I woke up to the soft light filtering through the curtains. Another day. Another quiet moment before the storm.
With nothing urgent to do, I ended up wandering the city with Isabelle and Amelie. Not that I was particularly thrilled about sightseeing, but it was better than sitting around—and deep down, I felt it was smart to understand our surroundings in case of an emergency.
A few days passed like this.
According to my rough calculations, my companions should have arrived by now. So I went to the main gates and waited for them—at the very same spot where a conflict had flared up a few days ago, when I entered the city. While I was waiting, I finally learned the name of the city: Veltarion— thanks to all the walks we'd taken.
A city built in a perfect circle, surrounded by massive stone walls. At its heart stood a wide plaza, and just behind it—an ornate government hall, home to the mayor. The city was clean, orderly, and surprisingly well-managed.
But one thing was glaringly weak.
The guards.
I hadn't seen anyone stronger than me. Not even close.
I was still lost in thought when I spotted familiar faces approaching through the gates. I stepped forward.
"Lucian. Evelyn," I called with a small wave. The rest of the group followed behind them.
Evelyn smiled. "You're alive. That's a relief."
"Barely," I smirked. "Wasn't without trouble… but I'm still standing. What about you?"
Lucian scratched the back of his neck. "Same here. Fought off a few things on the way."
I could feel it in their presence—they'd grown stronger. They had faced monsters on their own and survived.
Lucian's gaze shifted behind me. "And… who are they?"
I turned slightly. "These are Isabelle and Amelie. We met a while back. I found them in the forest after their village was destroyed by monsters. They've been with me since."
A half-truth. I left out the real story for now.
They nodded in understanding. Evelyn looked a bit skeptical but didn't press.
"Let's get something to eat," I suggested.
Evelyn frowned slightly. "We're running low on coin…"
"No need to worry. I'll cover it."
We walked into a modest but spacious restaurant not far from the plaza. The moment we sat down, I asked the question that had been on my mind:
"Do you think Alisa will show up?"
"I'm not sure," Evelyn replied, crossing her arms.
"She will," Lucian said confidently. "Tomorrow's the festival. She'll have some free time. We'll meet her then."
I nodded. "Yeah… I hope so."
We shared stories, laughed a little. And for a brief time… I felt peace.
In the end, we split up — my group headed to another hotel, while I went with the girls to my room.
Amelie glanced at me as we walked. "What's going to happen to us?"
I didn't answer immediately.
If Alisa shows up… I'll tell her everything. And maybe she'll know what to do.
"I'll try to ask for help," I finally said. "And then we'll see."
Isabelle's voice was softer. "What about us? If everything goes the way you hope… will we be together?"
"Probably," I admitted. "I can't protect you forever. I need to become stronger."
That night, we fell asleep to an eerie stillness. A silence so complete… it felt like the world itself was holding its breath.
The city was alive the next day.
Crowds filled the streets, all flowing like rivers toward the central plaza. The festival began.
I found my group again among the waves of people. "Are you ready?"
Lucian nodded. "All of us are."
As we walked, I noticed that we weren't the only awakeners.I counted dozens of different groups — at least a quarter of the crowd. I hadn't expected so many.
The plaza was massive—overflowing with people. I looked up.
Dark clouds were gathering.
Good.
With this many bodies pressed together, the sun would've cooked us alive.
Suddenly, from the great building behind the plaza, a figure emerged. An elderly man with silver hair and piercing violet eyes. He stepped into the center, raised his hand, and, creating a space thanks to the ring on his finger, released something that shimmered in the air.
Then—fireworks.
No. Not just fireworks.
The sky transformed into a painting of light—colors intertwined, depicting a boy raising a golden sword and cutting through the very darkness itself.
It's... beautiful.
I couldn't look away.
Then the man spoke, his voice clear across the entire plaza.
"Let the festival… begin!"
And that's when it happened.
Something landed on the rooftops. A shadow. A blur. Before anyone could react, it dashed toward the old man—and pierced his torso with two swords.
Silence fell. Then understanding. And immediately after, screams and panic.
But no one could run.
A barrier had sealed the plaza. We were trapped.
Guards charged the attacker—but they were torn apart in an instant. Like paper.
My group froze. Others trembled. Fear clung to the air like fog.
"Stay still, everyone!" I shouted. "Don't fight him. You'll die."
All eyes turned to me.
"I'll handle it."
They didn't argue. But I could feel the weight of their expectations.
I stepped forward.
He looked human, but I knew better. Two extra eyes. All crimson. His presence… suffocating.
He smirked. "Mid-rank demon," he introduced himself. "Call me Kaelion."
Then he attacked.
Blades in both hands.
Fast.
I dodged, just barely, then countered with a slash across his chest—but he regenerated instantly.
He struck again, this time faster. His movement pattern was tight, rhythmical. Like a spinning propeller — no openings, just constant pressure.
I leapt back and launched my first technique.
Lunar Slash.
A brilliant crescent soared through the air—but Kaelion twisted his body and dodged it by a hair's breadth.
"Demonic Art: Infinite Blades."
From his blood, hundreds of twisted swords burst forth—chaotic, unpredictable, deadly. They surged toward me… and toward the civilians behind me.
I couldn't let them die.
"Second Technique—Butterflies' Wave!"
A ripple of light burst from my blade, forming a swarm of spectral butterflies. They collided with the incoming blades—absorbing and deflecting them. The few that remained veered back toward Kaelion—but he evaded again.
And yet, I realized that my technique was better.
He lunged, aiming to overwhelm me. Blades spun around me—trap after trap.
"Demonic Art: Blade Cage!"
Dozens of swords appeared at once, forming a circular net ready to impale me.
I had no time.
I sheathed my katana.
And whispered—
"Sunburst."
Within a two-meter radius around me, space itself vanished. Every blade vanished—erased from existence.
He tried to retreat.
But I bent low, focused, and launched forward.
Flash of Lightning.
My blade struck his left side—then again, and again. I pierced through his legs, his ribs—he blocked his head and arms expertly, but I kept pressing.
He couldn't keep up with my speed. But still… he didn't tire. He just kept regenerating.
Then, once again—
"Infinite Blades!"
I blocked them with Butterfly Wave, but this time, I rushed him.
We clashed in close combat. Sword against sword. Sparks flew.
I pushed faster. Harder. My mastery of the blade gave me a slight advantage. Slowly—I drove him away from the civilians.
He slashed, and I let the blade cut into me—just deep enough.
And at that moment, I whispered again:
"Sunburst."
Half of Kaelion's body vanished.
I raised my sword to his throat.
But before I could move—
Threads snapped around me, binding my limbs. They yanked me back.
Kaelion screamed. "Stay out of this!"
From the shadows, a figure emerged.
Pale white skin. Black hair. A mask of white and black.
He wore long white gloves and a flowing dark robe embroidered with symbols I didn't recognize. His eyes—dark brown, almost black—bore into me.
He didn't move.
But I couldn't either.
I was paralyzed.
Not by magic.
But by fear.
Kaelion looked at him. "Don't interfere."
The masked man smiled. "I won't."
I don't understand him—he could have killed me. Instantly. But he didn't.
Why?
Kaelion turned to me, breathing heavily, and pulled out a vial of red pills.
I instinctively stepped back.
He smirked. "You've seen them, haven't you? The red pills."
I was scared.
"Let me show you what they do," he said with a smile.
He swallowed the pills—dozens of them.
His body transformed—sleeker, stronger.
He became a being of eight arms and eight crimson eyes.
He turned to the masked man. "Give me the swords."
With a snap of his fingers, a black portal opened, and six blades emerged from its depths.
Now he had eight.
And I knew.
He's done this before.
And now… I had no idea how to win.
But I wasn't going to run.
Not yet.