The once-flaming battlefield was now defined by an unsettling stillness as the flames died down. The burnt remnants of Winston Wright were under Lee as he stood amid the wreckage, his breath heavy. The guy who had destroyed Havel City and brought anguish and pain was no longer there. Only the devastated landscape's remembrance of his actions remained.

  Lee had succeeded in ending Winston's terror regime, which was the goal he had set out to do. But there was no denying the toll that it took on him. His personality had been altered by his internal conflict, the strength of his evil ego coming to the surface, and the never-ending war.

  The quiet that had descended upon the situation was broken by Taz's low voice. Is it over yet?

  Lee moved to face them, a troubled yet resolute look in his eyes. "Yes, that is finished. The horror engulfed Winston.

  Maya and Detective Pierce catch up to the pair.

  The detective and Lee look at each other. “So, you’re the one who has been doing this ruthless justice towards others?” The detective asked

  Lee had a question of his own “Yes that would be me, you’re the detective that Maya told me about?”

  “That’s right my friend and today we both got something all of us wanted. Taking down Winston Wright.” The Two men shook hands despite their different methods of justice.

  “Seriously Lee, that stuff you was doing was some crazy stuff you was doing,” Taz said

  Maya looking at the people’s faces tells Lee: “Tell me about. It was really scary, well we don’t how the world is going to take it.!”

  As their ramble with their conversation. Lee's eye was playing around as the things he was seeing were changing. The space within the paranormal and the natural world, the skull realm, kept calling Lee back.

  “Guess I’m back here. Okay, The One what happens to me now?”

  “Lee Beckton, you have achieved what you wanted” The voice echoed around him. Behind Lee was something different from The One as it took the appearance of a flaming monster with midget skulls as a necklace.

  Lee raised his eyes “Your different, who are you?”

  “I am the Gated Balancer that holds both words together.”

  “Gated Balancer?”

  The Gated Balancer with its unsettling presence “You have to make a decision.”

  “Decision, what decision do I have to make?”

  The One was manifested beside The Gated Balancer. “Lee what he means I whether you would like to merge your mask with Winston’s.”

  “What!” Lee said in response.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Let me tell you a bit of backstory to how this worked. Something that The One did not tell you about. Lee folds his arm cautiously.

  “You can choose to destroy, leave, or combine when you beat a skull mask wearer. The best course of action is to merge because, even if the likelihood of it happening is slim, leaving whoever is vanquished and has eviller in their mask on the planet might have major consequences for things you don't want to see released in this dimension. However, let me tell you something, Beckton it occurred centuries ago, and it's not a pretty sight.”

  Lee's mind raced as he thought about how serious the choice he had to make was. By combining the masks, I could use their combined power.

  Lee's attention alternated between The One and the Gated Balancer. He remembered the horror he had instilled in others and the mental harm he had sustained as he stared at his skull mask.

  “MERGE THEM, DARKNESS WILL STILL REMAIN IN THE LIVING.”

  The shape of the Gated Balancer shimmered, indicating its acceptance. "You have made a decision. The balance is preserved.

  An energetic flaming rush raced through Lee as he set his skull mask down. The masks began to merge, their energies harmonising and achieving balance as they became linked. His and Winston's previous shadows were now intertwined, a symbol of both their evil and their capacity for good.

  “From now on you’re the lone user of the skull mask Lee Beckton.”

  Lee was sent back to the living world as the conversation was still taking place. “Are you all right Lee?” They asked.

  “I’m good guys.” Lee gave off a huge smile that showed innocence towards Taz and Maya.

  Everything that spoke the name Winston was dead.

  Hours pass and Lee, Maya and Taz sitting together on the floor as Havel City is being built in front of their view. “So, what happens now?” Maya asked

  Lee and Taz sync their eyes towards Maya.

  “Well in our case we still don’t know anything about you what is your story,” said Taz

  “Yeah, we need answers.”

  When I was growing up, my childhood was rather typical. In a nearby little town, my dad and I were residents. I was an academic student, and our family was typical. But one fateful night, everything was different. A disguised user who resembled Winston showed up in our community. My folks were swept up in the ensuing mayhem. They... didn't make it through. I had made it my purpose to find this man which led to you Lee who has been revealed to be the skull mask vigilante.”

  “We’re sorry for what has happened to you?”

  “It’s okay, for getting rid of Winston and putting an end to the nightmare that had been following me for so long in my soul, I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  Maya stared at Lee with eyes that glistened with passion, and her speech was real. "However, you offered me closure and the opportunity to move on without the burden of the past in a short period."

  Things became awkward. “Lee…. tell me is there a possibility that I could get some of this power.” Maya and Lee burst out laughing at Taz's comment. “Trust me, pal, you don’t want this power.”

  June 30th, 1997

  It had been a month since the decisive conflict that had changed the course of events in Havel City. The landscape, which had previously been destroyed, was now bearing the rewards of regeneration. As city lights twinkled below, the stars in the night sky glittered with renewed brightness. Above it all, the Skull, a representation of Lee Beckton's resolve and the conjoined identities hovered in the air as a sign of both strength and transformation.

  The beast emanated an air of esoteric wisdom and imposing power while dressed in the Mystic Trench Robes, which flawlessly combined the menacing sophistication of the Skull Mask persona with the mystic images of Winston's costume. The Crown of Shadows over his head revealed elaborate patterns that connected his terrible power with his link to ancient mysticism. His Scarlet Shadow Cape billowed behind him, a deep crimson sign of his reign over the shadows.

  He donned an inscrutable mask that blended elements of Winston's and his mask. Like to the Skull Mask, it had empty, dark eye sockets, but its blood-red eyes gave out an otherworldly aura that matched Winston's supernatural qualities. The Astral Combat Attire presented the ideal harmony between his malice mysticism and his readiness for any confrontation under his robes.

  He was surrounded by Dark Majesty's aura. He embodied a power that was equal parts old evil attraction. He was a terrifying and powerful character who inspired both respect and dread.

  The beast spoke in a rattling echoing means “Who would have thought from 1974 to 1997 June 30th… I would become such a wild thing with power”

  A bunch of thieves loitered in front of them, their quiet discussions flavoured with arrogance. Trouble had always thrived in the city's underbelly and today was no exception. His approach was missed since he was hidden by the darkness.

  The air was thick with anxiety as there was a prolonged period of silence. Lee then said with a voice devoid of any ambiguity. "Lee Beckton here," Although he spoke calmly, there was an air of power about them.

  As they whirled to face him, a sense of discomfort spread across the gathering as their postures changed from confidence to uncertainty. His aura, which represented the united identities, emanated a force that compelled observation.

  With a steady tone and words that reflected the importance of his experiences, he proceeded. "I am the one who brings pain to those who resist justice." His declaration's weight weighed heavily on the air like a physical force as the syllables lingered.

  Behind the mask, Lee's eyes peered into the convicts as he talked, keeping them in a glare that appeared to cut into their very souls. The blood-red colour that emerged from the mask's eye sockets stood in striking contrast to the mask's blackness, serving as an unsettling reminder of how his history and present are intertwined.

  "I am the Skull Mask Vigilante, the one and only."

  The End