The Eye moved.
And the kingdom suffered for it.
Far above Solmire—
beyond the torn heavens—
the massive Eye slowly shifted.
Just slightly.
But the moment it did—
THE WORLD DISTORTED
Entire districts twisted unnaturally.
Buildings bent sideways.
Roads folded into impossible angles.
The black rain intensified violently—
pouring across the capital like liquid darkness.
A knight sprinting through the eastern district suddenly stopped—
because the street in front of him melted.
Not physically.
Reality itself warped.
The road stretched infinitely—
then snapped back—
revealing dozens of corpses standing motionless in front of him.
His squad.
Dead.
Eyes hollow.
"…No…"
One of the corpses moved.
"Why did you survive?"
The knight screamed—
swinging his blade wildly—
Only for another knight to block it.
CLANG
"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"
The hallucinations spread everywhere now.
Citizens cried in terror.
Some ran blindly into burning streets.
Others collapsed to their knees—
unable to withstand the pressure pouring from the sky.
Because the Eye was not simply watching.
It was searching.
Mira Dane drove her glowing spear through a corrupted beast—
but before the body could fall—
the black rain touched it.
Its flesh twitched violently.
Bones cracked outward.
The corpse stood again.
Larger.
Twisted.
"…Seriously?"
She spun instantly—
light exploding outward—
tearing the creature apart completely this time.
Around her—
Golden Lions fought desperately through ruined streets.
Their formation was no longer clean.
No longer organized.
They were exhausted.
One knight dropped to his knees—
breathing heavily—
"…Vice-Captain… I can't feel my arms…"
Mira grabbed him before another creature could reach him.
"Then use your legs."
She threw him backward toward the evacuation line—
then turned—
Three monsters lunged at once.
Her spear split into multiple constructs of light—
piercing all of them mid-air.
But even Mira's breathing had become uneven now.
And she noticed something terrifying.
The monsters…
were becoming stronger every minute.
Above the capital—
Aeron Skyvale crashed through black clouds—
wind wings roaring violently behind him.
The sky itself had become hostile.
Floating masses of corrupted aether descended constantly—
twisting into monstrous forms before reaching the city.
Lyra unleashed sonic waves repeatedly—
destroying them before impact—
but there were too many.
Far too many.
Another black mass exploded nearby—
sending both captains flying through storm currents.
Lyra regained balance first—
breathing hard.
"…Captain…!"
Aeron hovered silently for a moment—
eyes locked on the giant Eye above.
For once—
his usual relaxed smile was gone entirely.
"…It's looking for something."
The Eye shifted slightly again.
And suddenly—
every wind current in the sky reversed.
BOOM
Aeron and Lyra were hurled downward violently.
The western district had become chaos.
Not because of monsters.
Because of people.
Citizens attacked each other in panic—
hallucinating enemies everywhere.
A father shielded his daughter while screaming at invisible creatures.
A wounded knight pointed his sword at his own allies—
crying uncontrollably.
"They're inside my head!"
Darius Fenroth tore through a corrupted beast—
blood splattering across ruined walls.
His steel claws trembled slightly now.
Selene noticed immediately.
"…You're affected too."
Darius spat blood onto the ground.
"…Yeah."
Another hallucination flashed before his eyes—
his old squad—
dead again.
But this time—
he ignored it.
He cracked his neck.
"…Doesn't matter."
He charged another monster head-on.
Because if he stopped moving—
the fear would catch him.
Inside the cathedral shelter—
hundreds of civilians huddled together.
Children crying.
Mothers praying.
Injured knights lined across the floor.
Seraphine Liora moved between them continuously—
sacred flowers blooming from her aether—
closing wounds—
stabilizing lives—
fighting exhaustion itself.
But her hands trembled harder now.
Blood dripped faintly from the corner of her lips.
Noel reinforced another barrier—
only for it to crack immediately from outside pressure.
IMPACT
The cathedral shook again.
The screams inside grew louder.
A little girl grabbed Seraphine's sleeve weakly.
"…Are we going to die…?"
Seraphine froze briefly.
Just briefly.
Then she smiled softly.
Even while exhausted.
Even while terrified herself.
"…Not while we're still standing."
Outside—
another monstrous roar echoed.
And Seraphine's expression hardened.
Brakus Dorn stood beneath floating debris—
holding apart two collapsing structures simultaneously.
His armor had shattered in multiple places.
Blood covered his arms.
Yet he still roared at civilians to move.
"DON'T LOOK BACK!"
Talia smashed incoming rubble apart with her hammer—
but her breathing had become ragged.
The gravity distortions worsened.
Entire streets lifted upward before collapsing again.
And then—
the black rain touched one of the ruined towers nearby.
The structure mutated.
The stone itself twisted—
forming grotesque limbs from corrupted material.
The tower moved.
Brakus stared.
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
The massive structure-monster lunged toward fleeing civilians.
Brakus roared—
charging directly at it.
Inside the observatory—
constellation symbols spun violently around Orion Valecrest.
Ancient records floated through the air—
illuminated by unstable light.
Elise looked pale now.
"…A vessel…?"
Orion's eyes remained fixed on the texts.
"…The Outer Aether cannot fully descend without one."
A pause.
"…And the Eye…"
His voice lowered.
"…is searching for compatibility."
Elise froze.
Then realization hit.
"…Rose."
Orion finally looked toward the sky.
And for the first time—
even he seemed disturbed.
"…If synchronization completes…"
The observatory trembled violently.
"…The seal breaks entirely."
At the ruined palace—
Rein stood motionless while black rain fell around him.
Nysera's distorted form flickered in front of him.
"…Your family knew."
Rein's eyes narrowed.
Nysera continued calmly.
"…Generation after generation."
The black rain slid across shattered stone between them.
"…The female heirs were always at risk."
A pause.
"…Because they were closer to compatibility."
Rein's fists clenched.
Cards around him trembled violently.
"…You're lying."
Nysera tilted her head slightly.
"…Then why do you think your sister was cursed?"
Silence.
Then—
for the first time since becoming king—
Rein looked furious.
Not loud.
Cold.
Dangerously cold.
Rose floated above shattered ground—
her body trembling violently.
Black markings spread further across her skin—
glowing in rhythm with the Eye above.
Dark wings expanded behind her—
larger now—
more complete.
But tears still ran down her face.
"…Why…"
Her voice shook.
"…Why does it hurt so much…?"
Sora froze.
Because for a moment—
she sounded completely human again.
Not a monster.
Not corrupted.
Just a girl in pain.
Then—
the Eye moved.
BOOOOOOM
Black aether exploded outward from Rose's body violently.
Sora was thrown backward across ruined stone—
crashing through debris.
Rose screamed again—
but another voice overlapped hers now.
Deeper.
Ancient.
Wrong.
Leonhart Valecor stood breathing heavily—
his flames weaker than before.
Drogan walked toward him slowly.
Calm.
Unstoppable.
"…You fought well."
Leonhart laughed weakly.
"…That sounds like surrender talk."
Drogan raised one hand.
And gravity descended.
THE DISTRICT COLLAPSED
The ground imploded instantly.
Buildings crushed inward.
Leonhart was slammed downward—
through stone—
through streets—
through an entire structure.
His solar flames shattered apart violently.
For the first time—
he did not stand immediately.
The people watching froze.
Because Solmire's strongest hero—
had fallen.
The Eye stared downward.
Directly at Rose.
The sky trembled violently.
Rose's body began rising higher into the air—
uncontrollably.
Sora grabbed her arm—
flames erupting desperately around him.
"HEY!"
But the force pulling her upward only intensified.
Then—
the Eye spoke.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
But across the entire kingdom.
Inside every mind.
Inside every soul.
"COME."
Everyone heard it.
Knights froze.
Citizens collapsed in fear.
Even the monsters stopped moving briefly.
And Rose screamed.