The air around Kaiza was oppressive, a deadly oppression that clung to his skin, trying to choke the air from him. The cold numbed everything: even his senses, which began trying to cooperate when he attempted to move.His body weighed heavier than ever. He felt like he was sinking into the abyss. He was blind; everything was black, a void that swallowed him whole.Mina. He had to find Mina.A sharp, searing pain shot through his side, snapping him out of the suffocating blackness. His mind struggled to focus, the adrenaline from the battle still coursing through his veins.The sharp taste of blood filled his mouth as he coughed weakly, his hand instinctively reaching for his side where the creature's claws had torn through his flesh. He could feel the warmth of his own blood, sticky and cold against his skin.Kaiza. Kaiza!"Mina's voice distant, fragile cut through the darkness like a beacon, drawing him back to the surface. His pulse jumped at the sound, his hand quivering as he rea

All the world about Kaiza and Mina appeared to melt away into darkness; it was as though the air had grown charged to an intensity neither of them could have ever dreamed existed.The earth beneath their feet was unstable and shifting, dragging them toward the center of a chasm opened before them. Kaiza's chest tightened, his breath getting short as black tendrils of shadow wrapped about his limbs and pulled him deep into the darkness.He could hear Mina’s voice, frantic and strained, but the words were muffled by the overwhelming force that was dragging them downward."Mina!" Kaiza shouted, his voice barely reaching her as the shadows closed in, suffocating the space between them. He reached out, but her form was becoming a blur, disappearing into the dark.The further they descended, the more the shadows twisted, each movement like a living thing, suffused with a hunger that made his skin crawl.His breath came in ragged gasps, each inhale thick with the oppressive energy pressing i

Kaiza’s heart thundered in his chest as he plummeted deeper into the abyss, his body weightless and helpless. The world above him vanished, swallowed by a darkness that stretched endlessly, suffocating him. His mind screamed for clarity, for control, but nothing came. He was trapped in a nightmare—no different from the one he had been living for centuries.He had scattered thoughts and memories of agony clashing inside his head. Mina. Her anguished face when the darkness ravaged her. The light, which had flickered so brightly before, was suffocated. No… I can't lose her. I won't.As he fell, the cold emptiness of the abyss seemed to stretch forever. His breath caught in his throat, and the weight of helplessness pressed down on him. He had fought for so long, clawed his way through centuries of torment, but now, in this moment, it felt as if everything had been for nothing. The curse—the very thing he had been running from was here. It was closing in, and it had Mina.The pounding of

Kaiza's world was a blur of darkness and chaos. He had been swallowed by the crack in the ground, and now the weight of the darkness seemed to be bearing down on him like an inevitable force. Breath came in short gasps. His body was sore from the fall, each muscle screaming with protest, yet he did not stop. He could not.His mind was racing, desperate to grasp some semblance of control in the overwhelming nothingness around him. He had fallen deep into a place far worse than the shadows he had already endured. His pulse thundered in his ears, drowning out everything else, until the only thing he could focus on was one single, burning thought.Mina.She was out there. Somewhere.He could feel her. Her was like a cord pulling him forward through the vise-like absence. Even in this place of hell, even now, he could feel her fear and pain. Alive. But how long? Just how much further could he draw her back when whatever evil lingered in that darkness devoured her whole?He pushed himself t

Kaiza's breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling with the weight of what had just happened. The darkness that had consumed them, Mina's transformation, and the creature's sudden retreat had all left him standing in the aftermath, unsure of what was real and what was merely an illusion.She stepped slowly, with each step laden with uncertainty. Her eyes had a far-off look, her face was pale, and she was as if separated from the rest of the world, as if she had emerged from a daze, unable to focus on her surroundings. Shaking, her hands reached for him with a weak and fragile grip."Mina…" He took a deep breath, his voice low with concern. He tried to reach for her, but his hands shook as he touched her shoulder. "Mina, talk to me. Are you okay?"She blinked slowly, as if she was dawning on the fact that someone had looked at her, and slowly lifted her head. Kaiza's heart skipped a beat as he recognized her confused expression. Her lips parted, but no sound came out at first,