The air in the clearing still smelled of ash when Rotiun's voice came, sharp as a spear-point.
"Order of Swords… we've decided to keep an eye on you. And Bellona—don't even think about taking control."
Achlys blinked, stunned. "She can… take control of me?"
Before Bellona could answer, a fiery sphere above cracked, and Achlys felt a phantom blow strike his head. Bellona's laughter rang like steel against stone.
"Shut it. Yes, I can—but I won't. Not now."
Achlys rubbed his temple, unsettled. "Then what's your decision, Order of Spear?"
The answer came not from Rotiun but from deeper within. A voice, old and vast, spilled through the spear-bearer's presence.
"Nippongo."
At the name, Lecia and Cryo surged forward, instinctively placing themselves before Achlys.
"The God of Spears…" Lecia hissed, summoning a weapon of her own—two wooden sticks joined by a chain. Her grip tightened as if on memory itself. "Don't tell me it's in control."
Rotiun's lips curved in recognition. "That weapon… so you are truly Lecia. I thought we stripped you of everything in your prison."
Lecia's eyes narrowed, never leaving him. "It doesn't matter. I can still kill you."
Rotiun laughed. "And a phoenix that changes form… Could you be one of the mythical beasts?" His gaze slid to Cryo, who held a dagger of ice, the blade trembling faintly in his hand.
Then the ground shifted with pressure. "Heavy mana…" Rotiun murmured before vanishing.
Cryo didn't even have time to react before Rotiun appeared in front of him, a boot slamming into his chest. The phoenix was hurled backwards, screaming as he tumbled deep into the cave.
"Why me!?"
Lecia leapt, but Rotiun's spear flew like lightning, forcing her aside. He met her in midair, driving her down into the dirt, looming above. "You said you would kill me, did you not?" His grin was cruel.
Steel hissed. A blade streaked past his cheek, close enough to slice a thread of his hair. Rotiun ducked, eyes gleaming. "Ah… Order of Swords."
Achlys caught his sword midair, twisting into a guard stance. He braced for the charge, but Rotiun was already behind him.
Too fast… far too fast to track.
Pain lanced through his shoulder as the spear pierced flesh. Achlys gritted his teeth, refusing to fall.
"Stay calm, Achlys!" Bellona's voice shook the inside of his skull. The mark burned, its colors shifting wildly.
Rotiun's voice was softer, invasive. "Bellona, Bellona, Bellona… what do you see in this doll?"
Inside his mindscape, Bellona's call cut through.
"Achlys—come to me!"
Surprised, he forced down his reaction. "You… have a plan?"
The world blurred, and suddenly he was there—standing within the crimson fog of his own inner world. Bellona stood across from him, tossing him a sword with an almost playful flick.
"You're going to fight me here," she said. "While your body fights him."
Achlys caught the blade, uncertain. "But I won't be able to move outside—"
Her smile was sharp. "Your body will react. Trust me."
Steel clashed. He swung at her, missed.
Outside, his body instinctively deflected Rotiun's spear.
"What—?" Rotiun faltered as Achlys lunged forward, momentum flowing unnaturally. His blade slashed downward; Rotiun twisted, narrowly avoiding. Achlys flung his sword, forcing him to dodge wider.
"Bellona! Who did you choose?" he demanded.
In the mindscape, Bellona struck at him again. Achlys hurled his sword at her in return, their attacks mirroring in both worlds.
"Damn you and your stubbornness," she laughed. "Then fine. Sixth Order—Rapture!"
She raised her hand, and the sky itself detonated.
A colossal explosion of light blinded both worlds. Achlys staggered; Rotiun shielded his eyes.
"What is that light source!?" he snarled, barely steadying his spear.
"Achlys—right!" Bellona barked.
Achlys rolled, narrowly dodging as Rotiun's counterstrike ripped the earth apart.
"Meteoric Burst!"
The spear discharged a torrent of red energy, so violent it tore past the battlefield and into the heavens. The beam struck Mesopotamians, the smallest of the three moons. For an instant, silence ruled. Then the moon itself bore a gaping wound, a hole blackening its silver face.
"Tch… I missed," Rotiun muttered, smiling as if pleased nonetheless.
"You tried to kill me, Mr. Rotation!" Achlys shouted, snapping from the mindscape back into his body.
Rotiun laughed, lowering his weapon. Then he extended a hand. "You are worthy. Welcome to the Unmarked—the Order of Swords."
Bellona's voice cut sharply like knives. "You are still a monster, Order of Spear."
Achlys stared at the hand, then slapped it away. "I'm sorry. But I have no interest in joining."
Rotiun's grin only widened. "Very well. We'll meet again soon." His body dissolved into a shimmer of light. Above, the wounded moon shifted; a vast astral clock appeared across its surface, ticking backwards, restoring what had been broken.
"They're repairing everything again," Achlys muttered, staring skyward.
From the cave, Cryo stumbled out, feathers ruffled and chest heaving. "Where is he!? I need to end that maniac!"
Lecia crawled from rubble, brushing dust from her hair. "For once, I agree with you, useless bird."
"He's gone," Achlys answered. "Bellona helped me survive."
Lecia and Cryo both turned to stare at him.
"What? I'm not that useless," Bellona huffed through the blade.
The three burst into unexpected laughter, the sound echoing against the scarred earth.
.............................................................................
In the Domain of Loipetras
The forest was silver under moonlight, the city's silhouette rising like a jewel beyond the trees.
"A beautiful city," murmured the vampire as he stepped from the shadows. Adrian Bloodwhisper's eyes glowed faintly crimson.
From the underbrush, Nox leapt, axe raised. "What are you doing here, Adrian?"
The vampire's gaze slid sideways, calm and cold. He raised one hand toward Nox, its surface glowing a toxic green. "Forgive me, young man… but I can't let people know who I am. Overheal."
Nox's body lit with unnatural vitality. His arm began to regrow—but so did the blood leak, the strain compounding. His legs trembled violently.
"It heals," Adrian murmured, "but deeper, and deeper, until you cannot bear it. Like digging a hole until the world swallows you whole."
Nox grits his teeth, sweat pouring. "Thanks… but I don't want to die yet, Adrian."
With one brutal swing, he severed his own legs. They regrew instantly. He cut them again, desperate, using pain to balance the curse.
Adrian's smile curved. "Hurting yourself to resist my power? Clever. Unique. But it won't save you… Prince of Darkness."
Nox froze, eyes wide. "I abandoned that name long ago."
He flung his axe aside and spread his arms. "Dense Sphere—activate!"
Adrian blurred forward, vanishing into invisibility, then reappearing with a strike that shattered Nox's jaw. The blow hurled him through the city's walls, sending him crashing through houses in a storm of rubble.
"I expected more," Adrian said, stepping calmly into the ruins. "From you, Prince of Darkness."
"Stop… calling me that!" Nox roared, dragging himself upright.
Adrian's hand glowed green again, raised for another Overheal.
But another voice rang out, steady and defiant.
"I will not let you."
Adrian turned, smiling darkly. "And who might you be…?"