Chapter 74: A Wish Worth Betraying

The Door had closed.

Silence reclaimed House Valemont.

The laughter.

The arguments.

Seraphina’s carefree voice.

All of it had vanished.

Only Lyra remained.

She stared at the ancient Door for a long time.

"...I’m sorry."

The words were barely louder than a whisper.

"I’m sorry, Rowan."

"I’m sorry, Kael."

"...Seraphina."

She closed her eyes.

For just a moment...

Guilt crossed her face.

Then she crushed it.

"No."

"I’ve come too far."

Slowly, she turned toward the endless darkness surrounding the hall.

Her voice became steady.

"I fulfilled my part of our agreement."

Nothing answered.

The mansion remained silent.

Then—

The shadows moved.

Not toward her.

Away from her.

As if making room for something far greater.

An ancient presence spread through every corner of the mansion.

The walls groaned.

The air became impossibly heavy.

A voice echoed from everywhere at once.

"You dare summon Me?"

Lyra lowered herself onto one knee.

Not out of respect.

Out of necessity.

The pressure was enough to crush ordinary people.

"I brought them."

Her hands trembled.

"As You requested."

"The strongest people I could find."

"I led them through the Door."

Her fingers tightened.

"So..."

She took a slow breath.

"...return my family."

Silence.

Then—

The ancient being laughed.

Not loudly.

Softly.

Mockingly.

"You speak..."

The pressure doubled.

"...as though you command the King of Hell."

Blood trickled from Lyra’s lips.

She refused to look away.

"You promised."

"I kept my side."

"I lied to Rowan."

"I lied about his uncle."

"I manipulated every step they took."

"I even changed the token’s path to ensure Seraphina reached Valemont."

Her voice cracked.

"So fulfill Yours."

The laughter stopped.

The mansion trembled.

"Little mortal..."

"You have mistaken opportunity..."

"...for equality."

The shadows behind Lyra suddenly twisted into thousands of crimson eyes.

Every one of them opened at once.

Watching.

Judging.

Amused.

"Whether your family returns..."

"...depends entirely on whether your little heroes entertain Me."

Lyra’s breathing became uneven.

"...Entertain You?"

The shadows rippled.

A low chuckle echoed through the mansion.

"Do not mistake My patience for kindness."

"You begged for a miracle."

"I merely offered a chance."

Lyra’s fists tightened.

"You said they were the only ones capable of opening the path."

"They are."

The answer came instantly.

"Especially the girl."

For the first time...

Confusion crossed Lyra’s face.

"...Seraphina?"

The crimson eyes narrowed.

The pressure in the room became suffocating.

"Do not speak her name so casually."

A violent wave of energy exploded through the hall.

Lyra was thrown across the floor, crashing into a cracked pillar.

Blood spilled from her lips.

She forced herself back onto one knee.

"I... don’t understand."

Another laugh.

Older than the world itself.

"You were never meant to understand."

"You were only meant to obey."

The mansion fell silent again.

Lyra lowered her head.

Every question she had buried for years resurfaced at once.

Why had the ancient token suddenly changed?

Why had it chosen Seraphina instead?

Why had Kael’s arrival been just as necessary?

Why had every path somehow led those two to Valemont?

"...You’ve been planning this."

The crimson eyes gleamed.

"Long before your ancestors drew their first breath."

Lyra felt her heart sink.

She had believed she was using the King of Hell.

Instead...

She had been another piece on a board she couldn’t even see.

A bitter smile appeared on her face.

"So..."

"I was never your partner."

The answer came without mercy.

"No."

"You were useful."

Those two words shattered the last illusion she still clung to.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Not because she had been betrayed.

Because she finally understood...

Everything she had sacrificed...

Everything she had lied about...

Everything she had done...

Might never be enough to save the people she loved.

Then the ancient voice spoke one final time.

"Watch closely, Lyra."

"The game has only just begun."

The crimson eyes slowly faded into the darkness.

The crushing pressure disappeared.

The mansion became silent once more.

Lyra remained kneeling on the broken floor, trembling.

"...Please."

She whispered to the empty hall.

"Don’t let them die."

Far beyond the sealed Door...

Within the impossible world of floating ruins...

A deafening roar shook the crimson sky.

Seraphina looked up with a grin.

"Well..."

She cracked her knuckles.

"I think our welcoming committee is finally here."

Kael drew his sword.

The colossal figure took another earth-shaking step.

This time...

It was close enough for them to see the outline of the monster’s hand.

And wrapped around one of its massive fingers...

Hung dozens of broken human bodies like forgotten trophies.

The bodies swayed gently.

Not because of the wind.

There was no wind.

As the colossal creature drew nearer, everyone could finally make out the faces hanging from its hand.

Some were old.

Some were young.

Their eyes were closed.

As though trapped in an endless sleep.

Rowan’s breathing became uneven.

"...They’re alive."

Corvin narrowed his eyes.

"No."

"They’re... something else."

Tax’s tail puffed up.

"I don’t like the way they’re staring."

Daren frowned.

"They’re not even looking at us."

"They’re looking at..."

His voice faltered.

Seraphina.

Every single head slowly turned.

Every closed eye opened at once.

Hundreds of pale eyes fixed themselves upon her.

The giant stopped walking.

The world became unnaturally still.

Then every hanging figure spoke together.

One voice.

One sentence.

"At last..."

The sound echoed across the floating ruins.

"...you have returned."

Silence.

Seraphina blinked.

Then pointed at herself.

"...Me?"

Kael’s grip tightened around his sword.

"They’re talking to you."

"I noticed."

She frowned.

"...But I’ve never been here."

The countless faces smiled.

Not warmly.

As though remembering something ancient.

Far away...

The crimson moon trembled.

A crack spread across its surface.

A single drop of crimson light fell from the sky.

It struck the ground between Seraphina and the giant.

Instead of exploding...

The light slowly rose.

Taking the shape of a man dressed in black robes.

His face remained hidden beneath a hood.

No one sensed him arrive.

Not Atlas.

Not Fen.

Not even Ash.

The stranger raised one gloved hand toward the giant.

"Enough."

His voice was calm.

Yet the impossible creature immediately froze.

Not out of fear.

Out of obedience.

Kael’s instincts screamed.

Every fiber of his body warned him the hooded figure was far more dangerous than the giant itself.

The stranger slowly turned toward Seraphina.

For a long moment...

He simply watched her.

Then he tilted his head ever so slightly.

"...Interesting."

A faint smile appeared beneath the shadow of his hood.

"So..."

"The prophecy was right after all."

Before anyone could react—

The hooded figure dissolved into crimson mist.

The giant let out a deafening roar that shook the floating world once again.

The battle...

Had only been delayed.

For several long seconds...

No one moved.

Then Seraphina frowned.

"...Wait."

She looked around.

Her cheerful expression disappeared.

"Where’s Lyra?"

The question hung in the air.

Everyone instinctively turned.

Kael’s eyes swept across the group.

Seraphina.

Tax.

Daren.

Corvin.

Lysette.

Rowan.

Atlas.

Fen.

Ash.

His expression darkened.

"...She’s gone."

Rowan blinked.

"What?"

"She was behind us."

Daren looked toward where the Door should have been.

Only endless darkness remained.

"There isn’t even a way back..."

Tax’s ears folded.

"...Boss."

"I don’t think she came with us."

Silence.

Rowan immediately shook his head.

"No."

"She opened the Door."

"She was standing right there."

Corvin slowly pieced it together.

"...She stepped aside."

Lysette’s face paled.

"...She never crossed."

No one spoke.

Seraphina stared into the darkness behind them.

Her brows furrowed.

"...Why?"

The giant answered.

Its voice rolled across the floating world like distant thunder.

"Because..."

A grin slowly spread across its impossible face.

"...she betrayed you."

The words struck harder than any weapon.

Rowan froze.

"No."

The giant laughed.

Deep.

Cruel.

Mocking.

"She lied to the boy about his uncle."

Rowan’s breathing stopped.

"She changed the path of the ancient token."

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"She guided the golden-eyed child into My prison."

The giant’s smile widened.

"Every step you took..."

"...was the path she chose for you."

"No..."

Rowan whispered.

"You’re lying."

The creature’s laughter echoed endlessly.

"Ask yourself,poor little humans."

"If she truly wished to save you..."

"...why is she the only one who remained outside?"

Silence consumed the floating ruins.

No one had an answer.

Seraphina lowered her gaze.

For the first time since entering this twisted world...

Her smile had completely vanished.

She wasn’t angry.

Not yet.

She was thinking.

Then she looked back at the giant, her golden eyes calm and frighteningly sharp.

"...You’re trying to make us turn against each other before the fight."

The giant’s grin didn’t fade.

Neither did hers.

"Nice try."

She cracked her neck once.

"But if Lyra really betrayed us..."

Her voice became ice cold.

"...I’ll hear it from her."

"And if she didn’t..."

She slowly raised her hand as golden mana flickered around her fingers.

"...then you’re going to regret saying her name."

The giant laughed again.

This time...

It raised one enormous hand.

The battle could no longer be delayed.

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