Plamen stepped out of the Kronoshpan with not a single bruise. His body was whole, his aura calm, yet his eyes burned with fury. Alex and Kamen followed him, both relieved and unsettled.
They hurried to the hospital. Inside, the smell of antiseptic mixed with silence.
Misho, Kalin, and Simeon lay on beds, wrapped in bandages, tubes running into their veins. Their faces were pale, their breathing shallow. Warriors who had once stood tall now looked fragile, broken.
Plamen's fists clenched. His reflection on the hospital glass was unrecognizable—his power was nothing if he couldn't protect them.
"I won't forgive him," he whispered. "Sasho… I will end this."
Without waiting, he walked
The streets were quiet when he saw him.
Sasho. Standing at the far end, hands in his pockets, gaze as sharp as the edge of the world.
They faced each other in silence, the weight of every battle, every memory pressing between them.
Plamen's voice cracked with emotion.
"Because of you… my friends are broken. Because of you, everything fell apart. I'll defeat you, Sasho. Even if it costs me everything."
Sasho tilted his head, almost disappointed.
"Defeat me? Plamen, you still don't understand. You haven't grown. You're still a child. I'm not fighting you. I'm playing with you."
Rage erupted in Plamen's chest. He roared and surged forward, power burning from his fists, his aura flaring brighter than ever. Every strike was desperate, raw, and furious. He gave everything he had—every ounce of strength, every memory of his friends, every promise.
But he couldn't touch him.
Sasho dodged effortlessly, his eyes calm, his movements unshaken.
"This is your best? Pathetic."
For a moment, though, Sasho's expression flickered—annoyance.
"You're wasting my time."
He raised his hand. The air collapsed inward, a universal force surging from his palm. A single overwhelming strike.
Plamen didn't even scream. The world turned white. When the dust cleared, there was nothing left.
Alex and Kamen rushed to the crater, falling to their knees.
"Plamen! No—no, you can't leave us like this!" Alex's shadow trembled uncontrollably.
Kamen's skeletal hands shook, powerless for the first time.
But Plamen's body was gone. Nothing to save.
Sasho stood over them, his voice calm, almost sorrowful.
"Do you still not understand? I was never your enemy. Ivet… she was the true manipulator. She wanted Plamen broken, worshipping her shadow. I fought him only to push him forward. To make him stronger. And now… his journey is complete."
Alex looked up, tears streaking his face. "Complete? You killed him!"
Sasho didn't answer. He only raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The world folded in on itself. Light consumed everything.
And then—silence.
Plamen opened his eyes. He was lying on a couch in his home. Around him sat Alex, Kamen, Misho, Kalin, Simeon… all alive, all normal. No wounds, no powers. Just balloons filled with nitrous oxide in their hands, laughing between breaths.
Plamen sat up, his heart racing. "I… I had the strangest dream. A world of battles. Kronoshpan. Trials. You were all there."
The others exchanged glances. Misho chuckled nervously. "That's crazy. I… I had the same dream too."
"Me too," Kamen muttered.
"One long dream," Alex whispered.
For a moment, the room was filled with uneasy laughter. But the silence that followed was heavy.
Then Plamen noticed Sasho in the corner, leaning against the wall, smirking. His eyes glowed faintly, unnaturally.
He looked directly at Plamen—no, past him. Straight at the reader.
The smirk widened.
And then he winked.
The end