CESAGA

The tyrant had been defeated.

Erabis' shattered body disintegrates into nothingness. From the remains, a large black orb floated briefly before sinking into the earth below.

The prisoners erupted into cheers, their cries of relief and joy reverberating throughout the ruined palace.

After years of torment under Erabis' reign, the dark chapter of the Renok Empire had finally closed.

Zirko reappeared beside Purnama, in the same form as it entered the castle.

"Purnama, the second floor—we need to move now. Suria's already outside breaking the main gate. The villagers are coming to free the prisoners. Let's get out of here," Zirko urged.

Purnama leaped onto Zirko's back, who instantly formed an icy path, spiraling upwards to the second floor. The prisoners stared in awe at the display of Celestrias power.

As they reached the upper level, Purnama jumped off onto a stable part of the floor while Zirko pointed toward a stone door.

"In there, Purnama," Zirko directed him to a room locked behind heavy iron chains.

Purnama swiftly tore the chains from the door and pushed it open. Inside, he found a man in his mid-fifties, unconscious, disheveled, and shirtless, with both hands and feet shackled.

Scattered around the man were piles of treasure, but what struck Purnama most was the man's state—lifeless, injured, and tortured.

"That's the king of this land," Zirko said gravely. "He should be restored to power."

Zirko's gaze shifted to the left, catching sight of something glimmering in the corner.

"Now I see why the wolf assigned you this mission. Look over there—a jade frame holding a glass tube. That relic doesn't belong here. Take it, and give it to her."

Purnama quickly tucked the tube into his shirt and turned his attention back to the king. He freed the shackles, carefully laying the king across Zirko's sturdy back. Together, they ascended to the top floor.

Once outside, Purnama retrieved his cloak, which lay by the door, and covered the king with it, shielding him from view.

"Not letting the people see their leader in a bad state?" Zirko teased.

"Never, especially when you're the leader. The king would second that," Purnama answered.

Zirko reverted to his calf form, and they began descending the circular stairway towards the gathering square.

As they neared the ground, Suria came into view, standing triumphantly amid a pile of defeated orcs.

"Hey, Purnama! What took you guys so long?!" Suria shouted, surrounded by the remains of her battles.

"We ran into some trouble with Erabis," Purnama replied, surveying the scene.

The villagers, who had been gathered earlier, were no longer in sight, and Purnama noticed the iron fence near the stairs had been destroyed by Suria.

"But where are the rest of the orcs? I thought reinforcements from Yurok would be here."

"Guess they didn't get the message." Suria shrugged, looking as puzzled as Purnama.

"Or maybe… they're just scared of me, haha!" Suria chuckled, pointing at herself.

The Orcs she had defeated gradually transformed into small black orbs, which vanished into the air.

"If Erabis were here, he would've forcibly extracted their life orbs. That's why the orbs he consumes are weak—their cycles aren't complete. I thought most of them had learned from our last encounter with that talking Puaka. Guess there are still some foolish ones left," Purnama explained.

"Yeah, well, we're done here anyway. Let me check the map... what? Why isn't this working, Purnama?" Suria frowned at the map in her hands, tapping it as if that would help.

"I've never understood how that thing works either. Let's head to Yurok first and make sure everything is secure before we proceed to our next destination."

The three of them made their way towards the tunnel leading to Yurok Fortress.

As they neared, the atmosphere was thick with fear—noble merchants stood paralyzed, gazing at something in terror.

Curious, Purnama and Suria moved closer until they spotted a girl with long, flowing hair, seated triumphantly on a mountain of dead orc soldiers.

"There you are! I've been waiting for you guys!" The girl stood up, brushing off her hips before hopping down.

It was Ria, looking as carefree as ever despite the carnage beneath her.

"What?! Ria?! What's she doing here? Well then, time for me to vanish," Zirko, visibly startled by Ria's presence, dissolved into a cloud of ice dust and disappeared without a trace.

"Seriously, Purnama? You've had a scaredy-cat for a companion this whole time?" Suria burst out laughing, mocking her brother.

"My dear Purnama!" Ria exclaimed, her long hair shaping into a heart as she beamed at him. Seeing that Ria's attention was focused on the twins, the terrified merchants seized the opportunity to flee, disappearing as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Not again," Suria muttered, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, my sweet Purnama, how long has it been? I almost forgot how much I missed you! Thank goodness you're here. Otherwise, I might've had to kill a merchant or two just for fun," Ria teased, wrapping her hand around Purnama's right arm.

"Ria! If you wanted to help, you could've shown up sooner," Suria scowled, her tone dripping with irritation.

"Uh... how are you, Ria?" Purnama asked, his voice a mix of surprise and relief.

"I'm wonderful, my love! Oh, what's that? Is it for me?!" Ria's eyes sparkled as she noticed a glass tube peeking from Purnama's shirt.

"Yes... this is for you. Zirko asked me to retrieve it," Purnama said, handing the tube to Ria.

"That quirky little moose finally did something useful, huh? I always wondered what moose meat would taste like," Ria mused, staring intently at the red particles swirling inside the glass tube.

Before the orbs from the fallen orcs could dissipate, Ria swiftly pulled a tiny clay pot from her sleeve and threw it to the ground. The pot expanded rapidly, absorbing all the orbs before sealing itself shut.

Then, as if by magic, it shrank back to its original size. Ria tucked it neatly into her sleeve once more.

"So, what brings you here, Ria? Shouldn't you be busy with royal matters? Or are you just collecting useless orbs for fun now?" Suria taunted, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Bwekk, I'm not talking to you," Ria retorted childishly, sticking her tongue out at Suria. 

"Let's get out of here. Everything seems fine now." Purnama said.

The noble merchants had all fled in fear.

"How about we try this instead?" Ria smirked, holding the jade frame aloft. She carefully released a single red particle from the glass tube into the air, sealing the frame again.

Ria grinned. "Hold on tight."

The particle hovered momentarily before creating a black hole that pulled all three of them into its depths.

And then, they were gone, swallowed by the swirling abyss.