By the Great Tree in Luna's palace
The magic circle glowed with a bright light.
Valdor slowly emerged from the portal, staggering and clutching his head with one hand.
He was breathing heavily, and his clothes bore the marks of a recent battle.
Luna immediately took a step toward him.
"Valdor…" she whispered anxiously.
Valdor struggled to lift his gaze.
"Lady… Luna…" he said in a broken voice. "Freya… she… she sealed the Demon Arc's user…"
Luna froze.
"What did you say…?"
Valdor sank to one knee.
"To save me… she used the seal… and locked him away with her…"
Luna's face paled, and sadness filled her eyes.
"Freya… you really went through with it…" she whispered, clenching her hands.
"But that's not all…" said Valdor, gasping for breath.
Luna looked at him anxiously.
"The Demon Arc Leo… it… didn't turn to stone…"
Luna's eyes widened in astonishment.
Valdor clenched his fists.
"The seal worked… but only on its user. The Demon Arc itself remained intact..."
A shadow of unease crossed Luna's face.
"If that's true… it means someone could find it… and inherit its power."
"Luna… if that's a possibility… I want to seal it within myself." said Valdor, placing his hand over his heart.
Luna was silent for a moment, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Are you sure this is what you want?"
Valdor nodded without hesitation.
"Yes..."
Luna sighed softly.
"You know the risks involved. If the seal weakens, the powers of the two Demon Arcs might start fighting each other."
Valdor didn't look away.
"Even so, I want to try. I won't let this Demon Arc fall into Nathan's hands."
Luna closed her eyes for a brief moment, then nodded.
"All right… since that's your decision, I'll prepare the sealing item."
Luna turned and walked away calmly to prepare the sealing ritual.
Valdor stood still for a moment, then headed toward the training hall.
When he opened the door, he saw Kael, Noah, Arwen, and the other paladins gathered there, just finishing their group training.
Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Valdor, noticing his weary face and fresh battle scars.
Silence fell over the hall.
Kael was the first to approach Valdor.
"You're back…" Kael said as he saw Valdor step through the doorway.
There was a moment of silence.
Kael looked at him closely.
"How did your training go?"
Valdor looked down at his hands.
"It was harder than I thought."
Kael smiled slightly.
"Tougher? That means you've finally started to understand."
"Understand what?" he asked, slightly surprised.
"That strength isn't just about how much energy you can unleash."
Kael stepped closer.
"Many warriors can destroy mountains. But few can protect a single person."
Valdor clenched his fists and remembered that he hadn't been able to defend Freya.
"I'm not strong enough yet."
"You're not." Kael replied calmly.
There was a moment of silence.
"But that's a good thing."
"A good thing?"
"Yes. If you believed you'd already achieved everything, you'd stop growing."
The warrior looked at him.
"Do you think I'll ever be strong enough?"
Kael looked away.
"The question isn't whether you will be."
"Then what is it?"
Kael looked at him seriously.
"Will you have a reason to keep fighting when the moment comes that your strength isn't enough?"
The young warrior remained silent.
Kael smiled slightly.
"But as of today… you've made progress."
"Really?"
"Yes. You still make mistakes, you're still reckless, and you still think too much about defeating your opponent."
"That sounds like criticism."
"Because it is." Kael replied with a smile. "But it's also praise."
For the first time in a long while, the warrior smiled slightly.
"Thanks, Kael."
"Because what you've achieved so far has only been the beginning."
He was silent for a moment.
"True training begins when you stop fighting only against others… and start fighting against your own limitations."
At the same time, in the demon lord's palace
The heavy doors of the throne room slowly opened.
One of the demons entered.
He walked through the long, dark hall until he stopped in front of the throne.
Nathan was seated on it.
Beside him stood the remaining four Warriors of Darkness.
Silence reigned in the room.
The demon knelt before the throne.
"My lord… I have information about Leo."
Nathan looked at him impassively.
"Speak."
The demon's voice began to tremble.
"Leo… has been sealed away in the village."
Silence fell over the throne room.
Nathan looked at the demon without much emotion.
"I told him to be careful."
His voice was calm.
"He was too cocky."
Arthur suddenly burst out laughing.
"Really?"
Arthur leaned back comfortably and smiled broadly.
"Serves him right."
The others looked at him.
"To be honest, he'd been getting on my nerves for a long time."
Arthur laughed again.
"He always acted as if no one could ever defeat him."
Nathan was silent for a moment.
"What happened to his Demon Arc?"
"His Demon Arc… it wasn't turned to stone."
Nathan was silent for a moment.
"Send some men. They're to retrieve it."
"Yes, sir."
The demon bowed and left the throne room.
The next day, Kael and Valdor returned to the village.
They stood before the sealed bodies of Leo and Freya.
When Valdor saw Freya, his expression grew sad.
He said nothing for a moment.
Kael looked at the seal.
"The seal will disappear soon."
His voice was serious.
"We must seal him at all costs…"
Kael looked at Valdor.
"Did Luna give you the seal talisman?"
Valdor lowered his gaze slightly.
He remembered everyone he had lost.
Freye.
The people he hadn't been able to protect.
After a moment, he clenched his fists.
"For my ancestors… and for everyone else…"
Valdor looked at the seal.
"I will seal him within myself."
Silence fell.
"So that he could never… escape again."
Valdor walked slowly toward Leo.
He stared at his stone-like body in silence for a moment.
Then he remembered Luna's words.
"If you want to seal him inside yourself… attach the talisman I gave you to his Demon Arc."
Valdor reached into his pocket and pulled out the talisman.
For a moment, he looked at it in his hand.
He knew that once he did this, nothing would ever be the same again.
Then he pressed the talisman against Leo's Demon Arc.
At that very moment, the symbol began to glow. Leo's Demon Arc began to crack.
After a moment, it crumbled into fine dust that began to float in the air.
The Demon Arc's energy slowly flowed toward Valdor.
Suddenly, all the power surged into his body and pierced straight through to his heart.
"Aaaagh!" Valdor screamed in pain.
He fell to one knee, clutching his chest.
At that very moment, a massive beam of energy shot out from his body, piercing through the clouds and lighting up the entire sky.
The earth began to tremble.
Kael looked at Valdor with a serious expression.
He knew that the sealing had begun.
The villagers and guards watched everything from a distance.
No one dared to come any closer.
They watched as the beam of energy lit up the sky.
Fear and disbelief were etched on their faces.
Some whispered among themselves.
Others remained silent, unable to take their eyes off Valdor.
However, on the other side of the forest, hidden among the trees, stood demons.
They silently watched the beam of energy rising toward the sky.
One of them clenched his fist.
"We're too late…." he whispered.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Finally, the second demon turned around.
"Let's go back."
The three demons stepped into the magic circle and vanished.
Meanwhile, Leo opened his eyes.
For a moment, he didn't know where he was.
He looked around, but the place was completely unfamiliar.
He was bound by heavy chains.
Each one was covered with mysterious runes, and a powerful energy of the seal emanated from within them.
"Where am I…?" Leo whispered.
He looked around again.
He was in a vast, gloomy hall whose walls vanished into endless darkness.
Cold stone pillars rose high above him, and a strange sense of emptiness emanated from within the room.
Leo tried to move.
But the chains didn't even budge.
Then he heard a quiet laugh.
At the far end of the hall, sitting calmly on an old throne, was a familiar figure.
She was smiling broadly.
"You've finally woken up!" said Alter Ego.
It slowly rose from the throne and began to descend the stone stairs.
Each step echoed throughout the hall.
"Welcome to my humble abode… Leo."
"Who are you?!" Leo shouted.
His voice echoed through the vast, dark hall.
Alter Ego stopped on one of the steps.
For just a moment, it looked at him with a smile.
It slowly descended until it stood before Leo.
"I am a part of the person who trapped you here."
The smile on its face grew even wider.
"I am the shadow of his soul…"
There was a brief pause.
"I am Valdor's Alter Ego!"
Leo clenched his teeth and looked straight into the Alter Ego's eyes.
He didn't say a word.
His gaze betrayed anger and resentment.
Meanwhile, outside, the beam of energy slowly began to fade.
The light disappeared, and the sky was once again plunged into silence.
Valdor stood motionless for a moment longer.
After a moment, his legs gave way.
He fell to the ground.
"Valdor…" Kael said.
He immediately rushed over and caught him before he hit the ground completely.
He held him in his arms.
"Valdor, can you hear me?" he asked anxiously.
Valdor didn't answer.
His breathing was labored, and his body was clearly weakened by the sealing.
Kael looked at him seriously.
"You did it…" he whispered. "You really did seal him."
Valdor opened his eyes slightly, but he no longer had the strength to answer.
The Demon Arc, which had been on the stone, began to slowly fade away.
Its energy was fading with every passing moment.
After a moment, all the power vanished, leaving only an empty stone.
Where the Demon Arc had once been, there was nothing left.
Only the cold, motionless stone of Leo and Freya.
"Let's go back…" Kael said.
He carefully lifted Valdor and supported him on his shoulder.
Valdor was exhausted, but he remained conscious.
Kael looked ahead.
He raised his hand, and a magical teleportation circle began to form before them.
The air around them trembled.
The runes appeared one after another, and a bright light emanated from the circle.
"Just a little longer…" Kael said quietly.
A moment later, they both stepped into the magic circle.
The light flared, and their figures vanished.
Meanwhile, in the city of Teperis,
Mayuri stood on the balcony, watching the setting sun.
The warm light slowly faded beyond the horizon, leaving shades of red and orange in the sky.
She gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
"Valdor…" she thought.
She still remembered his gaze and the burden he carried on his shoulders.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.
Kiyoshi stepped onto the balcony.
He had dark, tousled hair, a sharp gaze, and a calm expression. His attire resembled that of a warrior—it was adorned with dark accents, and he carried a weapon.
He stood in silence for a moment, looking at Mayuri.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Mayuri sighed.
"I'm feeling better now. I want to get back to Aurelios as soon as possible."
Kiyoshi nodded.
"We'll send you there tomorrow."
He looked toward the setting sun.
"For now, we need to rebuild the magical teleportation circle."
"Was it destroyed?"
"Yes."
A serious expression crossed his face.
"It was completely destroyed during our last mission in the capital."
Mayuri looked away.
"I see…"
For a moment, they both remained silent, watching the sunset.