3rd Day of the 2nd Earth Cycle[1], 2000, g.c.
While I was somewhere in Talasi, enjoying the hard-earned fruits of being a Demon Lord with way too many fine-ass women orbiting my life, trouble was already starting to brew back in Endora.
Funny how that shit works, right? You punch holes in the sky, blow up a planet that used to dominate the horizon, fuck up a World Wonder from a lil' emotional outburst, and somehow the world expects you to keep track of every little thing you left behind.
Which, to be fair, I probably should've remembered my whole six-wheel monster car sitting near the corpse of the Sycamore stump like evidence I forgot to clean up. But I had a lot going on.
Under Gaia's new night sky, the land where the Sycamore Tree once stood looked like a wound that refused to close. The surrounding forest had been thick once, packed with towering trunks and ancient roots that twisted through Endora's soil like the veins of some giant sleeping cryptid. Now, broken sections of Sycamore bark littered the area in massive chunks, clogging paths, crushing underbrush, and leaning against shattered hills like fallen walls from a dead city.
The stump itself rose from the clearing like a monument to somebody's bad decision. Jagged edges ringed its top, splintered higher than most buildings, still carrying faint traces of mana that shimmered through the bark in dull, dying pulses. Around it, Craters scarred the land. Trenches cut deep. Stones looked like they had been thrown around by a pissed-off treant with poor emotional regulation.
Near a month-cycle later, that place had become a calling ground for curious minds and brave scavengers. The kind of people who saw disaster and immediately thought, "I bet there's something expensive under all that rubble". Treasure hunters, researchers, mercenary crews, artists with bad ideas, and poor folks who made a living finding gold in forgotten trash had all started drifting toward the ruin.
Word traveled fast in Gaia, but in Endora? That shit had wings, boots, and probably a Telepuddle subscription.
The destruction of the Sycamore Tree ran wild through the country like wildfire through dry leaves. Trappist was missing from the sky, and so was the giant skyscraper flora every Endoran local had grown up using as a landmark. When something that big vanished, people didn't just notice. They built entire theories before breakfast.
Every town, village, and city started buzzing.
"The Devil of Velonica attacked the Witches during some secret party."
"The Devil of Velonica killed a Trapper."
"The Devil of Velonica shattered the sky rings."
"The Devil of Velonica did all of it while laughing and eating a skyshadow falcon wing."
That last one ain't true, but I respect whoever added seasoning to the rumors.
"The Devil of Velonica isn't a man anymore, and he's coming to destroy Endora."
...Not all of them were fun. Some people were just saying anything.
Since Endora was a Monster Country and the homeland of the Dark Elves, it didn't take long before my little midnight adventure made it straight to their front door. Even while the Dark Elves were still deep in their revenge campaign against the Light Elves, they found time to gossip. You gotta respect the dedication. Folks could be burning down a villa, rescuing prisoners, robbing nobles, and still lean over like, "Aye, you hear what happened with the Panty Raiders?"
Dark Elves had always held strong contempt for Light Elves, and for good damn reason. The history between them was ugly, bloody, and full of enough generational trauma to make a therapist quit and become a farmer. But even among Dark Elf leadership, not everybody agreed with the idea of enslaving their former captors. Some took a stance similar to my mother Vericka's, seeing slavery as a chain that would only drag them into becoming a reflection of the people they hated. And that disagreement? That's where things start getting dangerous.
That divide created splinters. And splinters became movements.
A few mercenary companies sprang up across Endora with different ideas of what justice should look like. Some wanted revenge. Some wanted freedom. Some wanted unity. A handful of them wore all three like armor and didn't care how much blood had to be spilled to make the future they imagined.
One of those groups was called the Brazen Society.
An anti-slave group of Dark Elves with a reputation mean enough to make Human border towns check their locks twice before sundown. They were infamous for ruthless villa raids, Light Elf rescues, and slaughtering Humans who tried to keep their stolen labor by force. Their name carried both hope and fear, depending on who heard it.
The group had sixty members in total. Ten were Godwalkers and Mythwalkers. Five stood at the Orisha combat levels. So, yeah, they weren't some random band of angry elves with knives and righteous speeches. They had power behind their politics.
One of those Orishas was Cali Terrantino.
About 9.3 miles out from the fallen Sycamore Tree, Cali rode on horseback beneath the night sky with three rookie members trailing with him. All four wore dark maroon travel cloaks, their hoods pulled low enough to hide most of their features from the night lights and wandering eyes. Their horses moved at a controlled pace through the northern woods, hooves pressing into damp soil, snapping twigs, and crushing fallen leaves with soft, steady crunches.
The forest around them had that deep nocturnal life to it. Insects sang from hidden places. Small beasts rustled in the brush. The wind slid between trees, carrying the cool scent of moss, wet bark, and distant burned mana from the ruin ahead.
Cali rode at the front, quiet and tucked inside his thoughts. Small circular frames danced on the bridge of his nose as the horse's movement shifted him gently with each step. He lifted two fingers and pushed the glasses back into place, the simple motion pulling him out of whatever memory had claimed him. A voice from behind finally reached him clearly.
"Vice Captain! I said do you think any prisoners survived the tree's collapse?"
Cali blinked once, then glanced over his shoulder.
"Huh? No. I don't even believe the Panty Raiders survived from the report we got from our scout."
The only woman in the rookie group leaned forward in her saddle, her cloak shifting enough for tri-moonlight to graze the edge of her cheek.
"No one has seen the witches, the Pandaren warriors, or even the Majins since the night of Trappist's exploding."
The first rookie, Jahil, nodded quickly like he had been waiting to connect that part.
"That's the same night the Sycamore Tree fell."
"It would be crazy to believe they aren't connected," the female rookie added, her voice lower now.
Cali faced forward again, eyes scanning the path.
"There is one common factor, and that's the appearance of the Devil of Velonica."
Jahil's posture straightened in the saddle.
"Seriously, Vice Captain? That guy was really in Endora?"
The female rookie's horse snorted softly as she pulled the reins a little tighter.
"He had to be the one behind it, then."
Cali let the silence stretch for a few beats before answering. The moons above spilled silver, blue, and pale reds across the woods, glinting off his glasses each time his head shifted.
"Even Kinyetta said she watched him through magick eyes kill a Trapper. That's what led to the destruction of the sky rings that everyone saw."
He paused, voice sharpening just a little.
"Still, I can't believe in some fabled power I didn't see with my own eyes. Even if he is the son of the legendary Crimson Lady, most gossip is exaggerated."
The third Dark Elf had been riding in the back the whole time, quiet enough to almost disappear into the sounds of the horses and trees. But that statement finally pulled his voice out of him.
"I believe in the Devil of Velonica."
Cali's eyes shifted in the mirror-like reflection of his glasses, though he didn't fully turn around.
The rookie continued, quieter but firm.
"I have family that escaped to northern Velonica, and they send messages about how no Watchers are found in the Janell Forest now, making travel a lot safer."
Cali's jaw tightened slightly.
"You know it's dangerous to keep in contact with them after helping them to their freedom."
"I know, Vice Captain," the rookie answered. "But it was their final message requesting that I join them in the city of Lashun. They told me how the Devil of Velonica killed many of the powerful predators in their area, allowing for much easier hunting for them."
Cali didn't respond right away.
He let his gaze linger behind him for a moment, studying the young man beneath the hood. There was no scolding in his eyes. No softness either. Just the weight of a man who understood loyalty could get people killed, but also knew freedom without connection was just another kind of cage. Then he turned forward again.
Jahil leaned closer to the female rookie, but his voice carried loud enough for the group.
"That guy sounds insanely strong. Vice Captain, do you think you could beat him in a Freestyle Battle?"
The female rookie scoffed immediately, like the question had offended her personally.
"Vice Captain Cali is one of the strongest Orishas around. He literally defeated a dragon before, Jahil. Of course, he can beat the Devil!"
Cali's mouth twitched at the edge.
"If the Devil is anything like how the bar tavern speaks about him, then there isn't anybody who could defeat him."
The rookies went quiet.
Then Cali adjusted his glasses again, the moonlight flashing across the lenses.
"It's a good thing, I'm not just anybody."
A few hours later, the Brazen Society riders finally reached the destroyed Sycamore stump.
The horses slowed on their own before any rider pulled the reins. Animals had better survival instincts than most people, and even they could feel something was wrong with the place. The air still smelled heavy with charged magitons near a month-cycle later, thick with the metallic bite of spent mana and the smoky sweetness of ruined bark. Every breath tasted like old lightning.
The closer they rode, the more the landscape opened into devastation.
Craters surrounded the giant stump in uneven rings. Uprooted trees lay across the ground with their roots exposed to the moons like dead spiders. Blocks of stone from the broken stairs and collapsed structures sat scattered across the clearing, some half-buried in dirt, others still glowing faintly with leftover runes that had no structure left to power.
The rookies stared in silence at first. Dread and awe walked beside them, quiet as shadows. Jahil finally found his voice, though it came out thinner than before.
"What in the world happened here? It looks like a war took place."
The female rookie swallowed as she looked toward one of the deeper trenches.
"You really think the Devil of Velonica did this?"
Cali lifted his hand, signaling them to slow.
"Everyone, keep your eyes up. We're about to look around on foot."
One by one, they hopped down from horseback. Boots hit the uneven ground, crunching over splinters and loose stone. Cali handed his reins to Jahil for a second, then stepped forward, eyes moving across the ruin with sharp attention.
They made their way closer to the broken staircase, each step careful. That's when Cali noticed it. A reflection. Small, but wrong.
The light of Gaia's three moons caught on a unique piece of black metal partially buried behind large rocks and broken wood. The shine didn't match a natural ore. It didn't match enchanted armor either. There was a strange tint to it, deep and slick, almost like the night sky had been melted down and forged into a shell.
Cali couldn't pull his eyes away from it. He lifted a hand and pointed.
"Hey, everyone, over this way. I need y'all to clear some rubble for me."
The female rookie moved first. "Yes, sir, Vice Captain."
Cali stepped closer, crouching near the exposed metal.
"Try to be careful, as I don't want y'all to damage whatever it is up under."
They got to work. Jahil and the third rookie pushed aside smaller stones while the female rookie used Earth Mana in controlled pulses, loosening packed dirt without cracking whatever lay beneath. Cali watched closely, occasionally leaning in to brush away debris with his own gloved hand.
Minutes passed. More black metal appeared. Then glass. Then one of the tires. By the time they cleared enough of the rubble away, all four Dark Elves were standing there, confused as hell, staring at my six-wheel vehicle like they had uncovered a relic from a civilization that had no business existing on Gaia.
Nightcrawler. My beautiful, overdesigned, ridiculous monster car. Left behind at the Sycamore Tree because my life had become one long emergency playlist with no skip button.
To Gaians, though? That vehicle was alien. Technology like that stood out in Arcadia like a dragon wearing sunglasses. The shape, the tires, the armored build, the glass, the design language—it didn't belong to any known standard of carriage, wagon, or magitech transport.
The quiet rookie stepped closer, voice full of wonder.
"What in Jerrica's creation is this? Is this magitech?"
The female rookie pressed her palm near the side window, not touching it fully at first, like she expected it to bite.
"I've never seen anything like this before. Look, this is glass. Just like they use on noble carriages."
Jahil crouched near one of the wheels and tapped the tire lightly.
"Explains these weird wheels. Aye, Vice Captain, you think it's a Xenohuman cart or something?"
Cali didn't answer right away. He pushed his glasses up with one finger, then lifted his hand toward the vehicle.
"Let's see. Retrieve information—[Scan]."
A small celadon light shone from behind his glasses, spreading outward in a thin veil. The glow layered over Nightcrawler, crawling across the frame in translucent bands of mana as Cali's skill searched for information. For a moment, the light highlighted the scar that ran down his right eye, cutting through his face like a mark left by a story nobody had asked him about yet.
A short info box formed in his vision.
His brow furrowed. "The hell?"
The rookies leaned in.
Cali's voice dropped with confusion.
"It tells me it's a vehicle named Nightcrawler. It doesn't share any additional information outside the ownership belonging to a Xiro Mikazuki."
The female rookie looked up sharply.
"That surname sounds familiar. Isn't that clan famous or something?"
Cali stood a little straighter.
"...I believe Xiro Mikazuki is the true name of the Devil of Velonica. This strange-looking vehicle belongs to him."
The quiet rookie's eyes widened beneath his hood.
"So he truly was here. Then he was the cause of all of this."
Cali didn't look away from the vehicle.
"Never mind that. We've stumbled upon magitech that's out of the range of both Dark Elves and Humans."
His fingers brushed lightly over the frame, careful, almost reverent.
"I don't even think the ancient Light Elves had this kind of technology."
That was when a new voice crept into the conversation.
Deep. Burning. Carrying heat in every syllable.
"Looks like you've found something that was already claimed. I'm going to need you to leave it where you found it, thanks."
Cali and the other Brazen Society members looked up at the same time.
A Dark Elf stood atop a pile of fallen trees, 5'11" with the three moons hanging behind him in perfect alignment. Their light turned him into a shadowed silhouette at first, his face hidden beneath darkness while the edges of his body glowed with heat.
Steam rolled off his skin into the cool night air.
Fiery stripes burned across his exposed arms and neck, each one glowing like molten cracks beneath dark flesh. The ends of his dreadlocks smoldered with embers, tiny orange sparks breaking free and drifting upward before dying in the wind.
Then his eyes opened wider. Neon greenish-yellow. Bright as twin suns. The stranger's burning stare locked onto the hooded Cali.
Cali didn't move. Neither did the man above him.
A dramatic breeze cut through the ruined clearing, dragging ash, dust, and loose leaves between them. The three rookies slowly shifted their hands closer to their weapons, their bodies tensing without needing orders.
The air thickened. That kind of tension didn't need a shout or drawn blade to announce itself. It sat between the two men like a loaded gun. Neither one budged an inch.
Cali only let the moment stretch for so long before that calm confidence of his started showing through his shoulders again. The man had a way of dismissing danger like it was an inconvenient smell in the room, and Raion, standing on those fallen trees with all that quiet heat around him, was apparently no different. Cali turned his attention away from him with the kind of familiarity that only came from history. The kind of tone folks used when they knew exactly how many buttons to press because they helped install the damn things.
With the Nightcrawler sitting half-revealed between them like buried treasure nobody had agreed to split, Cali's voice cut through the ruined forest.
"I'm not surprised to find you here, Raion. But tonight is not the time for your petty disagreements."
One of the rookie Elves standing behind Cali damn near forgot he was supposed to be on a mission. His eyes widened under the shadow of his hood, and his ears twitched like somebody had whispered a bedtime legend into his skull.
"Hot damn! Is that really Raion Hoshi, the Inferno Cycho? He's a local legend."
The other rookie leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the Dark Elf standing above them. She sounded like she was talking about an old war story, the kind folks tell in taverns after the third drink starts making everybody brave.
"They still speak about how he defeated five S-Class M-Cees to save the village, Redwater, from being raided."
Cali didn't bother looking back at them. His gaze stayed on Raion, cold and sharp behind his glasses.
"He also left the Brazen Society last year. So, if he gets in the way of our mission, even he will be treated as an enemy."
Raion's posture didn't shift. He stood there with one foot planted on a snapped trunk and the other balanced across splintered bark, his cloak moving gently in the night breeze. The amber glow of buried fire glyphs pulsed faintly beneath the soil around the Nightcrawler, so subtle it would've been easy to miss if you didn't know what to look for. That told me Raion had been planning this long before Cali arrived. And honestly, protecting my car with a fire trap was some respectable neighbor behavior—even if he was trying to claim it. Better than leaving a "don't touch" sign. Those only work on people with home training.
Raion's voice carried through the clearing, steady and firm.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight with old battle brothers. I'm simply protecting my findings and shit, as it was I who reburied that strange contraption. I am here now to retrieve it, if you don't mind."
Cali's gloved hand slipped from beneath his travel cloak. The faint triple moonlight caught the movement as his fingers drifted toward the hood of the Nightcrawler. He wasn't rushing. That was the disrespectful part. He moved like he already owned the machine, and Raion was just a loud lock waiting to be picked and bypassed.
"The magitech on this machine is something that I feel would be advantageous for the Brazen Society to reverse engineer. And since our mission was to bring back any useful information, it's my duty to return with this machine."
The instant Cali's fingers neared the hood, Raion's hand flashed through a sharp sign. His fingers folded, crossed, and struck the air in one smooth motion. The glyphs carved into the dirt around the Nightcrawler answered like they had been holding their breath.
Fire erupted from the ground.
Not a simple campfire burst either. Geysers of orange and gold flames shot up in a violent ring around the vehicle, roaring with enough heat to turn the damp forest air dry in a blink. The flames twisted into a wall, licking upward with hungry tongues that painted the black metal of the Nightcrawler in molten reflections. Sparks scattered across the clearing like fireflies with anger issues.
Cali sprang backward before the flames could kiss his hand off, his cloak snapping around him as he landed several yards away. His boots dug shallow grooves into the dirt, and his face tightened with irritation as he looked back toward Raion.
Raion's neon-yellow eyes narrowed from above the burning barrier.
"I won't say it again, old friend. Leave it alone... now."
Those words hit something in Cali that wasn't fully buried. His mouth twitched first, then his fingers moved with surgical calm as he removed his glasses. He pulled a small cloth from his pocket and cleaned the lenses with slow, deliberate strokes, as if Raion hadn't just turned the ground into a threat. The firelight danced across the glass, doubling the glow of his eyes for a second before he placed the frames back on his face.
Then he smiled.
That smile wasn't friendly. It had teeth in the spirit even before his lips showed any.
Cali reached up and pulled back his hood. His shaved-sided ponytail slipped free and danced in the following breeze, dark strands catching the faint orange flicker from Raion's flames. The air around him changed. Magitons began to charge in thin currents, sweetening the scent of smoke with something almost sugary and metallic. Like candy dropped on hot iron.
"You know, Raion... things have changed since you've left. I, for one, have changed as well. I'm not lost and weak anymore. I've found new strength."
His hand dropped to his side. The katana hidden beneath his cloak came out faster than the rookies could blink.
A hypersonic draw screamed through the clearing as Cali unsheathed and swung in the same motion. Wind Mana compressed along the blade's path, sharpening into a crescent wave that cut through the air with a pale, violent shimmer. The slash crossed the distance toward Raion's neck with enough speed to turn the sound itself late to the party.
Raion leaned his head to the side. That was it.
The wind blade passed so close that it tugged at his hair and sliced a few loose strands free. Behind him, the attack continued across the clearing and slammed into a row of trees. The impact cracked like thunder. Trunks split, branches exploded, and entire sections of forest folded under the force, wood fragments spraying through the night like shrapnel.
Raion glanced back, his eyes widening for half a breath. That attack had weight behind it. Enough to remind him Cali wasn't bluffing about that new strength. His expression relaxed just as quickly, but the atmosphere around him had already changed. The casual warning faded from his face, replaced by the look of a man who had accepted that talking was done.
He flipped forward from his perch, his body rotating over the firelit clearing with controlled ease. His boots hit the ground several yards from Cali, knees bending to absorb the landing. Dust lifted around him in a soft ring. When he straightened, the flame glyphs at his back made his silhouette look like some kind of old inferno saint who had lost patience with diplomacy.
"I should have known you wouldn't back down from a fight. Although I wish you had for this one."
Cali lowered his katana slightly, the blade angled with relaxed precision.
"Where's the fun in that? I didn't become an Orisha by running from conflict."
He glanced back at the three rookies behind him. Their confidence had already started leaking out through their boots, and I couldn't blame them. Watching two monsters decide to settle a property dispute with murder energy would have me reconsidering my career choices, too. Had them niggas thinking like, "Maybe accounting had ain't too bad."
Cali's voice sharpened into command.
"You three, remain posted until I give the call. Unless you want to lose your life to The Inferno Cycho."
The second rookie snapped upright, relief barely hidden under her discipline. "Yes, Sir!"
The first rookie, Jahil, tightened his grip around his weapon, worry cutting through his face.
"Be careful, Vice Captain."
They were happy as hell to hear they didn't have to jump into that fight. None of them were above D-Class in Combat Rating, which meant stepping between Cali and Raion would've been less like backup and more like seasoning. Lambs to a lion. Free Eats.
Raion rolled his shoulders, then cracked his knuckles one hand at a time. His gauntlets were uniquely styled, wrapped around his forearms with layered metal plates and gem slots that looked custom-made for violence. Three gems on each arm pulsed in rhythm, glowing hotter with every beat. Motes of Fire Mana rose from them like embers escaping a forge, circling his fists in bright, restless sparks.
His neon-yellow eyes brightened as Bio Mana raced through his body. The air around him took on a dry heat, causing the grass at his feet to curl and blacken at the tips. His stance shifted low and unarmed, but there was nothing empty about his hands. Raion looked like an M-Cee who could punch a spell so hard it would apologize.
Across from him, Cali set his feet into the dirt. He pointed his katana toward Raion with the tip forward and the edge turned up. His lips moved in a low whisper, too smooth and quiet for the rookies to catch clearly. Water Mana answered him in soft blue motes, gathering along the katana's edge. The liquid shimmer wrapped the blade in a thin, flowing coat, making the steel ripple like moonlight moving across a river.
When the enchantment finished, the weapon looked almost alive. Cali didn't waste another second.
One step launched him forward with lightning speed. The ground cracked beneath his boot, and the distance between him and Raion collapsed. His katana came in with a sharp diagonal cut aimed to open Raion from shoulder to ribs.
Raion lifted his forearm and caught the strike against his gauntlet. Metal screamed against mana-laced magisteel. Sparks burst between them, orange fire clashing with blue water in a hiss of steam. Raion's right fist came up immediately, aimed straight for Cali's exposed face.
Cali slipped around it by a breath, twisting his neck and shoulder just enough for the punch to tear past his cheek. The force behind it still dragged wind across his skin and snapped part of his ponytail sideways. The two Dark Elves moved into a brutal rhythm after that.
Cali's katana flickered in silver-blue arcs, each slash carrying that liquid edge that made every swing deadly. Raion answered with gauntlet blocks, forearm parries, and tight footwork, his flames surging around his fists with every counter. When his punches met the blade, fire sizzled against Water Mana and filled the clearing with bursts of steam that smelled like hot stone and rain. Every contact rang through the forest, sharp enough to make the rookies flinch.
Cali drove forward with clean swordsmanship. Raion kept his body inside the danger, slipping just close enough to make the katana harder to swing at full reach. He ducked under a horizontal slash that carved a glowing line through the air above his head.
Then he saw it. An opening to strike.
Raion's fist tightened until his gauntlet groaned around his knuckles. Heat gathered there, bright and concentrated, burning from orange into a near-white flare. His grin flashed through the steam.
"Let's get lifted!"
The uppercut rose like a cannon disguised as a punch.
Raion's flaming fist caught Cali under the guard and snatched him off his feet. The impact sent a burst of fire straight upward, launching Cali backward through the air. His body crashed into a pile of broken trees and interior rubble with enough force to make the whole heap explode outward. Wood, stone, and dust jumped into the night as Cali disappeared into the middle of the mess.
One of the rookies shouted before he could stop himself. "Vice Captain!"
Raion lowered his fist, smoke curling from his gauntlet. He kept his eyes on the rubble, because only a fool would think Cali was done from one good hit.
"Still relying on that same trick? Your Sonata ability only works if I use an art or something against you. But not good old-fashioned punches and kicks."
The rubble shifted.
A chunk of cracked timber slid aside. Then another. Cali rose from beneath the debris, pushing the wreckage off him like he had only been inconvenienced. Dirt dusted his cloak, and a few splinters clung to his shoulder, but his face didn't carry pain. He brushed himself off with that same composed arrogance, like Raion had scuffed his outfit more than his body.
"I don't think you know what you're talking about, old pal. My [Dominus Invidiae] isn't that easily planned for."
Cali stretched his free hand toward Raion. Greenish-cyan magiton clusters began dancing in front of his open palm, spinning into a loose spiral that thickened the air. The scent changed again, turning humid and bitter beneath the leftover haze.
His voice rolled out with spellcaster confidence.
"Roll with the smoke. Enhanced Wind Mana Arts: Kickin' Clouds!"
A smoky mist burst outward and swallowed Raion before he could clear the distance. It rolled around him in layered sheets, thick and dirty gray, twisting low across the ground before climbing his legs, chest, and face. The toxin inside hit fast. It crawled into his lungs and numbed his senses, making the world tilt under his feet.
Raion staggered, blinking hard as his stance broke.
"Wooahh. Hoooww the? I haven't—"
Cali was already there. His roundhouse kick crashed into Raion's jaw with a sound like a hammer striking wet stone. The impact cleared the smoke in a violent shockwave, blasting the mist outward in a perfect ring. Raion flew headfirst across the clearing and slammed into a large stone. The rock shattered around him, collapsing into heavy chunks that buried him beneath broken gray slabs.
Cali landed lightly, katana still in hand, cloak settling around him. He wasn't waiting for Raion to recover. The man raised his palm again, and electricity began gathering there in a jumping orb. Blue-white arcs snapped between his fingers, crawling over his glove and licking up his forearm. The atmosphere turned static and sharp, raising the small hairs on the rookies' arms. The scent of metal filled the clearing, clean and dangerous.
The three Brazen Society rookies watched with hungry anticipation, thinking their Vice Captain was about to end a legend in front of them.
Cali's eyes locked on the rubble.
"With the sky's authority, Superior Lightning Mana—"
A Water Mana arrow screamed through the night before he could finish.
Cali cut his spell short and twisted away, his boots sliding over the dirt as the arrow struck where his torso had been. The impact detonated with crushing force. Compressed water exploded like a grenade, blasting rock and soil upward in a violent spray. The ground caved beneath the pressure, leaving a wet crater steaming under the firelight.
The first rookie spun toward the trees.
"Someone else is here!"
The third rookie lifted his weapon, but his voice betrayed every drop of uncertainty in him.
"Do you feel that mana signature? Should we help the Vice Captain?"
Cali landed with his katana ready, feet planted wide as his gaze searched the shadows. His eyes narrowed when they found the source. Beneath a nearby tree, a pair of violet eyes glowed from the darkness, steady and lethal.
He didn't need her to step forward. He knew that mana signature.
"I should have known that his partner wouldn't be far. Akai, stay out of this. I won't hold back against you if you choose to involve yourself in our little disagreement."
The figure beneath the tree drew her magick bowstring tighter. The weapon in her hands was made from Water Mana and Astral Mana, both elements braided together into a sleek, glowing curve. The bow caught the night light first, shimmering in deep blue and silver-violet strands, as if a river had been pulled from the Spirit Realm and shaped into a liquid weapon.
"Then I advise you to do what you see fit. Because I won't allow you to do what you please with him."
Akai stepped from the shadow of the tree.
The night revealed her piece by piece. Cinnamon-brown skin caught the glow of Raion's fires. Red scales lined parts of her body, matching the fin-like ears pushing through her rich purple hair. Slick light tan horns swept back from her head, and a reptilian tail moved behind her with slow, controlled tension.
Akai kept her bow aimed at Cali without blinking. Her glowing violet eyes promised she wasn't here for negotiations.
Her wings were the part that stood out the most, though. They held a Fey-like look, delicate and strange compared to the rest of her Dragonkin features. Something about them reminded me of Chomei, like beauty had taken a wrong turn into danger during her design.
Behind Cali, the stone rubble covering Raion began to heat. The cracks between the rocks lit orange, then red, then bright molten gold. The stone softened and melted, running down in thick streams of lava around him. Raion rose from the center of it, covered in dancing flames, his body haloed by heat waves that bent the air.
He cracked his neck, then reached out as spiritons gathered in his hand. The particles formed a trident-like spear, its edges flickering with spiritual light and fire. The weapon solidified with a low hum, sending rings of heat outward.
Raion grinned across the battlefield.
"Looks like we'll be playing it your way, ol' chum. You don't mind Akai joining our dance. I doubt she would listen if I told her to sit out."
Cali's smile sharpened. The blue shimmer along his katana mixed with the static crawling around his other hand, and his aura began to swell with a heavier pressure.
"It's her death. I'll be sure to bury you both in one grave, so you can spend eternity together."
Bio Mana charged through Cali's body in a tremendous surge. His mana signature expanded across the ruined forest, suffocating the area with weight. The rookies behind him tensed as the pressure washed over them.
Cali's grin stretched wider, sinister and thrilled, as he locked his stance for a battle that could end him with one bad mistake.
"By the way, don't call me chum... ol' buddy."
The Nightcrawler sat behind Raion's wall of fire like the world's most dramatic centerpiece, and honestly, my car had no business attracting that much anime nonsense while I wasn't even there to enjoy it.
Meanwhile, down in Velonica, about a hundred and twelve miles northwest of Talasi, the night road sat quiet beneath Gaia's three moons. A group of travelers had pulled off the main path and made camp beneath the blackwood trees, giving their horses a break from dragging the carriage across rough southern soil. The beasts huffed softly near the brush, tails swatting at glow-flies while leather harnesses creaked with every shift of weight.
The warmer night winds rolled through the forest in steady waves, making the blackwood leaves whisper overhead. Their dark branches curved above the campsite like long fingers laced together, catching the tri-moonlight in those strips of silver, violet, and pale crimson. Somewhere deeper in the biome, night creatures chirped, croaked, and sang from hidden places, turning the forest into a natural orchestra. Bugs buzzed low near the fire. Something small scurried through dry leaves. The whole scene had that calm-before-something-important feeling, like the world was holding its breath because it knew some new drama was nearby.
Four men gathered near the campfires, their shadows stretching long over the grass and dirt. The flames crackled over stacked blackwood, releasing a thick, earthy scent mixed with smoke and roasted meat. Each man wore a thinner traveling cloak in dark colors that looked near black beneath the moons. They weren't dressed like nobles. They looked like men who knew the road, knew danger.
One familiar face among them was an Elf with fair skin and elegant, silver-streaked walnut-brown hair. Dr. Kai sat near the fire with the relaxed posture of a man who never truly had to rush. His blue eyes held that calm, clever shine that made him look harmless until you remembered smart men were often the most dangerous people at the table. Funny thing about that name, though. Dr. Kai. Cute little disguise. A clean coat and a scholar's smile could hide a whole lot of bullshit.
Two of the men were Majins. Oni, specifically. Their indigo horns curved upward from their heads, marking their bloodline clear as a banner. Neither had wings nor a tail, which made their Oni traits stand out even stronger. One was older, seated closest to the campfire, turning a piece of impaled meat over the flames. Blood still boiled off the fresh hunt, sizzling as it hit the fire and sent up sharp pops of steam and fat. The other Oni stood away from the warmth, facing the dark stretch of Janell Forest with his hands resting behind him.
Then there was the Simeon.
He leaned against the side of the carriage with an alcohol bottle in hand, his furry face half-lit by the fire. Simeons were monkey-like Sociovores, often thought to be the missing bridge between Humans and Demihumans. Which sounded like the kind of thing scholars would say right before a Simeon smacked them for making it weird. His cloak hung loose around his shoulders, and the bottle of baijiu stayed close to his mouth like it owed him answers.
Kai glanced over at him with an amused lift of his brow.
"Drinking again, Cecil? We'll be in Talasi within the next day. Couldn't you wait for a taste of spirit? Or is this anxiety?"
Cecil took a deep swig of the baijiu, letting the liquor burn its way down. A thin trail escaped the corner of his mouth and slid into the fur along his jaw. He wiped at it lazily with the back of his hand, then gave Kai a sideways look.
"A sip now or a sip then won't change anything. Besides, I may not get a chance to drink around Frost's spawn."
He lifted the bottle slightly, eyes narrowing with curiosity more than judgment.
"I'm quite curious to see this offspring, as I've never heard of a Celestial Transcendent giving birth. Let alone mating with a Death Oni."
Kai's smile softened with that professor-like patience, the kind that said he loved explaining things.
"Ahh, you mean due to the Celestial Transcendent being a partial Anima Race. It's true, normally they would lose the ability, but her Vessel Skill bypassed that limitation."
Cecil hummed before drinking again.
"And still, she picked Frost as a mate. Women have such terrible taste in men."
Kai's eyes drifted toward the masked Oni standing at the edge of camp.
"Frost's blood was strong in the child. Meaning his evolution line should make him a Death Oni as well. One who began with a mana pool of 10,000 and an amazing set of abilities."
Cecil lowered the bottle slowly.
"Sounds like a magick prodigy in a martial combatant's body. And a headache to face on a battlefield."
He turned the bottle skyward again, the liquor glugging softly as he drank. The fire reflected in the glass, trembling orange against the smooth curve. Near the flames, the older Oni rotated the meat over the fire with practiced ease. The surface had started to brown, but the center still bled, dripping red into the flames.
The older Oni's voice carried with rough interest.
"You don't say. Then I can't wait to meet my great-nephew."
He pulled the meat closer, inspecting it through the glow.
"These stories about this Devil of Velonica are often so grand in nature."
Cecil rolled the phrase around in his head, ears twitching.
"His moniker makes him sound intimidating. To have Devil attached to one's name at such a young age… err, how old is he again?"
Kai tilted his head slightly, counting back through memory.
"It was fifteen years ago when I last went to Talasi. He was born during the 3rd Air Cycle."
The older Oni's brows lifted.
"So young."
"Maybe not," Kai replied, his tone turning more thoughtful. "He survived Jerrica's Labyrinth, so he's probably much older due to the time dilation and misalignment."
The older Oni stopped turning the meat for a moment.
"He survived the labyrinth?" His gaze shifted toward the silent figure at the forest's edge. "Frost, did you hear that? The young man survived an Aeon Dungeon."
Frost didn't face them.
The tri-moonlight outlined his frame from behind, casting a cold glow along his cloak and the edges of his upward-curved indigo horns. A unique mask covered his full face, hiding every feature beneath a design that carried dread like a language. Shadows sat deep in the mask's carved lines, making the face look less worn and more inhabited. Like death had borrowed it and forgot to give it back.
He said nothing. His hands remained folded behind him as he stared into the Janell Forest, still enough to make the trees look restless around him.
Cecil glanced away from Frost and called toward the older Oni.
"Charles, why is this your first time meeting Frost's child?"
Charles returned to turning the meat, the fire popping beneath it.
"You don't know? The Mayonaka Clan just returned from Xanadu."
Cecil lowered the bottle. "Your entire clan was on the Eastern Continent?"
Charles's expression hardened, though his voice stayed steady.
"We were forcefully exiled there by the Shirasagi Clan. About 50 Years ago, all colored-horned Oni clans were hit by a continent-wide teleportation spell."
Kai's eyes narrowed faintly, old memory moving behind them.
"If not for Frost recollecting all colored-horned clans and helping them find transportation back to Arcadia, the Oni would still be scattered across Xanadu."
That made Cecil stare at Frost a little differently. He took a smaller drink this time, like he needed to pace himself through the surprise.
"I guess your child isn't the only one who impressed me tonight. I didn't think a Majin would go so far for others. Especially other Majin Clans."
Frost finally made a sound.
"Hmmph..."
The mist that slipped from the vents of his mask was pale and cold, curling through the warmer camp air before fading. That little breath said more than a whole speech. It said he didn't care for praise, didn't ask for it, and damn sure didn't plan to thank anybody for noticing.
Cecil's grin returned, but softer. "You're living up to your alias as the Chosen One."
Charles nodded once, firelight sharpening the lines of his older face.
"The one destined to slay the Beast of the Rapture and rule over Gaia."
Frost finally spoke, his voice low and frigid through the mask. Every word carried the weight of a blade kept cold until it needed blood.
"The Shirasagi Clan is working with the Humans in the Holy Land and Hedaria. That's why the white horns have all relocated to Babylonia."
Cecil's grip tightened slightly around the bottle.
"The Humans seem to have their eyes on removing threats they can't control."
Frost's shoulders barely shifted.
"Annoying bugs."
Kai watched him for a moment, then asked the question sitting behind the whole quest.
"Frost, are you planning on asking Lord Xiro to join you on your journey?"
Cecil blinked. "His name is Xiro, huh?"
Frost didn't turn around.
"I will only be interested if my Junior can prove he would be useful."
Charles chuckled low, smoke curling around his face as he lifted the meat from the flame.
"I'm pretty sure he'll be a natural-born warrior. His mother is a Demon Lord, after all."
Kai's voice gentled slightly.
"Frost, you'll be happy to know that Lady Vericka was in good health the last time I saw her. Her Trance had paused its stressful drain during her pregnancy."
Charles gave Frost a teasing look from beside the fire.
"Aye, nephew, are you excited to see your old flame?"
The silence after that question got thick enough to cut with a spoon. Frost stayed facing the forest, but something in his posture shifted. Small. Tight. The kind of movement was easily missed if not paid attention to.
"...More than the child, truthfully. Her situation with that transformation always had me worried for her health. Besides, I have two other children across Xanadu. The next generation doesn't really interest me."
Now, see, that right there was how you knew the family reunion wasn't about to be a warm hug and a plate of food. My father was apparently the type of nigga to say "the next generation doesn't interest me" while traveling to meet his own son. Tremendous parenting. Truly inspirational. Put that on a shirt.
Kai gave him a dry look.
"Death Oni aren't naturally loving to their offspring. Nor are they usually so sexually active."
Frost's head turned just enough for the mask to catch the firelight.
"Shut it, Elf."
Charles laughed, unbothered.
"Kairos, cut him some slack. Young Oni have a hard time settling down with one mate. Oni are hardwired to dominate and conquer. That includes breeding."
Cecil's ears twitched at the name. Kairos.
He looked at Kairos differently then, the baijiu bottle lowering inch by inch as the question clicked in his head.
"Kairos, why are you so excited to see this Xiro again?"
Almost like he had been waiting all night for somebody to ask, Dr. Kai—Kairos—reached into his pant pocket. His fingers closed around something small, and when he pulled it free, the moons above caught its edges.
A crescent moon-shaped gem rested in his palm. A mnemonic crystal. The crystal shimmered gently beneath the tri-moonlight, its surface catching silver and violet in soft pulses. As Kairos adjusted his travel cloak, he lifted the gem higher, letting the others see the shape clearly.
Cecil leaned closer, curiosity pulling him off the carriage.
"What is that? A jewel of some sort?"
Charles squinted.
"Looks like the Mikazuki Clan's symbol."
Without warning, Kairos tossed it.
Cecil caught the crystal easily, his fingers closing around the crescent. The moment it touched his palm, the gem pulsed with stored Mana and Memory. Pale-blue light spilled from its center, projecting a rectangular hologram into the air above the campfire.
The image flickered once. Then the sound kicked in.
"Gina, baby!! Brutha-Man can't spellll, Gina..."
The voice cracked through the campsite so suddenly that Cecil flinched backward, nearly dropping the bottle and the gem at the same damn time. A sitcom from Earth played in miniature light, Martin's energy spilling out beneath Gaia's moons like the universe had made a scheduling mistake. The holographic figures moved with strange clarity, projected from memory as recorded magitech.
Cecil stared at it with his mouth slightly open.
"What in Infernia..? It produces an image? Like a sorcerer's ball."
Frost and Charles moved closer despite themselves. Frost's mask turned toward the hologram. Charles leaned over Cecil's shoulder with the honest curiosity of a man witnessing something he had no framework for.
The sitcom continued, voices and laugh track dancing above the fire. The hologram's glow painted their faces in shifting blues and whites, throwing Earth's old living-room nonsense across three men from Gaia who had absolutely no context for Black sitcom comedy. Honestly, watching them try to interpret Martin like a sacred vision would've healed something in me.
Charles frowned thoughtfully at the image.
"It looks like the Humans are having relationship troubles."
Cecil rotated the gem carefully in his hand, as if changing the angle might explain the impossible.
"I've never seen a mana crystal like this before."
Kairos's expression held a quiet satisfaction.
"The event being shown is not from the history of Gaia. The Humans shown in that light were from another universe."
Cecil looked up slowly.
"Another universe?"
Charles's voice came out louder than he probably intended.
"Whoa, now. Are you serious?"
Kairos nodded, calm as ever.
"Frost's child has found a way to share recorded memories within these gems. And if these gems are from Xiro's memories, then it must mean that he's a reincarnation from a universe outside of ours."
The campsite went still.
Even the fire seemed to quiet for a moment, flames shrinking low around the blackwood as Kairos's words sank into the dirt. The night creatures kept singing, but their sounds felt distant now, pushed away by the weight of what had just been said.
Reincarnation from beyond their universe. Memories from another world.
A child born with Death Oni blood, Celestial Transcendent potential, a mana pool of 10,000, and enough weirdness to turn old Earth sitcoms into magical collectibles.
Yeah, when you put it that way, I was extra as hell from birth.
Cecil looked back down at the crescent crystal as the hologram faded. The last shimmer of Martin's image dissolved into the night, leaving only the soft glow of the moon-shaped gem in his palm. He didn't say anything for a while. Then he took another long swig of baijiu, choosing the oldest strategy known to mortal minds when reality got too complicated.
Drink and pretend you understand.
Charles, on the other hand, let out a deep, healthy chuckle after a few seconds. His laughter came from genuine excitement, warm and impressed.
"Now I'm even more excited to meet my nephew."
Frost didn't comment right away.
He turned from the fire and walked toward the road path, every step quiet against the dirt. The mask hid his expression, but the way he moved carried thought. Heavy thought. The kind that followed a man even when he tried to walk away from it.
The cold mist of his breath escaped through the mask's vents again. One word slipped out first, low enough to almost vanish beneath the trees.
"Reincarnated. ...So that's what you are."
And there it was.
My long-lost father was finally coming home with the milk.
And this family reunion didn't have the makings of something warm. They always told you to never meet your heroes.
Lucky for me, I never had one.
[End of Chapter]
[1] May on Earth.