Long ago, when Nujah was promoted in rank, Maria knocked on his door and entered as soon as it opened. Without a word, she grabbed his hand and spun him in a circle, excitement radiating from her.
> "Are you excited? Tomorrow you'll be joining the Special Group — the Hand of Naraka!"
Nujah's head swayed slightly, and he spoke in a soft, uncertain voice.
> "I don't know…"
Maria paused, her smile fading slightly as she guided him to sit down.
> "If Erymas has done anything, I'll beat him up myself — don't worry. I don't care if he's the leader, I can still knock him down if I need to."
> "It's more serious than that, sis," Nujah replied. "I'm not joining the elite squad of the Hand of Naraka… Mother Naraka is going to announce that I'll become a Shinrei — tomorrow, in front of everyone. In front of Erymas."
Maria froze for a moment, then let out a joyful cry and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
> "My little brother! You did it! After a thousand years of effort, you've finally become one of us!"
She pulled back slightly, her eyes sparkling.
> "I'm proud of you — really. But don't forget, there are warriors who have trained for ten thousand years and still couldn't even make it into the Hand of Naraka, let alone become Shinrei."
She leaned closer, lowering her voice as her tone turned serious.
> "Erymas... he's not your concern. No matter how skilled he is, he'll never be Shinrei. I honestly don't know why Mother still keeps him around."
Seeing the worried, sad look on Nujah's face, Maria quickly smiled again and ruffled his hair gently.
> "Listen, sweetheart. You've earned this from the very beginning. You've always been better than him — in every way. He might be one of the most talented in combat and intelligence, but you…"
> "You have something else. Something brighter. Sometimes, I swear, your soul shines brighter than even ours. I'm not exaggerating."
She hugged him again. Nujah's eyes welled up as he returned her embrace.
After a moment, she let go, took his hand, and pulled him toward the door with a cheerful grin.
> "Come on, the others are waiting. Rem's got a whole plan set up."
---
Meanwhile, in the distant dark dominion on the other side of the universe…
In the throne room of a shadowy kingdom, a figure entered with confident steps.
> "Welcome, leader of the Hand of Naraka — Erymas. How does it feel to have the power you dreamed of… stolen by a child?"
Laughter erupted from the monsters and twisted children that filled the room.
Erymas didn't flinch. His voice was calm, cold.
> "Did you bring what I asked for, Bacteria?"
Suddenly, every child in the chamber had blades pressed to their throats — except for Serekhka, who, though half-asleep, remained mentally aware.
> "If your little brats mean anything to you, you'll tell them to stand down," Erymas warned.
One of the younger ones, unable to bear the insult, lunged to attack — but Erymas's eyes flashed yellow. Without moving, he crushed the child mid-air with pure gravitational force, reducing him to nothing.
Elyka smirked.
> "That power you stole… it only works on the new ones. You're just a fake little prince."
> "Then let's test it, Bacteria," Erymas said.
Elyka raised her voice, half-playful, half-menacing.
> "Serekhkaaa! This fake prince seems to have two extra arms!"
As the others retreated in fear, Serekhka slowly awakened and approached.
Erymas unleashed everything he had stolen, but with a single finger, Serekhka shattered his barrier. One of Erymas's arms was instantly severed. He fell to the ground but made no sound — gritting his teeth, he managed to stand despite the overwhelming pain.
Serekhka chuckled softly.
> "Next time, I'll use two fingers, little prince. Let's see what's left of you then."
Elyka laughed loudly, enjoying the show.
> "Lesson learned, my dear fake prince. He'll still bring us something useful. No need to kill him yet."
Without a word, Serekhka vanished into thin air.
Elyka snapped her fingers, and dark shadows wrapped around Erymas's shoulder, regenerating his arm in moments.
> "Thank you, Bacteria," Erymas said, breathing heavily.
> "You're welcome, fake prince," Elyka replied with a smirk.
Erymas rose to his feet, still trembling from the damage.
> "The power you used just now was from a single strand of Herinhard's hair," Elyka said. "I can give you trillions more. More than your 'real' mother ever let you touch. But in return… I need just one thing."
She leaned in, her voice dark and honeyed.
> "Their blood. All of it."
Erymas narrowed his eyes.
> "If I bring them to you… will I be as strong as them?"
Elyka's grin widened.
> "I'll make you stronger than even Serekhka."
---