The heat in the Land of Pyraxis was oppressive—the red sands shimmering under the sun, jagged blackstone cliffs cutting the horizon.
Inside a worn military tent, Elion Vaydrin sat at a comms table, listening to a static-filled broadcast.
Radio voice (crackling): "—Neoterra Prime… catastrophic gravitational anomaly… unknown casualties…"
The broadcast continued, but Elion's hand tightened on the table edge until his knuckles whitened.
From the far corner, Joren Malvek—lounging with his boots on a supply crate, a half-empty flask in hand—glanced up.
Joren: "Your home turf, huh? Guess the place couldn't handle the fireworks."
Elion shot him a sharp look.
Elion: "It's not a joke, Joren. There are people there—families—that just lost everything."
Joren leaned back further, smirking faintly.
Joren: "Yeah, and if you let every disaster crawl under your skin, you'll never crawl back out."
The tension between them hung thick, but Elion didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached over and turned up the volume.
Radio voice: "—attack believed to be the work of… unconfirmed identity… the entity disappeared after the event—"
Joren's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
Joren: "It's been very rough lately for Neoterra Prime."
Elion's gaze stayed locked on the comms unit, jaw tight.
Elion (quietly): "Whoever it was… they're not going to get away with it."
Outside the tent, the wind carried heat and the distant clang.
Two figures emerged from the haze:
Arthur Morningstar and Goliath, shadowing Arthur's every step, his presence alone pressing down like a silent threat.
Joren straightened lazily from his seat on the crate.
Joren: "Looks like the big guns came to play. Or are we just blessed with celebrity visitors?"
Arthur ignored the jab, stopping a meter from Elion.
Arthur: "Orders from above. Null wants a meeting with all Reapers now."
Elion's brow furrowed.
Elion: "Null?"
Goliath (deep voice): "Let's not keep him waiting."
The Soul Reapers enter another, larger tent. The air was heavy—the kind of heavy that came from the holographic man seated at the head of the long holographic obsidian table.
Null.
His presence felt like silence given weight.
Elion, Joren, Arthur, and Goliath each took their seats with several other Soul Reaper holograms visualizing on the hologram. Null's voice broke the stillness.
Null: "The time has come."
His eyes—calm but unreadable—swept the room.
Null: "The boy marked by heaven walks the earth. His awakening is unlike any we've seen. He has been part of the chaos of Neoterra Prime."
Elion's eyes narrowed slightly, though he stayed silent.
Null: "Neoterra has suffered enough disruption. It will fall further—but only after we have him."
He leaned forward, resting his gloved hands on the table.
Null: "Elion Vaydrin. Joren Malvek. Rai Tenshiro."
The three named sat straighter.
Null: "You will retrieve the boy marked by heaven. Bring him to me, alive. No delays. No excuses."
Across the table, a hologram, Rai Tenshiro—Soul Reaper No. 5, stared silently, the glint in his eyes somewhere between excitement and mischief.
Rai: "Guess we're going hunting."
Null's gaze lingered on Elion a moment longer than the others.
Null: "Do not fail me."
The command wasn't loud, but the weight of it pressed against their chests like stone.
And just like that, the meeting was over.
Rai, as a hologram, walked a few steps ahead before stopping. He turned slowly, his golden eyes narrowing like sharpened blades.
Rai (coldly): "Stay out of my way."
Joren raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly.
Joren: "Didn't realize we were racing."
Rai's gaze didn't shift from Elion.
Rai: "You think Null calls you his 'favorite' because you're special? He just likes broken things he can fix. You're a project, Elion. That's all."
Elion's expression stayed unreadable, but his fists tightened at his sides.
Elion: "If that's what you believe, then you've already lost."
Something in Rai's jaw twitched. He stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Elion could hear.
Rai (angry): "You'll never be able to replace me. No matter how much he pretends you matter, you don't. You are nothing."
Joren glanced between them, clearly amused at the tension.
Joren: "Oh, this is going to be fun."
Rai turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor he is in. His footsteps were sharp against the stone.
Elion watched the hologram go, the flicker of anger in his eyes quickly buried beneath the calm mask he wore.
Elion (quietly, to himself): "I'm not here to replace anyone."
But Joren caught it—and for the first time, his smirk faded slightly.
The heavy doors of the meeting chamber slammed shut behind them, the echo fading into the volcanic air.
Rai Tenshiro stepped into the torch-lit corridor, the air still humming from Null's words.
The corridor was empty except for the dim torchlight licking the stone walls. Rai was halfway down when a ripple moved across the darkness beside him.
A tall, lanky figure in a half-torn jester coat stepped out of the wall itself—the bells on his collar chiming softly in the still air.
Harlekin (grinning): "Ohhh, Rai Tenshiro, burning holes in the floor with every step. Did our dear daddy Null forget to pat you on the head?"
Rai didn't even glance at him.
Rai: "Get out of my way."
Harlekin's smile widened as he began walking backward in front of Rai, never breaking eye contact.
Harlekin: "Mmm, I don't think I will. You see, it's fascinating—the way you glare at Elion. Like a brother watching his father bring home a new pet."
Rai stopped abruptly, eyes narrowing.
Rai: "He's not my brother."
Harlekin (mock gasp): "Oh, of course not! But you're the kind of family, and family doesn't compete, right? Right?"
He tilted his head, voice dropping just enough to feel like a whisper in Rai's ear.
Harlekin: "But if Elion brings back the boy marked by heaven before you do… well… you'll never get your father's crown."
Rai's hand twitched, but Harlekin twirled away in a mock bow, bells jingling.
Harlekin: "Careful, prince of nothing. One wrong move, and your favorite status will be gone for good."
With a spin, Harlekin stepped back into the wall, the shadow swallowing him until only the echo of his laughter remained.
Rai stood in the silence, fists clenched—his hatred for Elion now sharpened into something even more dangerous.