Morning crept slowly across the city of Eldross.
Even in daylight, the city never truly felt awake.
The streets were filled with movement—vendors setting out their carts, laborers hauling crates between narrow alleyways, mothers guiding their children through crowded lanes—but beneath it all lingered something heavy and unspoken.
Fear.
The occupation had changed everything.
Demonic patrols moved through the streets disguised among humans, their eyes sharp and watchful beneath cloaks and armor. Citizens spoke quietly, avoided eye contact, and hurried along their routes like shadows passing through someone else's home.
Life still existed in Eldross.
But it lived carefully.
And in the middle of one narrow stone street, two figures walked through the shifting crowd as if they belonged there.
Reider walked with steady, controlled steps, his dark cloak draped over his shoulders. His hood was lowered, revealing silver hair that caught the pale morning light as he moved.
Beside him walked Eryndra.
The dark elf woman moved with effortless grace, her own cloak flowing behind her as she navigated the crowded street.
Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone.
Shuffle.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
They walked in silence for several moments, their eyes constantly moving.
Reider observed everything.
The rooftops.
The shadows between buildings.
The patterns of the patrols.
Eryndra observed him.
Eventually she tilted her head slightly and glanced sideways at him.
"You're quieter than usual," she said casually.
Her lips curved slightly in amusement.
"And that's saying something."
Reider didn't look at her immediately.
His gaze remained forward, scanning the street ahead.
"Just… thinking," he replied quietly.
Eryndra hummed softly.
"That usually means trouble."
They turned a corner and continued down another narrow lane.
Ahead of them, the mood of the street shifted slightly.
A small child burst into view.
The little girl ran down the stone path barefoot, her laughter echoing brightly against the buildings as she raced ahead.
Behind her, a woman chased after her with exaggerated effort.
"Catch me if you can, Mama!" the girl shouted joyfully.
The woman laughed breathlessly as she ran.
"Oh no, you're too fast!"
The child darted past Reider and Eryndra without slowing, her giggles fading as she disappeared around another corner.
For a brief moment—
Something inside Reider stopped.
His steps froze.
His breath caught.
And his pupils widened.
The world around him blurred.
Suddenly—
A flash of green filled his vision.
A memory.
Or something that felt like one.
A bright field stretched endlessly beneath a brilliant blue sky. Tall grass swayed gently in the wind, shimmering like waves beneath the sun.
And in the middle of it—
A boy ran freely.
The child's laughter rang across the field, wild and unrestrained.
Pure joy.
"Ha… ha ha ha!"
The sound echoed strangely, as if drifting through water.
The boy spun around, arms outstretched as he ran through the grass, completely carefree.
Then—
A hand reached toward him.
Soft.
Gentle.
A woman stood nearby, her figure blurred like a distant dream.
Her face was impossible to see clearly, as if some invisible veil hid it from him.
But her voice reached him.
Warm.
Tender.
"You're so full of life…"
The words carried something powerful inside them.
Affection.
Pride.
Love.
Then—
The vision shattered.
Reality slammed back into place like a door being forced shut.
Reider staggered backward a step.
A rush of air burst from his lungs.
"Fwoosh."
"What… was that?" he murmured under his breath.
Beside him, Eryndra immediately turned.
Her sharp instincts had caught the shift instantly.
"Reider?"
She grabbed his arm before he could stumble again.
Concern flickered across her usually playful expression.
Reider blinked rapidly, shaking his head as if trying to clear fog from his mind.
"I—" he started, steadying himself.
"I saw something."
Eryndra studied him closely.
"A vision?"
He hesitated.
"Maybe… a memory."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Yours?"
Reider looked down at his hands for a moment.
"A kid," he said quietly.
"Laughing."
"And a woman beside him."
He exhaled slowly.
"I felt… happy."
Eryndra's eyes narrowed slightly.
She stepped closer, studying his face as if trying to detect something hidden beneath the surface.
"I've known you a while now," she said slowly.
"And I've never seen you laugh."
Reider let out a quiet, dry chuckle.
There was no real humor in it.
"Exactly," he replied.
"That's what makes it strange."
Eryndra folded her arms thoughtfully.
"Could be something buried," she suggested.
"You've lost a lot of your past."
Her tone softened slightly.
"Maybe you weren't always this serious."
Reider didn't respond immediately.
His gaze drifted toward the distant rooftops.
The memory lingered in his mind like the fading warmth of sunlight.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
But unreachable.
"Maybe," he said quietly after a moment,
"I was supposed to be someone else."
Eryndra looked at him carefully.
Then she shrugged lightly.
"I like who you are now."
Reider turned toward her, genuinely surprised.
She avoided his gaze slightly, pretending to adjust her cloak.
"Cold, calculating, occasionally reckless," she continued casually.
"But you fight for people who don't even realize it."
Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug.
"That has to count for something."
A faint smirk tugged at Reider's lips.
"You sound like you're trying to comfort me."
Eryndra scoffed.
"Don't flatter yourself."
Then she reached out and smacked the back of his head.
SMACK.
"If I ever try to comfort you," she added dryly,
"I'll slap you first."
Reider rubbed the back of his head with a slight grin.
"Noted."
They resumed walking down the street.
The tension between them eased slightly, but something still lingered in Reider's thoughts.
His eyes moved across the city around him.
Soldiers.
Merchants.
Children.
Mothers.
Demons disguised among the crowd.
Every face.
Every movement.
Every shadow.
All pieces in a larger game.
"If I've laughed before…" he thought quietly.
"Who made me laugh?"
"And where did they go?"
Beside him, Eryndra leaned slightly closer.
"Still seeing ghosts?"
Reider shook his head.
"No."
He looked ahead toward the darker end of the street.
"Just wondering if I ever really lived before all this."
Eryndra's voice lost its teasing edge.
"Maybe your past is waiting to catch up to you."
Then she nudged his shoulder lightly.
"But don't forget something."
"You're not walking alone anymore."
They turned a corner.
The street here was quieter.
Shadows stretched between tall buildings, and fewer civilians moved through this part of the city.
On one wall ahead—
A red sigil glowed faintly against the stone.
Reider's eyes sharpened immediately.
"We're close."
His voice returned to its focused tone.
"This next part could get messy."
Eryndra grinned.
"Good."
She cracked her knuckles slightly.
"I was getting bored."
A gust of wind swept through the narrow alley.
The red sigil pulsed faintly.
Reider stepped toward it and placed his hand against the stone.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then the wall began to hum.
"HMMMM…"
The sigil glowed brighter.
Stone shifted beneath his palm.
A hidden mechanism activated somewhere inside the wall.
Slowly—
A section of the stone slid aside, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
Reider stepped toward the opening.
"Answers can wait," he murmured quietly.
"Right now… we move."
The two of them descended into the hidden passage.
Neither of them noticed the shadows ripple in a nearby alley above.
High on a rooftop overlooking the street—
A figure watched them.
Velmorian.
His cloak fluttered slightly in the wind as he leaned forward.
Half his face remained hidden beneath shadow, but his eyes glowed faintly with cold interest.
"So…" he murmured.
"So you're the one she follows now?"
His hand lifted slowly.
Demonic glyphs formed in the air around his fingers, swirling with dark crimson light.
Farther down the street—
The stone pavement began to crack.
CRACK.
RUMBLE.
Four figures began to emerge from beneath the earth.
Humanoid demons.
Tall.
Armored.
Their bodies covered in jagged plates of dark bone and metal.
Crimson eyes burned within their skull-like faces as they pulled themselves free from the broken street.
Velmorian watched calmly.
"Let's see how long your luck holds."
Deep beneath the city—
Reider and Eryndra walked through a narrow tunnel illuminated by flickering torchlight.
The walls were ancient.
Carvings covered the stone—symbols worn down by centuries of time.
Dust hung in the air like drifting mist.
Eryndra slowed slightly.
"This place is ancient," she whispered.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Do you feel that?"
Reider nodded slowly.
"Residual mana."
He ran his fingers along the wall as they walked.
"It's old… but not demonic."
His eyes narrowed.
"Something's layered on top of it."
Before Eryndra could respond—
The tunnel trembled.
A high-pitched screech echoed through the corridor.
"SKREEEEEE!!"
Reider reacted instantly.
Energy surged through the markings on his arm.
Light formed along his hand as his tattooed weapon manifested into a glowing blade.
"We've got company."
Eryndra's smile returned instantly.
"Finally."
A massive demon burst into view from the shadows.
Its body was enormous, muscles bulging beneath cracked armor plates. A serrated axe dragged along the wall beside it.
THUD.
THUD.
Reider moved first.
He dashed forward in a blur of speed.
The demon swung its axe downward—
But Reider had already slipped beneath the attack.
His blade flashed upward.
SHHHK.
The demon roared as its arm separated from its body.
"GRRAAHH!!"
Behind him, another demon leaped forward.
Eryndra flipped backward gracefully, dark flames igniting in her palm.
She launched the fire directly into the creature's chest.
FOOM.
The demon screamed as its body erupted in black fire.
She landed lightly and wiped blood from her cheek with a grin.
"Is it weird that I kinda missed this?"
Reider didn't even turn toward her.
"Yes."
Another demon lunged toward him from the shadows.
Reider vanished.
WHOOSH.
The creature stumbled forward in confusion.
Reider appeared behind it instantly.
He pressed his palm against its back.
Energy surged forward in a concentrated blast.
"VVVRRM!"
The demon's body exploded forward into the wall.
"KHHHK!!"
The final demon sprinted toward Eryndra.
She raised both hands.
Flames erupted outward in a massive wave.
FWOOOOOOOSH.
The creature was reduced to ash mid-stride.
Smoke filled the corridor.
The torches flickered violently.
Reider and Eryndra stood among the fading embers.
Their breathing remained calm.
Controlled.
Eryndra glanced at the bodies.
"Too many for just a random encounter."
Reider crouched beside one of the corpses.
"Agreed."
"These weren't roaming."
He brushed ash aside.
A faint demonic rune glowed on the stone beneath the body.
"Someone sent them."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"Whoever it is… they're close."
Above the city—
Velmorian stood on the rooftop, watching the distant street below.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Tch."
"He's fast."
"Too fast."
Behind him, a demon lieutenant emerged from the shadows.
"Shall we engage directly, sir?"
Velmorian shook his head.
"No."
His gaze remained fixed on the city.
"Not yet."
"I want to see who he really is…"
"And why she chose him."
His body dissolved into black mist.
VMMM.
He vanished completely.
Back in the tunnel—
Reider and Eryndra continued deeper.
Their movements were quieter now.
More cautious.
"You sure you don't recognize the magic?" Eryndra asked.
Reider shook his head.
"No."
But his eyes darkened slightly.
"Whoever sent those things…"
"Knows who we are."
"Or at least knows me."
Eryndra shrugged.
"So what now?"
"Keep moving?"
Reider nodded.
"We finish this."
"Whoever they are…"
"They'll show themselves soon enough."
The tunnel widened suddenly.
The passage opened into a massive underground chamber.
At the center—
An altar glowed with eerie blue light.
The illumination reflected across the walls, casting strange shadows across the ancient carvings.
Eryndra tilted her head slowly.
"There's… something here."
Reider stepped closer.
His weapon pulsed faintly.
The mana in the room resonated with it.
His eyes narrowed.
"This place holds more than answers…"
He stared at the glowing altar.
"…It might be where the war truly begins."