The moon hung high, pale and full, painting the battlefield in silver and shadow. The surviving members of the clan gathered around Eris, their breaths ragged, their bodies battered. The air trembled with the scent of blood and the weight of revelation.
From the ruins of the temple, a slow clap echoed. It was Nira, her crimson armor glinting faintly. "You've done well, Eris," she said, her tone sharp as glass. "You've awakened what should've remained buried."
Eris turned to her, confusion tightening his chest. "Nira… you were one of us. Why do you stand with them?"
Her smile was a blade. "Because unlike you, I understand power. The One Being promised me what you never could—immortality unshackled by fate."
Silence fell. Even the wind seemed to pause.
Iria stepped forward, voice trembling. "You're betraying the Clan! After all we've lost together—"
Nira's eyes burned with something deeper than anger—resentment. "I lost everything long before you did. The gods toyed with us, made us fight their battles, die their deaths. I'm done kneeling."
She raised her blade, and the sigil of the Demon King Asmodeus flared behind her. A black crown of fire formed over her head.
Eris clenched his fists, blue flames dancing along his skin. "Then you've chosen your side. But remember—when the Sovereign rises, there will be no room for traitors."
Nira laughed, cruel and unafraid. "Then come, Sovereign. Let's see if your destiny can bleed."
Their powers collided—blue and red, light and ruin—shaking the land itself. The moon cracked above, spilling fragments of light across the earth. The others could only watch as brotherhood turned to battle, and loyalty burned to ash.
And somewhere in the shadows, Asmodeus smiled, whispering,
> "The first betrayal begins… the rest will follow."