They say the gods write the fate of men before they take their first breath. That everything that will be is carved into celestial stone, sealed into the soul, impossible to erase.
And as long as that mark exists, the end always comes.
That was how the future written by the gods was meant to end. And to change it… that was the greatest blasphemy of all.
In the Mongrul Forest, four heroes climbed the hill. Their armor shimmered with divine blessings, catching the damp sunlight like fragments of fire across the grass. Swords raised, hearts resolute… and afraid.
Among them walked Emily.
Her steps were steady, yet an involuntary tremor shook her hands. It was not fear. It was certainty. Her black eyes reflected terror and determination at once.
This mission could not be delegated. Not because it was the last… but because it was written that way.
She had to stop Lusian Douglas of Mondring—the man who had ceased to be a man.
From the rock crowning the hill, Lusian stood tall.
His golden eyes burned like ancient embers. A black cloak waved behind him, alive, fed by an energy that did not belong to this world. Dark runes marked his hands, pulsing with a dense shadow that seemed to breathe.
Around him, life retreated. Leaves withered. Branches cracked. Even the forest itself obeyed.
"LUSIAN!" Emily shouted. "By the light of the gods, this ends now!"
There was no reply.
Only a deep, grave laugh. Not cruel. Not furious. Certain.
The ground trembled.
Roots burst from the soil like serpents, coiling around the heroes. Lusian raised his hands, and a tide of shadow swept over the hill, snuffing out divine blessings like candles in the rain.
One by one, the heroes were forced to their knees.
The forest became a living hell.
The earth split beneath their feet. Abysses opened where solid rock had stood moments before. Blasts of darkness tore through flesh and spirit, draining strength, will… hope.
Kara, Hero of Strength, roared and charged. Her colossal sword cut through roots and shadow with sheer force. Every swing made the hill quake.
The darkness did not yield.
A black tendril seized her and hurled her against the rock. Kara fell, spitting blood, her strength reduced to trembling silence.
Alejandro, Master of Fire, unleashed furious flames that lit the gloom like a pyre. Each explosion was a belated oath, each blaze a memory of ashes and screams.
The shadow swallowed him.
A dark sphere struck his chest, snuffing out his fire. The impact slammed him to the ground. Alejandro lay still, struggling to breathe, vengeance still burning… but meaningless.
Leonardo, Hero of Lightning, raised his arm, and the sky answered. Thunderbolts carved across the hill, illuminating the chaos like storms born of rage. Every clap carried a lost name. Every flash, a broken promise.
The response was immediate.
Spears of shadow erupted from the darkness, piercing his body. His final strike shattered into fading sparks.
And the forest fell silent once more.
At last, only Emily remained standing.
She gathered the last of her strength and raised her hands. Light blossomed between them, trembling, coalescing into a blinding beam aimed at the demon's core—the heart where the shadow of what had once been human still pulsed.
"Lusian… I will stop you."
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
Lusian roared. Trees cracked. Stone shattered. Shadows twisted and shrieked—but they did not flee.
The beam pierced his core.
Lusian's demonic form convulsed. Black fire twisted against the dawn. His eyes opened, reflecting something like surprise.
Not from pain. From fulfillment.
He fell.
His body struck the rock with a dull thud. Shadows dissipated like smoke with no master. The hill sank into absolute silence.
Emily dropped to her knees.
She ran among the bodies, calling names that would never answer. She stopped beside Leonardo. His eyes no longer flashed with lightning. The silence in his chest was final.
For them, the story had ended.
Lusian's corpse lay still beneath a sky stained with fire and ash.
That was how the Herald of Ruin was destined to die. That was how the future written by the Oracle ended. And that was how the world would have ended…
…if a single soul had not been torn from another destiny.