The four woke up in the forest, disoriented, and whimpering from the fall. Rhyfel was the first to speak. "Are you guys okay?" he asked. Liam gave a slight nod, Saiko let out a pain-filled whimper, and Isabelle extended a hand, waiting for one of them to help her up.
"What just happened?" Saiko asked, rubbing his head.
"The platform did it," Rhyfel answered. "I recognised the sigils around the edge; they belong to my ancestors from the Genesis Coven. It reads hic sumo carcer…, which means: 'Here lies the grave of—'" He hesitated, as if trying to piece together the translation. "Sumo like that. I don't know, man, my head hurts."
"Well, I got the ring." Saiko flashed it between his index and middle finger with a smirk. "A quick teleportation spell?" he gestured at rhyfel.
This time, when Rhyfel slit his palm, he didn't reach for parchment. Instead, he rolled up his sleeve and ran two fingers over his forehand "revele-toi" he said as a map of velmoria appeared. He allowed the blood from his palm to drip onto his forearm,
"Vwayajé Anba Zetwal,
Pote Nou Pa Zè,
Limen Chimen Nou,
E Lage Nou Lib."
Nothing happened. The air didn't shift, shimmer, or pulse with magic. They stood in tense silence then Rhyfel repeated the incantation and again, nothing happened.
"Why aren't we being teleported?" Saiko asked with his brows furrowed.
"I don't know," Rhyfel snapped. "Can you try?" he looked towards liam
Liam scoffed. "I have never done a teleportation spell before and I don't think I should given my situation,"
Rhyfel exhaled sharply and turned to Isabelle.
"What?" she snapped. "Do you want me to sing us out of here? I am a miracle; our magic doesn't work like witches' magic."
"I keep forgetting," he muttered before shifting his gaze to Saiko. "So?"
Saiko blinked. "So… what?"
"You're the thief. The adventurer. advent us out of the forest."
Saiko's head snapped toward Liam. "You told him?!"
Liam crossed his arms. "Yeah. He's my boyfriend. What did you expect?"
Saiko scoffed. "Your boyfriend of eighteen constellations. One year and six months."
Before Liam could respond, Rhyfel cut in. "Stop yelling at him, you should be lucky I haven't sent my entire division after you."
Isabelle looked between them, confused. "Wait—Saiko… Are you the Hooded Bandit?"
Saiko groaned. "Enough. Let's just get out of this stupid forest."
Without waiting for another word, he led the way, disappearing into the trees while the others followed closely behind. The path was rough; it was tangled with vines and twisted roots. They were forced to carve their way forward with their bare hands. Their steps were slow; the dense undergrowth resisted their movements like a living thing. While Liam and Saiko argued about Saiko's little secret being revealed.
Rhyfel attempted to clear the way with magic, but nothing happened. All of his incantations fell flat; his usual command over the elements was unresponsive. Frustrated, he muttered curses under his breath. "Fucking, move." He flung his hands apart and a burst of energy exploded from him, but that was it – a burst of energy. Nothing moved; everything remained still and silent.
Tension coiled between the four like an invisible rope pulling too tight. Isabelle sensed the growing unease and began to hum softly. Her voice was an effortless hum, the melody calming, meant to soothe them.
Saiko trudged forward, snapping a branch in his way, whirling it at Liam. "You had no right to tell him,"
Liam didn't even flinch, but his voice got a bit louder. "What was I supposed to do? Keep it a secret from my own boyfriend?"
"You know what? Yeah, that would've been great." Saiko threw his hands up in the air. "Maybe don't go around announcing to the strongest warrior in Velmoria, that I am the most wanted thief in the entire nation.
Rhyfel was already irritated and was quick to cut in. "You mean 'criminal," he corrected, adjusting his amor around his waist. "Do you have any idea of how much trouble I can put you in? You should be thankful I don't report you to the king and queen or, worse, your mother."
Saiko let out a bitter laugh. "Oh wow, we both know you won't do that. You don't want my mouth slipping about you fucking the royal heir now…do we?"
Rhyfel took a step forward as Isaballe's song continued in the background. "Correction the royal heir is actually fucking me and you should be glad he is or else…"
"Or else what?" Saiko challenged. "You'd lock me up in your daddy's little prison cells; try that and you will know the true power of the Shenzhai Empire."
"Keep hiding behind your mom, hear" Rhyfel countered.
"Alright, that's enough." Liam shifted uncomfortably. "let's all just—"
"Of course you would pick his side," Rhyfel snapped. "He's your little lap dog."
Liam let out a sigh of relief. "Don't start."
"Don't start?" Rhyfel's voice echoed with a dry laugh. "What the fuck does that mean?"
Isabelle's voice climbed a little higher, her melody steady despite the rising storm.
Liam, nostrils flared. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" His voice cracked through the air, harsh and final.
Isabelle's singing stopped.
"Do not speak to her like that," Rhyfel said.
"Of course"
"Of course. What?" Rhyfel asked liam
"Of course you butt in to protect her. Make up your mind, Rhyfel. Do you like men or do you like women? I am tired of sharing."
Rhyfel didn't answer; he just grabbed Isabelle's hand and went another direction from the others. "Come, Issa, let's find our own way out of this damn forest, because if we keep following Saiko, we will not be able to lea—"
Before they could take another step, before new words could form in Liam's throat, everything froze. The very air became stiff, the light went stagnant and even the sound became a deafening silence. Nothing moved, nothing, except for her, the moment she arrived the four felt their own bodies betray them; they were unable to move, breathe, or even blink. Her nakedness was revealed and the darkness around her was an extension of her raven hair.
She didn't speak at first but her existence felt ancient and wrong. The weight of her presence crushed them, as if she were standing on their very souls. Whenever she would make eye contact, it felt as though they were looking into infinity. She was everything and nothing at the same time. When she finally spoke, her voice was raw and ancient.
"Four shall rise, bound in war, torn by fate. The first shall conquer. The second shall hunger. The third shall ruin. The last shall end all things."
She looked at the four standing, while in front and behind each of them at the same time. "Do you wish to see what will happen in the end? What will happen at Ragnarok?" Her expressions were neutral; her movements were lifeless, almost robotic. She covered their ears with both of her thumbs precisely pressed onto the knip of their neck. She parted her fingers and dug them into their eyes, two in each. Her thumb was made to rest on the roof of their mouth and her other hand was made to grab and tag on their hearts. The faint sound of hooves echoed in the distance. A cavalry of horses riding in their direction. One by one they were revealed: four horses, riding, taking different paths yet bound to the same road.
A white mare moving with confidence, its rider commanding the world with every stomp of its hooves. Every living being bowed at his feet: every man, woman, and child; every cattle, fish, and bird. They did not do so by choice, though, because their minds were already corrupted. It was twisted with new beliefs, one no one can deny.
Then came a red stallion, and one might ask, How can a horse be red? And I'd say, perhaps it isn't red in the way you'd imagine. Horses can be brown, auburn, or any shade one might find in nature's palette, but not red. But there exists one element in this world capable of drenching any beast in its hue, a force that distorts a man's vision of the world, corrupting the purest hearts, toppling nations, and raising empires in its wake. The blood of rulers, of fallen kings, of broken dynasties.
And with no leaders left to guide them, anarchy takes root. From the chaos, a third horse rode. Her nature? Nothing unfamiliar, yet her presence sowed imbalance and decay. Disease festers, corruption spreads, and the world plunges into a new era—one where the old order is swept away, leaving only despair, greed, and hunger in its place.
But a fourth horse emerged, an omen cloaked in shadows, its form neither beast nor spirit but something caught between. Its rider carries no weapon and speaks no words, and yet, an unshakeable fear followed in its wake. This stallion was like no other; it was not stained by blood, nor did it bring war or pestilence. No, this one brings only stillness. Wherever its hooves tread, the land withers. Crops rot in their fields, rivers dry to cracked earth, and the air grows thin. Livelihoods unravel, and desperation takes hold. Hunger gnaws at bellies until even the strong are hollowed out. And the people, oh the people, they barter their souls for a crumb, a sip, anything to delay the inevitable. Yet the fourth horse offers no mercy, no salvation. It strips the world bare, forcing all who remain to confront the void within themselves.
The ground beneath the four – Saiko, Rhyfel, Liam, and Isabelle – began to tremble. The horse's hooves drew closer; it was only a matter of time before they would meet. The broken world around them vanished; they were now back in the forest—they never left. The formless being wasn't there anymore but her voice lingered in silence. "Do you see your fate? Do you see what you must prevent?"
"Found them!" JJ's voice rang out. "Are you guys okay? You must be starving—you've been in here for a whole week."
They exchanged glances, the weight of what they had witnessed pressing between them. A week? No. They had only been lost for a few hours.