The road was always the same:
dust, traces of flight, scorched grass, piles of broken wagons.
And then, at last—the city.
Or rather, what was left of the city.
Stone walls had collapsed inward, houses were leveled to the ground.
Roofs—burned.
Towers—broken.
Streets—black with soot.
The South… had fallen.
People were fleeing in front of the ruins.
Not soldiers—just civilians.
Men, women, children.
Some wounded.
Some barefoot.
Some unconscious.
A column of a thousand people.
We broke into a gallop.
Noxus spoke for the first time in many days, his voice trembling:
— Zenhald… I’m scared. Why did I choose you?
— I… I’d understand if I had chosen someone else… an ordinary knight… heavy, stupid, lazy…
— But with him, I’d be safer than with you.
He snorted, as if holding back sobs.
— You… you’ve become cold. I don’t recognize you.
I didn’t answer.
I saw no point.
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We entered the night camp.
More than twenty thousand soldiers.
Exhausted.
Dirty.
Beaten.
With broken spears and empty eyes.
If this was all that remained of the South…
Then the South was dead.
Silver and Norris went to the headquarters.
We sat on crates near the fire.
A minute later, Norris came out. His face was pale, tense.
— In two days… the final battle, — he said.
Finn swallowed.
— Final…?
Norris nodded.
— Reinforcements will arrive from the south—five thousand.
— And from the north—nine.
— But they’ll be exhausted.
— And most importantly… the demons are launching a counteroffensive.
Tara turned pale.
— So… they’re not defending?
— No, — Norris replied. — They’re coming to finish us off.
Haras let out a heavy sigh, like a beast that had learned fear for the first time.
Seteya went off to drink with him.
We stayed by the fire—me, Finn, Siren, Astra, Tara, Kairen, Miella.
Everyone sat in silence.
Each lost in their own thoughts.
Finn exhaled:
— The final battle, huh?..
— We’re… just kids.
Siren answered dully, without his usual confidence:
— If we don’t win…
— Then no one will.
I stared into the flames and thought:
Could I destroy an entire army?
Would my power allow it?
Or would I go insane before the battle even began?
I didn’t care.
Not until she stepped forward.
Elinia.
She stood in front of me, hands clasped, as if gathering her courage.
— Zen…
— Take off the amulet.
I looked at her with empty eyes.
— It’s affecting you badly, — she said insistently. — You’re not yourself. You’re… someone else.
— I don’t want to, — I replied calmly.
She took a step toward me.
Then another.
And in one motion—fast, precise—she grabbed the amulet and tore it from my neck.
It seemed Norris wanted to shout.
Seteya—to stop her.
Haras—to jump up.
But no one made it in time.
The amulet fell into her palm.
And something struck my chest.
Warmth.
Light.
Emotions.
My heart came alive.
I inhaled for the first time in a month.
A smile appeared on my face—real, warm, sunlit.
— We’re still alive! — I laughed. — Hahaha!
— We… we made it to the end! Look! We’re together!
They stared at me in shock.
Kairen smiled.
Finn laughed.
Astra wiped away tears.
But…
The laughter inside me broke off.
The horrors of the war came rushing back.
The world became sharp.
My pulse—fast.
My vision… began to flicker.
Black.
Red.
Black.
Red.
Black.
Red.
Power surged outward.
My breathing broke.
— Zen… — Elinia whispered. — You’re again…
But I didn’t hear her.
With a sharp motion, Elinia put the amulet back around my neck.
It flared with a bright, cutting light.
My vision stopped flickering.
The world… died.
Again.
And I became cold.
Empty.
Silent.
Elinia stood in front of me, trembling as if plunged into icy water.
— I’m sorry… — she whispered. — This… this is because of me. I’m sorry.
And I looked at her—
and felt nothing.
No gratitude.
No anger.
No warmth.
Just… emptiness.
— Tomorrow… — Norris said quietly.
— Tomorrow we’ll stand wall to wall.
— And either survive…
— Or die.
No one answered.
The night was quiet.
Too quiet for a world about to die.