The twin moons of Cryptos cast an ethereal glow over the sprawling, lantern-lit cityscape of Umbra. Kazuki, perched on a rooftop overlooking the bustling night market, felt the familiar tug in his chest. It wasn't the thrill of the acrobatic leaps he'd just performed across the tiled roofs, but the soft ache of longing as he watched Hoshino laugh with her friends below, her silver hair catching the moonlight like spun starlight. He clutched the worn leather charm she'd gifted him, its intricate carvings a silent promise of something more. Tonight, he'd finally tell her.
But the celestial harmony of Cryptos was about to shatter.
A tear ripped across the velvet canvas of the night sky, not of shadow, but of swirling, violet energy that crackled with malevolent intent. From this dimensional rift poured grotesque figures with chitinous armor and eyes that burned with an unholy light – denizens of a fractured realm, their arrival heralded by a shriek that echoed with otherworldly hunger. The very air thrummed with their dark power, extinguishing the magical streetlights in their wake.
An ancient accord, etched in the annals of forgotten gods and demon lords, was broken. The invasion had begun.
Below, Hoshino`s laughter turned to a gasp of terror as the first of the monstrous invaders descended upon the market square. Kazuki's heart lurched. His unspoken confession would have to wait. Tonight, his ordinary life, his burgeoning romance, would be thrust into the crucible of an ancient war. He was no chosen hero, just a boy with nimble feet and a fiercely beating heart. But as he watched the terror unfold, a new resolve hardened within him. He would protect her. He would protect his world. Even if it meant facing demons from beyond the star.
Hoshino RUN!... said Kazuki.. everyone run (people screaming).. Ren over here!... shouted Hoshino to Ren.. (Screaming)... Kazuki hurry call your parents, the demons are invading our nation... said Rin don`t just froze there do as i say!.... what`s happening outside?.. asked the king.. it seems we`re under under attack your majesty.. general Futaba replied, his face grim.
What! how`s that possible didn`t you say the burier is impenetrable and what are the guards doing i don`t want the demons to get pass through the front guards hold them for as long as possible and protecting the citizens should be your first priority understood!...
"Yes, sir!" the guards chorused..
"and where`s Leo? He should be here!"
"we don`t know your majesty he hasn`t been in the capital for a week now" the General admitted.
"I don`t care, just find him where ever he is!"
"understood, sir"
Kazuki what are you still doing here didn`t i say to go call your parents.. Rin said,
"aaaaaah! am done with this am going to finish them myself" Kazuki said as he ran towards where Hoshino was.
Kazuki leaped, twisting in the air, his silhouette momentarily backlit by the twin moons. As he descended, his hands moved with blinding speed, tracing an intricate, almost invisible pattern in the very air. "By Cryptos' core, by moon's true gleam, let weave mend whole, let discord dream return to essence, form undrawn from void! Aether Weave Re-alignment!" The air around him shimmered, not with a burst of light, but with a wave of subtle, almost imperceptible vibrations, like heat haze rising from asphalt. The violet energy that had been crackling from the rift, the unholy light in the demons' eyes – it seemed to falter. For a fraction of a second, the grotesque chitinous forms of the invaders seemed to blur at the edges, their dark power flickering like a poorly maintained flame. The screeching from their throats became a distorted, weaker sound, as if their very essence was being momentarily unraveled. It wasn't an attack, but a disorienting, purifying force that pulled the chaotic magic back towards its base, stable form, leaving the demons momentarily vulnerable and confused.
"Now that`s your chance RUN!" said Kazuki..
"You heard him time to make our move, enhance me with your magic Hoshino" said Ren..
"of coarse" said Hoshino as her hands rose, palms outward, and a soft, humming light bloomed between them. It wasn't the stark, violent violet of the rift, but a pure, crystalline emerald green, shimmering like captured moonlight. As she whispered, "By starlight's breath, by Cryptos' gleam, Weave of Vigor, now abide!" the glowing light surged, not into Ren, but around her, forming a translucent, almost liquid shield that pulsed with a quiet strength. Ren felt a sudden lightness in her limbs, a surge of warmth through her muscles, as if each fiber was singing with newfound power. Her next swing, even against the thick chitin of a demon's arm, felt effortless, cleaving through bone and sinew with terrifying ease.
"there it`s done" said Hoshino.. nice move i can feel the feel casting within me thanks Hoshi, now my turn... "Ren sliced through the demons as she was clearing the way.
***
"What`s the status on the ground?" asked the demon king.
"Everything is going as planned sir they`re busy fighting the decoys just as we planned" Zenos replied..
"Excellent! don`t make me come down there myself"
"And follow through the plan while they`re still destructed"
"understood sir"
"and what about Leo and his wife?"
"they haven`t appeared yet sir and we have a special plan if he shows up so you don`t need to worry my lord" said Zenos...
"Good!"
***
"Honey! do you feel that" Uzaki said..
"ya! i do but what could it be this time last time it was you having my poor Kazuki, oooooh! i remember me holding his hand for the first time oh man it felt like touching..."
"Leo that`s not important right now, do you think the village is in danger or my child.."
"no i don`t think it`s that big it`s that big" Leo replied.. but i will send my clone just in case and if something is wrong i will know..
"if you say so" Uzaki murmured
***
"Have you find him yet" the king asked anxiously
"We have a lead on him and his wife, he`s been at the Cryptos`s Embrace valley and we`ve sent our A-rank adventurer after him" the guard replied
"Don`t forget to bring the teleportation scroll with him" the king said..
"And how`s the evacuation going!"
"almost all the people have been evacuated to safety, sir.. the guard answered.
"That`s great focus on protecting the citizens until they get to safety for now" the kind commanded
***
"So, this is it," the clone murmured, his voice a low echo of Leo's own, devoid of his usual levity. He could feel it now, the lingering resonance of that unsettling tremor. It wasn't the distant roar of battle, but a subtle tear in the valley's otherwise perfect magical harmony, like a discordant note in a profound melody. Uzaki's worry had been justified.
"So, this is it," the clone murmured, his voice a low echo of Leo's own, devoid of his usual levity. He could feel it now, the lingering resonance of that unsettling tremor. It wasn't the distant roar of battle, but a subtle tear in the valley's otherwise perfect magical harmony, like a discordant note in a profound melody. Uzaki's worry had been justified.
He moved silently, a ghost in the ancient forest, his senses extended. The anomaly wasn't obvious. The trees still whispered secrets of old magic, and the twin moons filtered through the canopy, painting the forest floor in silver and deep shadow. But then, a faint, almost imperceptible violet residue clung to the bark of an ancient Cryptos-tree. It was barely there, quickly dissipating, but it was enough. The demons hadn't just entered here; they had left their mark. This wasn't a random scout. This was a targeted intrusion.
Suddenly, a twig snapped behind him. The clone spun, eyes narrowing. Standing poised on a low branch, shrouded partially by moonlight and shadow, was a figure he recognized. Kaelen, the King's most renowned A-rank adventurer, his silver hair tied back, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his ornate longsword.
"Leo," Kaelen's voice was calm, cutting through the forest's quiet. "Or rather, your... projection. The King sent me. It seems our assessment was correct." Kaelen's gaze swept the area, picking up the faint violet shimmer that the clone had sensed. "They were here. But what were they looking for?"
The clone's expression hardened. "Not 'what,' Kaelen. Who." His eyes fixed on a specific point deeper within the valley, towards a hidden grotto often overlooked by all but the most devoted scholars and guardians. "Or perhaps, where."
Following the clone, Kaelen moved with the silent grace of a hunter, his eyes sharp for any disturbance. The path to the grotto was barely a deer trail, winding through a tangle of ancient roots and shimmering fungal growths that pulsed with faint, bio-luminescent light. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and something else—something ozone-sharp and faintly metallic, a lingering trace of the violet energy.
They emerged into a natural cavern, vast and echoing, lit by fissures in the ceiling that allowed the twin moons' glow to filter down in silver shafts. In the center, a large, intricate runic circle glowed faintly on the cavern floor, pulsating with a familiar, yet distorted, violet light. And within its bounds, hovering barely an inch above the stone, was a massive, multi-faceted crystal. It pulsed with an internal light, shimmering with all the colors of the twin moons, but overlaid now with a network of black, vein-like cracks that pulsed faintly violet.
"By the gods..." Kaelen breathed, his hand instinctively gripping his sword hilt. "The Heart of Cryptos... they're trying to corrupt it."
Leo's clone stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the crystal. "No," he corrected, his voice tight. "Not corrupt. They're trying to attune it." He could feel it now, the raw, ancient power of Cryptos itself, struggling against the foreign demonic magic attempting to bend it. And as he drew closer, the black veins on the crystal pulsed harder, and a faint, almost imperceptible resonance began to vibrate through his own form. It was a call, a recognition.
Suddenly, a guttural snarl ripped through the cavern. From the deeper shadows, two hulking Demon Sentinels with disproportionately long, barbed limbs emerged, their eyes glowing with fresh malevolence. They had been left behind to guard, their chitinous forms melting from the shadows.
"Stay back, Kaelen!" the clone commanded, his hand already rising. He didn't draw a weapon, but concentrated, a faint, familiar golden aura beginning to shimmer around his hands.
"They mean to use this crystal to anchor their power," Kaelen analyzed quickly, drawing his sword with a whisper of steel. "To pull more than just decoys through." He lunged, his silver blade a blur as it met the first sentinel.
"Worse," Leo's clone muttered, his eyes never leaving the crystal. "They mean to use it to bind someone. A powerful someone." He felt the crystal's resonance with increasing intensity, and a terrible realization dawned. "They want to bind me to it."
The Demon King's "special plan" for Leo wasn't just to capture him; it was to turn Cryptos's own heart, or a vital magical conduit, into a prison and a power source.
The guttural snarl was their only warning. The first Demon Sentinel lunged at Kaelen, its barbed arm sweeping in a wide arc, aiming to disembowel. Kaelen met it head-on, his silver longsword a blur. Steel shrieked against chitin, sending sparks showering across the cavern. He was fast, ducking under the next strike and riposting with a precise thrust that found a weak point in the demon's segmented armor, drawing a plume of dark, acrid smoke. This wasn't brute strength; it was the mastery of a lifetime spent perfecting the blade.
Leo's clone faced the second sentinel. Unlike Kaelen's fluid, deadly dance, the clone fought with concentrated energy, but with a palpable strain. The faint golden aura around his hands intensified, swirling around his fists as he launched forward. He propelled bursts of compressed aether. The first strike detonated against the demon's chest, not breaking its armor, but sending a concussive force that threw the hulking creature staggering back against the cavern wall, showering loose rock. The violet veins on the Heart of Cryptos pulsed erratically, mirroring the clash of powers. The resonance with the clone intensified, a painful tug that sapped his already limited reserves, but also a desperate surge of borrowed energy. He was pushing his projection to its absolute limits.
The sentinels, though decoys in the grand scheme, were viciously effective guards. The one fighting Kaelen recovered quickly, its long limbs blurring into a terrifying, multi-pronged attack. Kaelen parried, spun, and slashed, each movement economical and deadly. He saw an opening as the demon overextended, plunging his sword deep into its chest. With a final, choked gurgle, the sentinel convulsed and collapsed, its chitin fading into ash.
Meanwhile, Leo's clone was grappling with the second sentinel, whose barbed limbs lashed out like whips. The clone sidestepped a crushing blow, feeling the rush of air, and unleashed a focused beam of golden energy from his palm. It tore through the demon's shoulder, making it shriek in pain and outrage. But even wounded, the sentinel was relentless. It lunged, mouth agape, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.
"Behind you!" Kaelen yelled, recovering from his own kill.
The clone didn't turn. Instead, he gritted his teeth, channeling the growing resonance from the Heart of Cryptos, feeling the surge of power become an agonizing drain. His entire form pulsed with golden light, his concentration absolute, and as the demon closed in, he unleashed a powerful, invisible wave. It wasn't a physical strike, but a pure aetheric shockwave, rippling outward. The sentinel froze mid-lunge, its eyes wide with something akin to fear before its form shattered, exploding into countless tiny fragments of dark energy that dissipated into nothingness. The clone staggered, the golden light around him flickering, visibly diminished.
Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breaths and the rhythmic thrum of the corrupted crystal. Kaelen stared at the lingering golden motes where the second demon had been, then at the weakened clone. "Remarkable," he stated, sheathing his sword. "You are more powerful... even as a projection... than most mages."
The clone ignored the compliment, his gaze locked onto the pulsating crystal. The violet veins on its surface seemed to pulse with renewed intensity, as if the defeat of its guards had freed it to pursue its true purpose. "The binding is still active," he said, his voice grim, almost strained. "And it's growing stronger. We haven't stopped it, Kaelen. We've only bought time." He took a step towards the crystal, the golden aura around him flaring weakly, recognizing the growing pull.
***
Miles away, in Cryptos's Embrace Valley, Leo's eyes snapped open. He was no longer absent-minded, no longer reminiscing. A cold dread, sharp and undeniable, pierced through his usual playful demeanor. The connection to his clone, usually a distant hum, was now screaming agony, a desperate plea for strength. He saw the grotto through his clone's eyes, felt the corrupted pulse of the Heart of Cryptos, and the terrifying pull of the binding.
"Uzaki," he breathed, his voice raw, rising quickly. "They're not just trying to capture me. They're trying to bind me... to the Heart. My clone... he can't hold it much longer." His face was etched with grim determination. "I have to go. I need to swap places.