The forge-bellows of the manor's training hall hissed in the dark, their heat fighting the cold pre-dawn air.
Kaison stood at the center, shirt damp with sweat, chains swirling around him in a storm of metal.
Every motion was deliberate — twist, lock, whip, retract — each chain link snapping into formation as if the metal were alive. The glow of the chain seal on his hand lit the edges of his jaw in a pale, shifting light.
*"Again,"* he muttered.
The chains shifted shape — from a wall of interlocking plates, to a spear, to a spiraling shield. His breath was sharp in the silence. He wanted them faster. Stronger. Unbreakable.
The first rays of dawn slipped through the high glass windows, catching on the mist of steam that curled from the hall's pipes.
That's when he heard the soft, rhythmic steps behind him.
"Up before the sun? You're going to burn yourself out at this rate."
Kaison turned to see Alice — her silver hair pulled into a loose braid, training jacket slung over her shoulder. Her pale blue eyes glinted in the light, confident but cool.
Alice, daughter of Duke Elwenhart, chosen by the Seal of the White Dragon Emperor during the selection ceremony — the same day Kaison had received his chains.
"I could say the same," Kaison replied, wiping his brow.
She smirked faintly. "Daily exercise. Keeps my blade arm steady."
For a moment, the memory of that day surfaced in both their minds — the sudden light of the seals forming, the gasps of the crowd, the unspoken rivalry between them since.
"New missions today," Alice said, heading for the exit. "Try not to get another 'simple task' turned into a disaster this time."
Kaison raised an eyebrow. "I'll make no promises."
---
By midday, the assignment papers were handed out. Kaison's was almost insultingly mundane: *Deliver liquor to the old graveyard keeper in the far countryside.*
A steam-cart carried him out of the city, past soot-stained factories and into rolling hills. The air grew quieter, the mechanical thrum of industry fading into the distant clink of his own chains at his side.
But as he neared the countryside's edge, the stillness shifted. The shadows seemed heavier.
A figure stepped out from behind a weathered gravestone, the setting sun casting his silhouette long against the earth.
"You must be Kaison," the man said, voice low and cold.
He was tall, clad in a coat lined with crimson thread, eyes burning faintly like embers. On his left hand, a black sigil pulsed — its design jagged and warped, almost painful to look at.
"Who are you?" Kaison asked, already feeling the weight of the chains coiling into his palm.
"The one who's been sent to collect you," the man said. "Alive… if possible. But I'm not picky."
The seal on his hand flared, and a dark, molten chain erupted from the ground, ripping through the dirt like a beast breaking free.
Kaison's eyes narrowed. *A seal of destruction…*
The man grinned. "Seal of Purgatory. I'll enjoy breaking yours."
---
Metal clashed against metal, the air thick with the shriek of grinding steel.
Kaison's shield deflected a crushing strike, the ground beneath them splintering from the impact. The Purgatory chains moved like living serpents, each strike burning with a destructive heat that made the very air shimmer.
Kaison pushed back, wrapping his chains around the attacker's, locking them — but they burned through, scattering molten fragments across the grass.
The fight dragged them into the narrow pass of **Mount Eldo**, steam vents hissing from deep fissures in the rock.
And then —
"Kaison?"
Alice's voice rang out from higher up the slope. She was dressed for reconnaissance, twin sabers drawn, the White Dragon seal on her arm glowing faintly.
She slid down the slope, eyes locked on the enemy. "What's going on?"
"Void agent," Kaison spat. "Here for me."
Alice's jaw tightened. "Figures. I was investigating a string of murders here… looks like I found the cause."
The terrain kept shifting as the three of them clashed — from open ground to jagged rock to the edge of a steaming vent. Each exchange sent shockwaves through the brittle stone, breaking their footing.
Even together, they couldn't pin him. The Seal of Purgatory was raw, brutal, and unrelenting.
A shadow fell over the battlefield.
"Kaison! Alice!"
Rias' voice cut through the steam. She stood at the ridge, her black battle coat snapping in the wind. The sigil on her chest burned with an intricate green-black light.
The Void agent turned, eyes narrowing. "You…"
Rias raised her hand, and the power of her seal roared to life.
The Jade Black Dragon Emperor — absolute authority over all elements. The wind screamed, steam curled to her will, molten rock hardened into jagged spears. The mountain itself seemed to bow to her command.
In an instant, she bound the Purgatory agent in chains of compressed earth, scalding steam sealing the binds like molten iron.
"You'll leave my family alone," Rias said, her voice low and dangerous. "Or I will show you what true destruction is."
The agent snarled, but the seal flared once more and he vanished into black smoke, retreating.
Rias stepped forward, helping Kaison to his feet. "You're not ready for him yet. But you will be."
The air smelled of ash and oil — a reminder that in their world of steel and magic, the Void was no longer in the shadows