The sound of clashing swords tore through the heavy silence of the valley. Each strike sent metallic echoes bouncing among the cold cliffs, while sparks from the colliding blades lit up the deep shadows of battle. The ragged breaths of the fighters betrayed the strain and tension of every blow.
Ajin raised his sword, swiftly parrying a powerful strike, then counterattacked with precise speed. In an instant, his opponent, Albert, collapsed to the ground, and Ajin's blade stopped a breath away from his throat
.— Give me one reason not to do it, Albert! How could you?! Your family, your kind… Me! I was like a brother to you! How could you betray us?!
— Ajin's voice shook with fury, but there was a trace of pain in it as well.
Albert stared back with empty eyes, void of any flicker of remorse. With a sudden move, he gripped Ajin's leg, and the ground rose in a cloud of dust and gravel.
—EARTH MANA: EARTH CAGE!
Dust and stone twisted together, forming a solid sphere around Ajin, trapping him in a prison of rock. Albert stood slowly, dusting off his clothes, and stepped toward the cage.
— Release.
With a motion of his hand, the top of the cage opened slightly, just enough for Ajin to see his face.— I don't owe you any explanation, Ajin. Albert's voice was cold, but in his eyes burned a hidden flame. He clenched his fist over his chest, as if strangling something inside himself. But tell me… where were you when I needed you? Where were all of you, in the Dragon's name, when I was alone?
Ajin clenched his jaw, fighting to keep his calm. Rage surged in his veins, but so did a dull ache, a guilt he could not deny.
— I wasn't there?! he shouted. I stood by you in every battle, even when everyone else turned their backs! And this is your gratitude? Betraying everything we built together?!
Albert seemed to hesitate for a split second, but then his mask of indifference returned.
— This isn't about you, Ajin. Everything I did, I did to survive.
Ajin let out a bitter, disgusted laugh.
— Survival?! You had everything! And more. You destroyed it all just to save your skin! You gave up everything for what? Power? Revenge?!
Albert lowered his gaze for a moment, and the hand pressed to his chest eased slightly.
— You're in no place to judge me, Ajin. You weren't there. You didn't see how everything crumbled. You didn't see what I had to do to stay alive.
Ajin drew a deep breath, struggling against the stone cage that held him.
— If you call that survival, then you lost more than us, Albert. You lost your soul. But I won't leave you like this!
For a moment, Ajin's gaze softened.
— You still have a way back. The world isn't only the darkness you see now. You can choose differently, Albert! You don't have to do this!
For the first time, Albert seemed unsure. A flicker of hesitation, a spark of doubt passed through his eyes. But then, as if shaking off a dangerous illusion, his gaze turned to ice again.
— You can't understand… Not yet.
Then, with a sudden motion, he turned and vanished into the shadows of the night.
Ajin remained inside the cage, breathing heavily. But he was not defeated. If Albert believed there was no way back, then Ajin would find one for him.
Beyond the tall mountains and the war-scorched plains, a vast, mighty, and feared empire rose over the waters. Its palaces, built of black stone and draped with heavy banners, bore witness to a merciless rule.
In the throne hall, dimly lit by wrought-iron chandeliers, the hurried steps of a messenger echoed ominously. The man, frail and bent, his clothes torn by travel, stopped in the middle of the hall and dropped to his knees on the cold floor.
— Your Majesty, the imperial troops are being pushed back! The Null District has been captured…
His voice trembled, his knees buckling under the weight of the news. A loud crash thundered from the royal table, its echo rolling menacingly through the hall.
On his towering throne, the king clenched his jaw. A dark shadow fell over his face. With a sharp move, he rose, gripping the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white.
— What did you say?!
His voice cut through the air like thunder. The messenger flinched, pressing himself lower to the floor.
— Your Majesty, our forces… are retreating. The enemy is stronger than we predicted. If we don't intervene now, everything will be lost!
The king took a threatening step forward, his sword glinting cold in the dim light. On the wall before him, a row of severed heads mounted on iron spikes served as a silent warning for those who brought ill news.
— If you don't reclaim that district within a week, your head will hang there too, understood?!
The hall sank into heavy silence, broken only by the croak of a raven outside. A sign of death.
The messenger began to shake uncontrollably. He fell to his knees again, crying out in despair:— Forgive me, Your Majesty! Forgive me!
He dared to stretch his hands toward the king's feet, but the ruler, disgusted, kicked him back.The messenger struggled to his feet, silent now, and stumbled hurriedly toward the exit.
Once outside, his heart pounding, he raised his voice and shouted to the soldiers:
— Attention! Crescent Ray Battalion, we have new orders from the Emperor!
His words rolled through the air, thick with panic and fear.
The soldiers, who had been preparing to rest, lined up swiftly, tense and ready to receive orders.
In front of them, a burly man with an imposing presence stepped forward. His skin bore deep scars, memories of battles few had survived. An eyepatch covered his right eye, and the scars on his cheeks spoke of countless fights.
— Orin. What happened?
The messenger, his voice still trembling, swallowed hard and began.
— The Emperor's order is clear: we must reclaim the Null District before the second sunrise. If we fail…
He hesitated a moment. But when he met the commander's stern gaze, he forced himself to finish:— …if we fail, we'll rot in the deepest catacombs of the palace.
The commander clenched his jaw.
— You all heard him!
The ground shook under the stomp of his boot.
— There is no room for mistakes! Prepare at once!
A powerful shout burst from the soldiers, but in each of their eyes burned a silent fear. They all knew the Null District was not just lost territory. It was a land of shadows. A place where reality and nightmares twisted into endless madness.
And with the sunrise, they would march into that darkness… not knowing if they would ever return.
The pale sun barely pierced the thick clouds hanging above the Null District. The air was suffocating, heavy with the stench of blood, burnt flesh, and decay.
The Crescent Ray Battalion marched in silence, their faces like stone, but each step carried them closer to a grave not yet dug.
— Hold formation! the commander thundered.
But his voice sounded weak against what awaited them.The Null District was an open graveyard. Torn bodies lay scattered everywhere, their flesh ripped apart by something that was no longer human.
— Dear God… one of the soldiers muttered, swallowing back his nausea.