The world was ending. And it was loud about it.

  Alistair staggered out of the ruined hall, one arm clutched against his ribs, and was greeted by a sound so vast it felt like it crawled into his bones. A deafening, grinding roar, like stone screaming against stone.

  The city was collapsing.

  He blinked against the dust and ash. Where there had once been streets, markets, crooked little alleys full of broken doors and forgotten loot, now there was nothing. Whole blocks just… gone. Eaten in neat, perfect lines by a churning abyss.

  The Maw.

  It was closer than he’d feared. A few streets away. Tendrils of collapsing earth folded inward, buildings toppling like toys into a pit that had no bottom.

  Alistair’s stomach clenched. Urgency burned hotter than the pain in his side. “Godsdamn it,” he muttered. “Couldn’t hold off the apocalypse for one duel?”

  The hate still burned. Sharp, bitter, electric. Vardis’s grin haunted his mind, that arrogant face vanishing into shadow. It made Alistair’s fangs ache. He wanted to rip the bastard apart, watch the light leave his eyes, hear the crunch of...

  A whine pulled him back.

  Buddy.

  The hellhound stood in the street, massive paws gouging stone, head low, flames licking between his teeth. But his tail sagged, ears pinned back. He pawed at the ground, growled low, then gave a sharp, frustrated howl.

  Trail lost.

  “Of course,” Alistair muttered, limping closer. “Can’t even rely on you to sniff out one cowardly revenant. Big scary hellhound, reduced to sulking. Wonderful.”

  Buddy rumbled, eyes glowing, but the bond between them thrummed with frustration, not guilt. He’d chased Vardis as far as he could. The trail had ended, swallowed by the Maw.

  Alistair clenched his fists. Rage and helplessness coiled like knives in his gut. “He got away,” he said under his breath. “But not forever.”

  The ground shook beneath his boots. A nearby tower buckled, split down the middle, and fell screaming into the abyss. Stone shattered. Dust mushroomed into the sky.

  Time was gone.

  He reached inward. Past the fury, past the ache, into the bonds.

  Kael. Brimma. Thessaly.

  Three lights flared against the dark. Faint, distant, but there.

  Alistair tugged. Hard.

  He felt them jolt in answer, felt emotions through the bond. Kael's worry. Brimma's frustration. Thess's determination. They were alive. And they were still in this tier...

  Alistair grit his teeth, turned toward the pull, and sprinted.

  The streets around him crumbled in waves. Pavement cracked, buildings folded in on themselves like paper set alight. Dust clouds rolled thick as thunderheads. The Maw ate the city block by block, and he was barely staying ahead of it.

  But the bond pulled him. Forward. Toward them.

  The bonds pulled him hard enough he nearly tripped over his own boots. Dust thickened the air. The world was noise and collapse, and through it, three threads burned steady, Kael, Brimma, Thessaly.

  He followed them.

  And then, through the haze, they appeared.

  Kael first, bent low with bow in hand, face streaked with dirt and sweat. Brimma trudged behind, muttering curses so steady they could’ve been a prayer. Thessaly looked like she’d clawed her way through a stone wall, bark-markings pale beneath a coat of ash.

  They all looked up when they saw him.

  Relief flared. Quickly smothered by exhaustion.

  “You look worse than we do,” Kael said, voice dry.

  Alistair gave him a bloody grin. “Had a workout.”

  Brimma squinted at him. “That’s not dust. That’s blood.”

  “Observant,” Alistair muttered. He leaned against a half-toppled pillar, catching his breath. “I ran into someone. Didn’t exchange recipes.”

  Kael’s brows knit. “You fought another champion?”

  “Something like that.” He waved it off before they could press. The fury still clung to his ribs like a second skin, and the last thing he wanted was to explain just how close he’d come, or that Buddy had lost the trail. “Doesn’t matter. He’s gone. What about you three?”

  That shut them up for a beat.

  It was Thessaly who spoke. “We… met someone too.”

  Alistair straightened, eyes narrowing. “Alive?”

  She nodded. “A champion. But... he didn’t attack us. Not even a swing.”

  Brimma crossed her arms, still frowning. “Strange one. Said he’d been in this tier since it opened. Claimed he hadn’t found a portal either.”

  Alistair blinked. “And you believed him?”

  “Didn’t have much of a choice,” Kael said. “He could’ve gutted us and didn’t. That counts for something.”

  “Or he’s biding his time,” Alistair muttered.

  The ground shuddered, cutting off any more speculation. A street over, a whole row of houses tilted and sank into the abyss with a roar.

  They all flinched.

  Brimma spat. “Forget him. What matters is this, no one’s found a way out. And we’ve got minutes before the Maw eats the rest.”

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  A silence stretched, heavy and raw.

  Then the arguing started.

  “We should split up again,” Thessaly said quickly, determination in her voice. “Cover more ground. If anyone finds a portal, we signal through the bond.”

  Kael shook his head, jaw tight. “That almost killed us last time. We split, we weaken.”

  Brimma jabbed her staff at the collapsing skyline. “And if we don’t split, we’re crawling block by block while the world eats itself.”

  Alistair held up both hands. “Stop.” His voice cut sharper than he intended, laced with fury he hadn’t burned off in the fight. They looked at him. Dust fell around them like ash from a fire.

  “Listen,” he said. “I just came out of a fight that nearly cracked me in half. I don’t care if splitting up makes sense on paper. You go alone now, you die alone. And I am not wasting bonds on corpses.”

  Brimma’s mouth snapped shut.

  Kael nodded once, firm.

  Thessaly hesitated but finally looked away.

  “Together, then,” she said softly.

  “Together,” Alistair confirmed. He glanced toward the collapsing horizon. “Now let’s find that godsdamned portal before we’re part of the Maw’s dinner menu.”

  The ground shook again, closer this time. Stone cracked under their boots. The city was ending.

  And they ran.

  The city was unraveling.

  Not slowly, not gently, but like a rope pulled too tight, snapping strand by strand.

  They sprinted together through the broken avenues, feet pounding over fractured stone, weaving around crumbling walls that toppled into the abyss behind them. Each impact of the Maw’s hunger sent shockwaves through the streets. Windows shattered. Whole rooftops slid sideways like broken teeth.

  Every breath tasted of dust and ash.

  Kael was in front, cloak whipping in the gale, eyes darting for vantage points that no longer existed. Brimma lumbered behind, her staff glowing faintly as she muttered protection cantrips under her breath. Thess kept to the middle, green hair streaked with soot, lips tight and pale as she ran.

  Alistair brought up the rear, still bleeding from the fight, but fury kept his legs moving. Rage burned hotter than exhaustion. He wasn’t going to collapse here. Not while Vardis was still breathing somewhere. Not while his companions still ran beside him.

  A tower groaned overhead. Brimma snarled, jabbed her staff, and a ripple of stone bloomed from the ground, forming a flower that braced the crumbling wall just long enough for them to dart through. The moment they cleared, the tower sheared in half and fell screaming into the abyss.

  “Keep moving!” Kael shouted, his voice raw.

  “Where?” Brimma barked back. “We’re running in circles! The whole damned city is coming down!”

  Alistair’s lungs burned. His vision blurred with grit. He wanted to snap at them, to spit sarcasm like a shield, but all that came out was a growl.

  “Run first,” he rasped. “Argue later.”

  The ground bucked beneath them, tossing them like dice. A line of cobbles split wide, fire and shadow spilling out. For one horrifying moment, Alistair saw faces in the Maw, pale masks of screaming mortals being swallowed, pressed against the surface before vanishing into nothing.

  And then the system spoke.

  [System Notification]

  Second Tier Collapse Imminent

  Portals to the Third Tier have been activated.

  Each portal requires a unique Godkey.

  Time Remaining: 15:00

  All four of them froze mid-stride.

  The silence after the chime was worse than the noise. Just their ragged breathing, hearts pounding, the city groaning as it crumbled around them.

  Then their medallions ignited.

  Red for Alistair. Green for Brimma. Pale silver for Kael. Gold-veined bronze for Thessaly.

  Each one pulsed with raw power, threads of light pointing outward like compass needles. And Alistair felt it, a tug in his gut, sharp and certain. His portal was out there, calling.

  He swore under his breath.

  “No…” Brimma muttered. “Don’t you dare say it.”

  Thess’s jaw clenched. “We’re being pulled different ways.”

  Kael looked down at his glowing medallion, then at the others. His voice was flat, grim. “They’re sending us to separate portals.”

  The realization hit like another collapsing building.

  Fifteen minutes. Different directions. No other choice.

  Alistair’s hands curled into fists. His throat burned. “We split now,” he said slowly, “and there’s no guarantee we’ll see each other again.”

  No one argued. They didn’t need to. The truth hung heavy between them.

  Buddy whined low beside him, flames guttering uneasily. Even the hellhound could feel it, the tearing edge of separation.

  Brimma spat, her voice sharp enough to cut stone. “Gods damn this place.”

  Kael’s smile was brittle, but he managed one anyway. “Guess this is where the fun starts.”

  Alistair looked at them all, dirty and bruised and stubborn, every one of them ridiculous enough to still be alive. His chest twisted, his sarcasm faltered, but only for a beat.

  Brimma’s medallion pulsed green, pointing toward the far side of the collapsing district. She saw the direction and her face pinched. The streets there were already folding inward, gaps splitting wide, whole chunks tilting into the abyss.

  Her lips thinned. “Tch. I’m not making it.”

  Alistair caught the hesitation immediately. She was tough, yes, but she was no sprinter. Not like him. Not like Kael. Even Thess had the stamina to push through. Brimma? She was brains, grit, and stubbornness wrapped in wrinkles. Stamina wasn’t in the package.

  Before she could snap, Alistair’s gaze slid sideways. To Buddy.

  The hellhound pawed at the ground, flames licking his teeth, eyes flicking between Alistair and Brimma as if already guessing what he was about to say.

  “Take Buddy,” Alistair said.

  “Absolutely not,” Brimma snapped. “That thing’s a walking bonfire with teeth. He’ll eat me before the Maw does.”

  Alistair ignored her. He stepped in front of him, ignoring the dust and ruin, and cupped both sides of the beast’s massive head. “Alright, big guy. Change of plans. You’re carrying her.”

  Buddy whined low, a sound that rumbled like a furnace. His ears flicked back, his entire hulking body twisting in reluctant protest.

  “Oh, don’t give me that look,” Alistair murmured, rubbing the beast’s jawline like he was scratching a house pet. His fangs flashed in a grin. “You’re the fastest thing here. Strongest too. And don’t pretend you’re not secretly a big softie.”

  Buddy’s molten gaze softened, tail thumping once against the stone before he caught himself and growled instead.

  Alistair leaned in until their foreheads touched. The heat was intense, hot enough to blister a mortal, but Alistair only smiled. “Good boy. Best boy. You’re going to listen to Brimma now, alright? Every command. You keep her alive. You bring her to the portal.”

  The hellhound whined again, deeper this time.

  “I know,” Alistair whispered. His voice dropped softer than the others had ever heard from him. “I don’t like it either. But it’s just for a little while. I’ll see you on the other side.” He rubbed Buddy’s muzzle, letting his thumb brush over the jagged, rune-scorched collar. “You’re my boy. I trust you.”

  Behind them, Brimma was in full swing, jabbing her staff like she might use it to swat the vampire in the head. “I said no! I am not climbing that beast. You can shove your noble intentions right back up your...”

  Alistair didn’t let her finish. Too fast for anyone to stop, he scooped her up, one arm around her middle, ignoring her flailing fists, and dropped her square onto Buddy’s massive back.

  Buddy bared his fangs in Brimma’s direction. Heat flared, a warning growl rumbling in his chest.

  Alistair’s eyes sharpened. His voice cracked like a whip. “No biting. That’s an order.”

  The hellhound froze. Then, with a sulky snort, dropped his head. The beast’s flames guttered low. Grudging submission rolled through the bond.

  Brimma shrieked, clinging to the thick fur at his neck. “He was going to bite me?! You put me on a creature that was going to bite me?!”

  Alistair patted Buddy’s neck affectionately, grinning like an idiot. “Nah. He just needed reminding who’s a good boy. Isn’t that right? Yes, you are. Yes, you are.”

  Buddy’s tail betrayed him, thumping the stone once, twice before he caught himself again.

  Alistair smirked, slapped Buddy’s flank, and barked the command. “Go!”

  The hellhound whined once, then bolted into the ruins like a comet of fire and fury, Brimma’s furious curses fading behind him as she clung on for dear life.

  Alistair stood watching them go, chest tight, before turning back to the others. “See? Perfect plan. Zero flaws.”

  Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. Thess just muttered, “You’re insane.”

  Alistair gave a small smile and then strengthened. “We have to move.”

  Kael’s smile was brittle, but he managed one anyway. “Guess this is where the fun starts.”

  Alistair looked at the other two, dirty and bruised and stubborn, but ridiculous enough to still be alive. His chest twisted, his sarcasm faltered, but only for a beat.

  “Alright,” he said, forcing a grin, fangs flashing through the ash. “Let’s make it a race. First one through buys the others a drink. Assuming we all still have throats.”

  Thess gave a single, fierce nod. Kael smirked, faint but real.

  The city shook again. Fifteen minutes was already bleeding away.

  They didn’t waste more words.

  One last look. One last tether of silence. Then, all at once, they turned and ran, each toward their own light, into the jaws of a dying city.

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