Arnivel no longer resembled the place where people used to live in peace. The sky had darkened, the air had grown heavy, and Leo... Leo no longer belonged to himself. The shadow emerged from within him in the form of tentacles, wrapping around houses, trees, and people, flinging them this way and that. Some, he kept by his side, squeezed tightly by the tentacles; Kai’s head was visible, completely exposed and clear. He was not fighting back, nor was he trying to escape. He was looking at Leo and seeing not evil, but a lost soul.

"Leo... look at me... listen!..."

​But Leo was not listening to him. Kai, despite the pain, began to stretch toward him; the tentacles dug into his skin, but he kept moving forward. Finally, he managed to reach out and touch Leo, and the shadow completely enveloped Kai. Kai did not understand what happened. He found himself in absolute darkness—no sound, no image, only coldness. Suddenly, a light appeared in the distance, small and flickering. Kai approached and saw a torch; he picked it up, and the darkness vanished, everything turning white. In that silence, the crying of a child was heard. Kai went in the direction of the sound and saw a little boy, about 10 years old, sitting curled up on the ground.

"Why are you crying?" Kai asked gently.

The child did not raise his head.

"It hurts," the child whispered.

​Kai tried to see his face; he reached out his hand, and the moment he touched him, the surroundings changed again. This time, it was gloomier, close to gray. Standing before him was a 13-year-old boy, straight and silent, with a crown on his head and luxurious clothes, but a black vapor was rising from his body. Whispers could be heard in the air:

"I hate them."

"I hate them."

​At first, Kai did not understand what was happening, but for a moment, the boy's eyes flashed, and he understood—it was Leo standing before him. He became flustered by that thought and did not know what to do; he understood that he had to help, but how? Cold sweat stood on his forehead, he swallowed his spit, and made a decision. Closing his eyes, he ran and hugged the boy with all his strength.

"I won't leave you..." Kai said in a soft voice, "Everything will be fine... I am by your side."

​The surroundings began to rumble, the blackness increased, the black vapor on the boy intensified, and he seemed to be slowly disappearing. At the thought of Leo disappearing forever, Kai squeezed his eyes tightly, and tears flowed:

"I love you!" Kai screamed with all his might.

There was silence.

​Kai felt warmth; he opened his eyes, and there was only fire around him, but the boy was gone. His legs grew weak and he fell to the ground, tears flowing, his breath cutting short from the fire. After some time, Kai felt that he was lying on the grass. He raised his head; he was in the village. Leo was standing in front of him, but with a completely different appearance—his hair was red just like before, and fire was coming out of his body as if he were burning. Leo was standing with his back to Kai, and his gaze and attention seemed to be focused on something. Kai stretched to see; standing in front of him was a girl with white and orange hair—it was Saela.

***

When Leo heard Kai's story, he understood that both of them had been hurt—unjustly, baselessly, without a reason—and he was inspired by the fact that the two of them could take revenge together. But that inspiration vanished when Leo saw in Kai's eyes that he was looking at him with fear and pity. From that gaze and Kai's words, Leo began to feel intense pain in his head and heart, and the next thing he saw was darkness and words that were constantly repeating:

"I hate them, I hate them. Everyone must answer."

The pain increased every time those words repeated.

​He did not know where he was, who he was, or how long he had been in that state, when suddenly, words were heard softly but clearly: "I love you." The pain vanished, and the constantly repeating words of hatred disappeared as well, and his heart seemed to begin to burn, without causing pain.

​The next thing he sees is the ruined village under the bright rays of the sun, as if the rain and storm had just ended; the air was damp. A few steps away from him, the air trembled slightly, and a figure materialized out of the emptiness. The woman stood straight and motionless, her gaze cold and impenetrable.

Saela.

Their eyes met.

For a few seconds, no one spoke.

Saela’s gaze slid over Kaylith’s body, noticing the flames that were coming out of his body.

"That... is impossible," Saela whispered.

​Kaylith stood motionless when Saela’s words finally reached him.

"You were supposed to die," she said in a cold voice, "that way, Darkel would already be king."

At those words, Kaylith's breathing grew heavy, and the air around him began to weigh down. At first, a small flame appeared in his palm—weak, flickering, like a newborn. Saela noticed it immediately. Her transparent shield appeared around her.

"So, this is your true power," she said.

​The flame in Kaylith's hand began to grow.

He was not afraid.

The fire did not burn him.

It obeyed him.

He moved his hand.

The flame broke away from his palm and became a ball of fire that soared toward Saela.

It collided with the shield and exploded in a wave of light and heat.

The shield held.

But Saela felt the force of the strike.

​Kaylith’s eyes darkened.

A second flame appeared in his other hand. Then a third.

He was no longer thinking. His body understood on its own.

The fireballs soared toward Saela one after another, forcing her to draw back.

Her shield trembled with every strike.

The air was already burning around them.

Kaylith stepped forward.

​The fire began to swirl around him, reacting to his rage. He raised his hand, and the flame gathered into a single point, becoming larger, brighter, and more dangerous.

Saela’s eyes widened.

She strengthened her shield.

Kaylith released the strike.

The ball of fire soared forward and collided with the shield with all its might.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

the shield cracked.

​Saela’s breath caught.

She tried to hold it.

But it was already too late.

Kaylith moved forward and delivered another strike. This time, the shield shattered.

The fire hit Saela and threw her back.

She fell to her knee, breathing with difficulty.

Her power had weakened.

Kaylith stood before her, the fire still burning around him.

He controlled it completely.

Saela looked at him and understood the truth.

"This is not over yet," she whispered.

And she vanished, fleeing toward Valkaria.

​The fire coming out of Kaylith's body died down.

There was silence. The people of Arnivel had long hidden away and did not see any of this, except for Kai—who, whether he wanted to or not, was in the area. Also, watching all of this from a hidden corner were Lina, Tyler, Mark, and Eva, who had secretly fled from the villagers because Tyler had put aside his fear and decided that he must rush to the aid of Kai and Leo; at that time, Tyler did not know that the black monster was Leo. After seeing everything, they decided to silently approach Kai and Leo.

​At that moment, she appeared—Vaelina.

She looked at her son... and understood. Initially, she had come to save him—so that they wouldn't kill him, imprison him, or make him a victim of the power struggle.

But seeing him, she changed her decision.

"Do I understand correctly that your power has appeared?"

"Yes... you named me correctly."

Vaelina smiled at those words; it seemed to be the first time Kaylith had seen a smile on his mother's face.

"You must return, the people need you."

​Kai and the others were in shock.

Leo was looking at his mother, understanding who was behind his back, and could not find the strength within himself to look back.

Leo took the first step toward his mother, and Lina screamed:

"Leo!..." the following words caught in her throat.

​Leo finally turned his head toward them, and his gaze fell upon Kai. His legs began to move—he didn't even understand how—but he ran and hugged Kai.

"My name is Kaylith..." Leo said to Kai in a low voice, "I am from another planet... and I am so sorry... forgive me."

Kai was silent.

Leo raised his head and kissed him. During the kiss, Leo vanished, as if he had never even existed.