The snowy forest of the elves' land was submerged in a sea of thick smoke and ash under the dim light of day. The relentless fire had turned the frozen trees into a pile of black charcoal, and the smell of ash and blood lingered in the air. The Starman stood like an embodiment of death in the center of this ruin. Whenever he was ready to shoot deadly energy from his eyes, which were like two collapsing suns, he drenched the elves, from armored soldiers to angry civilians, in blood, but no blow, no spell, not even a scratch fell on his black cloak. He was moving toward Rio with a power that seemed stolen from the world itself.
On the other side, Rio and her sisters, Adrina and Nadia, reached the enormous gate with panting breaths. The giant gate, carved with starry patterns and ancient writings, shone greatly under the daylight and amidst the thick smoke. The remaining guards, terrified by the successive explosions, were hiding beside the gate and jumped at the sight of Elian. One of the soldiers, who still had a spark of courage in his eyes, shouted:
"What happened?"
Elian ignoring the soldiers, placed Rio, who was limp in his arms, on the ground and went toward the corner of the gate where the star-carved lines glowed like living veins.
But Adrina with a voice trembling with fear:
"Get out of here, he's coming, run away.!"
Suddenly, a deafening scream tore through the air. The Starman's deadly orange beam, like a blade of molten fire, appeared from afar and, in the blink of an eye, tore dozens of elves to pieces. His black cloak waved in the wind, and his shadow fell like a living ghost on the gray snow. With his appearance, Elian paused for a moment and stared at Rio, as if a heavy decision was forming in his mind, a decision that held a dark and unknown secret. He looked at the patterns again, drew new lines, and the gate activated with a blinding light.
But at that very moment, a massive sonic wave like a scream from the depths of the void crushed everything. A white and terrifying ring, emanating from the Starman's white hand, shook the earth, threw snow and ash into the air, and crushed the burned trees like dry branches.
Everyone fell to the ground except Elian, who stood like a rock in a storm. He drew his sword from under his cloak, a blade that shone like a star in the gate's light, and with steps that shook the ground, he walked toward the Starman.
Rio dazed and confused from the sonic blast, raised her hands.
"Please don't leave me Elian!"
Elian paused for a moment, looked back, and with a warm but firm voice said:
"Don't forget what I taught you."
With those words, his steps grew heavier, and he went toward his enemy. The Starman with clenched fists under his black cloak, approached him like a monster from ancient legends. The two approached each other with slow steps until suddenly both attacked each other with a lightning-fast leap. Elian's sword spun in the air like thunder, its strikes so fierce that they turned the surrounding smoke and ash into a whirlwind. But in contrast, the Starman, with his black hand that seemed woven from the night itself, deflected every strike with an unnatural movement.
Elian's skill was astonishing; several of his strikes hit the Starman's body but the blade's impact on the Starman's skin was like striking an impenetrable rock.
The battle continued.
Adrina who had barely gotten up saw the terrified soldiers fleeing through the smoky forest.
With all her strength, she lifted Nadia, who was unconscious, and threw her to the other side of the gate. Then it was Ayhan's turn.
Ayhan who had just regained consciousness, looked at Adrina upon seeing the breathtaking battle between Elian and the Starman. Her face was full of terror. She quickly ran toward Rio, carried her on her back.
"Hurry, let's go!"
Ayhan ran toward the gate. Rio tried to grab Adrina's hand, but Adrina, with a trembling smile and eyes full of tears, let go of her hand.
Upon passing through the gate, Ayhan and Rio found themselves in a dark and snowy plain where a snowstorm filled the air like a cold dagger.
Ayhan placed Rio on the ground and moved Nadia, who was still unconscious, away from the gate. Then she ran toward the small gate to deactivate it.
Rio, with a voice broken by fear:
"Don't do it! Adrina hasn't come yet!"
Ayhan hesitated for a moment, looked at Nadia and made her decision. Without paying attention to Rio, she ran her hands over the gate's starry lines, but before completing her task the Starman with his black cloak waving in the storm like wings of death, passed through the gate. His presence like a sinister shadow swallowed the space, his gray eyes cold and merciless. Upon seeing Ayhan he struck her face with the back of his hand, a blow that shook the ground like thunder. Ayhan like a broken doll was thrown back several meters, her body rolling on the gray snow, unconscious.
Rio, terrified and scared, ran toward Nadia, but at that moment, the Starman's eyes flared again, like two exploding stars, and his deadly beam shot from his eyes, severing Rio's left wrist in an instant. Blood sprayed like a red and warm fountain on the white snow, and her severed hand, still twitching, rolled in the snow. The scene was so horrific that time stopped in Rio's mind for a few moments.
Rio's blood sank into the snow like a red river, and her scream full of pain and terror, was lost in the storm.
The pain twisted in her like a burning dagger, and her eyes blurred from the intensity of the shock.
The Starman approached her with slow and terrifying steps. But suddenly he looked back, his eyes turned orange again, and with a deadly beam he targeted the gate. The fired energy hit the gate like a meteor and in an instant the massive structure turned to ash. The molten stones poured onto the ground like lava, and black smoke rose to the sky like a sinister spirit. The ground shook, and the sound of the explosion echoed in the plain like a scream from the depths of hell. No escape remained.
Rio with a body trembling from blood loss, tried to drag Nadia back. But she was just a child; her feet slipped on the snow, and her strength amounted to nothing. With despair, she stood up, raised her healthy hand toward the Starman, and her eyes began to glow, as if she wanted to use her magic.
Suddenly an icy blade erupted from the ground and passed by the Starman's head with terrifying speed, but he didn't even blink, only stared at Rio with a cold gaze. His presence was so heavy that it felt like he was squeezing Rio's heart in his fist.
Rio certain that the Starman had come for her, tried to escape and draw him away from her sister, but due to excessive blood loss, she became weak and fell to the ground.
Rio kept trying to crawl away from the Starman, but moments later, the Starman appeared above her, staring at her with eyes that surged with death.
Rio, whose entire being was swallowed by fear, screamed in a trembling voice:
"What did you do to my sister and Elian?"
The Starman let out a deep sigh, his voice like a growl from the depths of the void.
"Become Ash."