Elian was one of the most powerful warriors of his time. His best friend, who had been through so much with him, became his brother in spirit and an ally in battle. But one day their paths diverged. Elian became too dangerous — not only for the world, but for himself. In a battle where they faced each other, his friend, realizing that Elian could destroy everything around him, made a decision: to seal him in a barrier created specifically for him.

This barrier was not just a prison, but a space where time did not exist. Elian was locked in a void where he neither aged nor lived. His mind changed, and his body became something else. He communicated with shadows and entities within the barrier that altered him. He was neither human nor something entirely foreign.

One day, the barrier shattered. The reasons behind this remained a mystery. Perhaps Elian had grown stronger than the barrier, or perhaps someone from the outside deliberately destroyed it. The world he knew had changed. He found himself in a place where no one remembered him. But his enemies — those who had sealed him — were still alive, and they were beginning their hunt.

Elian was no longer sure that his release had been a blessing. He could not forget his friend, who had become his enemy. His goal was to find the one who had sealed him, to understand why it had happened and what lay behind that decision. But with every passing moment, he realized that his power and his transformations were unsettling him. He was no longer human, and his path now might lead to the destruction of everything.

Elian — a prisoner who had become something else — and his return marked the beginning of a new era. Sometimes, It seems that Elian is not from this world.

After the conversation with Arden, they exited the café. For a few moments, both stood silently, gazing in different directions.


— You'll manage, Arden said without turning around.


— We'll see. If I survive... take me to a café again, Elian replied calmly.


He turned and disappeared into the crowd. But Elian already felt it — they were approaching. The Guardians.


He walked along the seaside, as if aimlessly wandering. But his path led beyond the border. There, on the edge, where the dead land began — they were waiting.


Four men and one woman. All masked. Their figures seemed carved from the air — sharp, calm, and lethally dangerous.


— So that's what our master was talking about, said another with a smirk in his voice.


— That wasn't a question, Elian replied coldly.


He released his aura. A wave of terror flooded the area, the air trembled. The pressure was monstrous. The ground cracked beneath his feet. But the five didn't move an inch.


— You'll find out... when you become one of us.


— What? Elian narrowed his eyes. — What are you talking about?


He turned fully toward them and slowly stepped forward.


They laughed. Their laughter was muffled, cold — not belonging to the living.


Weapons were drawn: a black scythe, a heavy axe, a long sword, a rune-wrapped blade, and ringing chains humming with faint energy.


Darkness enveloped Elian. His right arm and half of his body were covered in black, pulsating markings. His eyes glowed red.


Chapter 40 - The Circle Has Arrived