After washing their faces and having breakfast at a roadside stall on the outskirts of Light City, Dark, Laiver, and Mirai, who was leading them, set out toward the legendary Waterfall of Light.
"Waterfall of the Light," Mirai murmured. "Thank you, Dark. I haven't had a breakfast like that in years."
"You're welcome," Dark replied casually. "It's nothing. That filthy old man used to leave me some coins every time he visited. I never spent any of it, so I've saved up a decent amount."
Laiver looked at Mirai, curious. "Hmm… Mirai, what did you usually eat?"
Mirai hesitated, then said quietly, "Well… sometimes leftovers from a nearby restaurant in the district I live in. Before that… there was a woman who used to visit me, bringing food and clothes. She always told me, 'It's not your fault you turned out this way. You had no choice.' Then she'd leave… without any other details. She wasn't my mother, but she always said, 'Be like your mother and you'll survive. One day this life will feel like a dream.' And when I asked about my mom… she'd just say, 'She was strong.' That's all I really know. And then one day… she just stopped coming."
She paused and looked down, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry… I talked too much."
Dark shook his head gently. "No, don't be. I'm glad I got to know more about you."
As they drew closer to the waterfall, now visible in the distance, Dark asked, "I've never really thought about it before, but… how did the Waterfall of Light even form?"
Laiver grinned. "They say that two thousand years ago, the wielder of the Mother Eye of Light fought the wielder of the Cursed Element. There aren't many details about the cursed one's power, but it's said that where the waterfall now stands used to be a lake. A single strike from the Light wielder — just a soft one — reshaped the land and turned the lake into this waterfall."
"That's insane," Dark muttered.
"Yup," Laiver nodded. "Some say the wielder of the Mother Eye of Light could destroy two planets if they used their full strength. Just think about that…"
Dark's thoughts turned inward. "The cursed element, huh…? What happened to that wielder? And what even was the element?"
Laiver shrugged. "No one knows for sure. The cursed element's nature was never confirmed. All we know is that legend says if someone ever inherits it again… it would bring ruin to every realm. But don't worry — the Light Wielder stopped him, at least that's what we learned in prep school. You remember, right?"
Dark chuckled dryly. "Wouldn't know. Never got the chance to attend school. I taught myself how to read and write from the roadside ads."
Laiver blinked. "Wow…"
"Finally!" Mirai shouted, her voice full of excitement. "We're here!"
They stood before the entrance of the Temple of the Lightfall — an abandoned, silent place. At the gate stood a monk of light — one of the elemental devotees.
"How can I help you?" the monk asked, his eyes glowing faintly with five points of the light element.
Dark stepped forward confidently. "I'm here to take the Lightfall Trial."
The monk's expression turned serious. "Are you certain? You could die."
Dark smiled faintly. "I don't care. I'm doing this."
He turned to Mirai. "This is the point of no return. Are you sure about this?"
She blushed softly. "Yes… I'll follow you anywhere, Dark."
The monk nodded slowly. "Your choice. Follow me."
He led them to a side branch of the waterfall — a small glowing pool beneath its flow.
"This is where the trial takes place. Are you both ready?"
Dark glanced at Mirai, who gave him a steady, trusting look. He turned back to the monk and nodded. "Yes. We're ready."
The monk handed them each a blade. "Good. Take these. Once you're in the water, cut the veins in your hands — and let yourselves go."
Dark and Mirai each took a blade, stepped into the glowing pool, and sliced their palms open. The water began to radiate blinding light.
Then — darkness.
Dark saw her again — the girl with long black hair, in the desert near the well. She turned to him and said, "We'll meet again soon."
She pushed him into the well — and he awoke.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the stunned expression on the monk's face… and on Laiver's.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Dark turned to his reflection in the glowing water.
The trial… had worked.
Four points now glowed faintly white in his eyes. They weren't as intense as others' might be… but they were white. He was no longer a mere two-point Gold Energy wielder. He now wielded a new element — something different.
He knelt in the water, stunned and breathless — but something felt… strange.
The monk and Laiver weren't looking directly at him. They were staring at something next to him.
He turned.
And saw her.
A beautiful girl with long, snowy white hair. Her body was graceful, glowing faintly with bluish-white energy. She wore a robe that shimmered like moonlight.
She turned toward him… and his heart nearly stopped.
Her right eye bore the mark of a crescent moon.
Her left eye glowed with six brilliant points.
It was Mirai.
She… had awakened.
Not just any eye — a rare eye of an unknown element.
She stared into his eyes, her face frozen in shock… fear… or something deeper. Like she had seen a ghost.
Dark opened his mouth to say her name — "Mira—"
But in that instant, she shot upward, blasting through the temple ceiling — and vanished into the sky.
…and then she flew, heading north.
Dark and Laiver stood in stunned silence. The monk muttered strange words under his breath.
"It has begun… I didn't think the end would come so soon…"
Laiver grabbed the monk by the collar. "What are you talking about? What end?"
The monk's expression fell with sorrow. "She has awakened — the Blessed One… This is the first sign of the end. I must pray for forgiveness. Leave me."
He dropped to his knees, chanting in a tongue none of them could understand.
Laiver looked to Dark, confused. Dark said firmly, "Whatever's going on, it doesn't matter. We need to find her — calm her down. She must be terrified… and shocked. Then maybe we can understand what's really happening."
The two of them sprinted northward, following the trail of glowing light she had left behind, until they saw her — standing on top of a tall tower in the heart of Light City.
They rushed through the streets.
"Congrats, by the way," said Laiver. "You've got four points now! …Wait — did your element change too?"
Dark nodded. "Yeah. It's strange, but I'm glad. I finally got rid of that joke of an element."
Laiver laughed. "Ha! Good for you. I'm happy for you, man. So… what's your new element?"
"No idea," Dark replied.
Laiver tilted his head. "It seems to be from the Light family… not mere illumination, though. Four points is impressive."
Dark said, "Let's find Mirai first. Then we'll figure out both my element… and hers."
They climbed the tower stairs quickly. At the top, they found Mirai standing, looking out over the city.
When she turned around, there was fury on her face. "Why did you follow me?!"
Dark stepped forward, his tone calm. "Mirai, we're worried about you. Don't be scared. What happened to you… it's a good thing. You've awakened a rare element."
Mirai looked him dead in the eye. "Yeah, I know. I remember everything now." Then, her expression shifted — fear, real fear, as she stared at him.
"You… you have no idea what's happening to you, do you?"
She gave him a sad smile.
Dark was confused — her words unsettled him.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps behind them.
A man in a long coat stepped forward — one of the Elemental Knights who served the government.
Laiver thought quickly. "The Knights? What the hell is one doing here… something's off."
The knight looked at them coldly. "You three are in deep trouble. You've damaged a historical site — the Temple of the Lightfall — and there's a dead rogue Wind-user reported on scene."
Laiver narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
The knight gestured at Mirai. "Hand over the girl. Do that, and no one gets hurt."
Dark stepped in front of Mirai. "And what if we don't?"
The knight smiled darkly. "Oh, I was hoping you'd say that."
His eyes lit up, radiating intense power — six points, shimmering in a dark silver-gray. His hair shifted to match — now an ashen silver. His power flooded the rooftop.
Laiver took a step forward, but Dark held out a hand to stop him.
"I'll take this one, Laiver."
Laiver blinked in disbelief. "Are you insane?! You just awakened your power — that guy has six points. He'll tear you apart!"
Dark didn't flinch. "If that happens, then you jump in and save me. That's how this works, right? Besides… I want to test my new element. And this time — I will protect her."
Dark stepped forward, and his eyes flared with a blinding light. The very air around him pulsed — as if the world had just taken a breath.
A glowing aura erupted from his body — not warm like sunlight, but sharp, radiant, piercing. It wasn't just illumination. It was pure Light — raw, ancient, untamed.
From behind him, Mirai's voice rose, calm yet urgent."Dark — your element… it's Light. Not Illumination. Four points. If you don't know how to use it — then don't die figuring it out."
Her words sent a chill through him — not fear, but clarity.
He clenched his fists, and energy surged into them. Not heat. Not weight. But clarity.He moved — a burst of motion like a flash of lightning — and threw a punch with every ounce of force he had. The knight barely tilted his head and dodged it with unnatural ease.
Another punch.Missed.Another.Missed.
The knight seemed to dance through the air — precise, calculating. He moved like he already knew every move Dark was going to make.
Then the knight raised his hand.
With a hum like a vibrating tuning fork, blades of shimmering metallic energy formed beside him — each one glowing a dull, cold gray. Solid. Unyielding. Heavy, despite floating.
Silver.They weren't just energy — they were real.
With a flick of the knight's fingers, the blades launched forward — tearing through the air toward Dark like a barrage of arrows.
But Dark's body moved on its own — ducking, weaving, pivoting. He dodged them all, barely.
His thoughts raced.This is different. I'm… faster? No, lighter. Like I'm not just moving — I'm flowing. I can feel everything. Every shadow. Every pulse of motion.Then he realized: It's Light. Not brightness. Not visibility. Truth. Presence. Focus.
He slid beneath a blade, twisting in the air, and leapt forward — his fist glowing with a concentrated beam of light.
He struck the knight square in the chest — or so he thought.
There was no impact.
No resistance.
No flesh.
Just—
A wall.
Like hitting a barrier of reality itself.
Dark stumbled back, stunned.
"What...?" he whispered aloud.
The knight didn't answer — but his aura pulsed. The silver shimmer intensified around him, warping the air like heatwaves.
Mirai's voice echoed again, from the side of the arena."Did you feel it? That wasn't armor. That was his element."
Dark's eyes narrowed. "A wall... but there's no magic shield. I hit him. I know I did. So why didn't it—"
He looked closer.
The knight wasn't glowing with magic.
He was reflecting it.
The silver light — it wasn't his own.
It was bounced back.
Repelled.
Suddenly, Dark understood.
"Silver..." he muttered. "Not just metal. It's... a mirror. A rejection. It doesn't block energy. It turns it away."
He clenched his fists again, now aware.
"If I strike him head-on… he'll just reflect it. But if I bend the light... angle it... distort it..."
The glow in his eyes shifted — no longer just bright, but focused like a lens. His aura tightened, condensing. It wasn't about raw power anymore. It was about precision.
The knight smirked, raising his hand again. Another set of silver blades formed — slicing forward with terrifying speed.
But this time, Dark didn't dodge them.He moved through them — not colliding, but slipping between. Every motion was deliberate. Calculated.
He flicked his fingers — and a line of pure light arced in front of him, then bent, wrapping around like a crescent moon.
The knight stepped back, confused — his eyes scanning the arc.
Too late.
Dark had vanished.
From behind the knight, a flash — and BOOM.
Dark's fist struck.
But not directly.
He had redirected the light through the arc — curved it, focused it like a prism, letting it hit the knight from a blind angle — behind the silver.
The blow connected with a crack.
The knight staggered.
His armor didn't dent, but his body jolted — and for a split second, the silver shimmer around him flickered.
He felt it.
He bled.
Dark landed, panting — not from exhaustion, but from exhilaration.
"I can hit you…" he whispered. "If I don't fight you… straight."
The knight staggered slightly — shocked — and his expression twisted into a snarl.
"You touched me…" the knight growled. "Prepare yourself. Now — you're dead."
Dark's eyes locked on the knight's.And there — inside them — a thread of light appeared, connecting the six points like stars in a constellation.
Dark's eyes widened."What is this ? "
The knight's body shimmered. Not with armor, but something denser — sharper — reflective.
It was as if he were being armored, cloaked in a strange light — not metal, not cloth, but something else entirely.
His head tilted slightly — as if he heard a voice.
He raised his hands and said with a half-smile, "Aaah… I think that's enough for today. I made a mistake."
Then — in a blink — he vanished.
"Wait!" Dark called out — but it was too late.
The knight was gone.
The three of them looked around, confused. There was no trace of him left.
Laiver broke the silence. "Let's get out of here before he comes back."
They climbed down from the rooftop quickly.
Meanwhile, in the skies far above…
The knight now stood in a different place — hovering in the air before a mysterious figure seated on a floating object.
The seated figure wore a strange, featureless mask.
The knight said bitterly, "Tch… I really would've destroyed that kid. Why did you stop me, Joker? You know how hard it is for me to generate silver…"
He removed the eye-guard from his right eye, revealing a rare Eye.
Joker — the masked figure — replied, "First of all, take off that damn knight uniform, Silber. I hate that outfit."
Silber grumbled, removing the armor and donning a cloak similar to Joker's.
Then Joker said coldly, "Your fight was boring. He's not what we're looking for — not the Sword-Bearer."
"If I'd gone all out," Silber said, "the First Realm's lord would've sensed us. We're not ready to fight him yet."
Joker stood up. "Let's get out of here. I hate this Realm."
Silver asked, "Tch… The Sword-Bearer — are you sure he's here? In the First Realm?"
Joker replied with confidence, "Don't worry. I've got a good idea of how to find him."
Behind them, a portal opened — and they both fell backward into it.