The darkness inside the cocoon was suffocating.
There was no sound except for the cold cracking of ice adjusting around him, as if the cocoon itself were breathing.
The air was gelid, cutting, and burned Tekio's lungs with every breath.
He stood firm, shoulders tense, gaze straight—even though there was nothing to see in there.
His breathing came in a forced, measured rhythm, because panic lurked like a serpent trying to coil around his mind.
From outside, muffled by the layers of ice, came the echoes.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Explosions. The desperate sound of Dan's flaming fists, trying to break the prison.
And amidst those blows, his voice.
— HOLD ON, TEKIO! — the shout resonated, distorted by the ice. — I'LL GET YOU OUT OF THERE!
That call made Tekio's heart tremble. He knew: he couldn't falter here. Not now.
Then came the other voice.
Emerging in the darkness like poison.
— Hah… look at this. — Hazau's low laugh echoed, reverberating through the cocoon. — Can you feel it, Tekio? This is your tomb. This is where it ends.
The cold intensified, as if Hazau's very presence saturated the air.
With every word, it seemed the ice closed in tighter, suffocating, consuming.
— Your friends out there… will see your body the same way they saw Aisha's. — Hazau whispered, his voice dripping cruelty. — I will pierce your chest… and place you side by side with her. Master and student. Two failures. Two corpses together. Perfect.
Tekio clenched his fists. He did not respond. He just breathed. Firmly.
Hazau continued, his voice spreading from all sides as if coming from the ice itself.
— A mediocre boy. No spiritual gifts. No strength of your own. — the drawn-out voice sounded like blades scraping the ear. — You only managed to stand because Yara shared a bit of her energy. Without her, you are nothing. Everyone knew it. And now everyone will see.
The silence that followed seemed crushing, but soon Hazau returned, lower, crueler:
— Poor little Tekio… no parents, no sister… and now no future.
— Dead. — the word echoed like a verdict.
Tekio took a deep breath.
Cold. Pain.
He could still hear Dan outside, his voice reverberating between the impacts on the cocoon.
He wanted to answer, to shout back, but he couldn't give in to Hazau's hatred.
So, he kept his gaze firm on the void, his mind sharp as a blade.
If he let that darkness penetrate… he would be finished.
Hazau laughed.
— Keep standing firm, if you want. The more you fight, the more beautiful it will be when I rip your hope out along with your heart.
The cold tightened, breathing became more difficult.
But Tekio did not lower his head.
Outside, the ground shook violently. Explosions erupted in the distance, shockwaves ran through the arena, raising dust and debris as if the entire world was about to shatter. The air was charged with electricity, as if every particle was aware of the imminent danger.
Stella and Amara, climbing desperately up the platforms of light, felt every vibration reverberate in their bones. — This… this is… — Stella choked, her breathing irregular, — it's Mei. She and the princess are breaking all limits… — her voice failed before the magnitude of the power they felt.
Amara bit her lip, eyes fixed on the cocoon, while the pressure of the world seemed to push her down. Every step was a fight against fear, against the panic threatening to swallow her. Dan remained at the foot of the cocoon, punching and launching concentrated flames, but every explosion seemed useless against the wall of ice that closed with supernatural perfection.
They knew what was at stake: Tekio, their friend, was on the verge of death. They couldn't reach him, they couldn't react fast enough. And, above all, Hazau was more than an enemy: he was the Abyss in flesh and blood, and nothing they knew could stop him.
Inside the cocoon, the darkness tightened. Tekio felt the penetrating cold and the crushing weight of the prison. But Hazau wouldn't let the physical pressure be enough—he needed to corrode Tekio from within.
— Look at this… — his voice serpentined through the ice. — A true mediocre. Always dependent, always limited. No parents, no sister… nothing of worth. Just a receptacle, a puppet of the cosmos seeking something that was never his.
Tekio did not respond. He kept his gaze firm, shoulders rigid, breathing slowly, measured. Every word from Hazau tried to tear his confidence, but he did not yield.
— And your friends… oh, they will be reborn in the abyssal existence. — Hazau continued, his voice cold, like blades scraping Tekio's bones. — Each of them will return to what they were always destined to be… the universe… the cosmos… everything will return to zero and infinity.
And you will be a nothing.
Tekio felt the pressure of the ice squeezing his shoulders and chest, increasingly cruel, as if the cocoon wanted to compress not only his body, but his very essence.
— Mei… will inherit the Flame of Creation. — Hazau went on, his eyes glowing with an abyssal red. — The others… can you imagine who? Yes, all of you… part of the cosmos's spectacle.
Then, a red light began to radiate from within the cocoon. Hazau's arms became incandescent, his red wrists reflecting on the ice walls, condensed abyssal energy. Tekio stared into his grotesquely distorted eyes, and in that smile was something that made his blood run cold: amusement, cruelty, and a terrifying certainty that he had total control.
— It's been fun… — said Hazau, approaching, his steps echoing in the cocoon like hammers. — Playing with Stella in my cocoon body, provoking Dan, watching you abuse a power that isn't yours… but don't worry. I will give Yara a suitable receptacle. She is part of the creation's collection.
The ice tightened more, compressing every muscle of Tekio. The air became almost impossible to breathe. Still, Tekio began to walk slowly, each step heavy as iron, each movement controlled and forced as the environment closed in more and more.
— I wanted to embrace you… — murmured Hazau, his smile contorting, grotesque. — But it would be a mortal embrace, Tekio. A visceral embrace… and you will feel every piece of it!
The ice cocoon tightened even more, as if breathing on its own, compressing Tekio and sucking the air from within. The sound of the ice closing reverberated through his bones, echoing like the sealing of a tomb.
Outside, terror spread like a wave. Dan punched the cocoon desperately with all his strength, concentrated flames exploding around his fists, trying to open any fissure, but every crack vanished as quickly as it appeared.
— Tekio! — he screamed, his voice breaking, hoarse from effort and despair. — HOLD ON, BROTHER!
Stella ran to his side, hands shining with concentrated energy. Unstable platforms of light floated, launching beams of energy against the cocoon, trying to break that impossible wall. Every attack reflected back, rendered useless.
— NO! — Stella howled, crushed by fear and powerlessness. — WE WON'T ALLOW IT!
Amara, beside her, stretched her hands towards the cocoon, trying to summon any energy, any fragment of power that could open a breach. But everything seemed to fail. Frustration and despair burned in her chest, and she felt that every passing second could be Tekio's last.
The ground trembled violently under their feet. Massive explosions echoed in the distance, one after another, launching waves of energy that made the air vibrate, raising dust, debris, and sparks. The world around them seemed to be collapsing—the Tree of Life vibrated, cracks appeared in its giant roots, and Mei and the princess surpassed all known limits of power, breaking barriers and unleashing forces that seemed to tear reality itself.
Each explosion reflected on Dan's, Stella's, and Amara's faces. Each tremor made their hearts race, their hands shake, and their minds scream in panic. They could feel the weight of the universe on their shoulders, the pressure of a world literally shattering behind them.
— Tekio! — Dan screamed again, punching the ice, trying to melt it with concentrated fire. — HOLD ON! Please… DON'T DIE!
Hazau's cruel laughter echoed from within the ice, piercing the wall and corroding their spirits. It was an oppressive presence, almost physical, and the feeling of powerlessness only increased the panic already burning in their hearts.
The world behind them continued to collapse: explosions tore the sky and earth, energy waves emanating from the Tree and from Mei and the princess's battle spread destruction, and the air was charged with the certainty that any mistake, any delay, could cost Tekio's life—and the balance of everything.
Stella and Dan looked at each other, eyes laden with despair and determination. The sight of Tekio trapped inside the cocoon and Hazau's unbearable laughter had inflamed their souls. There was no time to hesitate.
— Stella… together! — shouted Dan, burning his own rage and fear into concentrated flames that swirled around his fists, burning with an almost palpable heat.
Stella nodded, hands shining with pure, scintillating light. — Let's go! — Her voice trembled, but there was firmness, courage, and the energy of all Mei's teachings flowing through her.
They advanced in sync, feeling the unstable ground under their feet, the cocoon high above squeezing Tekio like a death trap. Every step was calculated, every movement timed to maximize their combined force.
Dan concentrated his most intense flame, creating an incandescent sphere of heat that spun around his body. Stella, at the same time, converted all her luminous energy into blades of light, sharp and vibrant, that spun like crystal blades in the air, reflecting each one's despair in every spark.
— Now! — Stella shouted, releasing the energy.
The combined attack exploded like a cataclysm: Dan's sphere of fire collided with Stella's blades of light, generating a vortex that shot towards the cocoon. The impact was brutal, a roar that shook the entire arena, raising a storm of sparks, shattering ice, and cracks appearing in the supernatural wall.
The cocoon trembled, cracking, but did not open; the smoke yielded and the ice prevailed. Every inch seemed to resist with a will of its own, the ice sticking and regenerating, pulsing with Hazau's presence, laughing at their effort.
Inside, the tremor ran through the cocoon like silent thunder. Tekio felt the ground shake beneath him, the vibration reverberating through the imprisoning ice. Hazau, who was tightening the cocoon with incandescent hands, stopped suddenly. His red, ember-like eyes fixed on the air, as if he could feel every beat and every external effort.
— Hmmm… interesting — murmured Hazau, his voice now laden with calculation and mockery. — Someone is trying. But it's useless. All this effort… — he gestured to the cocoon — I concentrated almost all my energy just to sustain this prison. Only someone with explosive power… like Mei's… could break this. And even then… it would have to be in one go, without error. — He let the phrase hang in the air, almost savoring their despair.
The ice cracked, compressing Tekio with increasing force. Every millimeter tightened not only his muscles, but his very essence.
— This cocoon… is a tomb — Hazau continued, smiling grotesquely. — Fighting all four at once would be problematic, so why not isolate… the weakest? The most useless, the most mediocre… you, Tekio.
Tekio's heart raced for a fraction of a second, but he kept his gaze firm and breathed in a measured cadence. Inside, he felt the growing pressure: the pain of powerlessness, the cold of the ice, and the awareness that he could be crushed at any moment.
The cocoon kept closing, compressing every muscle, every bone of Tekio. The cold was cutting, the darkness suffocating, and yet, within that living nightmare, something began to emerge: acceptance.
Hazau paused for a moment, feeling the tremor coming from outside. Occasionally, the arena's vibrations reached inside the cocoon, reverberating in the ice like silent thunder. He perceived Dan, Stella, and Amara's desperate attempt. The isolated enemy felt the entire world trying to save a single point, and a cruel smile formed on his red lips.
— How adorable… kings who don't know their own crown striving for it… — murmured Hazau, his voice cold as scraping iron, echoing off the icy walls. — Do you really believe they will save you, Tekio? That external forces can change something I myself chose to keep intact?
He advanced with slow steps, each one echoing in the cocoon like hammers on the boy's heart. The ice tightened, and his proximity seemed to suck the breath from Tekio.
— Look at you… alone, small, fragile. — Hazau continued, his voice a mix of scorn and macabre fascination. — So mediocre it's almost painful to watch. Look at yourself! No power to defend you, no skill to save you. You were always the smallest, the weakest, and here you are, about to vanish while everyone outside fights without being able to touch you.
Tekio breathed slowly, each inhalation and exhalation calculated, as he always did. Fear existed, throbbing like hot iron inside his chest, but he knew how to control himself. The pain was real—and it was cruel—but there was something deeper, more insidious: the silent recognition of his own limitation.
— And you know what's worse? — Hazau leaned in, bringing his grotesque face close to the ice. — It's not that you will die… it's that they will watch. They will see you, the most useless of all, swallowed by nothingness. Every attempt, every fight, every dream… crushed by the universe itself.
The ice tightened even more, as if breathing in unison with Hazau. Tekio felt the pressure grow, but something within him steadied, even as the cold penetrated every fiber of his body. He remembered every moment he had to get up when all seemed lost, every defeat that molded him, every hour life showed the difference between him and the other Sifs.
— See, Tekio… — Hazau whispered, a twisted smile illuminating the cocoon with red. — You were always the least valuable piece, and yet you insist on standing up. What a joke. I could crush every bone in your body now and no one could stop me. And you still maintain that look… of what? A hero? A fool? Ah, perhaps both.
Tekio did not respond. He just felt. Felt the emptiness, the tightness, the powerlessness, but also something no one else could steal: his own decision not to yield to psychological defeat.
Inside him, the thought was simple and heavy: I can't save anyone now. I can't stop anything. But I can face this with dignity. I can accept. I can remain standing, even mediocre, even alone.
And then, a slow, almost silent smile, appeared on his lips. It wasn't triumph, nor joy. It was the acceptance of what he knew, of all that a mediocre like him could know.
Of the fact that even weak, even being just himself, he had always tried his hardest, he had faced the impossible many times. Things hadn't always been as he idealized, but he had always tried.
He had fought to the end every time. He saved his brother. He lost Aisha. He fought Dante. He saved Amara. He managed to see the spark of love between his two best friends. He managed to save Mei. He fought and helped Fenra in Russia. He made friends. He made enemies. He was a student and the receptacle of an incomparable warrior. He lost his sister. He trained day after day to be just the basics.
The mediocre one, with a trajectory without glory, only defeats and a few triumphs.
He wished he could save Akira, could help in the now.
But even so, he knew he had tried, and he would always try. If he could go back in time, he would do everything the same.
A death with practically no regrets.
Hazau stopped for a moment, disconcerted. That serenity, in that situation, was unexpected.
— Smiling… — he murmured, his voice full of surprise and revulsion — you really think you can face death like that? That surrendering with a smile changes anything? That with this… you survive?
Tekio did not answer. He didn't need to. Inside that cocoon, crushed, cold, and squeezed, there was only him and his silent decision to resist, even if it was only in his mind. Even if it was only in his own heart.
And only he knew how useless he felt. How much he wished he could do more: see Dan get married, protect Amara, see his friends live a normal life, teach Amara what it truly meant to live… But there was nothing he could do. Only him. Only Tekio.
Mediocre. He had always known. He had always carried this truth like a secret no one knew. And now, without Yara to help him, nothing remained but himself. Only Tekio, the Sif adopted by Mei, without spiritual powers, only hand-to-hand techniques, trained by Aisha, studied by Tenklyn when the mark appeared on his back. Who would have thought that mark, which seemed like a burden, would bring him to this moment of absolute horror?
The failed Sif, a nobody, from a nobody family, alone.
— You smiled… That smile of yours — Hazau hissed, his eyes glowing red, his voice a thread of pure cruelty. — Smiling? Why? Do you think that changes anything? That your fragile courage will stop the inevitable? You will die here, Tekio. And no one will mourn you. The world will move on, and you… you will be just an insignificant memory in oblivion.
That smile, heavy, full of everything he had lived, every defeat, every moment the world seemed to crush him. A smile that made Hazau pause for a fraction of a second, disconcerted.
The blessing of the fool. The weak. The stupid. But also of those who never give up.
The ground continued to tremble violently, the explosions from Mei and the princess sending waves of destruction through the air. Dan and Stella continued their attempts, combining attacks of light and fire, but nothing seemed to touch the cocoon.
And then Amara lost herself completely.
She charged against the ice wall, punching with hands imbued with spiritual energy, each impact reverberating through the air, through the cocoon, through Tekio's very heart.
— TEKIO! — she screamed, her voice torn, full of desperation and determination. — Get up! Don't… don't let him swallow you! You always find a way out! YOU ALWAYS GET BACK UP! DON'T YOU? DON'T GIVE UP NOW!
She hit again, and again, until blood began to stream from her hands, dripping onto the ice. But Amara did not stop.
— Remember all the times you insisted? All the times you faced the impossible? When you saved me? Now it's my turn to scream for you! Tekio, I WON'T LOSE YOU! — she roared, eyes wet, body trembling with effort. — I know you can hear me! Fight! For us! For what you built, not Yara, not others. But you!.
The ice cracked under her blows, but she did not relent. Each strike was a plea, each scream a desperate prayer.
— I will fight for you, Tekio! I will fight for everyone you love! So don't make me fight alone! Don't make me lose you! — her voice broke, but she continued, every word charged with pure emotion.
She pleaded with Hazau even amidst the chaos:
— Do whatever you want with me! Take me! But don't touch them! Don't touch Tekio! — she shouted, fury and love burning in every syllable. — He can't die! Not today! NOT NOW!
Dan and Stella fell silent, shocked. Their hearts tightened, breathing irregular, watching Amara give herself over completely to despair. She wasn't just trying to break the cocoon—she was exposing herself, putting everything she felt into every blow.
Inside the cocoon, Tekio heard every scream, every word, every impact of her blood against the ice. His chest constricted, and even trapped, even crushed by the cold and pressure, something began to burn within him. Her despair pierced the ice, pierced his own limitation, and reminded him of who he was—someone who never gave up, even if mediocre.
— Tekio! — Amara continued, almost crying now, but firm — Wake up! React! You always find a way! I BELIEVE IN YOU! Fight for me! For all of us! For you! FEEL THE POWER, YOUR POWER! FIGHT!
Hazau, observing, furrowed his brow, his grotesque smile becoming tense. There was something in her energy, in the intensity of the love and despair, that threatened to test the limits of his control.
And Tekio, inside, felt something awaken. A small, but undeniable spark, ignited by Amara's screams. Every word of hers echoed in his mind, reminding him that, even alone, he wasn't truly alone. He took a deep breath, maintaining his posture, but feeling determination grow alongside the pain.
— Don't leave me, Tekio… — Amara whispered, almost breaking, but her voice firm again — I want to be able to live my new life with you, to love the way you love...
The world outside continued to crumble—explosions, tremors, the power of the tree and of Mei breaking limits—and yet, in the midst of the chaos, Amara's love and despair became a force more powerful than any attack.
Because, no matter how mediocre Tekio was in the world's eyes, she knew the truth: he never gave up. And now, even trapped, he needed that memory more than ever.
Hazau laughed, a cutting sound that pierced the cocoon like blades.
— Look at this ridiculous despair! — he shouted, his voice laden with contempt and venom. — All this passion, all this love, all this loyalty… it's useless! Every drop of your emotion, Amara, is worthless. It won't stop him from dying, from everyone seeing how weak and mediocre he is!
Amara tried to shout louder, but Hazau interrupted with a snap of his hand, compressing the cocoon.
— I want to hear you, Tekio! — he said, with subtle hatred, mocking. — Scream! Scream in pain! Let them hear the sound of your failure, of your impotence!
Inside the cocoon, Tekio felt the weight of every word, every breath of hatred. But instead of breaking him, Amara's words, her despair, her love, reached every fiber of his consciousness. Every plea, every attempt to save him, every word of strength she uttered echoed in his soul. He absorbed it all, storing it, recognizing it, feeling it. A living memory, engraved in the core of his being, saying: you still have to try.
And then, Tekio smiled. A silent, heavy smile, laden with meaning. A smile that said he still existed, that he could still react, even there, even crushed by the abyss.
Hazau frowned, surprised and irritated.
— Smiling? — he murmured, incredulous. — After all that, you still smile? And why? Her words didn't break your tomb, you mediocre!
Tekio raised his eyes, firm and concentrated.
— You're right — he responded, his voice low, but laden with determination. — I depend on others. I always have. I need someone to lend me power, to give me strength, be it with words, with energy, with shared essence. I am weak alone… But that's why I try. That's why I don't give up.
Inside him, something stirred. An ancient, heavy silence. Yara, who inhabited his soul, stood motionless, disconcerted. She watched Tekio with eyes that now understood something even she didn't know. He was never dependent on her; perhaps it was the reverse. He had grown up carrying his own weakness, but transforming every piece into resistance.
Tekio took a deep breath and, slowly, walked towards the core of his essence, towards that dark and strange space within his own soul that Hazau could never touch or silence. He stretched out his hand, hesitant but firm, and from the darkness, something grasped his hand. A firm touch, a silent and powerful connection, something that transcended physical or spiritual strength: a promise of resistance, of existence, of struggle.
His eyes met Hazau's. Red. Crimson. Like flames reflecting in the returning eclipse, a symbol of the imminent turning point. Tekio was no longer alone. He had found something that Hazau himself was unaware of, something he could never control.
And in that instant, the world inside the cocoon, the Abyss itself, and Hazau's cruel laughter seemed to lose strength before what had just awoken.
To be continued…