TIKKA — LAKE VAIL
A shimmering circle appeared inside a small house, its edges glowing with a faint, pale light. Strange symbols and intricate drawings moved slowly across its surface, forming a magical pattern that seemed to breathe with quiet energy.
A moment later, three figures stepped through.
Serenya, Serelia, and Serany, he Moonveil Sisters,had arrived in Tikka.
They emerged inside a small forest on the outskirts of Lake Vail, standing before an abandoned house that had clearly been left untouched for years. Its wooden walls were weathered, the windows were coated with grime, and weeds had begun to creep around the foundation.
Serelia glanced around the interior.
"The house is still dirty."
The sisters communicated through telepathy, their voices existing only within one another's minds.
Seranya raised her hand.
A soft current of wind swept through the house.
Dust lifted from the floor and spiraled toward the open windows. Cobwebs were torn from the corners, loose dirt was pushed away, and within seconds, the abandoned room looked considerably cleaner.
Serenya looked toward her sisters.
"What we need to do now is divide our investigation. First, we need to locate the Black Market. From everything we've gathered, we know it's somewhere in Lake Vail, but we still don't know exactly where."
Her expression hardened.
"We also need to learn more about Marcelline Veyra. That means we'll have to work separately."
Serelia nodded.
"I'll check the Dark Mercenary Guild in Nefaria. There should be someone there who knows the exact location of the Black Market."
Serenya and Seranya exchanged a glance before answering together.
"Then we'll find out everything we can about Marcelline Veyra."
The three sisters remained silent for a moment.
Their investigation had begun.
---
CUTTERS ALLEY — LAKE VAIL
Morning had settled over Cutters Alley.
Despite the narrow street and aging houses surrounding it, the scent of freshly prepared food drifted through the neighborhood, escaping through open windows and doors. Somewhere inside one of the houses, pots clattered against one another, dishes were being arranged, and the sound of someone moving hurriedly around the kitchen filled the room.
The house itself was modest but warm.
A few flower vases sat near the windows, their simple flowers adding a touch of life to the otherwise ordinary interior. Sunlight slipped through the curtains and spread across the wooden floor.
Albert was already awake.
"Morning, Albert. You're awake."
Nara quickly moved around the dining table, setting down the last of the food.
Albert sat quietly while Soren and his son, Aiden, the owner of the house, joined him. Zack and Sarah were there as well.
They gathered around the table and began eating.
Before touching his food, however, Soren and his son closed their eyes. Their hands came together as they quietly prayed.
"Thank you, Goddess Tova, for allowing us to see another morning."
Albert glanced at him.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then his eyes moved toward Sarah and Zack.
Seeing them sitting safely at the table brought back a memory.
A memory of the day he had found them.
A day he wished he could forget.
---
THAT DAY...
The guards stood in the middle of the marketplace, their hands raised as they activated a detection technique.
A faint wave of energy spread through the surrounding area.
Then—
It vanished.
The guards froze.
"What was that?"
They couldn't understand what had happened.
One turned toward the other guards.
"You felt it too, right?"
He nodded.
"The detection was blocked."
They looked around the marketplace.
People continued moving through the streets. Merchants shouted about their goods. Children ran between stalls. Nothing appeared unusual.
One guard frowned.
"The kid must not be working alone."
Another guard nodded.
"We need more guards."
Albert's expression darkened.
This kingdom certainly has its issues.
He looked toward the people around him.
"Humans have become unbelievably weak and heartless... chasing a little kid as though he were some dangerous criminal."
He walked away.
He had stopped the detection from activating.
But what happened next was far worse.
---
"So, this is the kid with the necklace?"
Animus stood before the children.
His eyes settled on Zack.
He reached toward the necklace hanging around the boy's neck.
"Where did you get this?"
Zack immediately pulled away.
"It was given to me by a girl!"
His voice trembled.
"Please... help Sarah!"
Animus stared at him.
"And where is this girl?"
"I—I don't know!"
Zack's eyes filled with tears.
Animus slowly turned toward the other children.
"Maybe this will help you remember."
He pointed toward two of them.
"Kill those two."
A guard hesitated.
"Sir... they're only children."
Animus didn't even look at him.
His hand moved.
A long, dark scythe materialized in an instant.
The blade passed through the guard's neck.
His body collapsed.
Silence fell over the marketplace.
The remaining guards stared in horror for only a moment before drawing their weapons.
The children screamed.
"No!"
Zack's voice broke as he threw himself toward Sarah.
"Don't touch her!"
The guards seized him.
"I'll kill every last one of you royals!" Zack screamed through his tears. "I swear it! I'll hunt you all until there's nothing left!"
Animus turned away.
"Kill him as well."
Then he walked off.
He didn't look back.
The guards surrounded the children.
Bags were pulled over their heads.
Sarah began crying.
"Please..."
Her voice trembled beneath the cloth.
"Please don't kill us..."
Another child began sobbing.
"I want my mother..."
Zack struggled violently against the guards holding him.
"No! Please!"
His voice cracked.
"Please, don't!"
He looked toward Sarah.
"Sarah!"
She couldn't see him.
She couldn't see anything.
Only hear him.
Only hear the guards around her.
"Zack..."
Her tiny voice trembled.
"Zack, I'm scared."
Zack's face twisted with terror.
"I'm here!"
He fought harder.
"I'm here, Sarah! Don't be scared!"
A guard slammed him onto his knees.
"Hold him."
Two guards forced Zack down.
"Stop!"
Zack screamed.
"STOP!"
He watched helplessly as the other children were dragged away.
One by one, the spears were raised.
The children cried.
They begged.
They called for their parents.
And then the marketplace fell silent.
Zack stared.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't breathe.
The world around him seemed to disappear.
"Sarah..."
His voice was barely audible.
Then he screamed.
"NO!"
He tried to crawl toward her.
A guard held him down.
"LET ME GO!"
His fingernails scraped against the ground.
"PLEASE!"
His tears fell freely.
"I'll tell you anything! I'll tell you where she is! I'll do anything!"
No one answered.
"Please..."
His voice became smaller.
"Please don't kill her..."
The guard beside him looked away.
Another guard whispered,
"Hey, what do we do with this one?"
"Orders were to kill him too."
"But should we really use the spear?"
A pause.
Then another guard answered coldly.
"Why waste the weapon?"
He looked toward the others.
"Burn him instead."
Zack heard every word.
His entire body began trembling.
"No..."
The guard grabbed him.
"No, no, no..."
Zack began sobbing.
"Please..."
He looked around desperately.
"Someone... please help me."
There was no one.
The guards pulled the bag over his head.
The world disappeared into darkness.
Zack screamed beneath it.
"PLEASE!"
And then—
Something flew across the room.
A body slammed into the wall with enough force to crack it. The man's head struck the wall, splitting it open.
The guards froze.
A man stood there with them inside the building.
Albert's expression was empty.
Not calm.
Not peaceful.
Empty.
The kind of emptiness that came before something terrible.
His eyes moved across the scene.
The dead children.
The terrified survivors.
The little, weak girl breathing heavily.
His gaze finally settled on Zack.
For several seconds, Albert said nothing.
Then his voice came.
Quiet and cold.
"Unspeakable."
The guards stared at him.
Albert slowly clenched his fist.
"This is what humans have become? All we did was protect this planet, and this is what they've become."
He looked toward the bodies.
"After everything that was lost during the Great War..."
His eyes lowered.
"After all the lives that were sacrificed..."
He remembered the faces of his fallen comrades.
Friends who had fought beside him.
People who had believed they were dying for a future.
"For what?"
Albert's voice became heavier.
"You made every sacrifice meaningless."
His gaze returned to the guards.
"You made their pain meaningless."
A long silence followed.
"Is this what humanity has become?"
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Attacking a royal guard is punishable by death!"
He raised his hand ,flames gathered around it.
A spear formed from burning energy, The guard hurled it, Albert didn't move.
The flame-covered spear struck him, And vanished.
Albert was suddenly standing directly behind the guard.
The man's eyes widened.
Albert placed one hand on his shoulder.
"You're in my way."
Crack.
The guard collapsed.
The others immediately drew their weapons.
There were nine of them.
All nine could make use of elemental attacks and elemental weapon creation.
They surrounded Albert from every direction.
One raised both hands.
The ground exploded upward.
Stone pillars rushed toward Albert.
He stepped between them.
Another guard unleashed a torrent of water.
Albert walked straight through it.
Lightning descended from above.
He tilted his head.
The bolt passed beside him.
An explosion followed.
When the smoke cleared, Albert was still standing.
Not a scratch.
One guard stared.
"What... is he?"
Another guard shouted as he created a blade made of ice.
Albert took one step forward.
"None of you are leaving here alive."
The guards attacked simultaneously.
Flames filled the building.
Ice spread across the ground.
Wind screamed between the buildings.
Lightning flashed through the smoke.
Earth shattered beneath their feet.
For a moment, Albert disappeared completely.
Then—
A single sound.
Crack.
One guard was thrown across the floor, lying there lifeless.
Albert appeared above him.
His fist descended, crushing every single bone in the man's body.
He was already dead, but the anger Albert felt was far too great to be suppressed.
The guard crashed into the ground.
Another rushed from behind.
Albert didn't even turn.
He extended his hand.
A force invisible to the eye struck the guard.
The man's body was thrown backward as though he had been hit by an enormous blade.
He fell apart.
Another guard attacked with a wall of ice, pushing it over Albert.
Albert caught the wall with a single finger.
He pushed it back, crushing the man with his own ice.
The guard behind him barely had time to react.
One by one, they all died.
The last guard watched in horror.
Then he took off his clothes and stretched out his hand.
A strange white light gathered around his palm.
The air itself seemed to become unnaturally still.
Albert looked at the blade forming in the guard's grip.
A weapon made entirely of Dio energy.
A white blade.
The guard swung it.
Albert raised his hand.
The white blade shattered.
The guard's smile disappeared.
"This is impossible! This is a white blade! Your hand should have fallen apart! It's impossible!"
Albert looked at the broken pieces falling around them.
"That's your Dio?"
The guard stepped backward.
"No..."
Albert appeared in front of him.
The first punch landed.
The guard's body folded.
The second sent him into the ground.
The third lifted him from it.
Albert didn't shout.
He didn't rage.
He simply kept punching.
Each strike was precise.
The guard tried to raise his hands.
Albert struck again.
His body hit the ground.
He attempted to crawl away.
Albert walked toward him.
"You were willing to kill children."
The guard looked up at him with his broken face and hands.
Albert's expression didn't change.
"So don't expect mercy from me."
His hand moved.
The air itself seemed to split.
A force invisible to the eye tore through the remaining guards.
Their bodies rained down.
Albert's gaze finally returned to Zack.
The boy was still on the ground, trembling beneath the bag over his head.
Albert approached Sarah and cast a healing spell on her.
Then he walked to Zack.
Gently, he removed the bag.
Zack looked up.
His face was wet with tears.
For a moment, he simply stared at Albert.
Then he whispered,
"Sarah..."
Albert said nothing.
Zack's lips trembled.
"She's dead... isn't she?"
Albert looked toward the bodies.
"They're dead, but she isn't dead."
Zack's face crumpled.
Albert pulled him into his arms.
Zack cried against his chest.
Not loudly this time.
Just quietly.
Like there was nothing left inside him.