"I should have stepped forward as soon as the order was given," Ledros continued, "I knew early on that Hecarim was trying to find an excuse to get rid of you. You have always been a favorite of the king. Everything happened too fast, but I should have done it faster. We could have faced them together and fought side by side. We could have fought our way out, we could have been free together! It was my inaction that betrayed you, Callista. It was I who failed you. ”

Callista's eyes changed.

"Traitor." She let out a long sigh.

An ethereal spear appeared in her hand, and she began to walk towards him.

Letroth unhooked his shield and tossed it aside. She began to stride and run. He opened his arms and met his fate.

The first spear pierced him, forcing him to take a step back.

He had betrayed his heart. He loved her, but he only said those words alone in the night.

The second spear pierced him with great force. He staggered, but remained stubborn.

He couldn't prevent her from being killed. He's the real traitor.

The third spear pierced him. Now he was on his knees, his strength was starting to drain, but he was smiling.

Yes, that's it. That would finally break that terrible infinite loop. He was sure.

"Break it," he said, looking up at her, "break it, and you'll be free." ”

They looked at each other for a moment. A pair of undead wraiths, their disembodied bodies rippling with immortal energy. In that moment, Lestrus felt nothing but love. In his heart's eyes, he saw her alive—majestic, beautiful, and powerful.

"All traitors must die." She spoke, running through him.

Ledroth's vision began to blur, and his form began to crumble. But he saw that Callista's expression was changing. The mask of ruthlessness fell, replaced by more and more obvious fear.

"Ledroth?" It's her own voice.

Her eyes widened as if they were filled with tears. She rushed to his side and caught him before he fell to the ground.

"What did I do?" She whimpered.

He tried to comfort her, but couldn't say anything.

For you, I am willing.

The darkness fell down, and the tentacles of the mist began to take him away.

Callista reached out to caress him, but her fingers ran through his dissipating form. She opened her mouth to say something, but he couldn't hear it, only the madness of the black mist roaring in his ears.

His armor fell to the ground and turned to dust, as did his sword. The fear of the unknown beckoned, and he gladly stepped into it.

He vaguely recognized the pale ghost of Hammerstone, who was peering in the shadows with that same hungry smile that remained unchanged. Even the appearance of the Warden of the Soul Lock did not discourage Lydros in the moment of victory.

He did it. She was free.

It's over.

Unspeakable, all-consuming fear.

Fiery, uncontrollable rage.

Claustrophobic oppression, stuffing the mouth, nose and throat.

Behind it all is an insatiable hunger - the coveting of warmth and life, to let more souls into the darkness.

The discordant tones were deafening—millions of tormented souls screaming, tossing and turning in shared pain.

This is the black fog.

Only the strongest souls can escape its bondage. Only the spirits of those who still have unfinished business.

He lay in a pool of blood, bright scarlet dripping from the white stone. His sword fell beside him, and the blade had cracked. His killers stood around him. There was a shadow all around, but he only had her in his eyes.

She looked at him, but she couldn't see it. His blood-stained face looked back at him like a reflection in a mirror. He lay on his side. Breathing is light and weaker.

Her stiff hands were cold, but he didn't feel anything. A serenity covered him like a shroud. No pain, no fear, no doubt. are gone.

His armored fingers gripped her hand tightly. I can't spend time with her when I'm alive, but I can be with her when I'm dead.

After what seemed like he had gone through forever, he felt calm again......

No. Something is wrong.

Reality is pressed down.

None of this is true. It was just a remnant, an aftermath of the pain of his death, a memory of the hundreds of reincarnations of life and death.

To his relief, the Warden of the Soul Lock didn't laugh at him here.

This time, how long has it been since then? There's no way to know. It could be decades, it could be a few minutes – or neither, it doesn't matter how long it is. In this static and vicious state, nothing changes.

Then he remembered, and hope stirred within him. It was a strange feeling, but it sprouted like a dead tree after a heavy rain.

He turned around, and there she was, and at this moment he knew joy, true joy. She's herself again, and she's coming for him!

Then he saw her expression. A cold and serious mask, a strangeness in his eyes. The hope in his heart died.

Callista's gaze fell behind him, tilting her ears as if listening to some voice that only she could hear.

"We accept your vows." With that, she turned and stepped into the fog.

Then she disappeared.

His thoughts stretched outward, and Ledros could feel that she was gone. Someone called out to her, from the far lands of the northwest. Someone exchanged his soul for a promise of revenge for himself. They don't know what horror awaits them.

Ledros was full of hatred and bitterness. He cursed himself and turned his hatred on himself.

There is no hope. He understands now. His superfluous ideas are too stupid.

She has been imprisoned here forever. All souls are. It's just arrogance and stubbornness that make him think that this curse is just a riddle to be solved. He had been obsessed with it for so long.

Arrogance and stubbornness - this was his weakness in life, and it seems that it was the bane of his death.

That Soul Lock Warden was right. It was indeed selfish to give her freedom, and he understood it now. Callista may have lost herself, but at least she wasn't tortured like he was. At least she still has a purpose.

Ledros tugged hard at the pendant around his neck, breaking the fragile chain. He threw it into the fog.

It would be foolish to have any hope. There can be no Sabbath unless the curse of taking away the archipelago is broken.

"So, I have to break it." Ledros said.

Annihilation beckons him.

Hammerstone came out of the darkness. He looked around and made sure it was just him. Then he leaned down and picked up the silver pendant that had been thrown away.

That idiot is already so close. He almost turned her back...... Now, after hundreds of years of trying, just before success, he gave up.

Hammerstone laughed cruelly. He likes to see hope die, like a dead fruit on a rattan, where what was originally sweet becomes vicious. It made him laugh.

He turned on the lantern and threw the pendant inside. Then he withdrew into the darkness. Disappear.

Soon the sound of the chains faded away, and he was gone.