The three stood in silence as the portal pulsed behind them, bathing the fractured terrain in its otherworldly golden hue. Wind whistled through the hollow realm, cold and surreal, as if the Rift itself were holding its breath.
Inigo kept his face neutral. Calm. Measured. But behind his still eyes, a plan had begun forming the moment the Lady of Illusion declared her intentions. Switch sides? Walk freely after everything she’d done? No.
He gave her a long look.
"Well... you’re not wrong," he said finally, letting his voice soften. "My world was... different. Complicated. But amazing. I didn’t appreciate it until I lost it."
The Lady of Illusion tilted her head, almost studying the emotions behind his words. "It’s what makes you special. You’re tethered to a memory no one here can even comprehend. That alone gives you power."
Inigo gave a shallow nod. "Yeah. It does."
Lyra glanced at him, suspicious, but said nothing. She trusted him—enough to stay quiet.
The Lady smiled. "So... will you accept my proposal? If we’re to work together, we’ll need to cross into your realm. I can only hold the portal open for so long."
Inigo walked closer, boots clicking on the obsidian floor. "What happens when we get there?"
"I hide in plain sight," she said smoothly. "You show me your world, your systems, your structures. I learn. And eventually, I help recreate it here—without war."
That was the final lie she didn’t realize she told herself. There was no such peace in her.
"I can live with that," Inigo replied.
She smiled brighter, and for a moment—just a fleeting second—she seemed almost human.
Inigo opened his system quietly.
[Freedom Shop Accessed.]
He flicked quickly past the traditional weapons, past the high-caliber rifles and LMGs. He needed something specific. Powerful. Instant.
[Purchase: Railgun – Backpack Mounted (Experimental) – Cost: 82,000 Tokens]
His balance dropped instantly.
[Current Balance: 112,842 Tokens]
The weapon appeared behind him in an instant. A compact but heavy backpack materialized, slinging onto his back with a magnetic hum. The targeting HUD began syncing with his left eye. It felt like cold steel digging into his spine, but he didn’t flinch.
The Lady of Illusion didn’t notice.
"You must think me a monster," she said, her voice unusually soft. "But I’ve seen what power does to your people too. You build magnificent things—but your world was still crumbling when you left it, wasn’t it?"
"Yeah," Inigo admitted. "It was far from perfect."
They were almost at the portal now. The swirling golden rim trembled like rippling water.
Lyra kept behind Inigo, sensing the change. She glanced at the backpack he wore and noticed the faint humming. Her eyes widened a bit—but she didn’t speak.
She knew what was coming.
"You still haven’t told me your name," the Lady said, glancing over her shoulder at Inigo.
"Inigo," he said quietly.
"Inigo," she echoed. "A foreign name. It suits you."
Inigo smiled faintly. "Lady of Illusion, right?"
"You may call me Caelira."
He nodded, internal system charging the railgun silently.
[Target Lock: Caelira – Range: 5 meters – Charge: 84%... 90%...]
Inigo’s eyes didn’t move. "Caelira, then. I guess this is where the adventure begins."
"It is," she said, stepping to the threshold of the portal. "You’ve chosen wisely."
[Charge: 100% – Ready to Fire]
"I have," Inigo replied.
The railgun discharged with a shriek of compressed thunder. The magnetic pulse tore through the air like a blade of godlight, striking Caelira dead center in the back.
Her body convulsed, violet magic bursting from her chest as the projectile exited through her sternum.
She stumbled forward, collapsing to her knees, fingers clutching at the air like she was trying to hold onto something intangible.
Lyra gasped but didn’t hesitate. "Move!"
Inigo grabbed her wrist and the two sprinted past Caelira’s crumpling figure, diving through the portal just as the edges began to falter.
Behind them, they heard one last choked whisper from the Lady of Illusion.
And then the portal closed.
Inigo hit the dirt hard, the cold bite of highland air rushing into his lungs. He rolled, coughed, then opened his eyes to see sky.
Above them stretched clouds dyed in pastel orange and pink, the sun just beginning its descent over distant hills. Windspire Cliffs sprawled out before them—lush, wild, beautiful.
He pushed himself to his feet, helping Lyra up with him.
The Rift was behind them now. Gone.
They stood there for a long moment, saying nothing.
Lyra was the first to speak. "You killed her."
"I had to," Inigo said, looking out toward the horizon. "Why would you trust a demon wanting to be a companion? That must be some stupid move."
"You pretended to trust her," Lyra said.
"I did," he replied. "I couldn’t trust a demon, even if her intentions are true. It’s just doesn’t make sense to me. They are demons in the first place that’s why we eliminate them
Silence returned. Only the wind spoke now, rustling through the grass around the cliff’s edge.
Lyra finally nodded. "I understand."
They both stared out at the view—real, untwisted by magic or illusion. For the first time in what felt like forever, it was just earth and wind and sky.
Lyra looked at him. "So... what now?"
Inigo exhaled. "Now we have to return back to the city, report that we killed one of the powerful members of the Demon Race, the Lady of Illusion" He patted the railgun now stored in his inventory, hidden from sight. "We’re ready."
She nodded again. "I wonder if that weapon of yours you summoned that you use to kill the demon was the most powerful one you have."
"Hmm...yuo haven’t seen nothing yet," Inigo grinned.
They stood together, watching the sun dip lower into the horizon.
"Well, let’s camp here first and see what we can maange. I’m hungry for starters so I’d want some meat."