Kiyeri simply sat down where he stood, his hands resting on his raised knees, he watched the others without a word, chaos in his mind.

  Zarine sat leaning against the wall, wiping the blood from her face, deep in thought.

  Ashiya stood a foot away from Kiyeri, his body stiff, as if not ready for battle anymore, but not yet surrendered.

  Ruki picked up the chair lying on its side from the floor, sat down, propped her cheek on her hand, and followed Dali with a cold indifferent gaze, he was already squatting beside Zeni, setting his limbs back in pce.

  The atmosphere in the hall was as if they had all survived a tsunami or a tornado together.

  " You won — why so miserable?" Kiyeri cursed them in his mind.

  Complete defeat. Legend has it that the reborn Void Marks were so powerful that they could split mountains and seas, and then grew even stronger by killing their siblings. It doesn't seem like this little brother and sister can do that, but just by healing others, it's clear that they're the strongest here. Now, the only thing that could harm them was that same dagger.

  The three legendary warriors received massive sacrifices that made them so strong, and then they sacrificed the other Sigils with their own hands. But how did these two get so strong? The most likely way is that they killed Mia and Sonanta with the same dagger, skipping the original rebirth sacrifice.

  Ashiya gathered energy and began to heal his injured limbs, but Ruki instantly fired a jet of water — sharp enough to pierce his palm — stopping him cold. Kiyeri watched the drops of blood falling from that palm and spshing onto the floor with gritted teeth.

  "Where’s Seyre?!" He asked Dali in a very aggressive tone, but the tter completely ignored him, continuing to treat Zeni without emotion. Kiyeri gnced at Ruki, but she indifferently turned her face away, as if he wasn't even there.

  Zarine stood up with difficulty and began to crawl towards the window. No one tried to stop her. It is not known what she saw through the window, but the sight took away her st strength to control herself, still holding on to the window frame, she stumbled to her knees with her head down, tears falling one after another, and through gritted teeth, a barely understandable string of curses sounded, only some of which reached the ears of the others: "scumbags", "rotten", "degenerates", "cursed", "scoundrels".

  After several minutes of bitter cursing, she turned to Kiyeri. “Brother Kiyeri, I curse you for bringing them here. I hope you burn in hell for your reckless steps, you will regret it, remember my words. If I had that pendant of mine right now, I would smack your forehead with it until blood flowed!"

  Kiyeri was silent.

  After about half an hour, the screams and shouts outside had stopped, Zarine sat under the window while tears of helplessness silently rolled down her cheeks. Dali and Ruki did not answer any of the many questions during that time, Kiyeri and Ashiya sat on the floor, leaning against each other back to back with their heads slightly tilted, and quietly talked.

  "Kiye, what would you wish the most now?" - Ashiya began the conversation.

  "I would wish that cup of coffee now." Kiyeri sighed.

  "Should I bring it?" A smile could be heard in the young man's voice.

  "Hmm" Kiyeri snorted.

  "Can you guess what I would like most right now?" Ashiya's voice sounded dreamy.

  "I'd rather not even try." Kiyeri ughed.

  “Do you remember that vilge by the maple trees ke?”

  “Mm... we spend our days in an abandoned forest hut.”

  “You went to the vilge for food, leaving me alone because you were afraid that I would get into trouble”

  “And for a good reason”

  “Really for good reason... You were so tired, you couldn't sleep, I felt helpless and angry.”

  “Mm...”

  “Until one day you didn't come back and I went looking for you.”

  Kiyeri's eyes twitched slightly and he took Ashiya's hand, but Ashiya didn't return the gesture, he continued speaking "Do you remember what I did when I saw you injured in the hands of the search party?"

  "I remember..." - Kiyeri confirmed.

  Ashiya's voice became quieter, the pace slower "You told me that no matter what happened to you, your life was no more important than anyone else's. Do you remember what I told you?"

  Kiyeri looked at the pale Zarine under the windowsill and knew that no matter what he answered, Ashiya's opinion would be unchangeable. So he turned around and pressed himself up against Ashiya’s back, crossed his arms over that hot chest, and quietly answered in his ear, "That my life is the most important thing to you."

  In that very moment, the gates of hell opened. Fierce fmes and heat that melted even metal rose from Ashiya's body and expanded at lightning speed in the rgest radius around, the floor colpsed, and the ceiling fell, but everything melted and burned to dust. A light so bright that if you opened your eyes, you could be blinded.

  Only a narrow safe zone remained around Ashiya’s body - no more than three steps wide. He held Kiyeri’s hands tight to his chest, as if afraid he might fall away.

  After just one minute, Ashiya's mana drained to zero and the fmes retreated. The two of them opened their eyes and looked at the consequences, only ruins remained of the pace, half of the building around them was simply gone, everywhere pieces of stone bright red from the heat resembling va. The reception hall was on the second floor of the three, but now they were standing below ground level, probably in a pit where the dungeon was.

  "Those tunnels were confusing, it's hard to tell which corner of the building Seyre was in, he probably boiled here alive..." Kiyeri thought, frowning.

  Ashiya patted him on the shoulder, "Kiye, look," then pointed somewhere in the distance with his finger.

  Kiyeri followed with his gaze and, seeing a huge sphere of water clicked his tongue, "They're like cockroaches." He grabbed Ashiya's right hand, threw it over his shoulders, helping him to lean, and hugged him around the waist with his left, “We need to get out of here."

  Holding Ashiya like this, Kiyeri rushed away, sharing his mana, while Ashiya immediately used it to heal his wounds.

  "Don't split the flow, heal only your leg until you can run then stop immediately. Ruki, or maybe even Dali will see our mana, we have to hide.", Kiyeri expined, “It's too bad we lost Zeni, may have told us something."

  "He probably survived.", Ashiya said.

  "How?"

  "Before activating the spell, I gnced at them, they were watching us intently when we were talking.", Ashiya replied.

  "You don’t say..." Kiyeri thought, remembering the whole atmosphere at that time.

  Ashiya continued, "When I looked at them, they realized that something was going to happen and both raised their shields in-between us at the same time." Ashiya's leg healed, he stepped back and they both increased their speed. "I didn't see anything after that, but judging from that sphere, they didn't die. The heat probably blew them away with their entire shield."

  Kiyeri frowned. "I don't know whether to scold you or praise you..."

  A few minutes ter, the two of them were far from that area and stopped to catch their breath. After finding a cave deep in the forest, Ashiya grabbed a few branches to light a fire.

  Kiyeri bandaged Ashiya's hand, "From the way they're trying to protect Zeni, it seems as if his participation is necessary in the merging process. I don't believe they would save him just because of kinship ties."

  "Or he knows something necessary and isn't telling them, using the information as leverage to survive."

  "Maybe”. Kiyeri pondered., “And that dagger... One way or another, we need to get answers or the dagger, but how?"

  If before they were in danger of dying on the spot AND they couldn't change anything, then now they still can't change anything, they just postpone their death. Kiyeri thought of Zarine, who cursed him, "If we don't think of something, all those lives will be lost for nothing..."

  Ashiya lowered his head, bringing his forehead to Kiyeri's and grabbing his hands. Tone clear but quiet, "Not for nothing. You know it's not for nothing."

  Surprised by such a sudden gesture, Kiyeri froze, but then a soft, affectionate smile adorned his face. He carefully removed Ashiya's hand from his but didn’t pull away his face.

  "I know," he said quietly, continuing to work. Although he always reminded himself to avoid such situations and not to encourage Ashiya, Kiyeri didn't think about it now, it seemed as if his soul needed such comfort, as if he were so tired and someone was offering a resting point. He didn't even try to use his usual logic.

  Ashiya spoke quietly, his face was not visible, "What kind of pendant was Zarine talking about? Why is it so scary to get hit by it?"

  Kiyeri chuckled, "It would really hurt, that's a fact. When the Sorians attend official meetings, they wear massive stone medallions, have you seen them?"

  "Yes, I have."

  "Zarine was also at such a meeting once. She is so petite and that medallion seemed to be pulling her to the ground. I ughed at her in a friendly way, and told her that her pendant weighed more than her, I didn't expect her to remember this after so many years.", Kiyeri expined.

  Ashiya fell silent, then commented, "It's not like her at all. Not only does she never waste small talk, but in a situation like this..."

  As the one who had been cursed, Kiyeri didn't want to say anything. He pulled his forehead away, “The hand is fixed.”

  Ashiya looked him straight in the eye gently, “Thank you.”

  A sudden voice from the cave entrance made them grab weapons jumping up, “It’s nice that our deaths bring you closer. But if you’re going to hide and talk, then know - acoustics in caves are too good.”

  Both Kiyeri and Ashiya recognized that voice and looked at each other. Kiyeri asked, turning to the source, “Why are you here?”

  The man snorted, “I’m saving your asses. I’m coming closer.”

  The echo of footsteps was heard, the sound getting closer and closer until Seyre’s face appeared in the light. Kiyeri didn’t give up, “How did you find us?”

  Seyre sighed, “Anyone would have! Were you so busy that you didn’t even look around or listen?”

  The question made those, who weren’t looking or listening, turn their faces in different directions.

  Seyre cleared his throat and expined, “I heard a struggle upstairs, then silence. Not knowing the situation and who would come to me next, I spent a long time trying to free myself from chains. When I finally succeeded, the ceiling colpsed. I barely managed to roll myself into a ball of rocks. When the tremors stopped, I crawled outside and saw you running towards the forest.”

  “Anyone else would have been crushed alive,” Ashiya mumbled.

  "Don't underestimate me, young man, no matter what, I'm still an Earth Sigil." Seyre shot back. "When I ran into the forest, I just chose a straight direction until I heard voices from somewhere." He expined, gncing at Kiyeri as if scolding him for his recklessness.

  Kiyeri, of course, felt guilty, but that wasn't the most important thing right now. Without taking his eyes off Seyre, he asked again, "Then why are you here?". It’s just, something felt off for him, but he could not pinpoint it.

  It's unclear whether Seyre felt offended or was pretending, but he certainly didn't shy away from showing it on his face, "Why do you think they didn't include me in their pns from the very beginning?"

  Of course, no one offered him an answer. Who would give a way out to the one they were interrogating?

  “Because my loyalty belongs to the King.” Seyre answered himself. “If his Majesty’s grandchildren asked me to betray him, there was only one answer – over my dead body! But if those same children asked for asylum, what would I do? I would protect them. I had not received any new instructions since the st one when I was ordered to accompany them.”

  It sounded logical. Ruki’s story about the dagger killings was rubbish and Kiyeri had known it from the beginning, Seyre didn’t care whether it was true or false, if the King ordered him to search, he would search, if he ordered him to protect, he would protect, when he ordered him to y down his head – he would. He simply followed those siblings because the King said so, but if Seyre found out something was threatening the King...

  "Wait. So they were going to overthrow the throne?! - Kiyeri connected the dots, “If the King doesn't know anything, that would be the only expnation. Zeni is his younger brother, we all know what that means. And then the grandchildren - the most unloved of all the grandchildren."

  "Probably.” Seyre furrowed his brows, “And I can't let this happen".

  Kiyeri started waving his hands, "Let's get out of here first, before they found us too."

  "Sure, but they ran the other way," Seyre said.

  "The other way? What’s there?" Kiyeri asked as he moved, but then the answer came to him, and Ashiya at the same time and they both spoke at once:

  - Zarine!

  - Stone!