Three days had passed since Ray's death.
Inside the silent headquarters of the Phoenix Guild, Inavy's room was swallowed in darkness. The curtains stayed closed, letting only a thin line of light slip through.The air was heavy… as if the atmosphere itself mourned alongside him.
Inavy lay curled on the bed, staring into nothing. Deep shadows marked his eyes. His breathing was low and shaky — as if every breath hurt.
Then—knock, knock, knock.
"Hey, Inavy…"Darius's voice came from the other side of the door, hesitant."I know what you're feeling, man… please, open the door."
Silence.
Inavy replied, tired and dull:
"What do you want, Darius?"
"It's important, bro. Please… just open up."
Still nothing.
Darius was about to insist when a female voice approached.
"Inavy, open this door. We need you… it's about… Kelvin."
A shiver ran down Inavy's spine.Slowly, he rose from the bed, walked to the door, and opened it.
Rose and Darius froze.
The figure in front of them looked like a shadow of Inavy.
Deep eye bags. Messy hair. A lifeless gaze.
Darius whispered:
"Bro… you look like a zombie."
Rose immediately elbowed him, as if saying "not the moment."
Inavy sighed, tired.
"If you came here to make jokes, I'm going back to bed."
"No, no!" Rose raised her hands quickly."Inavy… just come with us. It's serious."
Reluctantly, he grabbed his jacket, took a slow breath, and followed them.
The Revelation
The three walked through the silent halls until they reached the surveillance room — the one monitoring the alley where Kelvin had been seen last.
Rose prepared the footage.When the video appeared on screen… all three of their hearts sank.
Kelvin stood before a shadowy figure — a humanoid darkness, distorted, pulsing like a living parasite.
The shadow slowly wrapped around him, creeping up his back… his neck…until it covered everything.
Kelvin's eyes went out.
Inavy stepped back.
"What… what is that…?"
The shadow consumed Kelvin entirely, twisting as it transformed his body into something else.
Something wrong.
Something not human.
"That's not Kelvin," Darius murmured, voice shaking."No way in hell that's Kelvin…"
Inavy clenched his jaw.
"And who the hell is that woman beside him?! We need to show this to Lorien… and sensei Diana."
Darius nodded, looking down.
"My brother…" he swallowed hard."Lorien's shattered. His master died… and now Kelvin… but if anyone knows what the hell that thing is, it's him."
Rose exhaled deeply.
"Then we go to the Guild of a Thousand Lights."
The Walk
The sky was cloudy, heavy. The wind carried sadness.
Their walk was painfully silent.
Darius walked ahead, distant, clearly fighting his own demons.
Rose remained beside Inavy, watching the boy who once had been a hurricane of energy… now reduced to ashes.
"Hey, Inavy…" she called softly.
He didn't raise his eyes.
"Say it."
The coldness cut through her like a knife.
Rose hesitated for a moment.
"Ray's funeral is tomorrow… right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"…I just wanted to be sure."
"Tch."
The wind blew harder, carrying the weight of unspoken pain.
Then Rose, voice trembling but firm, said:
"When you're carrying pain like that… remember something."
Inavy turned his head a little. His eyes were dull. Empty.
She continued:
"You're never going to be alone."
The sentence pierced Inavy like a hot blade — and he froze.
Rose didn't stop.
"That weight on your shoulders… we can share it. Even if you try to act tough… I can see the truth. I see a young hero screaming for help on the inside."
She swallowed.
"Thorns are part of a hero's path. My brother always said that. Sometimes we make impossible choices. And whenever you feel alone… remember who walked beside you from the very beginning."
Inavy stopped completely.
His chest trembled.
He wanted to answer — but no words came.
Then Darius, still ahead, stopped too.He turned, his eyes heavy with grief.
"I know what you're feeling," he said, voice surprisingly shaky."I never had a father, never had a mother. But I had Lorien. I had Kelvin. They're my family."
His fist tightened.
"And seeing that video… seeing my brother being consumed like that… it hurts like hell. Hurts like someone tore a piece of my soul out."
He walked toward Inavy, stopping right in front of him.
"Ray believed in you until the end. He didn't raise you to fall. He raised you to stand up. Always."
The silence that followed was devastating.
Inavy couldn't hold it in.
Tears fell all at once, breaking through everything he'd been holding back.He cried — a raw, shattered, childlike cry.
Rose hugged him.Darius did too.
And for the first time since Ray's death…Inavy didn't feel alone.
Guild of a Thousand Lights
When they arrived, they were greeted by a few troublemakers from the guild.
"What's Phoenix Guild trash doing here?""This isn't a place for losers—"
"Enough!" a fierce voice cut through the air.
Lorien appeared.
But not the strong, immaculate, elegant Lorien they knew.
This Lorien was destroyed.
Dark eye bags. Unshaven face. Hair messy. Eyes empty.
Pain had consumed him.
"Don't you have any shame?!" he shouted."Starting fights when the world is falling apart?!"
The boys backed off quickly, muttering apologies before disappearing.
Darius wasted no time.
"Bro… we need to show you something."
Inside the office, with the door closed, Darius hit play.
Lorien watched in total silence… until Kelvin was consumed.
The desk trembled.
BAM!
Lorien punched it, screaming:
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!"
He grabbed his head, shaking.
Inavy stepped forward.
"What is it, man?"
Lorien slowly lifted his face.
And the words that came out were nearly a whisper of pure fear:
"…It's the end."
Darius's eyes widened.
"Huh?! What do you mean, bro?!"
Lorien gritted his teeth.
"That… is not Kelvin anymore."
Rose's voice almost cracked.
"Then who is it?"
Lorien closed his eyes.
Inhaled deeply.
And finally said:
"…Tyrus."
All three stepped back like they'd been hit.
"TYRUS?!" they shouted together.
Lorien, eyes red from crying, finished:
"Yes…he's back."