Sarah stood frozen, eyes brimming with tears as chaos erupted around her. She watched helplessly—until a whisper slithered into her ear.
"Hey... over here."
It was quiet—too quiet—yet it cut through the turmoil like a blade through silk.
"They need help, right? I can help them."
Her heartbeat slowed. The screams, the battle, the trembling earth—all dulled to a whisper as her mind drifted, drawn by the voice.
"Comeeee... I'll lend you my strength."
She moved like she was sleepwalking, her thoughts a foggy swirl of desperation and curiosity. The voice led her down the stone corridors of the underground chambers… to the cell where the tortured Skinwalker was held.
The stench hit her first—rank, putrid, suffocating. Her stomach lurched as she stepped into the room. Chains rattled against the lifeless form slumped over in the chair, its face hidden beneath tangled, blood-matted hair.
"H-hello? Were you... the one calling me?" she whispered, clutching her nose, forcing back the bile.
The creature lifted its head slowly.
"Hello there, milady!" it said with a wicked grin, eyes gleaming with mischief.
Outside, the battle raged on.
The squad fought desperately, channeling every ounce of power they had into the fusion ritual—but something was wrong.
Palmer's body wasn't stabilizing. Instead, it was absorbing them faster, violently, as though his core had become a black hole.
"This is the worst-case scenario!" Elijah roared. "Elias! Wake the hell up already!"
The Entity, still half-restrained, smirked darkly as its horn began to regrow.
"Futile efforts," it mocked. "He is not coming back."
The ground trembled as its form grew darker, heavier—more real.
"Shut up already!" Valen shouted.
"For someone created by him, you really are dense. You thought he only made you to distribute his essence? No... it was also to spread mine."
Valen's eyes widened as the truth struck him like lightning.
"Yes," the Entity continued. "You're giving his essence back to him, trying to restore him... but you're also restoring my share pieces. Worse, your bodies are now becoming human. Fragile. Impure."
Blood spilled from Valen, Kael, Kole, and Ivy's mouths and noses.
"The ritual was incomplete. You rushed. And now, you'll break. Vessels who make mistakes... die."
"Stop the fusion!" Valen screamed.
"Too late." The Entity's voice was calm, cruel.
Their hands refused to let go. The fusion continued, consuming them.
The Entity turned to Elijah, whose hand pinned it down. With a flick, it grabbed his arm, forcibly removing it from his face. Rising slowly, it looked down upon him.
"First, I have you to thank for opening the king's eyes to his weaknesses. As a reward, I'll eliminate you first before I reshape this festering world."
A quick blur slid past, severing their hands from the entity's body.
"Valen, was it?" came a familiar voice.
Valen's eyes shot open in disbelief. "You? How the hell—"
The Skinwalker from the basement stepped forward, lightning blade in hand. "We can do reunions later. Let's first save ourselves from this mess. If that thing is allowed to roam free, we're all doomed."
Valen's fists clenched. "What did you do to her?"
The Skinwalker scoffed. "Are you stupid or what? Who'd have time to want to kill anyone with this calamity running wild?" The skinwalker retorted. "Besides, is this your first time dealing with this situation?"
Valen snarled but held his tongue. He nodded. "Yeah... but this time, nothing's working."
"Then you're even dumber than I thought."
Valen snapped. "Say that again!"
"Listen up, this guy was strong enough to give me a ridiculous amount of power. I saw my grandmother beckoning me to come to the other side of the river after your torture until his voice enveloped me. He wanted to use me against you guys but my whole body tells me to flee cause he'll eventually end me too, but this whole area is his territory so I basically cant."
"...Get to the point."
"Sorry sorry... I've seen this before. A noble went berserk—power overflow. Each noble of different factions got a pattern. It's unique. Intricate. They used it to bring him back. You four are connected to this guy right?—and those other two? They're close enough. Use the patterns."
Valen and the others stared, realization dawning.
"Try doing the fusion with the pattern on, the pattern will directly direct you to his consciousness," the Skinwalker said.
Their severed hands regenerated, power flaring around them.
"Thanks for the help," Valen muttered.
The Entity growled. "You sure did run your mouth, Fenris, after you begged me to give you power to destroy your enemies, you thief."
"Hey," Fenris grinned. "I'm just staying true to my nature. Besides, you were gonna kill me after you used me. Not really my style to die for free."
The Entity's expression darkened. "Then die with them."