Chapter 100: The Castle

The entire castle began to disappear. Not collapse. Not break. Disappear.

The stone beneath Rin’s feet became transparent, turning into countless fragments of pale light before vanishing into nothingness.

Rin froze.

"What...?"

The corridor in front of him disappeared next. Then the ceiling. Then the walls.

A terrible scream echoed through the castle.

"NO!"

Was the fallen god. His voice shook the entire underground city.

"WORLD!"

Another explosion erupted somewhere above them.

"You cannot do this!"

Rin looked around. Kaelith immediately grabbed his hand.

"Rin. Stay with me."

His voice was calm. Too calm but Rin could feel how tightly Kaelith was holding him.

As if letting go for even a second would mean losing him forever.

"I’m here," Rin said.

Kaelith looked at him. His eyes searched Rin’s face. His shoulders. His hands. As if checking that every part of him was still there.

Only after several seconds did he finally look away. Sol appeared beside them in a burst of wind.

"Everyone needs to move!"

Kaan came running from the opposite corridor.

"THE CASTLE IS DISAPPEARING!"

"We noticed!" Sol shouted.

Behind Kaan were the surviving former Divine Knights. They were running as fast as they could through the collapsing passage. Lucien was among them.

Kaan grabbed his arm.

"Come on!"

"I can walk."

"I didn’t ask!"

Lucien almost laughed despite everything.

"You’re still bossy."

"I’ve been trapped underground for centuries. I earned it."

Another section of the castle disappeared. Kaan pulled Lucien forward.

"MOVE!"

Everyone ran. Behind them, the fallen god screamed again.

"You!"

The voice was filled with hatred.

"You think you can erase me?!"

A second voice answered. It didn’t come from the sky. It came from everywhere.

"THIS TIMELINE HAS BEEN REJECTED."

Rin stopped for half a second.

"World..."

Kaelith immediately pulled him forward.

"Don’t stop."

"But—"

"Don’t look back."

Rin obeyed. They continued running. The castle was vanishing faster now. Entire rooms disappeared behind them.

Ancient statues turned into light. The floor cracked, then ceased to exist. Kaan shouted instructions to the others.

"Stay together! Don’t separate! Follow the passage!"

Sol flew ahead, creating currents of wind to push the group forward.

"This way!"

Rin ran beside Kaelith. Their hands were still locked together. Kaelith hadn’t let go once. Not even when they crossed narrow sections of the collapsing corridor. Not even when the ground beneath them vanished.

Rin glanced at him.

"Kaelith."

"Yes?"

"You’re holding my hand really tightly."

Kaelith looked down. Only then did he seem to realize. His fingers loosened slightly.

"Sorry."

Rin nodded. But after a few seconds, Kaelith took his hand again. Rin looked at him.

Kaelith didn’t explain. He simply kept walking. The pale eyes appeared at the end of the corridor.

Floating in the darkness. Watching them leave.

Rin turned.

"You’re coming with us?"

The eyes remained motionless.

"I cannot."

"Why?"

"World is erasing everything connected to me."

Rin stopped.

"What happens to you?"

The entity’s voice became quieter.

"I don’t know."

For the first time, the hatred disappeared. There was only exhaustion. Then the eyes turned toward Kaelith.

"But I remember."

Kaelith stopped.

"What?"

"You."

Kaelith frowned.

"I don’t know you."

The eyes seemed to burn brighter.

"No."

A pause.

"You don’t."

Rin looked between them. The entity continued.

"You don’t remember what you did."

Kaelith’s expression hardened.

"I told you. I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"And Rin doesn’t remember either."

Rin’s chest tightened. The eyes turned toward him.

"That’s why World keeps winning."

Rin whispered:

"Why does World keep erasing me?"

The eyes remained silent. Kaelith stepped closer.

"Answer him."

The entity looked at Kaelith.

"Because you are dangerous together."

Kaelith frowned.

"How?"

"You keep finding each other."

The words echoed through the corridor.

"Every time."

Rin’s expression changed.

"What does that mean?"

"Every life."

Rin shook his head.

"But I don’t remember any of them."

"I know."

"Then why does Kaelith remember?"

The eyes looked at Kaelith.

"He remembers fragments."

Kaelith didn’t deny it. He looked away. The entity continued.

"But not the timeline I remember."

Kaelith’s eyes narrowed.

"What happened in it?"

The pale eyes became filled with hatred again.

"You betrayed him."

Rin looked at Kaelith. Kaelith looked back.

"I don’t remember. Stop this."

"You don’t need to."

The entity’s voice was almost cruel.

"I do."

The castle shook.

World’s voice thundered again.

"LEAVE."

The pale eyes looked upward. Then back at Rin.

"You need to go."

Rin hesitated.

"What will happen to you?"

The entity gave no answer. Instead, it whispered:

"When World erases this place, it will erase every trace of what happened here."

Rin stared.

"Then nobody will remember?"

"Nobody except me."

Kaelith looked at the eyes.

"And why do you hate me?"

For the first time, the entity went completely silent.

Then—

"Because I remember what you did to him."

Kaelith’s expression didn’t change. But Rin saw his fingers tighten around his hand again.

Not anger. Fear. Fear of something he couldn’t remember.

Kaan suddenly shouted from ahead.

"THE EXIT!"

Sol’s wind surged through the corridor.

"Everyone, GO!"

The former Divine Knights ran toward the opening. Lucien followed. Kaan turned back.

"Rin!"

Rin started running. Kaelith followed immediately. He never let go. Behind them, the fallen god screamed.

"RIN!"

Rin glanced back. The fallen god stood in the collapsing ruins, surrounded by broken magic.

"You don’t know what you’re carrying!"

World’s voice drowned him out.

"RIN."

The sound was enormous. The entire castle shook.

"RETURN."

Kaelith’s magic erupted around Rin.

"No."

The word came from him quietly. Then louder.

"No."

Dark energy spread through the corridor.

"You will not take him."

World answered.

"YOU CANNOT PROTECT HIM FOREVER."

Kaelith’s eyes became cold.

"I only need to protect him this time."

Rin stared at him. There was something frightening about the certainty in his voice. Not confidence. Obsession.

As if Kaelith had spent an eternity making the same promise. And as if he would rather destroy everything around them than break it again.

Kaan grabbed Rin’s arm.

"NOW!"

Rin ran. Kaelith followed. Sol’s wind carried them toward the exit. Lucien was already outside. One by one, the former Divine Knights escaped the underground castle.

Kaan was the last to cross the threshold. Rin followed. Kaelith came after him.

The moment they reached the outside—

The castle disappeared. Completely. No rubble remained. No entrance. No ruins...Nothing.

Only an empty stretch of land. The fallen god’s screams were gone. The pale eyes were gone.

Even the underground city had vanished. Rin stood frozen.

"What just happened?"

Nobody answered. Then the System appeared.

[TIMELINE ERROR.]

[LOCATION RECORD: UNAVAILABLE.]

[HISTORICAL RECORD: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MEMORY RECORD: UNAVAILABLE.]

Rin stared at the messages. Kaan looked around in disbelief. Lucien slowly clenched his fists.

Sol was silent. Kaelith only looked at Rin. He reached out and touched Rin’s cheek.

Rin blinked.

"Kaelith?"

"You’re still here."

Rin smiled faintly.

"Yes."

Kaelith didn’t smile. His hand remained against Rin’s cheek. His eyes were full of an emotion Rin couldn’t understand.

Fear. Relief. And something far deeper. Something almost desperate.

Far behind them, where the castle had once stood, a tiny whisper escaped from the darkness.

Only Rin heard it.

"Remember nothing, Rin."

He turned. There was nothing there. Then the whisper came again.

"Because the moment you remember..."

A pause.

"...World will come for you again."