"So... what’s our game plan?" Caius asked. Kael didn’t answer right away. His eyes scanned the hallway—slow, quiet. Every student stared. Some with curiosity. Most with something colder. "Let’s find somewhere quiet," he said. Liz and Caius followed without a word. The hallway felt like a battlefield—each glance a threat, every smile fake. The chosen students weren’t here to make friends. These weren’t rivals. And some of them would kill to win. Kael led them to his room. Once inside, the door clicked shut. The tension didn’t fade. Caius dropped into a chair. "It’s like they all want to tear each other apart." "That’s because they do," Kael said. Liz sat beside him. "So what’s the plan?" Kael paused. His voice came quiet, firm. "That’s it?" Caius asked. Kael nodded. "I don’t know what’s on the other side of that crack in the sky. Maybe we land together. Maybe we don’t. But either way—it won’t just be monsters we’re fighting." "You mean... the others?" Liz asked. Kael looked at her. "Yeah. They’re not thinking teamwork. They’re thinking power. Glory. A wish." "And they’ll kill for it," she whispered. The silence tightened. "If we get separated," Kael continued, "find each other fast. We move as one." "But how?" Caius asked. "It’s not like we’ll have a map." Kael didn’t answer with words. He stood and closed his eyes. Shadows swirled beneath his boots. Then—two undead soldiers rose from the darkness. Silent. Hollow-eyed. One stepped toward Liz. The other toward Caius. Both figures melted into their shadows without a sound. Caius raised a brow. "What was that?" "They’ll guard you," Kael said. "And I can track them. No matter where you are." Liz stared at him. "You really planned this all..." "I just don’t want to lose anyone again." They didn’t speak after that. Caius eventually stood. He gave Kael’s shoulder a slap. "See you tomorrow, Captain." She leaned against Kael, her head resting on his shoulder. His arm shifted to hold her without thinking. Her breath was quiet. Her eyes heavy. "You’re scared," he said. So he stood, lifted her into his arms, and carried her to his bed. Pulled the blanket over her with careful hands. "You sleep. I’ll stand guard." "But what about you?" she murmured, her voice barely a breath. "I’ve got something to do." She scooted aside, eyes half-lidded. "Then stay... just for a bit." He hesitated—but then lay beside her. Her hand slid across his chest. And slowly... her breathing steadied. Kael stared at the ceiling. This wasn’t a mission. It was a trap. A trial. A gamble from the gods. He was done playing their game. When Liz finally drifted to sleep, he gently moved her hand and stood. Leaned in. Rested his forehead against hers. "This life... no one will take you from me." Then he vanished into shadow. The Underworld welcomed him with silence. Its halls stretched wide and cold. His mother waited near the throne, her expression unreadable. "Mother," Kael said. "I need soldiers." He stepped onto the balcony above the endless pit of souls—an army waiting without purpose. "All of you. Line up." His voice rang across the dark stone. Hundreds formed ranks—shadows and steel standing shoulder to shoulder. Kael leapt from the balcony, landing without a sound. He walked through them slowly. Eyes searching. Spirit focused. Until seven stood out. Seven souls, glowing faintly—each marked by something deeper than death. He pointed. "You. You. You..." When all seven stood before him, he dismissed the rest. Then sat on Hades’s throne. He raised one hand—and a black chain erupted from his shadow. It slammed into the first soldier’s chest. Didn’t pierce through—just sank in. Deeper. Searching. Kael’s eyes narrowed. "Once, you were a greedy man. You wanted more—more than the gods allowed. But I offer you power. Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my servant. Vow before me... Greed." The man’s armor cracked. His weapons vanished. He stood barehanded—sleek, dangerous, smiling like he already owned the world. "You were once longing. You craved what was forbidden. So the gods turned away. I offer you pleasure— Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my temptation. Vow before me... Lust." Pink smoke curled around her. A silk veil covered her eyes. Her shadow moved behind her—alive, seductive. She didn’t move. But her presence pulled at the room like gravity. "You devoured without end. So the gods starved you. But I... will feed you forever. Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my devourer. Vow before me... Gluttony." What crawled from it was massive—bloated, dripping, covered in teeth. Its breath came slow. Heavy. "You stopped chasing. So the gods deemed you useless. But I see your patience. But stillness before the storm. Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my sleeper. Vow before me... Sloth." Chains bound the figure’s limbs. He barely moved. His eyes stayed half-closed. But behind that silence... power waited. "You watched others rise. You wanted what they had. So the gods mocked you. Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my shadow. Vow before me... Envy." The figure flickered. Its form shifted—copying Kael’s face. Then Liz’s. Then something else. And then it melted into black mist. "Once, you burned with rage. You killed without mercy. So the gods chained your fury. But I will unbind it. Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my flame. Vow before me... Wrath." His armor cracked, glowing with red heat. Smoke rolled from his shoulders like breath from a volcano. He was fury made flesh. Kael stood for the last. "Once, you stood above all. You saw yourself as flawless. So the gods cast you down. But I see your greatness. Swear yourself to me. Kneel, and rise as my perfection. My protector. My right-hand legion. Vow before me... Pride." A purple-black aura exploded around him. A massive blade rose from his back. And he knelt—head bowed. They stood before Kael now.