A lake deep within the forest.Two sisters stood facing each other upon its still surface — unaware that this moment would etch itself into their memories forever. The wind blew hard, the sun burned above them, and its light shimmered across their black hair. The blue in their eyes was stained by the darkness of their mana.
The beauty of Asura was overshadowed by her hatred — her piercing gaze filled with nothing but the pure desire to kill her sister, Nora.
"How dare that worthless human wound me?" she thought.
Asura trembled with rage — and perhaps a trace of surprise — that her sister had chosen to defy her. She still held her left rib, aching from Nora's earlier strike, teeth grinding in fury.
"So… this is the side you've chosen?" she asked coldly.
Her short black hair swayed with the wind, scattering in every direction. The sunlight was behind her, hiding her expression. Nora had never fought her sister before — had never even hurt her — and now, hearing those words in such a desperate moment, her heart faltered. Her thoughts were a blur, but one goal remained clear: to save her sister from a fate she could never return from.
"I don't know how we ended up like this," Nora said, her voice trembling. "But I can't just stand by while my sister walks the path of madness again. Killing has become routine in our lives. It's just the three of us — don't you see? We never had a mother to teach us anything good. We were only taught how to take lives. I don't want that anymore… I— I don't even know what love or happiness means. Feeling joy seems… impossible."
Asura covered her mouth and let out a small, mocking laugh. Her icy stare cut like a blade.
"We were born for this," she said flatly. "Our lives mean nothing unless used as weapons. Following Father's orders is my only purpose — even if it kills me. That's what I was born to do."
"Our father is a murderer! He killed our brother Zenoir… and Parvari too…" Nora said, pressing her hand against her chest to keep from crying.
The moment that name — Parvari — left Nora's lips, Asura's expression shifted. The air grew heavier. Her body stiffened as the memory surfaced — her beloved brother, the one who had fought by her side in the Border War. Her rage ignited; her mana began to spill from her skin. Darkness crawled up her arms and face like living ink.
"Never speak that name again," she growled.
Her blue eyes glowed from within the shadow covering her body, sharp and terrifying. Nora shivered but did not step back. She had one purpose: to save her sister. Holding back her fear, she reached deep into her soul.
"Awaken, Akira!!" she cried, her voice resonating through the air.
Photons of dark light gathered in her palm. Her black mana coiled around her skin, flowing into her left hand. A weapon took form — a long, thin needle-blade, sharp as vengeance and cloaked in shadow.
"Akira… I may have to sacrifice my sanity to bring her back," Nora whispered.
A serene voice answered within her mind:
"𝓓𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓻𝔂. 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓰𝓾𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓼𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷."
At that same instant, Asura realized what Nora had done — a choice that could only end in tragedy. But to defy her so openly? That she had not expected.
"Don't blame me if your resolve isn't enough… Come, Akamanah," Asura said, summoning her soul.
Before Asura could even draw her weapon, Nora lunged. Her movements were sharp and desperate, her strikes reckless yet fueled by emotion. Asura leapt back, parrying each blow, but the fury in Nora's eyes left her no room to breathe.
The waters beneath them rippled wildly, waves forming and crashing from their movement. The lake — once calm — now raged like a storm, stirred not only by the wind but by the sheer speed of the two sisters.
Asura gripped Akamanah tightly with both hands and blocked Nora's blade with a resounding clash. Sparks scattered. Their eyes locked once more — blue meeting blue, dark and deep as the abyss itself.
Still pressing their blades together, Asura said coldly:
"You've always had talent… but without effort and discipline, it means nothing."
"I don't care about power," Nora spat back. "All I want… is to wipe that smile off your face."
With all her strength, Nora shoved Asura back and continued her assault, her blade a blur. Asura parried each strike effortlessly, but her patience was fading. With a deep breath, she shifted her stance — ready to strike back.
The air trembled. The sound of clashing steel echoed across the lake. Nora aimed for Asura's vital points with the precision of a needle, but her sister was too fast, stepping backward each time.
"Akamanah," Asura murmured darkly, "let's stop playing around."
She leapt backward into her loading stance — sword drawn behind her, two fingers on her bare hand aligning with perfect balance. Black mana condensed in her sheath, oozing over her blade like tar.
Nora's pupils contracted. In a split second, she understood what was coming. Asura's veins bulged; something inside her was being consumed.
Nora twirled her needle-blade horizontally, her right hand resting over the weapon, the tip aimed directly at her sister. She could feel the violent energy swelling in front of her — and she knew she would have to match it or die.
With a flick of her right foot, Asura launched forward, tearing through the air. The water beneath her exploded outward. Dragging her blade through the lake, she left behind a trail of blackened water — as though the purity of the world itself was being corrupted.
Her speed was inhuman. Nora could barely see her — but she felt her, that killing intent roaring like a beast. Following the ripples on the water, Nora read Asura's trajectory.
When the steps closed in, Nora thrust her needle-blade forward — meeting Asura's strike head-on.
The collision cracked the air like breaking glass. The surface of the lake heaved and churned under the crushing pressure of their combined auras.
Staring into Nora's deep royal blue eyes, Asura sneered:
"To block my strike… with the tip of your blade?"A faint smirk curved her lips. "Your talent disgusts me."
And then — from afar — a familiar voice broke the silence.
"Started the party without me?"
To be continued...