Ari screamed desperately, "No! No!" His voice echoed with both anger and fear. Thanar tightened his grip on Lari's neck, each passing second extinguishing more of Lari's life. Shadows wrapped around them both, and a deadly silence filled the room. Unable to hold back any longer, Ari rushed to Lari's side, desperately trying to pull him free from Thanar's grasp with all his might. But each move was in vain. When Ari swung his knife, the blows passed through the shadow as though it was nothing, unable to harm Thanar in the slightest. Yet Ari didn't lose his resolve. He held Lari tighter in his arms, pulling him close as if he could protect him that way.
Suddenly, Thanar roared in fury, his eyes burning with darkness. Shadows consumed the entire room, and he lost all control. "Enough!" he shouted. There was no distinction between friend and foe anymore, only destruction. In a frenzy, he surged out of the throne room, heading toward the castle's exterior. His fury attacked everything in its path like a storm. Rising with his shadows, he mercilessly struck the enemy army. As the enemy soldiers neared the castle walls, they vanished one by one, leaving only corpses and fear behind. The fleeing enemies abandoned the castle, leaving nothing but ruin and panic in their wake. But Thanar didn't stop. He ascended into the sky with his shadows, and before vanishing in the midst of lightning, his voice echoed one last time: "Curse! The curse will never leave you now! The pact has been broken for the second time!" His words hung in the air like a threatening whisper in the wind. Those still in the castle Ari, Lari, the king, and the guards held their breath, watching the silhouette of Thanar disappear into the sky. Lari trembled in Ari's arms, but she was still alive. The kingdom had survived... for now. But Thanar's curse loomed over them like a shadow, the beginning of an endless nightmare.
After Thanar's furious assault, the kingdom was wrapped in silence. The castle's ruined walls gave no room for breath; the enemy army had fled, leaving only debris and corpses behind. The king stood in the throne room, trying to hide his trembling hands as he took a deep breath. "Our kingdom has survived for now," he said, his voice tired but firm. "But this is not the end. They will strike again, I know it."
At that moment, Lari suddenly collapsed to the floor. It was as if all strength had been drained from her body, her soul seeming to leave her. Ari paused in shock, then quickly rushed to her side, gathering her into his arms. "Lari! Lari, what happened?" he cried, his voice trembling with fear and helplessness. Lari's eyes were closed, her breaths weak, but she was still alive. Ari shook her, pleading, "Lari, wake up! Please respond!" But Lari didn't answer, only deep silence filled the space.
The king slowly approached and placed a hand on Ari's shoulder. "Ari, calm down," he said, his voice unusually gentle. "She's alive, I can feel it. Thanar's curse… maybe this is the price she has to pay." Ari looked at the king in anger, but the anger quickly gave way to helplessness. "If something happens to her… I will never forgive this," he whispered, holding Lari tighter against his chest.
Days passed. Lari still hadn't woken up. A room had been set aside for her in the castle, and she lay quietly in bed. Ari never left her side, keeping his eyes on her constantly. "Lari, if you can hear me... come back," he murmured often, but Lari's closed eyes gave no response. The kingdom had surprisingly adopted a peaceful demeanor. The tension between Ari and the king had transformed into a shared concern. "We'll save her, Ari," the king said one day, his voice sincere. "We'll break Thanar's curse. We'll take back our kingdom and Lari."
Meanwhile, the castle was slowly being rebuilt. Walls rose, archers took their positions, and the people began to breathe with hope. But everyone had the same question on their minds: when would Lari wake up? Thanar's shadow still loomed over them, and this temporary peace felt like the calm before the next storm.
The throne room, with its newly reconstructed walls, had regained some of its former grandeur. On that day, an envoy from a friendly kingdom arrived. Despite his tired appearance and dusty cloak, he stood tall, holding a letter. He bowed respectfully before the king, opened the letter, and began to read:
"Dear King, we consider you a friend, one who we hold dear. However, the curse that has recently occurred on your land has rapidly escalated into a debate among the other kingdoms, growing like an avalanche. The other kingdoms have decided to eliminate your kingdom in order to keep their lands safe from this curse. Armies are gathering... an army the likes of which has never been seen before, uniting soldiers from distant kingdoms who will soon march here…"
When the envoy finished speaking, a deadly silence filled the room. The king leaned forward in his throne, opening his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Ari leapt up. With a dagger in hand, he moved like a shadow, approaching the envoy and placing the blade to his throat. His eyes blazed with anger. "If an army like that comes to invade our land," he said, gritting his teeth, "they'll see a power like they've never seen before!"
The envoy swallowed nervously, but didn't take a step back. The guards began to stir, but the king raised his hand to stop them. "Calm down, Ari!" he said, his voice firm but controlled. Slowly, he rose from his throne and walked over to Ari. "He's an envoy from a friendly kingdom. He's here to warn us, not to threaten us."
Ari hesitated for a moment at the king's words, then slowly lowered his dagger. But his eyes still remained fixed on the envoy. The king took a deep breath, turned back to the room, and asked, "What do we do now?" His voice held both a question and a challenge. Ari thought about Lari's still-unconscious form, the curse of Thanar, and how even friends could turn into enemies… The kingdom stood once again on the edge of the abyss.
Ari's choices had surprised everyone. The king, who had once condemned Ari's bloodline to death, now found himself regretting that decision. But now, they shared a common purpose. Both Lari and the kingdom had to survive there was no other option. The weight of this shared mission brought a new understanding between them. It was no longer about the past, but about the future. They had to unite, for the fate of both Lari and the kingdom depended on it.
In the silence of the throne room, the king looked at Ari with a sense of realization that he hadn't expected. What once seemed like a betrayal now felt like the only hope. The future was uncertain, yet their resolve was clear. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, they were aligned, not as adversaries, but as allies, bound by a singular goal. The kingdom would not fall, and neither would Lari. Together, they would fight, for this was the moment where everything would either break or be rebuilt.