SWNOVELXO Chapter 4: Act 3 {Betrayal}
Typhoon's eyes flickered with a brief flash of fear.
'Shatter my soul? So this is how far they're willing to go… Brother?'
He turned his gaze to Marcos, searching—hoping—for even the slightest sign of hesitation. A flicker of the brother he once knew. The one he had given up everything for.
But Marcos didn't move.
His cold, unfeeling eyes met Typhoon's without a shred of warmth. Without a hint of the bond they once shared.
In that instant, something inside Typhoon broke.
Whatever love, whatever loyalty he still held for the man in front of him—died.
"There's no greater regret I carry than leaving you with a title you were never worthy of," Typhoon said, his voice cold, his expression even colder. "And I'm even more disgusted that I let my beasts be bound to someone like you. A pathetic excuse for a brother."
Marcos's lips curled into a cruel smirk.
"Here I thought you weren't arrogant. But look at you… the moment you taste powerlessness, you start spewing nonsense," Marcos replied with icy disdain. "You're not just arrogant—you're foolish. And useless."
Typhoon's breath caught. The words cut deeper than he expected.
"What have they turned you into…?" he murmured, disbelief and sadness bleeding into his voice.
But then he exhaled softly, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
'I should have seen it sooner… I should have never turned a blind eye to his greed when it first took root,' Typhoon thought grimly.
His fingers twitched weakly as a plan began to take shape in his mind.
'They already know I can reincarnate… So there's only one option left. I never thought I'd have to use Nera's ability. We always mocked her for being the weakest…'
His eyes closed, his breathing shallow, as he recalled Nera's gentle voice echoing in his memory:
"All you need is a fraction of your soul to remain… But because the soul will be incomplete, you'll lose something when you awaken."
Her words rang in his mind as though she were standing beside him now.
The gods, however, believed he had accepted his fate.
"I'm glad you understand there's no escape," Xan Yin said softly, raising her hand. Her serene, emotionless expression never wavered. "Once more, I apologize on behalf of us all… for not telling you sooner."
Above Typhoon's head, a brilliant rune ignited—its twin flaring to life beneath him. The air pulsed with oppressive power.
Typhoon's eyes slowly shifted, not to her, but to Veydris's fallen body lying not far away. The gaping hole in Veydris's chest still smoldered.
Yet something… something about that body felt wrong.
Then it clicked.
Veydris's words… "It's not over."
Typhoon's lips twitched into a faint smile.
The spell pressed harder. The air thickened with the scent of iron as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
~BADUM
~BADUM
His heartbeat thundered, louder and heavier with every second. The weight of the spell crushed his soul—his vision blurred, his breath came ragged.
Blood poured from his lips, staining the ground.
But even as his life ebbed away, his gaze never left Veydris's unmoving form.
And then—he laughed. A weak, broken chuckle through blood-soaked teeth.
Irritation flickered across Xan Yin's flawless face. She raised her hand, the pressure intensifying.
Yet Typhoon's laughter didn't stop. It grew, ragged but defiant.
The more they tried to break him, the stronger his resolve burned.
"I forgot to tell you something," he rasped through the pain, voice cracking.
"Hah! Any last words?" one of the gods mocked with a sneer.
Typhoon coughed, spat blood, then smirked weakly.
"Nah. I'm not dying here."
The gods' faces darkened.
"You arrogant brat!" roared the towering giant of a god. His eyes flared with power as he raised his hand, summoning a crushing gravitational force. Typhoon gasped as his knees buckled—his broken body slammed to the ground.
~BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath him as he crashed face-first into the dirt. Blood seeped from every pore, pooling beneath him. His body trembled violently, barely clinging to life.
None of the gods moved to stop the giant. They watched in cold satisfaction as Typhoon writhed under the impossible weight, breath shuddering, his life bleeding out.
But even then—he moved.
One shaking hand rose from the blood-soaked ground, pointing… not at them… but at Veydris's corpse.
The gods followed his trembling finger, their brows furrowing.
"He… he had two hearts," Typhoon whispered through blood and broken breath.
The words struck the gods like thunder. Eyes widened. Heads snapped toward Veydris's body in realization.
And with that final breath, as the crushing weight shattered the last threads of his soul—
Darkness claimed Typhoon.