The water was cold. It wasn't the bite of winter or the chill of the Levincia river — it was emptiness itself, as if the world had forgotten him. Jhonathan floated, unmoving, the bloodied remnants of his armor dragging him down. The screams, the jeers, the treachery of the nobles — all of it faded into a dull, hollow ache.
Then, a light. Small at first, then expanding, burning through the darkness like molten silver. It was neither the sun nor moon, but something entirely alien: a fracture in reality, a shimmering wound in the river of existence. And before he could comprehend it, the current itself reversed, lifting him from the water and carrying him through the light.
He landed on stone that burned like fire yet smelled of rain. His lungs gasped, not from water but air thick with magic and an unfamiliar energy. The sky above was violet, streaked with impossible constellations. One star blazed brighter than the rest, hanging low, as if watching him, judging him, calling him alive.
Jhonathan pulled himself to his knees. Brunhilde's shadow clung faintly to him — weakened, fractured, but still present. A warmth in his chest reminded him of the ember he had carried through Levincia's ruins. Even here, even now, it pulsed like a heartbeat.
A voice cut through the strange wind: melodic, sharp, and dripping with authority.
"Ah… so the Undying Knight awakens."
He looked up. The figure was tall, clothed in flowing robes that shimmered with the colors of dying stars. Eyes like twin eclipses bore into him.
"Where… am I?" Jhonathan croaked, voice raw. "Who… are you?"
The figure knelt, tilting their head. "You are not in Levincia. You are no longer in the river. You are in the Shattered Realm — a world between worlds, where broken things are reforged… or discarded."
A memory stabbed him: betrayal. The nobles. The friends who had turned. Ruby. The fire. The ash. Rage surged, burning hotter than despair.
"I was left… for dead," he spat. "Betrayed by everyone. I should be—"
"You were dead," the figure interrupted. "Yet here you are. Alive, because this realm has need of you. Your blood, your wrath, your survival — they are the keys to awakening what you once wielded in Levincia."
Brunhilde stirred beside him, a faint gold glow leaking through the cracks of shadow. "I'm not… finished," Jhonathan muttered.
The figure's smile was a slash of light. "No. You are beginning. And beginning requires choice."
A ripple of energy spread across the land, and before him rose a mirror-like pool. Its surface shimmered with visions: Levincia's betrayal, the river, the city burning — and above it all, a star pulsing with untold power.
"This is your chance, Undying Knight," the figure said. "The Shattered Realm will temper you. But beware — what awakens here may not be what you remember. Allies, enemies, and even the stars themselves may challenge you."
Jhonathan clenched his fists, the ember in his chest flaring. For the first time since Levincia's fall, a spark of determination rose over despair.
"I don't care who waits for me," he said, voice low but steady. "I will survive. I will return. And I will make sure no one ever leaves me broken again."
Above him, the brightest star flared, and for a brief instant, it seemed almost like a heartbeat answering his own. Brunhilde's shadow coiled tighter, as if anticipating the battles to come.
The Shattered Realm stretched before him: strange lands, floating isles, and ruins that whispered of forgotten gods. And in the distance, something massive stirred — a star of death, ancient and watchful, promising trials only the strongest could survive.
Jhonathan rose to his feet. The river behind him, Levincia, the betrayals — all of it was gone, or at least behind him. A new journey had begun.