"General Zork," said Erick, swallowing his pride and murderous urges for just a second, "I know who exposed your plan to stop the festival."
Hearing those words, the orc Zork turned around. His clone remained motionless, watching Erick.
Now both orcs looked at him with one eyebrow raised, speaking in unison:
"What did you say?"
"You heard me," Erick replied with a mocking smile. "How else could the people of Lower Galandria have reacted so quickly to your army's arrival?"
Zork paused for a moment—it did sound plausible, but...
"I won't listen to nonsense from a low-ranking noble. You're not even part of the Royal Court," both Zorks said flatly.
Despite those harsh words, Erick's proud expression didn't falter. He reached into his clothes and pulled out a piece of paper—a scroll which, once unrolled, revealed a contract.
"You know well, General Zork," Erick began, "that demons can't lie in contracts. What's written on this infernal paper is, in other words, irrefutable proof that you have a traitor among your ranks."
The original Zork snatched the paper and started reading.
Soon, his calm expression twisted into one of fury.
He clenched the paper tightly, nearly ripping it apart.
"That bastard…" Zork growled.
"You have the power," Erick continued, "as a member of the Royal Court, you can now pass judgment... You can give me the authority to eliminate Mako."
"Killing a noble is already taboo," both Zorks replied. "And nobles killing each other without a proper trial is... unheard of!"
Erick clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Then sign this contract, authorizing that the outcome of my duel with Mako will determine the next heir to House Sol," Erick declared proudly.
◇◆◇
Mako was still on the rooftop. And although he couldn't hear Erick and Zork's conversation, he didn't need to.
Polyphemus—the demon his parents had made a pact with—was telling him everything.
"I'm bound to serve both of you," Polyphemus confessed with deep regret.
Mako wasn't just shocked by the demon's words.
He felt a new kind of rage toward Erick.
'I don't get it,' Mako thought. 'Wasn't the pride of our House the most important thing to him? If Erick's doing this, then...'
"Mako," Polyphemus said through heavy tears, "please listen to me. You need to run… It's already too late."
Mako stared at Polyphemus defiantly.
"I can't," he said, looking out over the Lower Galandria plaza.
"Mako!" Polyphemus pleaded. "Erick… Erick won. He has a contract signed by me. With that seal, every noble will know it's true. They'll know you..."
Rebecca had been silently watching the plaza from above.
Her pride had kept her from speaking to Mako—she would never strike from behind.
She couldn't stop staring at the silhouettes of the owl-masked men—masks just like hers.
Now all of them were dead.
Rebecca just stood there, looking out over the sea of corpses.
"Ah," she finally said, turning from the plaza to look at Mako. "Why am I not surprised?"
Mako raised his rapier again, taking a defensive stance.
"Of course it was you. What, was this your good deed of the week or something?" she said sarcastically, removing her owl mask.
Tears streamed down Rebecca's face.
"My father… my people… What else are you going to take from me?" she demanded, her voice trembling with grief.
"If I hadn't done it," Mako tried to explain, "if I hadn't warned them, the massacre would've been worse… The victims would've been women, elders… children. The castle's soldiers wouldn't have spared a single soul at the festival."
Polyphemus remained silent.
Mako clenched his free hand into a trembling fist.
"Not again," Mako muttered. "I tried so hard… Why would he do something like this?!"
"I'm sorry, Mako," Polyphemus said, full of guilt.
Mako's angry scowl softened slightly.
"This isn't your fault, Polyphemus. It's mine. I'm to blame. You had no choice—the contract binds you to us. You didn't have a choice," he said, trying to steady his breathing.
"It's not just that, Mako," Polyphemus added. "His plan… it's not to ruin the honor of House Sol."
Mako stared at the round demon, confused.
"His plan is to dethrone you as the firstborn heir and rightful successor to all the House's power," Polyphemus said.
Mako looked out again at the plaza—dark, lit only by moonlight and the fire Erick had caused.
From the rooftop, he could just make out Erick and the original Zork speaking in the middle of the soldiers.
Then he realized—both Erick and Zork had turned to look directly at him.
'He didn't even bother destroying Polyphemus and sending him back to hell… Erick wanted me to know I lost. That I'm cornered,' thought Mako.
"Of course," Rebecca said, realizing what was about to happen. "Ha. I think I like this punishment way more for a mutt like you."
"Don't think I've forgotten about you, Rebecca… If you're going to attack—" Mako began, but Rebecca's laughter cut him off.
She wiped away her tears.
Slowly, she floated back into the darkness of the night.
Before vanishing completely, she turned to Mako.
"Win or lose, Mako, I'll be watching. I'll enjoy your downfall one way or another," she said before disappearing into the shadows.
Mako and Polyphemus were left alone on the rooftop.
"I killed Rebecca's father," Mako said once she was gone.
"Well… that's fucked," Polyphemus replied.
"Damn it!" Mako shouted. "If she left like that, it's because she knows I'm done for. I'm not even worth her revenge anymore."
Mako began to spiral.
"Maybe… if you use your power to go back in time…" Polyphemus suggested, searching for a solution.
Mako shook his head.
"Impossible. I can only rewind a few minutes at most… There's no way I could make it from here to the plaza in time to stop this," he said, utterly defeated.
Covered in dust, wounds, and exhaustion, Mako was on the brink—physically and mentally.
Was he really going to lose to Erick like this?
Polyphemus couldn't lie.
Even if Mako defeated Erick, all of Galandria would know that he was a traitor.
'If only… If only I knew what triggers my power. Polyphemus already said it's unlikely that it's actual death. No ability activates when you die!' Mako thought desperately.
His mind raced endlessly, searching for a solution.
"There isn't one," Mako whispered more to himself than to Polyphemus. "There's no way out…"
"Mako! Snap out of it! You can still live!" Polyphemus shouted. "This isn't just about the contract… I promised your parents I'd keep you safe. Screw the House! You can't let those bastards take you!"
Mako shook his head again.
"No, Polyphemus. This ends here and now," Mako said firmly.
The night wind was bitterly cold.
"Polyphemus, my ability… If I told you it sent me a year into the past, would you believe me?" Mako confessed, remembering the scar on his neck.
Polyphemus stood silent for a moment, struggling to process Mako's words.
Mako began walking along the rooftop, stopping at the very edge.
"W-Wait, Mako! Don't do anything reckless!" Polyphemus cried out, panicking at how close he was to the drop.
"Erick betrayed me and I lost everything. I know you promised my parents to protect us, but… it's too late for that, Polyphemus. One of us has to die tonight."
After saying those words, Mako looked into the void below.
He didn't plan to die.
He didn't plan to jump just to trigger his power.
No.
Mako had only one thing in mind:
To change his destiny.