On the other side of the battlefield, Hamza was moving with difficulty through the chaos, his body weighed down by wounds, searching among the corpses and debris for his friend.
When he finally saw Basil's body lying on the ground, his pace quickened. He knelt beside him quickly, then shouted in a broken voice, "We need help… we have an injured person here!"
Hamza checked Basil's pulse and found it weak, but still present, which brought him slight relief.
Then he noticed that Basil's broken arm had healed, and the deep wound in his abdomen was covered with a mysterious black substance. At the same moment, the mark on his left hand began to glow with a strange light, while the tattoo covering his arm slowly extended until it reached his neck.
Hamza's worry intensified. He lifted his friend onto his shoulder and began retreating from the heart of the battle.
Suddenly, Basil's body moved with unexpected force, pushing Hamza away until he fell to the ground.
Hamza looked at him in shock. Basil was barely opening his eyes, his voice trembling and filled with warning as he said, "Stay away…!"
Hamza hesitated, then asked in confusion, "Why?"
Basil replied, his voice carrying a frightening tone, "I may not be able… to control it."
Before Hamza could say anything, Basil lunged at him with a violent attack, his eyes filled with a strange darkness.
At the critical moment, Hamza raised his arm and barely managed to block the strike.
Deep inside, Hamza couldn't believe what was happening. But when he looked closely into Basil's eyes, he realized that he was still completely unconscious.
Basil attacked again, his strikes stronger and faster than usual.
Hamza shouted, trying to wake him, "Wake up, Basil!"
Deep within his consciousness, Basil was trapped inside a dark world, where the black substance was slowly pulling him downward. The darkness had swallowed his entire body, leaving only his head above the surface.
His face was pale, and his eyes were filled with sorrow and despair.
At that moment, as he lowered his head, tears began to fall.
Tears that were not of fear or despair, but the tears of a man who had vowed never to return to the darkness.
While the restraints still bound him, the black substance dragged him further down, pulling him into the depths without mercy.
The demon spoke in a terrifying voice, its red eyes glowing intensely as it said:
"If you do not return by your own will… then I will force you."
At that moment, just before he was completely swallowed, the scene was pierced by the cry of a bird.
A golden light emerged from afar, cutting through the darkness, rushing forward like an arrow of light piercing the void.
It was a massive bird, with radiant golden feathers, wearing a crown upon its head, and four powerful legs striking the air with immense force.
As it drew near, it released golden feathers from its wings. They shot forward at incredible speed, striking the Mark Demon and pinning it to the ground. Then it delivered a powerful strike with its golden claws, releasing a beam of light that immobilized the Mark Demon completely.
The demon screamed, struggling to break free, as its power began to fade.
The bird approached Basil, and as he looked at it in astonishment, the black substance binding him began to recede.
The bird bit through the black restraints with its sharp beak, shattering them, then pulled Basil out of the swamp of darkness.
Basil, still trying to comprehend what was happening, said in shock:
"Zyres? Where have you been all this time?"
The massive bird looked at him and replied, "I was searching for this demon… to bind it."
Then it added, "Now, it can no longer move… and the time has come to return."
It spread its golden wings, and a wave of light radiated outward, illuminating Basil's entire inner world. The darkness began to fade slowly, and the demon vanished with it, its scream reduced to nothing but a distant echo.