Kharis' eyes widened.
And Aurelion understood instantly.
Now.
"Aurelion!" Iris shouted.
He moved.
Fast. Direct. No hesitation.
His blade cut forward—not to kill, but to force Kharis to stay in place.
Kharis reacted late.
For the first time—
He was slow.
Wet sand dragged his form down, heavy and unstable.
Iris lifted both hands.
Cold mana surged violently around her.
Another wave of ice shot forward—
Kharis retaliated, summoning multiple sand blades and launching them toward all three of them.
But Iris stepped forward instead of retreating.
"Not this time."
Ice collided with sand.
Steam burst outward.
Water spread across Kharis' body again.
More weight. More drag.
His movement faltered.
Aurelion pressed forward, striking repeatedly—not aiming to destroy, but to deny escape.
Don't let him disengage.
Kharis tried to pull away—
"Iris!"
"I know!"
Another ice strike—
Direct hit.
This time—
His entire body soaked completely.
The flowing sand turned dense… sluggish… collapsing under its own weight.
Like wet earth trying to stand.
Iris stepped closer, breathing hard.
"Any last words?"
Kharis glared at them, fury burning beneath fading control.
"…Damn you."
His hand suddenly moved inside his robe.
Aurelion's instincts screamed.
No—
"Iris, stop him!"
She reacted instantly—
Ice forming—
But Kharis was faster.
He threw something.
A small object.
Dark. Pulsing. Unstable.
Elayne's eyes widened.
"Move!"
She shoved Aurelion away—
Space twisted.
Light bent.
Reality cracked like glass—
—and both Aurelion and Elayne vanished.
Iris froze for half a second.
Too slow.
The object was already in front of her.
Kharis laughed weakly, voice breaking.
"Farewell."
Ice sealed his body—
But Iris couldn't dodge.
Light swallowed her whole.
Silence fell.
The wind passed through empty ground.
No battle.
No footsteps.
No enemies.
Nothing.
Only scattered sand…
and a battlefield where no one remained.