Elena hovered high above them, her body glowing with a blinding blue-white aura. Cracks of energy split the air around her, the pressure so intense it made even Sol stagger.
"You all came back..." she whispered, voice trembling with both pain and rage. "Then let me show you... my final wrath."
Energy surged to her fingertips, the heavens above swirling with lightning and frost. Her body pulsed like a divine star ready to collapse.
"Everyone, brace yourselves!" Sol shouted, planting his sword into the ground, divine light forming a barrier around their group.
Elena's voice echoed like thunder.
"I have... one last attack!"
With a cry that shook the skies, she soared upward—then dropped like a comet. A massive bolt of lightning, fused with ice, exploded from her blade as she crashed downward.
The strike lit the entire forest in white.
BOOOOM!
But just as the attack neared—
A flash. Swift. Blinding.
A streak of golden energy struck Elena mid-fall. A beam like pure lightning, but different. Controlled. Divine.
Elena's body froze mid-air. Her eyes widened.
Crack.
She fell—gently this time. Her glowing power dissipated into snowflakes. Her blade shattered mid-drop.
And then—silence.
Elena collapsed on the stone floor, unconscious. Her breath shallow. Her aura no longer wrathful, but... sorrowful.
Everyone stood frozen.
"...What just happened?" Arisu murmured, eyes scanning the sky.
Sol stepped forward slowly, staring at Elena's motionless form.
"...That strike. It didn't come from us."
Mio, wide-eyed, whispered, "Then who?"
The room remained still—except for the slow, distant echo of footsteps... approaching from the darkened hallway behind them.
Elena's body lay still, faint breaths escaping her lips. The energy that once cracked the air around her had faded to nothing, replaced by a heavy stillness.
Aisa stepped forward, her boots softly echoing on the stone floor. She knelt beside the fallen Ice Goddess, carefully lifting Elena's head onto her lap. Her fingers brushed strands of icy hair from the girl's face, now peaceful in unconsciousness.
"She's… still breathing," Aisa whispered.
Izumi stood behind her, arms crossed and eyes wary. "Aisa, she tried to kill you even she tried to kill all of us."
Aisa didn't look up. Her gaze remained on Elena's pale face.
"I know."
Moments passed in silence.
Then—
Elena stirred.
Her eyes fluttered open, a flicker of red peeking beneath the frost-colored lashes. She blinked slowly, as though waking from a deep dream.
"Aisa…?" she murmured, her voice hoarse and soft.
Aisa smiled gently, her tone calm and warm.
"You're safe now."
Elena's brows furrowed faintly. "Where… am I?"
"With us," Aisa replied. "The fight is over."
The others stood back, watching in quiet tension. Sol remained cautious, hand still near his sword. But no one moved forward—not yet.
Elena didn't rise. Her body trembled, too weak to do more than breathe. But in her eyes, for the first time since she reawakened, there was no rage—only confusion, sorrow… and something close to peace.
Sol stepped closer, his voice calm but edged with urgency.
"Elena… do you remember anything? Anything about what happened?"
Elena looked up weakly from Aisa's lap, her eyes still cloudy.
"A little… just fragments," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Amelia crossed her arms, thoughtful. "Even a little is good. It might help us understand."
Elena's gaze turned distant. Her lips parted, and her voice drifted, as if recalling a dream.
"It was… four months ago. The day of my eighteenth birthday."
A quiet hush fell over the room.
Elena continued, the memories slowly surfacing.
Flashback
"Dad! My birthday party's almost here!" Elena called out, smiling brightly as she leaned over the balcony.
Renji, standing in the courtyard below, looked up with a soft laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You said that a hundred times already."
"We're inviting the whole island, right?" she asked eagerly.
He nodded. "Of course. It's your big day."
Later, the grand mansion buzzed with celebration. Lanterns lit up the sky. Music echoed through the halls. People from every corner of the island filled the estate with laughter and cheer.
Elena stood in the center of the ballroom, radiant in a silver-blue gown, her smile infectious.
Her uncle, Taro, clinked his glass with Renji's, both of them glowing with pride.
Then, a quiet but respected figure stepped forward through the crowd—Tetsu Katamaya, the leader of the island's largest church. His robe flowed like mist, his presence calm yet commanding.
"Happy birthday, Lady Elena," he said, offering a small velvet box.
Elena opened it, eyes widening. Inside lay a delicate necklace with a glowing blue gem. It shimmered faintly, like frozen starlight.
"Thank you, Lord Katamaya," she said, bowing politely.
"This charm is said to protect the pure of heart," he added with a gentle smile. "It suits you."
She nodded and put it on immediately.
"After that…" Elena's voice returned to the present, faint and shaken. "A few days later, I started getting headaches… I'd forget small things… and then—"
She clutched her temple, as if trying to pull the memory back.
"I don't know what happened next."
Jasmine stood near the broken window, the light of the setting sun casting a soft glow on her face. Her expression was firm.
"We should go back," she said quietly.
Everyone turned to her.
"The island… We need to see what's left. If what Elena said is true, then that place holds more than just memories."
Sol nodded. "She's right. If the souls of demons and gods are trapped in the people there, we can't ignore it any longer."
Amelia crossed her arms, her mind already calculating the risks. "If we go, we need to prepare for anything."
Shin glanced at Elena, still resting in Aisa's arms. "Is she stable enough to travel?"
Aisa looked down at the girl who now seemed so fragile—so different from the being who had unleashed divine rage just hours before.
"She'll be fine," Aisa said, brushing a strand of white hair from Elena's face. "I'll watch over her."
Sol turned to the group. "Gear up. We leave in twenty minutes."
The team moved quickly, gathering supplies, checking weapons, and tending to wounds.
The forest around the house remained eerily silent, as if holding its breath.
As the last light faded and stars emerged overhead, the group set out.
They moved as one—Jasmine, Sol, Shin, Amelia, Hiroshi, Arisu, Mio, Saki, Izumi, Tasuya, Aisa, Yumi, and Akira—each carrying the weight of a battle just passed, and the unknown waiting ahead.
And somewhere far beyond the trees, the island awaited. Broken, haunted… and alive with ancient power.
The boat rocked gently as it neared the mist-shrouded coast.
Waves lapped against the worn wooden hull, and the once-familiar scent of the island—salt, moss, and something ancient—rose in the air.
No one spoke.
They stood at the edge of the boat in silence: Sol with his hand resting on his sword, Jasmine beside him gripping the railing tightly. Behind them, Aisa held Elena in her arms, the Ice Princess now quiet and pale. Shin, Amelia, and the others stood in a line, eyes scanning the fog-covered shore ahead.
As they stepped off onto the rocky beach, the land itself seemed to shudder beneath their feet.
The trees were the same, but the energy—heavy and strange—pressed down on them like a curse.
"This… doesn't feel right," Mio muttered, drawing closer to Hiroshi.
"I can feel it too," Arisu said. "The air—it's full of something… old."
Elena stirred weakly in Aisa's arms, her voice barely above a whisper.
"They're watching… The souls… They never left."
Sol turned to her. "The gods and demons?"
She nodded slowly. "Parts of them… fragments… trapped inside the islanders. Waiting."
They walked through the village streets, now nearly deserted. Cracked buildings. Burned rooftops. Shadows where laughter once echoed.
Jasmine covered her mouth. "So many houses… empty."
"They fled," said Tasuya, "or worse."
They arrived at the central plaza—where the ancient statue once stood. Now it was broken, scattered in pieces, and glowing softly with remnants of divine energy.
Izumi crouched beside the base, fingers brushing the cracked stone.
"This is where it all started," he whispered.
Sol stepped forward and raised his voice. "We're here to end it."
Suddenly, a wind blew through the square—sharp, unnatural. The mist thickened.
And from the fog… voices began to whisper.
Calling.
Crying.
Begging.
Yumi took a step back. "They're still here…"
Aisa stood tall, her eyes glowing faintly as she held Elena close. "Then we'll free them."
Sol narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his blade.
"Everyone—prepare yourselves."
Because this time, the island wasn't just haunted.
It was alive.