The ash had not settled.
Not truly.
Though the Cindervoid Spire had collapsed, its embers haunted Leo's dreams. The merged twins' final smile—both innocent and apocalyptic—lingered in his mind like a scar carved into memory. Fang, curled beside him, twitched in his sleep, growling at things Leo couldn't see.
And Coal… Coal hadn't spoken since the fight.
Leo sat on a scorched cliffside at dawn, watching the sun crawl sluggishly over the horizon. Its light seemed afraid to touch Ashendreach.
Five fragments.
Two remained.
He should've felt strong.
But something else gnawed at him now—a new fear. One that didn't come from the land or its monsters.
It came from within.
Elsewhere, in the Depths
"He carries five. The soul-bond is nearing cohesion."
"Then now is the time."
"But he's not ready."
"He never was."
Chains rattled in the darkness. A cage older than time moaned under strain.
And from within it, something with Fang's eyes opened its jaws and smiled.
Two Days Later
They crossed the Ashlands into the Bleakmarsh—a stretch of land devoid of life or death. No birds, no bugs, no sound. Just mud, grey skies, and distant echoes that didn't belong.
Leo hated it instantly.
Coal's left wing still hadn't healed properly. He limped beside them, snapping at shadows that weren't there. Fang was quieter than usual, his tail low, his eyes half-lidded like he was listening to voices no one else could hear.
Leo asked twice. Fang didn't respond.
The third time, he did.
But not with words.
He bit Leo.
Hard.
Not enough to draw blood—but enough to hurt.
Leo stared at him. "What the hell was that?"
Fang blinked. "You're too loud."
Leo frowned. "I didn't say anything."
"Your soul did," Fang said, and turned away.
That night, the nightmares returned.
But they weren't Leo's.
They were Fang's.
Leo saw through his eyes—visions of burning nests, chains made of bark, voices chanting in a forgotten tongue.
He saw Fang's birth.
But it wasn't a natural one.
Fang had been grown.
Crafted in a lab of bone and shadow.
He awoke gasping, drenched in cold sweat.
And Fang was gone.
The Trial Begins
Leo found the cave an hour later.
Coal refused to enter.
The mouth of the cavern was ringed with dead grass, despite the marsh's wet soil. A single mark was carved into the stone: a spiral of eyes.
He stepped inside.
The air changed instantly.
The temperature dropped. The smell of rot hit him like a wall. And the walls themselves were breathing—slow, deliberate inhales, like the cave was alive.
Then came the voice.
"Do you wish to know the truth?"
Leo clenched his fists. "Not from you."
"Too late."
Chains erupted from the walls, pinning him in place. The shadows congealed into a figure—something with a wolf's body, a man's hands, and Fang's eyes.
And teeth.
So many teeth.
[Trial Engaged: Heretic Fang][Crown Fragment 6 Detected – Hostile Entity: Origin = Prototype Tamer Beast]
The creature circled him slowly.
"Your Fang is mine," it hissed. "I am what was left behind when he was given a name."
Leo spat. "Fang chose me."
The Heretic Fang growled. "He was bound. Not free. I am freedom. I am the part that still remembers the lab, the screaming, the needles, the—"
Leo broke the chains.
With effort. With pain. But he did it.
"You're not freedom," he said, stepping forward, teeth gritted. "You're fear. You're the piece that couldn't handle being loved."
The Heretic Fang roared.
And the fight began.
Boss Fight: Heretic Fang
Name: Null-Wolf v0.01 / Codename: Heretic FangClass: Broken Origin BeastLevel: ???Powers: Memory Echo, Pack Clone, Null Howl, Crown Fragment Possession
It moved like Fang—but faster, less predictable. Every blow struck through time, creating echoes that attacked Leo from seconds in the past or future.
It summoned clones—hundreds—that laughed with Leo's own voice.
And worst of all, it knew everything Fang had ever learned.
Every dodge, every trick, every weakness.
Leo bled.
A lot.
But he kept going.
He refused to call Fang. This was his fight.
"You don't own him!" Leo shouted, smashing a chain into the creature's side. "He chose me!"
The Heretic Fang staggered.
"Chosen?" it hissed. "You mean infected. Tainted. He was made to conquer. You made him weak."
Leo drove his fist into the beast's jaw.
"No. I made him whole."
The cave cracked open.
And from above, through smoke and memory, Fang fell—eyes glowing, mouth open, howling a sound so raw it tore through dimensions.
He landed beside Leo.
Looked at the Heretic.
And didn't speak.
He just opened his mouth—
—and swallowed it.
Fragment Assimilated
[Crown Fragment Acquired: 6/7 – "The Nameless Howl"][New Ability Unlocked: Doppelbreak – Nullify clone or illusion-based enemies for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 3 min.]
Fang looked different now.
Taller. Sleeker. A third eye glowed faintly on his forehead, and his teeth shimmered silver.
Leo stared at him.
Fang finally spoke.
"I remember now," he said. "Everything."
Leo stepped forward. "And?"
Fang smiled—a sad, tired smile.
"I still choose you."
They exited the cave in silence.
Coal was waiting, wings flared.
"You two smell like old gods," he said.
Leo shrugged. "What's new?"
Then the sky cracked.
Incoming Transmission
A voice, staticky and ancient, boomed across the skies.
"Six have gathered. The Crown is near whole. The Gates will open."
"To the final fragment."
"Come to the city that never died—Gulmarrak."
"There, the last Guardian waits."
"And he is no beast."
"He is your reflection."
Leo looked at Fang.Then Coal.Then the horizon.
One fragment remained.
And if the voice was right…
It wasn't guarded by a monster.
It was guarded by himself.