One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The battlefield was eerily silent. The once towering figure of the Forsaken King was now nothing more than scattered ashes, carried away by the wind. The oppressive energy that had suffocated the air was gone, replaced by an unsettling emptiness.

I let out a shaky breath, my muscles aching from exhaustion. My fingers were still curled around my sword's hilt, but the fight was over. We had won.

Shira sheathed her blade with a sharp click, her eyes scanning the ruins as if expecting another threat to emerge. "It's really gone," she murmured, almost in disbelief.

Vex wiped the blood from his lip and smirked. "Took you long enough," he teased, but his usual sarcasm lacked its usual sharpness. He was just as drained as the rest of us.

I took a moment to take in the scene around me. The ruins, once bathed in eerie golden light, now looked nothing more than a forgotten battlefield. The final rune was shattered, its power completely erased.

But something felt wrong.

My instincts screamed that this wasn't the true end—only a temporary victory.

Shira must have noticed my hesitation. "What is it?" she asked, stepping closer.

I hesitated before answering. "The king was strong, but… something doesn't add up. That kind of power—it felt like it was coming from something else."

Vex raised an eyebrow. "You think someone was controlling it?"

I didn't answer immediately, but deep down, I knew the truth.

This wasn't just some ancient curse or long-forgotten king refusing to die. This was something bigger.

And we had just scratched the surface.

A cold wind swept through the ruins, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. In the distance, the dark clouds above the horizon churned ominously.

The real fight hadn't even begun.