Inside WHU headquarters, an uneasy celebration had begun.
Heroes were smiling.
Some were even laughing through their exhaustion.
"We won…"
"They retreated…"
"Lord pulled back…"
It felt like victory.
But the air didn't agree.
Something was missing.
Vincent was gone.
Sebastian stood inside the hospital room.
Ella lay on the bed, pale but breathing.
The monitor beeped steadily.
Alive.
Barely.
He stood beside her in silence.
No heroic words.
No promises.
Just presence.
He gently held her hand for a moment.
"I'm here," he whispered.
Then he carefully placed her hand back down—
And walked out.
Outside, the night air was cold.
The sky felt heavier than usual.
Sebastian noticed someone standing alone near the outer wall.
Asher.
His shoulders were shaking.
Sebastian approached quietly.
Asher didn't turn.
His voice came out broken.
"I did this…"
Sebastian said nothing.
"I was too slow… I wasn't strong enough… Vincent… he closed his eyes…"
His breathing became unstable.
"He had dreams… he couldn't even say his last words…"
Tears fell freely now.
"And I'm still alive."
He finally looked up.
His eyes were red.
"Why?"
"Why am I alive?"
"I don't deserve to live in this world."
Sebastian stood in front of him.
No lecture.
No speech about heroism.
He slowly lifted his hand—
And gently brushed Asher's hair back.
The touch was calm.
Warm.
Not a commander.
Not the strongest hero.
Just… a father.
Asher froze.
He looked into Sebastian's eyes.
And in that moment—
He found something.
Safety.
The kind that doesn't break.
The kind that doesn't disappear.
Asher stepped forward—
And wrapped his arms around Sebastian.
Tightly.
As if letting go would destroy everything.
And he cried.
Not like a warrior.
Like a child.
Sebastian held him.
Firm.
Silent.
When Asher closed his eyes—
He saw his father.
A memory.
When he was younger.
Afraid of the dark.
His father had held him just like this.
The memory hit him hard.
He cried even more.
Sebastian rested his head slightly against Asher's.
For a few quiet minutes—
The world disappeared.
There were no battles.
No enemies.
Just breathing.
Time passed.
The night deepened.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion tore through the distance.
The ground shook violently.
Windows shattered.
Alarms screamed.
People shouted in confusion.
Sebastian's head snapped up instantly.
The air changed.
A sharp, suffocating scent spread through the wind.
Green-black mist began crawling across the city.
Metal started corroding.
Plants withered within seconds.
Asher coughed.
"What is that?!"
Sebastian's eyes widened.
His voice lowered.
"…Miasma."
Asher looked at him.
"Who is that?"
Sebastian stared into the spreading poison.
"He's stronger than us."
A pause.
Then—
"He's my grandfather's father."
Asher went still.
"…What?"
Sebastian's gaze darkened.
"He is the founder of poison manipulation."
"The first to turn it into a weapon."
"The strongest."
The toxic wave grew closer.
The air became heavier.
Asher struggled to breathe.
Sebastian pulled him slightly behind him.
Protective.
Calm.
But his eyes were locked on the approaching mist.
"This war…"
"…has just begun."
Far within the poison—
A silhouette stood.
Motionless.
Ancient.
Watching.