanoid—wasn’t stable.

  Its body twisted unnaturally, as if it couldn’t fully exist in this world. The blue flames in its hollow eyes pulsed erratically, like a dying heart struggling to beat.

  But what drew Vierd’s attention wasn’t its size or its strength.

  It was the feeling it radiated.

  He had sensed this before.

  Inside the Gate.

  "This thing… isn’t just a monster."

  It was a cursed soul.

  Like the shadows he had fought in the desert.

  But this one was stronger.

  More aware.

  Then—

  The creature spoke.

  Its voice didn’t belong to one being.

  It was a chorus of voices, whispering, overlapping—a fragmented, twisted sound.

  And in the next instant—

  It attacked.

  With impossible speed, the creature lunged at Vierd, its black claws extending like razor-sharp voids.

  But Vierd was ready.

  He twisted at the last second, his body bending at an unnatural angle to dodge the strike.

  Then—without hesitation—he countered.

  His sword sliced forward in a deadly arc.

  But when his blade landed—

  It hit nothing.

  His attack passed through the creature as if cutting through smoke.

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  And then—

  The monster vanished.

  Only to reappear behind him.

  "Shit—!"

  Vierd spun, but not fast enough.

  The claw tore through his side.

  A searing pain shot through him—but not just physical pain.

  Something inside him was being torn apart.

  "It’s draining me… not just my body—but my soul?!"

  Vierd staggered back, one hand pressing against the wound.

  Blood wasn’t spilling much—because this wasn’t a normal injury.

  The attack had taken something deeper.

  This wasn’t just a beast.

  It was something that fed on souls to survive.

  From across the room, Rain finally moved.

  "Get away from it."

  He raised his hand, and a pulse of ashen energy shot forward.

  The blast hit the creature directly—

  And for the first time—it screamed.

  "Aaaaaaaah!!"

  The entire fortress shook as the sound ripped through the air.

  Rain exhaled slowly.

  "So… that works."

  Without missing a beat, he fired another blast.

  But this time—

  The creature didn’t just take the hit.

  It absorbed it.

  Vierd’s eyes widened.

  "It’s adapting."

  The second blast barely fazed it.

  Instead, its form solidified slightly.

  "It absorbed my energy… and now it knows how to counter it."

  Rain clicked his tongue. "Great. That complicates things."

  Vierd gritted his teeth.

  This wasn’t just another shadow creature.

  This was something that learned.

  Killing it wouldn’t be as simple as overpowering it.

  They had to find its true weakness.

  Vierd’s gaze locked onto the creature, analyzing its movements.

  Then—

  He noticed something.

  Each time it was struck, it barely reacted.

  Except for its eyes.

  The blue flames flickered violently every time it took damage.

  "If that’s the only thing that reacts to pain…"

  "Then that must be its core."

  His grip on his sword tightened.

  He turned to Rain.

  "I need you to distract it for just a few seconds."

  Rain didn’t hesitate.

  "I’ll give you more than a few."

  In a flash, Rain leapt forward.

  He didn’t try to kill it.

  Instead—he attacked strategically.

  Small bursts of energy, carefully aimed.

  Each blast forced the monster to shift its focus.

  And just as Vierd predicted—

  It chased after Rain.

  That was his opening.

  "Now."

  Shadows erupted from Vierd’s body, coiling around his sword like black flames.

  He launched himself forward—

  And as the creature turned to face him—

  He struck.

  "DIE."

  His blade pierced straight through the blue flames.

  This time—

  There was no escape.

  The creature let out one final, deafening scream.

  But it wasn’t like before.

  It wasn’t rage.

  It was the sound of an ending.

  Its form collapsed, the dark mass dispersing, like something had been forcefully exorcised.

  And within seconds—

  Nothing remained.

  Vierd lowered his sword, exhaling.

  That thing… was stronger than I expected.

  One second slower—and I would’ve been the one dead.

  But Rain wasn’t looking at where the creature had vanished.

  He was staring at the wall behind it.

  Vierd followed his gaze—

  And froze.

  On the stone wall, previously hidden behind the monster—

  There was an inscription.

  Not just a symbol.

  A name.

  And when he read it—

  A cold sensation ran through his body.

  His own name.

  Etched into the stone.

  Rain’s voice was quiet.

  "Your name is written here."

  Vierd didn’t move.

  But in his mind—

  A voice whispered again.

  "You have finally returned…"