All the pieces had been placed on the board.

The time for change had come.

Every step was a verdict.

One mistake—worth a life.

Only one chance.

No second attempt.

One path—walk it to the end.

Arvendal—the heart of Valmyria.

A city where legends are born and hopes die.

Its warm streets offered the illusion of peace.

But there was another side—dark, cold, capable of breaking anyone.

The journey had been long.

Meira accompanied Kairen to the capital.

Less than an hour remained until Arvendal.

They were traveling in a “Garndviz”—a steel prisoner transport.

A machine built not for comfort, but for submission.

Alchemical fuel rumbled dully in the mechanism’s bowels.

This road offered no return.

Kairen remained silent.

He didn’t know what awaited him in the city.

Even less—whether there was anything worth hoping for.

“Why so quiet? Afraid?” Meira sat beside him with one leg crossed over the other, as if this were an ordinary trip—not a transfer to the capital.

Inside, it was cramped—like a metal coffin.

Cold walls pressed against his back even through his clothes.

The floor vibrated faintly beneath his boots.

The Garndviz moved smoothly.

But there was nothing soothing in that smoothness—only inevitability.

Somewhere deep within the structure, gears scraped.

Dull. Heavy.

As if the metal itself groaned under pressure.

Kairen slowly turned his gaze to Meira.

“What?” he rasped. “What should I be afraid of?”

“Well…” She shrugged lightly and ran a finger across her throat. “For example, having your head cut off.”

A faint smile touched his lips. A joyless one.

“As long as it’s quick and painless.”

Meira snorted.

“I knew something was wrong with your head.”

She said it jokingly.

But her gaze lingered on him a little longer than necessary.

Kairen didn’t respond.

He didn’t care.

…Or he desperately wanted to believe he didn’t.

“Try smiling at least,” Meira nudged his shoulder.

His lips barely moved. The smile never came.

“I can’t…” he said quietly. “After everything we went through with Levan…”

He fell silent.

His gaze became still. Almost empty.

Fixed on the place where Levan had been sitting.

“Hey.” Meira leaned closer. “Don’t make that face. People will think you’re insane.”

Half a joke.

Half the truth.

“Don’t mind her. Look at her—no sympathy at all,” Levan muttered quietly.

Kairen blinked.

As if returning from somewhere deep within his thoughts.

“We’re approaching Arvendal,” one of the escorts called to Meira.

She nodded and looked back at Kairen.

“Don’t worry,” she said more softly. “We’ve all made mistakes. I’ll stay by your side.”

“We… we’re grateful. Levan and I,” Kairen replied barely audibly.

Meira held his gaze.

There was pain in her eyes. And something else.

The desire to help—the look someone gives when they know they cannot fully save you, but refuse to let go anyway.

The Garndviz slowed.

When the hatch opened, noise flooded the compartment.

Arvendal buzzed.

Alive. Restless. Overflowing with people—like a hive where everyone chases their own fate, blind to the tragedies of others.

For the city—it was an ordinary day.

For Kairen—the beginning of something he could no longer escape.

The Stone Hall of Five.

The place where the Conclave decides who is right.

The place where they still try to believe in justice.

…But had it ever truly existed here?

I no longer knew.

I walked through the vast hall.

Tall, cold columns rose upward, disappearing into shadow.

The stone pressed down—not on the body, but on the mind.

Inside my head—emptiness.

No fear.

No hope.

Levan… where did you disappear to? Why now?

“Hey, this way,” Meira said softly, touching my shoulder and nodding ahead.

I didn’t answer.

I simply stepped forward.

And entered.

They were already inside.

The Conclave of Judges.

Their seats formed a semicircle, enclosing the hall like a trap without escape.

Each separate.

Yet together—one entity.

The light fell in such a way that their faces remained unseen—only silhouettes and the cold glint of eyes.

Dark garments merged with shadow.

As if they weren’t people at all—

but part of the hall itself.

There they were.

Those who would decide my fate.

…Though what difference did it make?

I didn’t care.

Let it end.

Even if by death—I would accept it.

“Honored Conclave,” Meira began, stepping forward. Her voice was firm, though I felt tension in every word. “Case 1.417, settlement of Syvoverkh. This young man was found at the scene of the leader’s escape. Most evidence points to his involvement; however, under certain circumstances—”

“Enough,” one of them interrupted.

Meira fell silent, though she clearly wanted to continue.

“We will decide ourselves whether he is guilty,” a cold voice rang from the shadows.

“But, Honored—”

“This case has only one outcome,” another voice said. “The boy will face punishment.”

A faint smile touched my lips.

Of course.

It could not have been otherwise.

“His penalty will serve as purification,” another added. “He shall undergo the Irreversible. The Severance of the Soul.”

Silence fell across the hall.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

“You can’t!” Meira stepped forward sharply. “That punishment is too cruel! The Irreversible leaves no—”

“Soul,” they cut her off. “The decision is final.”

I stared into the darkness.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t feel anything.

Severance of the Soul…

So this is how it ends.

Meira turned toward me.

Pain filled her eyes. And something more.

The will to save me.

Even when it was already too late.

I wanted to say something.

But there were no words.

Everything felt predetermined.

The Conclave’s cold, soulless decision could not be shaken.

No one.

Nothing.

Could change this moment.

They led him to the ritual site.

It felt like an endless descent into a black abyss.

Each step pierced him with cold down to the bone.

From the depths came a faint whisper.

The voices of those who had already felt the power of the Soul’s Irreversible.

“To the center!” a command rang out.

Kairen stood on a circular platform.

Around him—an abyss of darkness.

The platform hung over emptiness.

Even the air felt heavy. Saturated with fear.

Meira stood aside. Silent.

Her fingers gripped her weapon.

Her index finger barely touched the trigger.

She could only watch.

“Let the Soul’s Irreversible begin. Release Hajar.”

The Conclave’s voice echoed cold and merciless.

Metal doors crashed open before Kairen.

They roared like something cursed.

Beyond them—darkness.

Cold.

Death.

Kairen stood still.

In his heart—silence.

In his mind—memories.

Levan.

Grandfather.

Loss. Pain.

Fear seeped into every cell.

…And yet inside, there was still emptiness.

As if he himself were waiting for death.

The platform stood motionless.

The air thickened.

As if death itself had laid a hand upon his chest.

From the darkness emerged a creature.

Hajar.

A massive, twisted monstrosity.

Its body resembled a bloated frog.

Membranous wings stretched behind its back like a bat’s.

Its skin glistened with slime.

Black liquid dripped from its maw.

Its eyes were round. Unnaturally large.

Without a trace of reason.

…Or perhaps too intelligent.

It stared.

Unblinking.

Cold.

A chill ran down his spine.

Maybe I don’t want to die after all…

For the first time in a long while, his heart thudded heavily in his chest.

I don’t want to die.

Damn it… Levan… where are you?..

Though what could you even do?..

A sharp crack split the air.

Hajar attacked.

A massive claw shot forward with unnatural speed.

Kairen barely leapt aside.

The strike grazed his shoulder, throwing him toward the edge of the platform.

“Do not evade!” a judge thundered. “You will accept your punishment!”

Kairen raised his head.

His eyes were no longer empty.

“What?..” he rasped with a hoarse laugh. “Should I hug it too? Your court is just as rotten as you are.”

The hall erupted in uproar.

But Kairen was no longer listening.

Think. Think, damn it!

Hajar turned.

Its chest swelled.

Its wings spread wider.

Defeat it?

Are you serious?..

No. Impossible.

So—die?

His gaze fell once more into the abyss.

“I… don’t want to die…”

The thought struck harder than fear.

It squeezed his heart.

Tore through his ribs from within.

Seeped into every cell.

Hajar tensed.

Meira tightened her grip on the pistol.

Her fingers trembled.

One more second—and she would break orders.

One more second—and she would stand against the Conclave.

“Kairen…” she whispered.

The monster lunged.

Its jaws opened wide.

From within burst a thick dark-green dust.

Poisonous mist engulfed the platform.

The air became sticky.

Heavy.

Opaque.

Silhouettes vanished in the green haze.

The spectators held their breath.

Meira stepped forward—then froze.

No one knew whether Kairen was still standing.

Don’t fall… Not now…

His heart pounded.

Blood hammered in his temples.

His body wanted to run.

Hajar moved.

Each step—a countdown to the end.

It was a verdict.

Inevitable.

Terrifying.

Kairen stood.

Alone.

And yet… he did not fall.

His body was going numb.

His vision darkened.

Inside, everything screamed:

You can’t… give in…