Ancient evil!

ㅤ A multitude of spirits descended to earth like stars. Adephagos no longer posed a threat to the world, having become its bright part. And Duke shared his power to ensure Yuri and his friends' plan would come to fruition. However, he stood in their way once again. "My return was not intended," he said sternly. "What again?!" Rita flared. "We have won—the world is saved." "And if you do not wish to destroy it, then you will have to die here." Yuri looked at Duke carefully, trying to understand him. He wouldn't have stopped them without a reason. In the heat of battle there was no time for small things, so only now Yuri noticed that Duke was paler than usual. He was breathing heavily and covered in sweat, clearly not from the battle; which means it was something else. "Explain yourself," Yuri ordered harshly. "By setting foot on Tarqaron, you doomed yourself. This place wasn't hidden in the bowels of the planet because of the terrifying power of its weapons. It was abandoned even before the ancient civilization fell because it posed a different threat, one created by humans themselves. The monsters in the flasks are proof of that. Some of them escaped their glass prison. While fighting them, you likely came into contact with their blood." "A virus?" Judith was the first to guess. "You're infected," Raven realized, looking at Duke's pitiful state. 'He didn't fight at full strength?' Yuri was astonished. 'If the illness hadn't weakened him, we wouldn't have managed…' "If humans created the virus, then they should have also created an antivirus," Rita logically assumed. "If that were the case, they wouldn't have gotten rid of Tarqaron." "That's also true." Rita was deep in thought, searching for a way out. But she lacked both sufficient information and biological knowledge. "Perhaps my power…" Estelle tried to find hope. "It won't help," Duke cut her off. "Then all that's left is to create an antivirus," Rita said calmly. "There's probably some information stored on the capsules' terminals." "Is that your area?" Yuri was astonished. "No. But I'm a genius." "What self-appreciation…" Even Karol calmed down, looking at Rita. "If you descend infected, you'll destroy the entire world you so desperately wanted to save. And not just humanity," Duke reminded them. "That means we'll still have to figure out how to destroy Tarqaron, because it can't fly forever, and if it falls, it's goodbye to the planet." Duke was about to give them a choice: die quickly at his hand or slowly lose their minds to the virus, turning into bloodthirsty monsters, sowing death around them. However, Yuri's friends had already made their choice before the offer. Duke followed. Not in hopes of being saved. But counting on being destroyed as soon as he lost himself.

* * *

Yuri looked at the bound Duke, struggling in his bonds and trying to snap his teeth at the fresh flesh. Inhuman hunger contorted his face, and the uncontrollable flow of saliva added to the disgust. He was an example of what awaited Yuri and his friends. He had also become Rita's test subject. "These idiots…" She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in helplessness and anger. "So stupid… Why did they even…?" She couldn't do anything. Not with her meager knowledge. Not with such a limited time. It was already running out… The symptoms were appearing in everyone, heralding the inevitable approach of death. 'If something like this get to Terca Lumireis…' Biological weapons were more terrifying than Adephagos, although both foreshadowed the death of all existence, as they were the result of human stupidity and greed. A virus that devoured the mind. Not just turning people into monsters, but also spreading throughout the world through these monsters. One bite, one drop of bodily fluid—and it didn't matter whether the man or beast survived the encounter… They were already dead, without even realizing it. And they were bringing death to the world without even realizing it. 'Since I can't defeat the virus…' Rita thought sadly, 'the only thing left to do is…' "We must find a way to destroy Tarqaron," Rita said quietly. It was hard for her to think, let alone speak. They no longer had a chance to survive. Karol was quietly crying to the side, vomiting repeatedly. The virus was developing faster in his small body, so the symptoms were appearing sooner and more severely. The others waited patiently and silently. "Bury it back?" Raven suggested. "No way. Besides, the researchers will get there quickly under the current conditions." 'If only we could find a huge pool of fire to melt the tower forever… Fire can destroy everything, any infection.' But there were no volcanoes in Terca Lumireis. But… "Exactly!" Rita realized. "Estelle, can you ask Efreet to summon all the fire spirits? We need to burn Tarqaron to the ground!" Rita didn't say anything, but everyone understood perfectly well: it would be burned along with them. But they were already as good as dead. Consciousness was escaping, their heads were spinning, and waves of nausea were rising. Their bodies barely obeyed… If they didn't do something now, it would be too late. The whole world would be overtaken by disaster. They had come here to save everyone… Risking their lives, prepared to die. Their resolve was undermined only by the feeling of victory, unaware that the most difficult "battle" was still ahead… "I'll ask," Estelle agreed, closing her eyes and addressing the spirits. Opening her eyes, she nodded. Rita smiled, feeling a faint sense of relief: at least it was something. They would be able to avert danger from the world, not become its undoing. Rita shuffled toward Estelle, kneeling and hugging her friend. For the last time. Everyone spent the rest of their time saying a silent farewell. When Estelle summoned Efreet and an army of fire spirits, everyone held each other's hands tightly in a circle. Unable to look at each other, they sat with their heads bowed, awaiting the "execution." 'To ashes…' Rita closed her eyes. "To ashes," said Estelle, finding the strength to look at Efreet with tears in her eyes. ㅤ