The Abyssais Forest was no ordinary place.
Legends said that it was where the world itself forgot the light — a place where even spirits were afraid to wander.
Trees older than empires stood tall, their black roots twisting like veins through the earth.
The air was thick with silence — the kind that felt alive, watching, waiting.
Five figures walked through that silence.
At their front was Ryu Kurozane, his silver hair faintly glowing in the dim moonlight. His crimson-gold eyes never blinked — scanning every shadow.
Behind him walked Kane, calm and focused; Rei, hand always on his twin blades; Lyra, silent like a ghost; and Shin, their scout, whose steps made no sound on the soil.
> "This forest…" Kane muttered, his breath fogging. "It feels like it remembers death."
Ryu glanced at him. "Good. Then it will remember us too."
They walked for hours until they reached a clearing. At its center stood a black stone gate, covered in ancient runes that pulsed faintly with blue light.
The gate was massive — older than the clans themselves.
Lyra stepped closer, her fingers brushing the cold stone.
> "These symbols… they're from the First Era. The language of shadows."
"My mother once said this place was where the first assassins made their pact with darkness."
Rei smirked. "Then we're home."
Ryu placed his hand on the gate. The instant his skin touched the runes, the forest trembled.
The markings lit up, and a deep, guttural voice echoed from beyond the stone.
> "Who dares… awaken the Vault of Shadows…?"
The air turned heavy — every leaf froze mid-air. The presence was ancient, cold, divine.
Ryu stood firm. "I am Ryu Kurozane, heir to the Assassin Clan. I seek the power of my ancestors."
> "Blood… of the Reaper…"
The voice hissed.
"Your blood… is not pure. I smell dragon… and demon. You are cursed."
Ryu's eyes glowed faintly. "Then curse me stronger."
The gate split open with a deafening roar, revealing a staircase descending into darkness. Blue flames lit one by one as they walked in.
---
The Vault
The tunnel ended in a vast underground hall.
Shelves of ancient scrolls, weapons, and glowing crystals stretched into the dark.
In the center stood a colossal statue — a hooded assassin holding two curved blades crossed over his chest.
Kane stepped forward. "So this is the forbidden vault…"
Ryu's hand brushed against a scroll glowing faintly red. Words formed in the air:
"Reaper's Vein – Blood Awakening Skill"
The moment he touched it, pain surged through his body.
Flames of black and crimson erupted from his veins, crawling up his arms.
The others stepped back.
> "Ryu!" Lyra shouted. "Let go of it!"
But he couldn't.
He saw visions — dragons flying through fire, demons tearing through armies, his grandfather standing before the altar.
And then, a voice — faint, but familiar.
> "Ryu… control the chaos… let it obey you, not consume you…"
He dropped to his knees, screaming. The energy fused with his blood, marking his skin with black runes.
When the light faded, his eyes glowed brighter — one golden, one crimson.
He stood up slowly, breathing hard.
The others stared — not at his power, but at the aura behind him.
The statue of the Reaper… was kneeling.
> "You… are acknowledged," whispered the ancient voice.
"Bearer of Dragon Flame and Demon Shadow… the true Reaper is reborn."
Ryu clenched his fist, shadows wrapping around his arm like smoke.
For the first time, he felt it — power that was not borrowed, but born within.
> "This is only the beginning," he said quietly.
"We will master every skill in this vault. And when we leave this forest… the world will remember the name 'Assassin Clan'."
---
Training Begins
Days turned to weeks, and weeks into years.
They trained endlessly — surviving in the forest, hunting demons, fighting beasts born of shadow.
Each of them chose a path.
Kane mastered Illusion Arts, bending perception and memory like glass.
Rei trained his body under dragon flame until his blades cut even spirit stone.
Lyra learned Shadow Steps, vanishing between blinks.
Shin became one with silence — the forest itself obeyed him.
And Ryu… continued to evolve.
His hybrid blood made his growth monstrous.
When he fought, shadows danced around him like living creatures, and when he roared, fire burst from his skin.
Sometimes, in the dead of night, his demon side would whisper to him.
> "You are not human, Ryu… you are what they fear…"
And yet, he never lost control.
Not because he was pure — but because his will was unbreakable.
---
After five years, the Vault of Shadows grew silent again.
The flames that once guarded the hall dimmed, as if the place itself acknowledged that its purpose was complete.
Ryu stood at the center, surrounded by his comrades — now masters of their arts.
His aura burned like a storm — calm, yet unstoppable.
> "We've trained enough," he said, sheathing his dagger.
"Now it's time to reclaim our name."
Kane smirked. "You mean… we're going to war?"
Ryu turned, a faint smile on his lips — cold and proud.
> "No."
"We're going to start a new order — one that hunts gods, demons, and kings alike."
He raised his hand. Shadows swirled and formed the sigil of the clan — a black mark with wings of flame.
> "From this day, we are no longer the forgotten."
"We are the Reaper Clan — reborn in shadow and flame."
The others knelt before him.
The vault trembled once more, not in warning, but in reverence.
And deep within the forest, the world began to whisper the name it had buried long ago.
"The Reapers have returned."