COLD OPEN
Darkness breathed.
Slow.
Heavy.
A presence sat in silence.
Watching.
Waiting.
Below…
A figure knelt.
Cloaked in shadow.
Face unseen.
"…It's time."
The voice echoed softly.
Cold.
Certain.
"They've begun to grow."
Silence.
"They will become… troublesome."
A pause.
"…Remove them."
The kneeling figure lowered his head further.
"As you command."
"…No interference."
The air shifted.
"Do it cleanly."
Darkness swallowed the scene.
ENGLAND – MISSION SITE
The battlefield was quiet again.
Bodies of lesser demons faded into nothing.
Ten in total.
Thralls.
Wretches.
Gone.
The Order of Light stood victorious.
Draven Ashford lowered his blade.
"Well done," he said, breathing steadily.
His squad relaxed slightly.
Jane smiled.
"We're getting better."
Daisy nodded. "That was smooth."
Alfred exhaled.
"…Yeah."
For a moment—
Peace.
Then—
Something tore open.
A portal.
Violent.
Unstable.
"MOVE!"
Too late.
A strike shot out—
Straight toward Alfred.
Draven moved instantly.
Clang!
Light collided with the attack.
He deflected it.
The force pushed him back slightly.
Everyone froze.
"What… was that?" Dani whispered.
From the portal—
Something stepped out.
Different.
Heavier.
Stronger.
A Fiend.
But not normal.
Draven's eyes sharpened.
"…Stay back."
His squad didn't argue.
He stepped forward.
Light gathering around him.
The creature moved—
Fast.
Draven reacted—
But before his blade could land—
The creature opened another portal.
Everything shifted.
And in an instant—
Draven was gone.
"…!"
"DRAVEN!!"
The portal collapsed.
Silence.
They stood there.
Frozen.
"…Where did he go…?" Jane whispered.
No answer came.
JAPAN – LUCAN'S APARTMENT
Morning.
Quiet.
Lucan adjusted his uniform.
Still.
Calm.
Then—
He stopped.
Something felt…
Wrong.
The air shifted.
"…!"
A presence.
Behind him.
Lucan turned instantly—
A figure stood in his room.
GSSA uniform.
Calm posture.
But wrong.
Very wrong.
"…So you're the one."
Lucan's eyes narrowed.
"You really do look like him…"
Silence.
"…Who are you?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…My name is Kuroda Renji."
A pause.
"I'm sorry…"
His voice remained calm.
"But you're going to have to die… Ronan."
Silence.
Lucan's eyes widened slightly.
"…How do you know that name?"
Renji didn't answer.
"…Not like it matters."
The air changed.
Heavy.
Violent.
Lucan moved first.
A burst of speed—
Flames igniting—
He closed the distance instantly—
But—
Renji didn't move.
A portal opened.
Lucan's attack vanished into it—
Then—
Everything twisted.
In a blink—
Lucan was gone.
The apartment fell silent.
Empty.
UNKNOWN LOCATION
Darkness.
Two separate spaces.
Two separate battles.
Unseen.
Uninterrupted.
And somewhere beyond it all—
Something watched.
Patiently.
Waiting