July 16, 2026 – Deck of 'The Leviathan' 04:58 AM
Ivy's scream from the lower deck mingled with the metallic groans of the burning ship. Above, Thomas stood over me, holding Elara like a marionette. Her finger was on the trigger, but that finger no longer obeyed her; it obeyed the cursed hunger in her veins.
"Make your choice, Michael!" Thomas roared. "Will you die as a ghost named Vargas, or will you come to my side and rule this kingdom with me?"
I fixed my eyes on Elara's dull, misty gaze. "Elara... can you hear me? It's Michael. The boy from the highway... the brother who burned everything for you."
Elara's lips parted slightly, but no words came out. There was only a deep, abyss-like void in her stare. The "toxic prize" Thomas had given her had erased her memory and her will.
At that exact moment, another blast came from the lower deck, but it wasn't a bomb; Ivy had fired a flare gun directly into the face of one of Thomas's guards. Ivy burst through the smoke, covered in blood. "Michael! Throw the notebook and get Elara! The ship is breaking apart!"
Thomas laughed and reached for the box in Elara's hand. "Fine, Michael, if you won't join me, then it's time to say goodby..."
Before he could finish, Natalia—despite her wounded leg—propped herself up from the floor and fired a single shot. The bullet didn't hit Thomas; it shattered the silver box in Elara's hand.
As sparks flew, the box exploded, but it didn't trigger the main bomb; it only threw Elara backward. Thomas lost his balance and fell from the balcony into the flames below, while Elara was left hanging from the railing.
"Elara!"
I leaped over the flames. When my fingers gripped my sister's wrist, I felt the warmth of those fresh needle marks. As I pulled her up, Elara's first words weren't "Brother..." but "It hurts, please give it to me..."
My sister didn't want to be rescued from me; she wanted the fake paradise her uncle had promised her.
As the ship's main hull began to split in two, I reached Ivy and Natalia. As 'The Leviathan' sank into the waters, Thomas's laughter echoing from within the flames rang in my ears.