The ground split open like a giant cracked egg—
flames spilling out, smoke choking the air.
Aria clutched Dev as the battlefield trembled around them.
"Dev—stay awake, okay?" she said urgently.
Dev tried to smile through the pain.
"No promises… I'm running on vibes right now."
Blood soaked his clothes.
Mira's hands shook as she pressed her sleeve onto the wound.
Rhea whispered prayers under her breath.
Kian's voice cracked,
"We HAVE to end this round before Dev passes out!"
The Shattered King stood on a raised platform—
eyes glowing red, cape burning like a shadow on fire.
"THE NIGHTFALL TRIAL BEGINS,"
his voice thundered.
The battlefield shifted instantly—
torches lighting, swords rising from the ground,
shadows forming into armored silhouettes.
Ravi gasped,
"He summoned a GHOST ARMY!"
Zoya screamed,
"I JUST WANTED A TREASURE ROUND, WHY IS EVERYTHING WAR?!"
Yuvan held onto Kian.
"Bro… if I die, tell my future children I was brave."
"You're not having children," Kian said flatly.
---
THE GHOST ARMY RISES
The ground shook.
Shattered armor pieces flew from the mud—
forming ghost knights with flaming eyes.
They marched forward with metal-on-metal echoes,
their swords dragging like nails on stone.
Aria glared at the king.
"What do we have to do to pass this trial?!"
The king raised his sword to the burning sky.
"SURVIVE."
The ghost army roared.
Rhea screamed, "WHAT KIND OF TRIAL IS THAT?!"
Ravi yelled, "A BAD ONE!"
Aria gritted her teeth.
"GUYS—FORM A CIRCLE AROUND DEV! WE'RE NOT LOSING ANYONE!"
Dev whispered faintly,
"Guys, don't make this dramatic…"
Kian snapped,
"SHUT UP, YOU ARE BLEEDING OUT LIKE A NETFLIX CLIFFHANGER!"
The ghosts charged.
---
THE FIGHT BEGINS
The first ghost swung its massive blade—
CLANGG!!
Dev, even injured, raised a shield with his one good arm,
barely blocking the hit.
Mira screamed,
"DEV STOP FIGHTING, YOU'RE HURT—"
He growled back,
"I'm not letting anything touch you guys."
Two ghosts came from behind.
Yuvan: "OH NO—LEFT! LEFT!!"
Kian: "THAT IS MY RIGHT—"
Yuvan: "THE OTHER LEFT!!"
They grabbed broken swords from the ground—
swinging wildly, barely landing hits.
Rhea gasped,
"ARE WE EVEN DOING DAMAGE?!"
Ravi analyzed quickly.
"These ghosts aren't physical—
they're bound by CURSE MAGIC."
"So how do we kill them?!" Zoya cried.
Ravi's eyes widened.
"WITH LIGHT!"
Aria pointed at the burning sky.
"Then we use the fire!"
The group scattered—
dodging blades, arrows, and ghostly wails.
Aria sprinted toward a flaming catapult.
Kian and Yuvan followed, tripping over each other in chaos.
Mira and Zoya stayed with Dev, shielding him.
Rhea clung to Ravi as he frantically examined collapsing runes on the ground.
---
THE ESCALATION
The king watched from above—
expression unreadable.
"YOU FIGHT WITH COURAGE," he shouted.
"But COURAGE is not enough!"
He slammed his sword into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!!
A shockwave shot across the field—
sending all eight friends flying.
Dev hit the ground hard—
groaning in pain.
Mira crawled to him, tears falling.
"Please… stay with me… we're almost through…"
Dev's breathing grew shallow.
Aria snapped.
"WE NEED TO END THIS ROUND—NOW."
Ravi shouted back,
"We need a final blow! Something large enough to disperse the entire ghost army!"
She sprinted toward the hill overlooking the battlefield—
and froze.
A massive war drum sat there.
Ancient.
Glowing faintly.
The scroll appeared:
THE NIGHTFALL DRUM
Strike it to summon the light of dawn.
Aria's eyes widened.
"GUYS! WE NEED TO HIT THIS DRUM!"
Kian stumbled up beside her.
"With WHAT?! OUR HOPES AND DREAMS?!"
Yuvan lifted a giant fallen spear.
"This?"
Aria nodded.
"That."
---
THE LIGHT OF DAWN
All eight regrouped at the drum—
Dev leaning on Mira, barely conscious.
Ghosts surrounded them—
hundreds—
closing in.
The king raised his flaming sword.
"FACE YOUR END."
Aria yelled,
"Yuvan—NOW!"
Yuvan screamed,
"FOR DEV'S SHOULDER—!!!"
And slammed the spear onto the war drum.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive shockwave of white light exploded across the battlefield.
Ghosts disintegrated instantly—
shattering into silver sparks.
The red ring of corrupted code cracked—
split apart—
and vanished.
The Shattered King staggered—
falling to his knees.
His armor stopped burning.
His eyes softened.
His sword dimmed.
He whispered,
"You… broke the Nightfall Curse…"
Aria stepped forward.
"Let Dev go. Let US go."
The king bowed his head.
"You have my respect…
and your friend will live."
A golden light descended onto Dev—
closing the wound enough to stabilize him.
Mira burst into tears of relief.
Zoya hugged Dev gently.
Rhea collapsed onto the ground, shaking.
Kian flopped onto the dirt.
Yuvan thanked every god he knew.
Ravi looked at the sky.
"The corruption's spreading slower now… but it isn't gone."
The king handed Aria a glowing orb.
"Take this memory.
You will need it."
The scroll unfolded:
ROUND 3 COMPLETE
The King Redeemed
The Battlefield Purified
A Friend Saved (Barely)
But then—
The king's eyes widened in terror.
He looked behind them.
Whispering:
"…he found you."
Before they could turn—
A child's giggle echoed behind them.
Not human.
Not innocent.
Not real.
"Miss me?"
The corrupted child appeared—
eyes now glowing purple.
And the world shattered.
---