The Realm of Death
Mira stood inside the silent void, Death's presence filling the air like cold smoke.
His voice vibrated through the darkness:
"You seek ancient magic."
"Yes," Mira answered.
"Tell me how to destroy the book… and destroy Arkhamis with it."
Death circled her slowly.
"It will take FIVE ancient souls.
Five reincarnated essences strong enough to break the seal."
Mira nodded.
"Tell me who they are."
Death lifted his hand.
The void lit up with five ghostly silhouettes.
The Five Chosen Mira
Death's own cursed servant.
Bound to him for eternity.
The first ancient soul.
Sable
Immortal by sacrifice.
No longer human.
The second ancient soul.
The Dreaded Knight
Sable's younger brother, now skeletal and hollow…
but his soul remains ancient, powerful, and needed.
The third ancient soul.
Mira swallowed.
"That's three.
Who are the last two?"
Death raised a skeletal finger toward two small lights.
"The boys."
Sataro Haruto
Death's voice deepened:
"Their souls carry fragments of the ones lost thousands of years ago."
Mira slowly shook her head.
"So the boys… they're reincarnations?"
Death corrected her:
"Pieces of souls reborn.
Echoes from the past.
Enough to awaken ancient magic once trained."
Mira inhaled sharply.
"But that's only five.
What about Bjorn?"
Death's tone grew cold.
"The Viking child was meant to be one of the five.
One of the strongest.
But he is dead."
Mira lowered her eyes, grief flickering.
"…So we can't break the book?"
Death leaned close enough for her to feel the void breathe.
"There will be a fifth.
When the cycle repeats."
Mira frowned.
"Cycle?
What cycle?"
Death's answer shook the floor beneath her.
"One of the boys…
will one day have a child."
Mira froze.
"A baby?"
"Yes.
And that child will inherit the strongest ancient soul of all."
Her eyes widened.
"The reincarnation of the soul Arkhamis hated most…"
"Exactly."
Death stepped back.
"The book can only be broken
by:
Mira.
Sable.
The Dreaded Knight.
Sataro.
Haruto…
and the child that has not yet been born."
Mira covered her mouth.
"That could take YEARS."
Death descended upon her like a shadow.
"You have FIVE."
Mira's breath hitched.
"…Just like Sable said."
Death nodded.
"Fate is not kind.
But it is fair."
The True History: Told Correctly
Death raised his hand, and images from the past appeared.
Arkhamis — The Strongest Mage to Ever Live
Not a demon.
Not a beast.
A human.
A powerful, brilliant, terrifying human mage whose mind rotted from his own power.
He conquered kingdoms.
Burned cities.
Bent reality with his magic.
Mira, Sable, and the Dreaded Knight's Bargains
They tried to kill Arkhamis with mortal magic.
They failed.
Sable was wounded.
His younger brother nearly died.
Mira was the only one still standing.
She knelt before Death.
"Help us defeat him."
Death touched her forehead.
Her veins turned silver.
Her eyes went black.
Her soul cracked.
"You will carry my curse.
You will walk between the living and the dead."
The book appeared in her hands — a vessel for stolen magic.
Using the Book to Kill Arkhamis
When the trio fought Arkhamis again, they used the book's power.
They defeated him.
But Arkhamis, in his last act of malice, grabbed the Dreaded Knight and branded him with his curse.
Possession.
Chaos.
Madness.
And so the boy murdered his own parents.
His wife.
His daughter.
Mira watched the Dreaded Knight die inside.
Sable's Sacrifice
To save his brother, Sable made his own bargain.
He gave the book his magic.
His soul.
His everything.
The book devoured all of it.
Leaving Sable immortal…
but empty.
And the Dreaded Knight alive…
but nothing but bones.
Mira alone remained cursed, pulled between life and death forever.
The Final Warning
Mira clenched her fists.
"Where do I start?"
Death whispered:
"Train the boys.
Guide their souls.
Protect them long enough for destiny to repeat."
"And… the child?" Mira asked.
"A child of either Haruto or Sataro
will hold the final piece of ancient magic."
Mira stepped back.
"That could change everything."
Death nodded.
"It will."
Mira's Resolve
Mira bowed her head.
"Then I'll gather the five.
And I'll break the book."
Death's voice echoed as he disappeared:
"Five years, Mira.
No more."
The void vanished.
And Mira turned…
Walking back toward the mortal world.
Carrying the truth.
Carrying the book.
Carrying fate on her shoulders.