Carrying both Kelltins and Yana while flying to the tomb was impossible. More than one person left me encumbered, especially since the second body – Kelltins – was a really buff guy.

Luckily, he assured us he had another way of reaching the tomb quickly and that he'd meet us there.

At first, I worried he was just trying to shake us off, but I chose to trust him.

And I was right to.

When Yana and I neared the tomb, Kelltins was already there, waiting for us at a safe distance.

Meanwhile, the End of the World message still hadn't displayed, only further confirming my earlier suspicions. Gaelith was likely waiting for me on the sixth level.

"What's the next part of your plan?" Kelltins asked.

I exhaled. "Now, we need to convince Lady Mikaela and Lorren to let us in. And only us."

Kelltins rolled his eyes, looking frustrated.

"That's it?" Yana asked calmly. "I'm pretty sure if Aric and I ask her to trust us, she'll understand."

Kelltins shrugged. "That's true. But it's Stephan Lorren I'm worried about. The man been planning for this quest to be his ticket into the King's Advisors."

"Don't worry," I said. "From what I've seen so far, Lady Mikaela can put him in his place – especially with two of her favorite guild members backing her."

Then, I pointed above my head, toward my status. "Worst case, this should be enough to scare him off."

***

We made our way to the entrance, where adventurers were gathered in groups.

As we approached, their conversation became clearer – they were all frustrated because the quest was suffering from a delay due to two ditchers.

But the moment they noticed us – and especially me – the subject of conversation changed drastically.

Lady Mikaela noticed us as well and called to Fiona. "Fiona, cancel the substitutions! They're here!"

All around, adventurers gawked, whispered, and stared at my level.

We ignored them and pushed forward toward the guild masters, who reacted much like last time.

Before any of them could speak, Kelltins stepped forward. His calm, steady presence silenced the murmurs.

"Lady Mikaela," he began. "I know I quit the guild this morning, and I know I disappointed you with my decision. It was the wrong one – and I know it. But I made it because of this tomb. Because I was running away from it." He gestured to the entrance. "There's a lot I can't explain to you right now, but please – allow the three of us to enter alone. I swear, we'll explain everything once it's over."

Lady Mikaela's expression became a mix of shock, confusion, concern, and everything in between.

"What do you mean 'alone', Aric?" she asked, wary. "I'm responsible for your lives. I can't put you at risk."

"Please, Lady Mikaela." Yana joined in. "This is important. Everything will be okay. Please, believe in us."

Lady Mikaela hesitated. She looked like she was about to protest again when Kelltins suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me forward gently.

"Lady Mikaela," he said, "this is Aidan Dar. A Champion chosen by the gods – his level is proof of that. With him, there is no danger to us." Then, to my absolute disbelief, Kelltins lowered himself to one knee, head bowed. "Please…allow us to do this. Allow me to do this. I beg of you."

A heavy silence fell over the gathered adventurers as Lady Mikaela stared at him, visibly uncomfortable, before dropping to her knee as well. "Oh, Aric, there's no need to beg."

Stephan Lorren – who had remained silent until now, seething – finally snapped.

"Mikaela, you can't seriously be considering this! Either way, I place a veto on this decision. The quest must proceed as planned."

Kelltins didn't even turn to look at him.

"Your political aspirations mean nothing to us, mage." He rose to his feet together with Lady Mikaela. "This is bigger than that. This is more important than anything."

Lady Mikaela sighed deeply, then looked at me. She studied me for a long, long moment.

Finally, she exhaled sharply and nodded.

"Lorren, open the tomb for them."

Lorren boiled over. "You don't command me!" he snapped, voice shaking. "We're equals!"

I was done wasting time.

"Do as she said!" I activated Fearsome Aura.

Lorren collapsed to the ground, landing on his rear, shaking, his eyes wide with fear. He nodded frantically, then signaled for his mages to begin unsealing the entrance.

Yana's eyes widened in shock, and I gave her a reassuring smile, signalling that it was still me.

As the mages worked, I turned to her and Kelltins.

"Aric, when the doors open, a swarm of monsters will attack us," I warned. "You need to control them. Just like before."

Kelltins frowned. "How many?"

"Hundreds," I replied, but then I recalled that Erebus is always adapting. "Hell, maybe even thousands at this point."

He let out a sharp breath. "You should've warned me earlier. I don't know if I can."

"You can." I tried to reassure him. "I've seen you as a child. You escaped the tomb by commanding a horde of monsters to carry you to the entrance. That was even before you knew how strong you were. Right now? You're even stronger."

Kelltins raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised I knew that. Then, he chuckled. "Well…it's too late to back out now anyway."

Right on cue, the stone doors groaned open, and we stepped inside.

"Stay back, everyone, and don't try to enter until we return!" I commanded, activating Fearsome Aura again. It was better they feared me and stayed away just to be safe, than dying if things went wrong.

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Inside, an army of monsters unlike anything I had ever seen awaited us.

The Right and Left Hand of Darkness weren't there. It seemed I had killed them for good in the previous run.

But everything else? They were ready to tear us apart.

"What the hell?" Yana whispered, raising her sword.

"Kelltins will deal with it," I said as I grabbed her hand gently. "It's okay. We're together."

Kelltins took a step forward, then raised his hands and began weaving his Axul – no, Dolos' – magic.

The monsters twitched and their eyes glowed red. Their snarls silenced. Their aggression disappeared. Then – all together – they bowed to Kelltins.

He exhaled deeply as Yana stared at him in disbelief.

Then, she clapped him on the back. "That was insane!"

He gave a small nod, then turned to me. "What now?"

"Now, we go get Gaelith. He's on the sixth level. You remember where, right?"

"Gaelith?" Yana echoed. "Are we fighting him?"

I chuckled. "Oh, no. Gaelith is one of the kindest, most honorable people you'll ever meet, Yan."

"Let's not waste time, then," Kelltins said and suddenly whistled sharply, using two of his fingers.

The tomb trembled for a few seconds before a massive scorpion burst through the stone wall beside us, dust and rubble cascading down its armored shell. It was none other than Stinger.

"Hello again, my friend," Kelltins whispered, rubbing his hand on the scorpion's head.

Yana tensed immediately, stepping back and gripping the hilt of her sword.

I could feel her tension, so I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pressing my cheek against her hair. "It's okay, Yana. He's on our side too."

She was flustered, her glance jumping between me and the scorpion, as if trying to decide which one of us made her less nervous. She stopped at me. "Okay, I'll shut up from this point on, but you better tell me the whole damn story once this is over!"

I laughed at her reaction. "Of course."

Kelltins, already climbing onto Stinger's back, rolled his eyes. "Alright, lovebirds, enough of that. Hop on."

I took Yana's hand and helped her up. Not like she needed my help, but it felt like the right thing to do, and she didn't refuse.

I pushed the stone doors closed behind us, then pulled myself onto Stinger's back. Kelltins gave him a single command, and the scorpion carried us deeper into the tomb.

***

The ride on Stinger's back was brief but rough. He tore through walls and floors with his claws like they were butter, while Kelltins kept us protected under a barrier.

Any monsters that came our way quickly fell under Kelltins' control, obediently stepping aside.

"Is it hard to do this?" Yana asked, her voice filled with curiosity. "Is there a limit?"

Kelltins chuckled, shaking his head. "I didn't think I could control a thousand at once, but here we are. If there is a limit, I haven't found it yet."

Within minutes, we arrived at the lever-riddle chamber. I could already feel Gaelith's presence from the hidden room behind the wall. Without wasting time, and under my command, we adjusted the levers in the correct sequence, opening the secret entrance.

The moment Gaelith saw me, he shot up to his feet, his eyes flickering between me, Yana, and Kelltins, looking confused.

"Aidan…" He exhaled, his voice uneven. "What's going on? I…I remember the battle. I remember you killing him – killing me – but then I woke up here. I don't understand…"

I nodded grimly. "I did defeat him, but the cost was too high. Too many people had died, and I couldn't accept that. I had to redo it." I locked my gaze with his, my thoughts drifting toward Dolos. Did Gaelith know who his father was now? That he was in fact a demigod? Or was he out cold for all of it?

Gaelith must have understood my silence because he clenched his fists and admitted. "I heard everything." His voice was low. "A demigod…" He stared at his hands in disappointment. "A son of…that thing. I can't believe it…"

This time, Kelltins joined Yana's reaction – both bewildered.

"Listen," I said firmly. "You're not responsible for who your father is. And you're certainly not him. You're one of humanity's greatest. You were betrayed, but you still chose to stand and protect those who abandoned you. That's who you are. Blood doesn't change that."

Gaelith swallowed hard, his expression softening. Then, finally, he smiled weakly. "Thank you, Aidan. Thank you for believing in me."

I turned to Yana, taking her hand in mine. "Yana, meet Gaelith Alloraine – a friend of mine."

Gaelith chuckled as he extended his hand. "So, you're the Yana. The pleasure is mine."

Yana's reaction was something to savor as she frantically glanced between me and him before shaking the knight's hand.

His words caught me off guard. "Wait…when did I even tell you about her?" Then, it hit me. "Don't tell me you read my mind on other occasions too?!"

Gaelith laughed my reaction off, turning toward Kelltins.

"I believe you already know Aric Kelltins," I said.

Kelltins lifted a hand in a half-hearted wave.

Gaelith stepped forward, his expression warm. "I'm glad you found your way back."

Kelltins let out a tired chuckle. "Wasn't exactly hard to find my way here – "

"That's not what I meant," Gaelith cut in, his tone gentle but firm. "I spent a thousand years trapped in this tomb. I had time to learn, to reflect, and I realized how wrong I was about the Axul. They weren't all like Lysandra and Spurius. They were just ordinary people – led astray by someone way more powerful. But I let my hatred blind me. I let those two's sins define an entire people. I should've come here sooner. Liberated the Axul from Lysandra's control." He sighed. "But similar to my reflection, I hope you can see that you being an Axul doesn't make you any less human."

Kelltins exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "I know. You and Aidan are on the same wavelength, really…" He glanced away for a moment before shaking his head. "My father told me I was an Axul. That I had to come here and complete our people's mission. But my mother...she told me I was a human. She taught me to show kindness and love to everyone. In the end, I didn't know what to do or who I was...It was only after Erebus touched me that I understood that nothing the Axul had dreamed about could've been in any living being's interests."

"That's right." Gaelith nodded. "But what's important is that in the end you chose for yourself. You may be Noctyra, but you are also Aric Kelltins. Don't forget that."

Kelltins nodded slowly. If he had doubts before, they were gone.

"Well, I guess if you're a…demigod…I'm the last Axul once again," he eventually said.

"Except you're not the last," I interrupted.

Everyone turned to me, their expressions frozen in shock.

***

"So, you're telling me there was another living Axul here all this time?" Gaelith asked as we rode deeper into the lower levels on Stinger's back. I used Enhanced Distance Gauge on each floor, scanning for our target's presence.

"Are you sure? How is she even still alive?" Kelltins chimed in, sounding skeptical.

I shrugged, genuinely having no idea. "I don't know, but I'm sure she's not Undead." Shaking my head, I continued. "For the longest time, I thought she was a priestess Lysandra had turned to an Undead, just like she did to the others, but then I realized something – the other priestesses we encountered here were just summons. Constructs. I never actually met a real Axul priestess - Undead or alive - in this tomb…except for Diona."

I exhaled sharply. "I don't know what she is or if she even counts as alive anymore. But I'm not leaving her behind."

Gaelith nodded, his expression firm. "We won't leave anyone behind."

Not long after, we found her. Exactly where I had first seen her.

Diona was still there, on her knees, carving symbols on the stone floor using a small knife.

"Write. Write. Must write."

Yana's brows furrowed as she took a step closer, visibly worried for her. "What the hell happened to her?"

Gaelith crouched beside Diona, watching her carefully.

"Hello. Noctyra," she said, but continued her mindless carving, not lifting her head.

After a moment, Gaelith spoke. "You're right. She's not Undead. I think she's cursed."

"Cursed?" Kelltins knelt down beside them, narrowing his eyes. "Can you help her?"

Gaelith hesitated, then nodded. "I'll try."

Seemingly tapping into his full potential as a demigod, Gaelith's aura filled the entire room with otherworldly light and warmth. He placed a glowing hand on Diona's forehead. The moment his palm touched her skin, Diona froze. Her muttering stopped mid-sentence.

A soft radiance spread from his hand, washing over her in waves of golden light. Her milky-white eyes gradually faded back to a shiny green, life returning to them as the glow dimmed.

For the first time, Diona truly saw us. And the moment she did, sheer terror took over her.

She scrambled backward, pressing herself to the nearest corner, her chest rising and falling in ragged, panicked breaths. Her hands clutched at the stone wall behind her as if trying to carve her way out through it, desperate to escape. She shook her head, muttering something too low for us to hear.

Kelltins took a step forward, trying to calm her, but she flinched so hard she nearly toppled over.

Yana immediately raised a hand, signalling us to stay back. Then, slowly, she crouched down to Diona's eye level, making herself appear smaller.

"Hey, Diona," Yana said softly, her voice gentle. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Diona's frantic gaze darted to her at the sound of her name. She hesitated and Yana offered her a reassuring smile.

"We're not here to hurt you," she continued, inching closer with patience. "We just want to help."

Diona swallowed hard, her fingers still trembling as she gripped her rotting priestess robe. But something in Yana's voice must have reached her. Her breathing slowed, and cautiously, she nodded.

Yana extended a hand toward her. "Come with us?"

For a moment, Diona just stared at the outstretched hand. Then, hesitantly, she reached out and took it.

I couldn't believe my own eyes. Yana was so amazing.

Then, Gaelith turned to me. "What now? How do we defeat the Destroyer? You must have a plan if you decided to undo your previous victory."

I met his gaze, my resolve unwavering. "We'll imprison him. And he'll let us do it willingly."

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