Mana String

Pain blurred the edges of her vision, but Sooyeon refused to go down without a fight.

She staggered back, warhammer trembling in her grasp, her body screaming with every movement. The fangs of Typhon's serpent had torn deep into her side, and blood poured freely onto the cold stone floor. Every breath felt like fire in her lungs.

But she still stood.

Typhon remained seated upon his throne, watching her with detached amusement. His golden eyes gleamed, reflecting the flickering torches that barely held back the suffocating darkness. The biblically accurate angels beside him hovered in silence, their shifting forms unreadable, their countless wings rustling like whispers of the dead. And then there was Cronus—looming, silent, unseen by all except her—watching from the shadows, his celestial presence offering no salvation.

"So," Typhon mused, tapping a claw against the throne's armrest, "you still stand. Impressive."

Sooyeon spat blood onto the ground, straightening her posture despite the agony. "I'm not… done yet."

Typhon's grin widened, all fangs and malice. "Then entertain me a little longer."

With a flick of his wrist, the serpents lunged again.

Sooyeon barely dodged, her injured leg giving out as she fell to one knee. A tail slammed into her side, sending her sprawling across the chamber floor. Her warhammer clattered from her grasp, spinning out of reach.

She gasped, struggling to move, but the pain was unbearable. The wound in her leg, her side, her arms—every inch of her body screamed at her to give up.

Footsteps echoed behind her.

Orin.

His sword gleamed in the dim light, coated in Zephyr's and Sylphine's blood. He walked slowly, deliberately, as if savoring the moment.

"You should just stay down, Sooyeon," he said. "It's over."

She lifted her head, her glare sharp despite the pain. "Go to hell."

Orin sighed, shaking his head. "Why do you always have to make things difficult?"

He lifted his sword.

And Sooyeon moved.

With the last of her strength, she twisted her body, grabbing the warhammer and swinging it in a desperate arc. The heavy weapon connected with his side, sending him staggering back with a grunt.

But she had no time to celebrate.

The moment she turned, a serpent coiled around her torso, squeezing the air from her lungs. It lifted her off the ground effortlessly, bringing her face to face with Typhon himself.

Her vision swam. The pressure was unbearable. Ribs cracked under the force.

Typhon leaned forward, studying her like one would a caged animal. "Tell me, little hero. Do you regret it?"

Sooyeon forced a smirk, even as blood dribbled from her lips. "Regret… what?"

"Coming here. Believing in them." Typhon's voice was almost gentle. "Believing you were a hero."

Her eyes flickered to Orin, to Lucien, to Aether, to Raelith—her betrayers. The ones she had fought beside, laughed with, trusted. The ones who had carved their blades into Zephyr and Sylphine without hesitation. The ones who now watched in silence as she was crushed in the jaws of a monster.

She should have hated them.

But all she felt was exhaustion.

Her grip on the warhammer loosened. She was so tired. So unbelievably tired.

Typhon exhaled, a sound resembling a disappointed sigh. "You lasted longer than most. I will give you that."

The serpent's grip tightened.

Her vision darkened at the edges.

She could see Cronus watching, still unseen by the others, his golden-hooded face unreadable. The angels shifted in place, their countless wings folding inward, their celestial presence indifferent to her suffering.

And then, in the final moments, she heard a whisper—deep, ancient, reverberating through her bones.

Live.

She didn't know if it was a command, a promise, or a cruel joke.

But she didn't have time to think.

The world went black.

In the silence that followed, Typhon watched as Sooyeon's body went limp.

The warhammer slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor.

And in the corners of the universe, something shifted.