Frozen Lands — Yuno’s Laboratory

  They pulled together — harder, faster — hands burning against the golden cord until it bit deep into their palms.

  The tether jerked once.

  Then went slack.

  Both of them stumbled and crashed to the cold floor at the same time, the impact knocking the air from their lungs.

  Yu was the first to get up.

  Her eyes snapped to the circle.

  The hole was still open — black and hungry — its pull now weak, as if it was deciding whether to keep devouring or let go.

  “No…” Yu’s voice came out raw. “Where is he?”

  Yuno didn’t answer. She stayed on her knees, staring at the cord like it had personally betrayed her. Her fingers tightened around nothing.

  Yu stepped closer to the edge, her wings half-fanned without her realizing, body tense like she was about to dive in — then remembered she couldn’t.

  “Isaac!” she shouted into the darkness, as if volume alone could reach a world that didn’t want to be reached.

  Nothing answered.

  The tether trembled in the air… and then began to fade — strand by strand — like smoke being erased by the wind.

  Yu lunged and grabbed for it.

  It vanished through her fingers.

  Her hand closed on emptiness.

  Her throat tightened.

  “Isaac…” This time it wasn’t a shout. It was smaller. Broken.

  Yuno finally moved — slow, stiff — like her bones had turned to ice.

  “No… no, no—” She crawled forward and reached desperately for the circle, as if she could drag him back by sheer force of will. “Come back—”

  A laugh cut through the room.

  Not human.

  Not alive.

  A figure stepped out of the darkness at the edge of the circle like it belonged there — tall, wrong, and smiling under a face that didn’t match any known race. Rings covered its fingers. Too many. Each one pulsed with a different kind of unnatural light.

  “Hello, sweet things.”

  Yu turned instantly, placing herself between the creature and Yuno.

  Her aura flared — sharp, protective, burning with fury.

  “Where is he?” Yu demanded, her voice shaking with something far more dangerous than fear. “What did you do?”

  The Walker tilted its head, clearly amused, as if it was savoring the sound of her desperation.

  “I didn’t do anything.” It lifted one hand and wiggled its fingers. The rings chimed softly — metal kissing metal.

  Yuno’s face drained of all color.

  “You—” she whispered, voice trembling. “You took my tether…”

  The Walker’s smile widened, cruel and satisfied.

  “I took your hope.” It leaned forward slightly, like it was sharing a delicious secret. “Your king is still down there.”

  Yu’s breath hitched.

  “But not where you can reach him.”

  Yu’s fists clenched so hard her nails drew blood from her palms.

  The Walker laughed — bright, mocking, and full of malice.

  Limbo — Edge of Oblivion

  Isaac slammed into the wall so hard the stone RANG like a cracked bell.

  Fall laughed — low and ugly — and grabbed Isaac by the hair, forcing his head sideways. With his other hand, he punched through the cracked stone like it was wet clay, ripping a jagged opening in the wall just to show he could.

  Then he threw Isaac away like trash.

  Isaac rolled across the ground, skidded, and caught himself on one knee — spitting blood, eyes burning with raw fury.

  Vilgas moved.

  No weapon. No roar. Just raw pressure.

  Goda met him the same way — bare hands, feet planted, body loose like a coiled spring.

  Vilgas swung first, a heavy hook meant to fold ribs.

  CRACK.

  Goda slipped inside it and drove a short, sharp punch into Vilgas’ sternum.

  Vilgas didn’t fall. He smiled.

  He answered with a knee aimed straight for Goda’s stomach.

  Goda caught the knee with both hands, grunted, and shoved it aside — then slammed his forehead into Vilgas’ face.

  Bone rang.

  Vilgas staggered half a step back.

  Goda didn’t chase. He waited — watching Vilgas’ shoulders, the hips, the weight shift. Like he’d fought a thousand wars and was still counting.

  Vilgas rushed again, trying to overwhelm with raw power.

  Goda let him come.

  A pivot. A palm strike to the throat. A heel to the knee.

  Vilgas grunted, forced himself through it, and grabbed Goda’s forearm — trying to wrench it.

  Goda twisted, snapped free, and drove an elbow into Vilgas’ jaw.

  CRACK.

  Fall walked toward Isaac like the fight around them didn’t matter.

  Isaac rose slowly, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

  Fall’s smile widened, cruel and triumphant.

  “Today you pay for what you did, insect. I’m going to crush your skull.”

  Isaac didn’t answer.

  He stepped forward.

  They collided — forearms locked, shoulders pressed, boots grinding into the dead ground of Limbo. Strength against strength.

  Fall leaned closer, eyes gleaming with malice.

  “Break already.”

  Isaac’s eyes flared.

  A thin beam of blue light snapped out —

  — straight into Fall’s face.

  ZZZZTTT!

  Fall screamed, stumbling back, one hand covering his eye as smoke hissed off his burned skin.

  AHH—!

  The burn began to knit itself back together — slow, stubborn regeneration crawling over ruined flesh.

  Isaac turned — his gaze snapped to his father.

  Vilgas was on him again.

  Isaac moved to help —

  Fall hit him from the side, a brutal shove he didn’t even see coming.

  Isaac slid, boots scraping against the stone.

  Too far.

  The air changed.

  A cold, hungry pull.

  The edge.

  Oblivion.

  Isaac’s heel slipped near the lip and his stomach dropped.

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  Goda saw it.

  He slammed a punch into Vilgas’ ribs to create space, forcing him back —

  “My son — watch your step!”

  Fall was already there.

  He grabbed Isaac by the throat and lifted him, dragging him toward the black maw.

  Fall’s face was still half-lashed open from the laser, healing in ugly, jagged lines as he smiled through the pain.

  “See, Isaac? This is your destiny. Forgotten by everything. Everyone.”

  Above them, the Walker lounged on a broken slab like it was watching a show — legs swinging, chin in hand, laughing quietly.

  Tatsuo watched from behind debris, shaking, eyes wide with terror.

  Isaac clawed at Fall’s wrist, trying to breathe.

  He snarled — rage rising like a storm —

  Fall punched him in the face.

  CRACK.

  Isaac’s vision flashed white, then swam.

  Fall punched again.

  Isaac’s head snapped sideways —

  And something inside him cracked open.

  Isaac grabbed Fall’s fingers — tight — then bent them the wrong way.

  CRACK.

  Fall screamed and released him.

  “YOU—!”

  Isaac staggered, hand on his throat, sucking air like it was being stolen from him.

  Then he straightened.

  He lifted his head.

  And he screamed.

  Not words.

  Pure fury.

  [Berserk Mode]

  Heat crawled across his skin. The left side of his face burned, splitting — bone showing through in a glowing line. His skeleton lit up beneath his flesh like a furnace trying to escape.

  Fall froze for half a beat.

  Isaac walked forward.

  Heavy steps.

  Fall swung —

  Isaac punched first.

  The blow launched Fall into the wall so violently the stone spiderwebbed behind him.

  BOOM.

  Fall coughed, stunned.

  Isaac’s head snapped up — he locked eyes with the Walker above.

  That smug grin.

  That calm.

  Isaac’s rage sharpened.

  He turned.

  Vilgas had Goda locked again — arms around him, trying to drag him toward the edge.

  Isaac crossed the distance in two steps and drove a fist into Vilgas’ back.

  Vilgas lurched, grip breaking.

  Goda stumbled free.

  Isaac grabbed Vilgas by the armor and hauled him up like he weighed nothing.

  Vilgas’ eyes widened.

  Isaac didn’t hesitate.

  He threw him.

  Straight into Oblivion.

  Vilgas hit the edge —

  And the black swallowed him.

  No scream lasted longer than a heartbeat.

  Gone.

  Isaac exhaled hard, eyes still blazing.

  “Are you okay, father?”

  Goda was breathing rough, but he stood.

  “I’m old… but fine.” (a short, breathy laugh) “Berserk suits you.”

  “Not now. We need—”

  A kick blasted into Isaac’s side.

  He flew, skidding near the edge again — Oblivion’s pull tugging at him like hungry hands.

  “ISAAC!”

  Fall was back — fast — rage twisted across his face.

  He seized Goda by the throat and yanked him toward the hole.

  Goda’s boots scraped the ground.

  The edge was right there.

  Isaac dug his fingers into the dead earth, fighting the pull, hauling himself up inch by inch.

  Fall squeezed harder on Goda’s neck.

  Goda slammed a fist into Fall’s gut.

  Fall doubled slightly.

  Goda climbed onto him — locking an arm around Fall’s throat, choking with everything he had.

  “ISAAC!”

  Isaac looked up.

  Not at his father.

  At the Walker.

  He understood.

  Isaac crawled free of the pull, then launched himself — low flight, fast — straight at the Walker.

  The Walker’s lazy smile vanished.

  A barrier snapped up — thick, layered, humming with stolen magic.

  Isaac hit it with a punch.

  The shield held.

  Isaac hit it again.

  And again.

  Faster.

  Harder.

  Each strike made the barrier ripple like glass under a hammer.

  “Impressive, human.”

  Isaac roared and accelerated — fists becoming a blur.

  The shield cracked.

  Then shattered.

  The Walker flew backward, landing hard.

  Isaac surged toward him —

  The Walker lifted a hand.

  A ring flashed.

  Isaac froze mid-step.

  His whole body locked — muscles turned to stone in an instant.

  His eyes still burned, but he couldn’t move.

  The Walker stood, grinning again — breathing a little heavier now.

  “Look at that… so who’s the prey? How much do you think the skin of Olympia’s king is worth?”

  Another ring flashed.

  A heavy woodcutter’s axe formed in his grip — old metal, sharp edge, hungry weight.

  “Let’s find out.”

  He raised it over Isaac’s neck.

  Isaac fought against the paralysis — veins straining, teeth grinding —

  The axe started to fall —

  A shadow moved.

  Tatsuo.

  He drove a dagger into the Walker’s back.

  Deep.

  The Walker jolted, choking on surprise.

  “WHAT—?!”

  The paralysis snapped.

  Isaac moved.

  He stepped forward like a storm given legs.

  He kicked the Walker in the spine.

  The Walker slammed to the ground, still clawing at the dagger.

  Isaac planted his boot on the Walker’s back, grabbed both arms, and pulled.

  The Walker screamed — raw panic now.

  Isaac kept pulling.

  Tendons tore.

  Bone cracked.

  Both arms ripped free.

  Blood sprayed the dead ground.

  The Walker’s scream turned into a choking sound.

  Isaac reached down, grabbed the Walker’s head, and yanked — slow, brutal, final.

  The head tore off.

  Silence.

  Isaac breathed once — hard — then picked up the fallen axe.

  His gaze turned to Fall.

  King Goda was on top of Fall, forearm locked under his throat, trying to choke him out. Fall thrashed and snarled, but the old king kept him pinned — breathing hard, teeth clenched.

  Isaac stood a few steps away, still burning with Berserk heat, the axe heavy in his hands.

  “Move, Father.” Isaac’s voice came out low. Wrong. Like it didn’t belong to him.

  Goda’s eyes flicked up — he saw Isaac’s face, the glow under the skin, the calm violence in his posture.

  He didn’t argue.

  He shoved off Fall and rolled away.

  Fall sucked in one ragged breath and tried to sit up.

  Isaac stepped in and brought the axe down.

  THUNK.

  The blade split clean through the top of Fall’s skull, cutting straight down the center.

  Fall’s body went limp like a puppet whose strings were cut.

  Isaac didn’t stop there.

  He grabbed the corpse by the collar, dragged it to the edge, and kicked it into Oblivion.

  The black swallowed Fall without sound.

  Goda sat there for a second, chest heaving, staring at the emptiness.

  “…We did it,” he said quietly.

  Isaac’s glow began to fade. The tearing heat retreated. He stayed bent forward, breathing through his mouth like he’d just sprinted through fire.

  “Yeah,” Isaac said. “Barely.”

  Footsteps approached.

  Tatsuo came closer, still shaking, eyes locked on Isaac like he wasn’t sure he was real.

  “You… you really know my mother?”

  Isaac turned to him. His expression softened, just a little.

  “I do. And she’s been looking for answers.”

  Tatsuo swallowed.

  Isaac and Goda stepped toward him, careful — like sudden movement might make him bolt again.

  Isaac’s voice stayed steady. “Who killed you? Do you know?”

  Tatsuo stared at the ground for a long moment, then forced the words out.

  “…Yes. It was my father.”

  Isaac’s eyes widened. Goda’s breathing stalled.

  “Your father?” Goda repeated.

  Tatsuo nodded, jaw trembling. “He wasn’t… the man I remembered.”

  Isaac took a slow breath. “Explain.”

  Tatsuo’s gaze drifted, replaying it in his mind.

  “When I got the message… that he was in Ironkeep… I went immediately.” He flinched, shame crossing his face. “My mother told me not to. I ran anyway.”

  He swallowed hard.

  “When I found him… he looked like a shadow wearing armor. Black armor.” Tatsuo lifted his hand, drawing the shape in the air like he couldn’t forget it. “There was a symbol on his chest. Strange. Like it didn’t belong to any banner I knew.”

  Isaac’s posture tightened.

  Goda noticed it. “What is it, son?”

  Isaac didn’t answer yet. He stared past them, thinking fast.

  Tatsuo’s voice dropped. “It was him. He showed me his face.”

  Isaac snapped his eyes back to Tatsuo. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.” Tatsuo’s lips pressed together. “Even with white eyes… even with his face twisted… I knew him. I would know him anywhere.”

  Isaac’s jaw flexed.

  “The Midnight Killer,” Isaac muttered.

  Goda and Tatsuo both blinked.

  “The what?”

  Isaac exhaled, like saying it out loud made it heavier.

  “Commander Valerius.” His gaze sharpened. “Fall’s right hand. Fast. Sadistic. The kind of assassin who leaves nothing behind.”

  Tatsuo’s face went pale. “Valerius…?”

  Isaac didn’t look away. “The description fits.” Isaac’s eyes narrowed, rage simmering under control. “A new name. A new mask. That would explain why he ‘disappeared’ without a trace.”

  Isaac’s voice lowered, almost to himself.

  “Killed by your own father…”

  Tatsuo’s breath hitched.

  Isaac stepped closer — not threatening. Just solid. Real.

  “Listen to me,” Isaac said. “Your mother never stopped caring. Never stopped searching in her own way. Don’t throw yourself into Oblivion.”

  Tatsuo’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. Dragons don’t accept me. High Elves don’t accept me. I’m just… a mistake that keeps walking.”

  Goda watched him for a second, then stood.

  “Then come with me.”

  Isaac and Tatsuo both looked at him.

  “Father…?”

  Goda walked up and put an arm around Tatsuo’s shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  “We’re going to the War Elves’ plane together,” Goda said.

  Isaac frowned. “Father… And your wife?”

  Goda’s eyes dimmed for a moment. He let out a slow breath.

  “…I’m tired, son. I’ve searched longer than I can count.” He looked away. “If I keep chasing ghosts, I’ll end up throwing myself into that hole one day too.”

  He looked back at Tatsuo.

  “At least this time, I can pull someone out of the dark instead of sinking deeper into it.”

  Tatsuo’s voice came out small. “Will they accept me?”

  Goda gave a short, rough laugh. “Whether they like it or not. You’re still an elf.” He squeezed Tatsuo’s shoulder. “And we’re stubborn.”

  Isaac’s expression softened. He stepped in and hugged his father — tight, like he didn’t want to let go.

  “Goodbye, Father.”

  Goda hugged him back. “Goodbye, my son. I hope I see you again.”

  “I hope so too.”

  Isaac turned to Tatsuo and pulled him into a quick embrace.

  “Thank you,” Tatsuo said, voice cracking. “Please… tell my mother I’m okay. Tell her I finally have a place to stand.”

  Goda nodded once, then looked Isaac in the eyes.

  “You need to leave too. Limbo can consume the living if you stay.”

  Isaac glanced around, breathing steadier now. “I need a way back. The tether is—”

  Goda’s gaze flicked toward the Walker’s corpse.

  “The rings,” he said. “They’re thieves, but they steal useful things. Take them. One of them has to help.”

  Goda and Tatsuo started to fade — slowly, like mist pulled by wind.

  They both raised a hand in farewell.

  Then they were gone.

  Isaac stood alone with the dead silence and the distant screams.

  He walked to the Walker’s body, knelt, and tore the rings off its fingers — one by one.

  He slid them on.

  The moment the last ring clicked into place, his vision shifted.

  The Limbo sharpened into layers — threads, trails, faint lines in the air like scratches left by invisible claws.

  Isaac’s eyes locked onto a thin, broken trace.

  The severed tether.

  He smiled — small, fierce.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Then he launched himself into the dark, flying low and fast — following the trail back toward the exit.

  Frozen Lands — Yuno’s Laboratory

  Yu hit first.

  Fast — straight in — no warning.

  Her hand closed around the Walker’s throat…

  …and stopped like she’d grabbed solid glass.

  A ring on its finger pulsed once.

  The air hardened.

  Yu’s shoulder slammed into an invisible barrier and the impact jolted through her arm. She slid a half step back, boots scraping against the floor, eyes narrowing.

  The Walker laughed, one huge eye shining with amusement.

  “Come on. Try again.”

  Yu moved again — different angle, lower, sharper. She slipped, twisted, tried to cut around the wall —

  A second ring flashed.

  A thin spectral cord snapped out and wrapped her wrist, yanking her sideways with brutal force.

  Yu dug her heels in and snarled, refusing to be dragged.

  Yuno didn’t hesitate.

  She thrust her palm forward and the carved circle on the floor flared. Frost-laced chains burst upward, lunging for the Walker’s legs.

  The Walker flicked its wrist.

  Another ring glowed.

  The chains turned brittle mid-air and shattered like glass.

  Yuno’s breath caught.

  The Walker leaned in, amused.

  “Your magic is pretty. Doesn’t mean it matters.”

  Yu’s eyes burned with fury. She fought the cord harder, muscles shaking, trying to rip free.

  Yuno stepped between Yu and the Walker without thinking — her body moving before her fear could stop it.

  The Walker’s grin widened.

  It raised a sword — pulled from nothing by another ring — and aimed it down at Yuno.

  Yu’s voice broke out, raw.

  “No—!”

  The blade dropped.

  A heavy THUNK shook the room.

  The Walker screamed.

  Its sword arm hit the floor first — severed at the elbow — then the blade clattered beside it.

  An axe was buried deep in the wall behind the Walker, vibrating from the force of the throw.

  Yu’s head snapped toward the doorway.

  Isaac stood there, breathing hard, eyes glowing — furious and alive.

  Yu’s face collapsed into relief so hard it almost looked like pain.

  “…Isaac.”

  The Walker staggered back, clutching the stump, rings flashing wildly like it was panicking.

  Isaac didn’t rush.

  He walked.

  Slow. Heavy. Certain.

  The Walker kept retreating until its back hit the wall.

  Isaac reached the axe, wrapped his hand around the handle, and ripped it free in one pull.

  The Walker lifted its remaining hand.

  A ring pulsed —

  Isaac still advanced.

  He drove the axe straight into the Walker’s mouth.

  The scream cut off instantly.

  Isaac yanked the blade free and chopped again — clean — taking the head with a final brutal strike.

  Silence.

  Yuno didn’t waste it.

  She slammed her palm onto the circle and forced the runes to close. The gate folded shut like a wound sealing itself.

  Only then did she drop to her knees, shaking, breathing hard — relief crashing into her all at once.

  Yu crossed the room in two steps and threw herself into Isaac’s arms.

  Tight. Desperate.

  “Why did you take so long, you idiot? Why?”

  Isaac exhaled — tired — but he smiled anyway.

  “I had… complications.”

  Yu laughed through tears and hugged him harder, hiding her face against his shoulder.