Fighting Spirit (The Final Barrier)

The Three Kings

The battlefield that had just been consumed by chaos now fell into a serene quiet, the relief palpable among the spirits. Exhausted and battered, they began to laugh and joke, the tension of survival slowly dissolving into camaraderie.

Kevin slumped against a boulder, his body bruised and his spiritual energy nearly depleted. He looked over at Gabriel, who was sprawled out on the ground beside him, equally battered but grinning.

"That was the ugliest fight I've ever been in," Kevin said, his voice hoarse.

Gabriel chuckled weakly. "Speak for yourself. I was looking great out there."

The other spirits joined in the laughter. Adrian leaned back against the remains of a broken pillar, shaking his head in disbelief. "We actually did it. I didn't think it was possible."

Eliza smirked, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "Well, most of us did. You guys just sat in a bubble the whole time."

Adrian shot her a look, but the smile on his face betrayed no real malice.

Greg and Madam Zari walked among them, offering words of encouragement. Greg placed a steady hand on Kevin's shoulder. "You fought valiantly, son. I'm proud of you—and all of you," he added, looking at the group.

Madam Zari nodded, her voice firm despite her evident fatigue. "You showed remarkable strength, each of you. Few could have faced what you did today and lived to tell the tale."

For a moment, the spirits shared a collective sigh of relief. They had survived. Jiu was gone. The world was safe—for now.

But then, an oppressive silence fell.

Wayne stood motionless in the distance, his head bowed. The shadows around him began to writhe unnaturally. His breathing grew heavy, audible even over the wind.

"Wayne?" Kevin called, concern creeping into his voice.

Without warning, Wayne's aura exploded outward, the shadows enveloping him in a dark shroud. His skeletal demon mask formed over his face, the horns curling backward in jagged arcs. His awakening cast an ominous energy over the group.

The other spirits tensed, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

"Wayne, what are you doing?" Gabriel demanded, his tone sharp.

Wayne's voice came out low and cold, reverberating through the shadows. "All I ever wanted was my mother back."

His words cut through the group like a blade.

"She's gone, Wayne," Adrian said carefully. "We all lost someone in this war. You're not alone in that."

Wayne turned toward him, his skeletal mask obscuring his face, but the anger in his tone was unmistakable. "Don't patronize me. You didn't lose her. I did."

Eliza stepped forward, her brow furrowed. "Wayne, your mother was—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Wayne snapped, his shadows lashing out and cracking the ground beneath him. "She wasn't evil. She was twisted by Jiu. I could have saved her!"

"Saved her?" Gabriel's voice rose, incredulous. "She killed everyone she came across, including Kevin. You think you could've just... fixed her?"

Wayne glared at Gabriel, his shadows swirling around him like a storm. "You wouldn't understand. None of you would. She was still my mother."

In the background, Kevin remained silent, his fists clenched. Memories from his alternate self swirled in his mind—moments of his mother's warmth, her laughter, and her descent into madness. The conflict within him was tearing at his soul.