The wind howled through the broken cliffs of Valharen Ridge, carrying with it the thick stench of corruption. Jin stared at Aegis—no, the shadow of Aegis—heart heavy with disbelief. Around them, the battle between students and monsters still raged, but for Jin, time had slowed to a standstill.
Naelle stood a few paces behind him, eyes fixed on the two figures facing each other. She didn't speak, sensing that this encounter went far deeper than anything she could understand.
"Aegis…" Jin's voice was low, nearly lost in the wind. "What happened to you?"
The corrupted man gave a hollow chuckle. "You left. That's what happened." He stepped closer, the rift behind him pulsating with raw energy. "When you vanished from our world, so did hope. I searched, waited, prayed. But in the end... I had to become something else to survive."
Jin tightened his grip on his blade, not out of hostility, but from the pain clawing at his chest. Aegis wasn't just an old comrade—he had been like a brother. Someone who had once called him 'Master' with unwavering faith.
"You were stronger than this," Jin said, his tone firm. "You would never have succumbed to this... darkness."
"I was stronger because of you," Aegis hissed, his voice cracking. "But without you? I was nothing. And so I welcomed the abyss."
Behind Jin, Naelle's expression hardened. She took a cautious step forward. "Jin… is he really someone from your past?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Aegis narrowed his eyes at Naelle. "So… these are your new disciples?"
Naelle blinked, startled.
"She doesn't know," Aegis said with a cold smirk. "You kept it from them."
"That's enough," Jin snapped, stepping forward.
"Why hide it?" Aegis continued, ignoring him. "Afraid they'll break if they learn who you truly are?"
"I said that's enough!" Jin's voice echoed like thunder across the battlefield.
The two locked eyes, both filled with years of pain, betrayal, and unanswered questions. The tension between them was palpable—more than just student and teacher, more than comrades—this was a clash of two fates long separated by time.
Suddenly, Aegis raised his hand. A blast of dark energy surged forward.
Jin reacted instantly, raising his sword to intercept the blast. A brilliant clash of light and shadow erupted, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Jin slid backward but remained standing, his aura flaring in defiance.
Naelle instinctively rushed to his side. "Master—!" she caught herself, eyes darting toward Aegis, who let out a dry laugh.
"Oh? So they do call you that in private?" Aegis sneered. "How quaint."
Jin's gaze didn't waver. "If there's still a part of you left, Aegis... don't do this."
Aegis tilted his head slightly. "There's no 'part of me' left, Master. You trained me to be strong. Now, I'll show you what I've become without your guidance."
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground as Aegis vanished in a blur of shadows. The corrupted creatures around them howled louder, suddenly surging with renewed ferocity.
"Naelle," Jin said, blade at the ready. "We end this. Now."
She nodded, eyes fierce. "Understood, Master."
They leapt into battle, side by side, as the storm around them reached its peak. But even as they fought, Jin's mind echoed with a single, devastating truth—
Aegis wasn't just corrupted.
He was a harbinger.
And the true nightmare had only just begun.