The words remained suspended in Luna's vision. TARGET LOCATED. She barely had time to breathe before the sky split open. A deep crack tore across the clouds, spreading from one end of the horizon to the other. Black energy poured through it like smoke escaping from a broken world. The ground shook violently beneath Luna's boots. Trees bent away from the force, and the air became so heavy that even breathing felt difficult. Kael grabbed Luna's arm. "Move!" She stumbled after him as a blast of black energy struck the place where she had been standing. The ground exploded. Dirt and broken branches flew through the air. Darius shouted, "Everyone spread out!" Black Phoenix moved instantly. Marcus raised his shield as another blast came from above. Elena pulled Ryan behind a tree and began forming a protective barrier. Selene stood completely still, watching the sky with a grim expression. Luna looked upward. "What is happening?" Selene answered without looking at her. "The

The countdown burned across Luna's vision. BLACK PHOENIX TERRITORY DESTRUCTION IN: 00:19:59 Nineteen minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Then the number began falling. Luna stared at it for one second before turning toward Kael. "We need to move." Kael nodded. "How far is the guild?" "Seven minutes if we take the western road." "And the civilians?" Luna looked toward the city. Hundreds were still running through the streets. Some carried children. Others dragged wounded soldiers. Many simply stood frozen, unable to understand what was happening. She knew they could not all escape in seven minutes. "We aren't going to the guild first." Kael frowned. "Then where?" "The civilians." He looked at her. "We don't have enough time." "That's why we can't waste any." Luna ran toward the nearest group. "Everyone, listen to me!" Nobody stopped. People continued running. Luna climbed onto a broken stone platform and raised the Eclipse Blade.

Three hundred swords rose inside the palace courtyard. Every blade belonged to a face Luna knew. Kael. The same black hair. The same cold eyes. The same scar across the left eyebrow. The same armor. For a moment, Luna could not move. Seeing one Kael was enough to make her heart race. Seeing three hundred of him standing together felt wrong. Kael stared at his copies with an unreadable expression. One of them stepped forward. "Target identified." Another spoke. "Aria Vale." A third raised his sword. "Correction authorized." Luna tightened her grip on the Eclipse Blade. "They aren't real." Kael looked at her. "They don't have to be." The first copy attacked. Kael blocked the strike. Steel crashed against steel. The copy moved exactly like him. Same stance. Same speed. Same technique. Kael twisted his wrist and knocked the sword away. The copy immediately stepped back. Another attacked from the side. Kael blocked again. Th

The glowing eyes beyond the Control Gate opened wider. Luna stood frozen as the darkness behind the broken gate seemed to breathe. Black energy rolled across the palace courtyard, swallowing pieces of stone and turning them into floating fragments of corrupted code. Kael moved in front of her. "Stay behind me." Luna shook her head. "Not this time." She stepped beside him, Eclipse Blade raised. The figure beyond the gate remained hidden. Then the voice spoke again. "Reset sequence confirmed." Luna's system flashed. KINGDOM RESET: ACTIVE WORLD INTEGRITY: 31% TIME REMAINING: 71:58:42 Ryan stared at his screen. "That's impossible." Darius looked at him. "What?" "The system has started deleting the world." Luna's eyes narrowed. "Not yet." Ryan looked confused. "How do you know?" "Because if it had started deleting everything, we'd already be gone." She looked toward the broken Control Gate. "This is a countdown." Kael nodded. "Then we

"Luna, look at me." The voice came through the darkness. She couldn't remember who was speaking. She couldn't remember where she was. She couldn't even remember her own name. Something warm wrapped around her hand. "Luna." The voice sounded desperate now. "Please." She opened her eyes. A face appeared above her. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. Blood running down one side of his face. He looked terrified. Luna stared at him. "Who are you?" The man's expression broke. For a second, he said nothing. Then he swallowed. "I'm Kael." The name meant nothing. She shook her head. "Kael." "Yes." "Do I know you?" His fingers tightened around hers. "You do." "How?" "Because you've saved my life more times than I can count." Luna frowned. "I don't remember." "I know." He forced a small smile. "But you will." A violent pulse tore through the darkness. Kael was thrown backward. Luna screamed. "Kael!" She didn't know why she scream