[Edanian Journey] Markthanan

Chapter 6: In the Name of Providence As we made our way toward the main castle, Agnete finally revealed what was truly on her mind. She would not allow the Holy Flame to be taken again. Ynix belonged to Labreska, and she wanted to fulfill her long-held wish with her own hands. Inside the main castle, we found <b>Markthanan unconscious</b>, barely clinging to life through the Black Crystals offered by the slaves. As Agnete rushed forward, space tore open and <b>Grey</b> appeared. She tried to stop his attack and was thrown to the ground. When she finally managed to rise, she protested that this was not what they had agreed upon. When I asked why he had attacked us, Grey said we had tried to take what he wanted for himself. Whatever alliance we had shared while seeking the same means could go no further. He told us that Elvia had fallen to Hadum, and that he had come to this world after waiting for the Contraction to reach its end. Losing his homeland had taught him, he claimed, that Hadum could never be destroyed without a price. Even the hope I still held on to, he said, was poison that would only hasten our demise. His plan was to use Markthanan's body as a catalyst and burn Hadum by <b>sacrificing this world</b>. Agnete protested that he was trying to steal the flame of Omua, but Grey replied that it would serve a greater purpose. He dismissed my desire to save the world as an impossible dream as well. "This is inevitable. The natural order cannot be defied." I could not accept his conclusion. The end he called inevitable and the hope I still refused to abandon did not lead down the same path.