When they arrived, the village did not welcome him. Villagers crowded at the edge of the settlement, weapons raised—pitchforks, torches, trembling hands determined to defend their homes.
"Stop!" one villager shouted, his pitchfork leveled at Lumino's chest. "Don't you dare take another step!"
"Why are you all… looking at me like that?" Lumino asked, brows furrowed in confusion.
"You dare ask?!" the village chief barked, his face pale, hands shaking. "Where is Priest Lucas? Tell us, boy! Tell us where he is!"
"My grandfather?" Lumino blinked. "He's here… in the village. Isn't he?"
The crowd murmured in fear. The pitchfork edged closer, just inches from Lumino's face. The chief's voice trembled with dread, "A calamity will always be a calamity…"
"What…?" Sweat trickled down Lumino's temple.
"Look at yourself, boy!" the old man shouted.
Izek fixed Lumino with a look and grasped their fear. His hair, once bright, was now charred, smelling of smoke and stained crimson. Ragged clothes clung to a gore-caked body. His face was skeletal, eyes ablaze like a hellish lantern. He was no longer a boy, but a creature risen from the abyss.
"You… why are you all like this?" Lumino whispered, trembling as he raised his hand.
"Don't!" the villagers cried. "Don't raise your hand, you disaster! You are the destroyer! The prophecy was true after all!"
Schlkk!
The village chief's scream cut through the air as his arm was severed in an instant. Blood sprayed on the ground. Panic erupted.
Then, one by one, spears of light rained down from the sky, impaling the villagers. Flesh burned, bodies melted, their cries drowning in the firestorm.
'For God's sake…' Izek's breath caught.
For the first time in centuries, he felt true terror. His entire body trembled.
"Let me out of here!" he roared. "Damn it—get me out of this nightmare!" His voice cracked, desperate. He clawed at the air, as if he could tear his way free. "Do you hear me, you bastard?! Get me out!"
But the nightmare didn't end. Lumino walked deeper into the village, his shadow stretching over the corpses that littered the ground. His steps were calm, steady, his face carved with eerie serenity.
Izek swallowed hard, forcing himself to follow.
Another massacre awaited.
'How long until this is over?'
"Kali…" Lumino's voice softened, his lips curving into a fragile smile. His eyes shimmered with happiness, as though nothing around them was wrong.
Kali, however, staggered as she tried to stand. Her arm throbbed with sharp pain, barely recovered from being crushed beneath rubble. Dust clung to her skin, her breath ragged.
"Lu…mino?" she whispered, horror etched across her face. "What… what happened to you?"
The boy before her—the one she had known, the one she cherished—stood changed, drenched in blood, shrouded in an aura that felt inhuman.
"Monster!" Theo's voice erupted from behind Lumino, hoarse and desperate.
"Stay away from him, Kali! He's… he's dangerous!"
But before Theo could move, the air split apart—shhhkkt!—and a thousand radiant spears of light pierced his body. His scream was short, cut off by the grotesque sound of flesh tearing and bones shattering. Kali slapped her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face as her body trembled violently.
This wasn't Lumino. This couldn't be Lumino.
But her legs refused to move.
From the sidelines, Izek stood rooted, forced to witness the nightmare unfold. He clenched his fists, powerless, the weight of dread pressing down on him.
'Damn it… what hell dragged me into this? How do I get out of this?'
"Lumino… what's wrong with you?" Kali's voice broke, hoarse from fear. She was terrified, yet her words carried a desperate plea to the boy she once knew.
Lumino's empty gaze flicked to her. His lips twisted into something between a smile and a grimace. "I knew it, Kali… you'd make that face at me too. Why? I adore you—I've always loved you. But even you…" His voice faltered. His eyes hollowed. "Do you also see me as a calamity?"
Kali's chest tightened. The boy she'd loved—his words should have filled her heart. But now, surrounded by corpses, blood, and destruction, she could only feel suffocating fear.
"Lumino… was it you? Was the destruction of the Capital… your doing?"
"…" He said nothing, the silence heavier than any confession.
"Answer me, Lumino!"
Instead, he stepped closer, hand extended toward her, his voice trembling with longing. "Come with me, Kali. We can start again, from the very beginning. Just the two of us." His face softened with a light that was almost divine, eyes glowing with affection.
But to Kali, that face was monstrous. That expression of love was twisted, horrifying.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. With a sharp motion, she slapped his hand away. "No…" she choked, before turning and running. Her feet pounded the ground—thud, thud, thud—but her escape ended in horror.
Her body convulsed, then melted—skin bubbling, bones liquefying until she collapsed into a puddle of vile, writhing fluid.
"Damn you, Lumino…" Izek's chest tightened. His thoughts were a mix of fury and disgust. What have you done to her? That poor girl…
"Everything's over… everything…" Lumino's voice cracked, his figure collapsing into despair. He fell to his knees, head buried in his hands. "Why? Why did it all turn out this way?"
Izek's eyes widened. What… did he just erase the memory again?
"Grandfather! Grandfather!" Lumino's broken cries echoed through the ruins as he staggered toward his home. But there was nothing there. No answer. Just silence. His sobs filled the air.
To Izek, the boy before him looked like a devil wearing the mask of an angel—fragile yet terrifying.
Blarr… blarr.
The ground shook violently, the air thickening with unbearable heat. Flames split the sky. Rivers of molten magma burst through the cracked earth, spilling across the land. The very world trembled on the brink of annihilation.
If Izek remained here, he knew he would be obliterated.
"Damn it! Do you hear me, you bastard?! Whatever trick you're playing—stop it! Get me out of here!" His voice tore into the sky, raw with rage and desperation.
But beside him, Lumino whispered softly, "Am I going to die here…?" His voice was fragile, a broken child's lament.
"You bastard!" Izek roared, spitting curses. "You caused all of this! Stop acting like you don't know, damn you!!"
But Lumino didn't hear him. Izek's existence went unnoticed, his screams lost in the unraveling of this doomed world.
Damn you, Lumino! Damn you!! His mind clawed desperately for salvation. Lady Seraphine… help me. Save me… pull me out of this hell.
His heart pounded in terror. My Lady, this was a mistake. Using this boy was a mistake. He should never have been chosen as the vessel for the Orb. You'll regret it… you'll regret everything…
Then—the sky ripped apart. A meteor, enormous and blazing, began its descent. The world quaked beneath its fury. Izek's soul clenched with terror.
"Shit… shit… shit!"
"Whose voice… is that?" Lumino's head jerked toward him, confusion flickering across his face.
Izek froze. What? He… can hear me?
But before he could think further, a portal spiraled open, its edges lined with crackling light. From within stepped a figure draped in black silk robes, a hood shadowing their face. A mask, black and jagged like crawling roots, obscured their features.
The sight made Izek's blood run cold. He recognizes this presence. Lady Seraphine had whispered of it before:
"I saw it once… that dimension. I'll claim it. And when I do, I'll see him again—the one seated upon the throne. The most majestic being I've ever laid eyes on… the strongest creature alive… That one… I'll claim for myself."
The memory of her voice haunted him, and now that very figure was here.
Izek's body shuddered violently. The figure's gaze pierced him—not Lumino, but him. He could see Izek.
"You… can see me?" Izek whispered, his voice trembling.
The figure tilted its head, then turned to Lumino, speaking in a distorted tongue Izek could not understand.
But Lumino's response froze Izek's heart.
"Grandfather? What's wrong?" Lumino's voice was tender, filled with desperate love.
Grandfather?! Izek's blood chilled. What Lumino saw was not what he saw. To Lumino, it was the old man—battered, bloodied, reaching out with trembling hands.
"Lumino…" the illusion murmured, clutching his grandson's shoulder. "Run. Save yourself. One day… you'll find your reason again. And when you do… return, not as a destroyer… but as a savior."
With a final push, he shoved Lumino into the portal. The boy vanished.
Not Izek. He remained. The meteor hurtled closer, filling the sky with fire.
The figure stepped toward him. Their distorted voices murmured words he couldn't understand—then shifted, clear and sharp.
"Pathetic."
The single word sent a shiver down his spine.
And then they vanished.
The meteor struck.
The world of Livqas shattered into fire and ruin. And Izek, along with it.
===
Lumino's eyes snapped open. His skull throbbed as though hammers had split it. His vision swam with pain. He remembered the last thing—the crushing grip of Izek, the Four's subordinate.
But Izek was gone.
Two crimson jewels lay on the floor in front of him. He picked them up and put them in his pocket. A weary smile touched his lips. "Honestly… I feel so tired."
He struggled to his feet, then noticed the jewels was falling, and that he was see-through.
'What…?'
Panic flared. He stumbled outside, heart hammering. His eyes widened.
Pale and unmoving, his body was on the ground, a hole visible in his chest, right where his heart was. Kael was broken beside his limp body. His eyes were swollen and hollow with despair, and Bandi stood nearby.
Lumino stared, frozen, his hand reaching out to touch his own body, only to pass straight through.
'Am I… already dead?'
---
Kael walked with Bandi's support. His body screamed in pain, but his mind clung only to one thought—Lumino.
Yet when they finally reached the mansion, the sight that greeted them was ruin. Almost the entire structure had collapsed. Not a trace of life remained.
'The ritual chamber… destroyed…'
Kael tried to pull away from Bandi's grasp, staggering on his own.
"Wait, Kael! Don't push yourself!" Bandi tried to steady him, afraid he'd fall.
"I have to find him… Lumino…"
Kael crawled toward the shattered floor, dragging his battered body, eyes fixed on the ruins.
Bandi's heart sank at the sight. He's… too far gone.
That was when Bandi noticed another chamber nearby—untouched amidst the devastation. Quietly, without Kael noticing, he slipped inside.
There, he found Lullaby and Claudius, restless—or perhaps terrified.
"You two? What happened?" Bandi demanded.
"Argh!" Claudius flinched, nearly leaping out of his skin. "Bandi? Damn it, don't scare me like that!"
"How's the situation outside?" Lullaby cut in sharply.
"If you're asking me… the mansion is practically dust, completely obliterated. This room is the only one left standing."
Claudius scoffed. "Of course it is, you fool. Lullaby nearly drained herself dry maintaining a high-level barrier."
"Lucky for us, the battle shifted underground, or we'd be corpses by now."
"Them? Who fought here? Don't tell me Ronovan and Fenrir brought their battle this far?"
"What?? Ronovan and Fenrir? What the hell do you mean? Ronovan's recovered?" Claudius grabbed Bandi by the collar and shook him.
"Not Ronovan and Fenrir," Lullaby's soft voice stole Bandi's attention. "One of Lady Seraphine's Four Honored Subordinates… against Lumino."
Bandi froze, the words sinking in. Then he exploded—
"WHAT???"
"You're overreacting, idiot," Claudius muttered.
"Wait, wait, wait—do you mean those Four Subordinates? Against Lumino? I thought Fenrir drained him dry! I thought he was dead!"
"You're right," Lullaby murmured. "But… somehow, he woke up. And now he's fighting one of the Four."
"Shit… That's both good—and bad. No matter how strong Lumino is, against the immortal Four…" Bandi chewed his fingernails.
"He'll die… again."
BOOM! CRASH!
The ground shook violently. Their chamber cracked open, dust and debris filling the air.
Through the haze, Bandi saw Kael hurled into the room, bloodied and broken.
And then, from outside, a figure floated into view—terrifying beyond words. Lumino, his hair flowing wildly, eyes glowing a blinding white. Golden threads burst from his back, writhing like maddened serpents.
"…Be… not… afraid…" Lumino's voice echoed, distorted, shaking the very air.
What the hell… is this…
Lullaby trembled, whispering under her breath, "…a god."
A god? No… what I see is the embodiment of fear itself.
"Stay back, my love!" Claudius stepped in front of Lullaby.
Meanwhile, Bandi scrambled toward Kael. "Kael! Are you okay?!"
But Kael was unconscious, completely spent. Damn it… he could barely stand before. Of course he's out cold now. Damn you, Lumino, you heartless bastard.
Desperation clawed at Bandi's chest. He turned to Lullaby. "Please… heal him. Heal Kael!"
Bandi's plea was raw, earnest. Lullaby wavered, but eventually nodded.
"Why heal that bastard? He aimed his sword at Lullaby's neck not too long ago!" Claudius snapped.
"Shut up!" Bandi's roar silenced him instantly.
"Save your strength for stopping the monster in front of us."
"You think we can?" Claudius's voice cracked. "Since standing before him, my legs haven't stopped shaking…"
Bandi remembered—just days ago, Lumino had brutalized Claudius in a way that was anything but merciful.
"…Stay back."
The hoarse whisper came from behind. Kael's eyes had opened. He tried to sit, still trembling as Lullaby's healing flowed into him.
"He's going to attack."
What?
Bandi whipped his head around—too late. Lumino's hand rose, and a crushing force slammed both him and Claudius to the floor, pinning them as if under impossible gravity.
"Shit… I can't move!"
Lumino drifted forward, tilting his head unnaturally, eyes narrowing.
"…vam…pire…"
His distorted voice made Claudius's panic boil over as Lumino advanced toward Lullaby.
"Stay away from her!" Kael thrust his sword between them.
Lumino stepped back slowly.
Did that work?
But then his hand lifted again—blinding light erupted, engulfing Lullaby. Her body burned away in an instant, erased without a trace.
"NO! LULLABY!!!" Claudius's scream tore the air.
Lumino's head twisted unnaturally, eyes glowing, aura suffocating.
He used sunlight… our eternal weakness. From the very beginning, we vampires never stood a chance against him…
Bandi's gut clenched. This is it.
We're finished. Even as a half-blood more resistant to sunlight, he knew, if struck directly like that, he'd die just the same.
Beside him, Claudius staggered, fury and grief twisting his face.
Kael, however, planted his sword into the ground, whispering:
"Shadow Manipulation: Act 2 — Movement Lock."
Dark tendrils spilled from the blade, wrapping around Lumino's floating form, dragging him down, binding him to the earth. Golden threads writhed against the prison, but Kael's focus was unshakable.
"Lumino… no… who are you, really?" Kael forced himself to his feet, stepping closer.
"Be… not… no… I… am the… almighty…"
"Damn it… I can't even reach you." Kael's voice cracked, his head bowing.
Slowly, the white glow faded from Lumino's eyes. For a moment, they were visible again—but they were not his. One eye flickered red.
"I… will annihilate everything… the living… the dead… and in the end, return it all to nothingness… hahahaha…"
Claudius, regaining movement, lunged with a roar, unleashing a storm of lightning upon Lumino.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut. "Damn it, what are you doing?!"
"I'm killing the monster that took her from me!" Claudius bellowed, blind with rage.
But through the smoke, Lumino's ruined form rose, his voice terrifying in its finality:
"…Process completed. Orb energy at 100%."
His glitching eyes flashed—and then both turned crimson.
"What the hell…" Bandi shielded his face as blinding red light swallowed the chamber.
And then—darkness.
Bandi lowered his arm, vision adjusting—just in time to see Kael's sword buried in Lumino's chest.
"Kh…khuuuhh…" Blood spilled from Lumino's lips.
Kael's hands shook around the hilt, shock and horror mingling as he realized—the Crimson Orb Eternum pulsed within Lumino's body. The very thing keeping him alive.
[System Warning: Energy overload detected]
Before he could think, instinct guided him. He drove the blade deeper.
˻Energy output decreasing˺
Kael looked down at Lumino, whose eyes softened. A faint smile touched his lips. His body sagged.
Kael caught him in his arms, staring at the sword protruding from his back.
"…That's right… decision… Kael. Thank you…" Lumino's broken whisper brushed his ear.
"Lumino… no…"
No answer came. Lumino's body stiffened, head resting on Kael's shoulder, warmth fading with every passing breath.
Bandi approached, words failing him.
Kael withdrew the blade with trembling hands, then laid Lumino gently on the ground. His eyes fixed on the gaping wound in his chest.
Staring.
Empty.
Bandi turned away, unable to watch. Claudius collapsed nearby, sobbing for Lullaby.
It was over.
'The war could no longer continue.'