The scene breaks down with a grave solemnly surrounded by a gathering of students, teachers, higher-ranking individuals, and Gilmuar's grieving family. Dark stands among them, clad in a meticulously tailored black suit, complemented by a sleek tie and a hat that adds a touch of formality. His countenance remains inscrutable, concealed by the interplay of his hair and a subtle shadow.
As Tracy and others share in the collective sorrow, a poignant soundtrack enhances the atmosphere, infusing the moment with a delicate and mournful ambiance.
Dark: Gilmuar, once a self-proclaimed prodigy who transformed into a legend within a few short years. A man who sacrificed himself to buy me time....
Dark: You'll never fade from our memories.
Tracy, tears streaming down her face, her voice cracking.
Tracy: Dark, you've grown immensely.
Tracy: Gilmuar witnessed your daily growth, overcoming challenges at this school.
Tracy: Yet, he sacrificed himself before your eyes...
Tracy: Gilmuar will always be remembered.
Transitioning to six months later, Dark and Leona sit in the classroom, Dark devoid of emotion since Gilmuar's death.
Teacher explains a magic spell, but Dark remains indifferent to the explanation.
Dark: (thinking) Nekros, you'll pay for this...
Dark: (thinking) Gilmuar, your sacrifice won't be in vain...
Tracy: Dark, feeling a bit overwhelmed? Want a break?
Tracy: You seem off...
Dark: It's fine...
Tracy: Alright then.
As the school bell rings, signaling the end of the day, everyone packs up to leave. However, Dark heads back to the same forest he entered before—the Restricted Forest.
Dark: (shouting) NEKROS!! SHOW YOURSELF!!
A moment of uneasy silence fills the air. Footsteps break twigs and crunch on the forest floor.
Dark turns, realizing he may have made a mistake. Regret floods his mind as Nekros's expression remains empty, devoid of emotion.
Nekros: You've returned to the Restricted Forest, driven by a passion to end me.
Dark: You took Gilmuar's life right in front of me...
Dark: He was only 18...
Dark: You killed an 18-year-old in front of a 16-year-old...
Dark: You monster...
Nekros: Monster?
Nekros points at Dark, speaking with a hint of accusation.
Nekros: You're the one who intruded into the forest. I had to knock you out.
Nekros ceases pointing and approaches Dark. His eyes sharpen with a touch of madness, and he walks toward Dark, dragging his scythe on the ground.
Dark unsheathes his katana, assuming a starting stance with closed eyes, inhaling and exhaling deliberately.
Dark: (thinking) Nature, help me....
The ground quakes as vines emerge, shaping themselves into a humanoid form. Yet, an eerie quality lingers as the vines continue to undulate around the figure. It approaches Dark, patting his head gently, before turning towards Nekros, It speaks.
Nature, the essence of existence and mother to all beings. Nekros, Caje's Right Hand Man, hear my words. I have witnessed the eons unfold.
Vines gracefully lift Nekros into the air, bringing him near Nature's countenance.
Nature: Caje, the one who fashioned you, harbors self-serving intentions. He created you to serve his purposes, to labor on his behalf.
Nekros: I can't believe that. My lord would never betray me.
Nature: In my vast existence, I've observed Caje's true nature. He formed you with a singular purpose: to execute his plans. Caje once spoke of his intentions.
Nature: Caje's words: 'I will craft a being, Nekros Vortex, my Right Hand Man. Once Nekros fulfills my every request and completes the Time Vortex, I will annihilate it, merging its power with mine. Thus, I shall become an unstoppable force across the Big Sphere.'
Nekros: But he promised me unimaginable power...
Nature's revelation casts a shadow of doubt over Nekros's beliefs.
Dark: Nekros, heed Nature's counsel...
Dark: She guided me through the wild.
Nekros: ...but...
Nekros: (thinking) Good, I'm stalling for my lord's arrival.
The camera shifts behind Nekros, revealing an enigmatic, dark orb clutched in his hands.
Nekros: (thinking) I'll continue feigning compliance with their words. Nature might be a concern, but Dark isn't.
Nature: (thinking) Nekros, I can perceive your thoughts. Absorb my words, delve into your past with your lord. What actions has he taken?
Nekros gasps, focusing on his memories, revealing instances of mistreatment by his lord for errors and mistakes.
Nature: Your lord's true nature is revealed. He erased many memories, and a Nature's touch has brought them back to light.
Nekros: Tch....
Nekros, breaking free from the vines, swiftly moves towards Nature with determination in his eyes.
Nature: Oh Nekros, you believe that immortality shields you from suffering greater agony than death?
Nekros: Shut up.
Nekros executes a swift kick to Nature's face, followed by a roundhouse kick and a series of left and right hooks. Seizing the moment, he tosses Nature into the air, ascends with a dash, and draws a menacing futuristic cyber katana from his left waist. The scene transforms into slow motion, painted in black and white hues, with linear white lines emanating from Nekros's position. An orb surrounding Nature illustrates Nekros's supernatural ability, as the linear lines strike toward Nature.
In this unreal dance, Nature adeptly dodges each linear assault, creating a mesmerizing spectacle. As the scene returns to normal speed, Nekros, visibly shocked, retreats, sheathing his katana. Dark, equally stunned, witnesses Nature seemingly dismembered and sliced into pieces. Nekros, with a smirk on his mask, approaches Dark with glowing eyes, ready to strike. However, an unexpected twist occurs as time rewinds to when Nekros was advancing toward Dark after slashing Nature. This time, Nature becomes visible behind Nekros, holding time in its right hand.
Nature throws time to the ground, propels a small rock upwards, and with a flick, sets it on a rapid course. The rock, moving at the speed of light, pierces through Nekros's left side of his face, creating an otherworldly display of intense, strange liquid resembling blood. Dark, overwhelmed, watches this surreal scene.
As Nature approaches Dark and fades away, Dark rises slowly and makes his way back to the school. The morning unfolds, accompanied by a serene silence enveloping the surroundings.
Dark, immersed in a profound sense of failure, finds solace in Nature's avenging actions for Gilmuar. Tears cascade from his eyes as Leona rushes to him, her concern palpable.
Leona: Dark, are you out of your mind?!
Dark: Nature avenged Gilmuar...
Leona: What?
Leona questions Dark about Nature, prompting him to call upon her.
Leona: Hey Dark, I was wondering who Nature is? You always talk about her....
Dark: ....Nature....
Dark: Show up....
Beside Dark, Nature forms once more, revealing what she looks like to Leona.
Nature: Hello Leona, Princess of the seven seas.
Leona: Ummm Princess?....me?
Nature: Yes.
Dark: Nature knows everyone and everything that's happening in the whole world.
Dark: She has the ability to create and delete beings at will.
Leona: Woaah so cool.
Nature speaks into Leona's mind.
Nature: (thinking) Leona, come closer to Dark.
Leona: (thinking) Uhh umm okay...
Leona walks closer to Dark as he looks at her confused.
Dark: I feel....dizzy....
Nature gasps as she looks into Dark's mind and sees a evil like figure mysterious, sleeping on the ground of Dark's mind and a throne beside it, creepy bones throne and a weird evil god like sword beside it. Nature is in shock, not knowing who or what that figure is, even though Nature can see every single being in this whole world.
Nature: Dark, DO ANYTHING BUT DON'T SLEEP TONIGHT!!!!
Dark: Huh why?
Nature: Just don't....
Nature: There is a soul living inside of you.....
Dark: What?...
Leona gasps in shock and looks at Dark with fear in her eyes.
Dark's eyes suddenly start twitching, shifting between white and black colors.
Dark's scream and voice change into a more demonic and sinister tone.
Dark: AAAA WHAT'S HAPPENING WHAT'S GOING OONNNNN!!!
Dark suddenly stops and is standing with his back hinged forwards and arms played towards the ground, and his head looking downwards.
Dark then starts laughing, but his laugh and voice are different....
Nature: Leona, run...
Leona turns around fast and runs towards the school building.
Dark laughing louder and louder.
His voice breaking up and changing into an even more sinister ominous resonance. A malevolent edge crept into every syllable, casting an eerie atmosphere. The intensity of his words seemed to weave a tapestry of tension, creating an unsettling aura that lingered in the air.
Dark: Khee....hehh....ha..hahahaa....Oh Nature....
Sukojo: You dare look into my soul?
Nature gasps as she backs away.
Sukojo: Even if you aren't in your true body and form, you still feel pain, don't you?
Sukojo: Hehehahaahahahaa.
Sukojo: I'M FINALLY FREE!!!
Sukojo: Thanks to you for looking into this boy's soul, you awakened me.
Sukojo moves his hand from left to right and grabs the sword that was seen in Dark's mind and takes it out of dark matter and then looks at Nature with a smile.
In the ominous confrontation, the air thickens with malevolence as Sukojo, shrouded in darkness, issues a chilling challenge to Nature.
Sukojo: Come on Nature, fight me.
Sukojo: Get me warmed up.
With an unholy determination, Sukojo advances towards Nature, each step echoing with an eerie resonance. His aura intensifies, casting a shadow that seems to engulf the very essence of the surroundings.
Nature, in response, draws forth a radiant sword of light, its gleaming brilliance contrasting against the encroaching darkness. The clash begins—a relentless exchange of blows where the speed of their movements transcends the limits of mortal perception. Hands, bodies, and swords blur into a nightmarish symphony of violence.
Sukojo: Hahahaha, not bad. Catch up to this.
As if unveiling a sinister crescendo, Sukojo elevates the tempo, a malevolent force surging from within him. The atmosphere distorts as he maneuvers with an otherworldly swiftness, overpowering Nature. Her attempts to parry become futile, leaving her battered and bleeding.
Sukojo kicks Nature aside, descending to the ground with a predatory grace. His eyes gleam with hunger as he stoops to drink the blood spilled upon the earth—a grotesque communion with the battleground.
A palpable tension fills the air as Sukojo draws a deep breath, releasing an even darker energy. He launches into a ferocious assault, dismembering Nature in half with a horrific display of power. The air resonates with her agonized cries as he feasts upon her lower half remains, his malevolence reaching a terrifying zenith.
Turning towards the school building, Sukojo, now stained with the remnants of his grisly feast, throws a part of Nature's upper half. The projectile strikes Leona's face, bathing her in a macabre shower of blood. He seizes Leona and hurtles into a nearby classroom, leaving a trail of horror in his wake.
Within the classroom, the atmosphere becomes suffocating as Sukojo fixates on the students, his predatory gaze lingering on each terrified face. He releases Leona with a vicious slap, the sound reverberating like a death knell against the walls.
The students, driven by desperation, unleash a torrent of magical attacks. However, Sukojo remains untouched, his malevolent laughter echoing through the classroom like a demonic symphony.
Sukojo: No one in this era may hurt me.
Seizing a helpless student with telekinesis, Sukojo pins them to the wall, his grin growing ever more unsettling. The room becomes a canvas of dread, painted with the visceral horror of an unstoppable force reveling in its dominance.
Sukojo's malevolent incantation echoes through the room, casting an ominous pall over the already terror-laden atmosphere.
Sukojo: Moryo Korosu, Blinding Linear.
In an instant, the entire space succumbs to an impenetrable darkness, swallowing the room and its occupants into an abyss. Within this stygian void, the students, frozen in terror, are bathed in an eerie red glow.
As Sukojo points at a hapless student, a spectral line of death materializes, slicing through the very fabric of reality. The student, locked in the crosshairs of this ominous force, is engulfed in an explosive display of malevolent energy. Their body disintegrates, and as if orchestrated by the macabre, their entrails are drawn towards Sukojo's outstretched hand.
A ghastly spectacle unfolds, the room bearing witness to the grotesque convergence of life and death. The air thickens with dread as Sukojo, with an insatiable hunger, devours the essence of his victim, the act casting a chilling silence upon the paralyzed onlookers.
The remaining students, paralyzed by fear, attempt to escape the clutches of the encroaching darkness, but an unseen force binds them in place. Their futile struggles only intensify the horror as they helplessly await their unknown fate in the engulfing void, a circle of doom from which there seems to be no escape.
Sukojo's malevolent presence permeates the oppressive Domain, casting an eerie ambience over the trapped students.
Sukojo: This is called a Domain, my home of abilities.
Sukojo: Even though you guys will be dead and eaten within 5 minutes, I'll explain to you what this is.
With a sinister calmness, Sukojo, the master of this confined realm, takes a moment to enlighten his captives.
Sukojo: A Domain can be compared stronger with size and power.
Sukojo: My Domain can cover a universe, but.
The atmosphere thickens as Sukojo, with a hint of malevolence, reveals a chilling constraint.
Sukojo: This Domain is only the size of this room.
In the confined space, the gravity of their predicament tightens its grip. Sukojo, seemingly indifferent to the looming doom, takes a deliberate breath.
Sukojo deepens the sense of impending dread as he strides toward the other students, drawing closer with every measured step.
Sukojo: Time is running out, you know.
Sukojo: I really would sit here and talk to you guys more, but my thirst for blood is unimaginably annoyingly high as shit.
The room becomes a stage for his ominous monologue, the air saturated with an unsettling blend of impending demise and Sukojo's insatiable hunger for carnage.
Tier: What if someone breaks a Domain that you speak of? What happens?
Sukojo: Hmm, that's a good question, but I have just the answer.
Tier's curiosity intensifies, awaiting Sukojo's revelation.
Sukojo: Once a Domain has been broken, the caster of the Domain absorbs the damage inflicted by the Domain Breaker. The only beings that could break Domains, other than myself, are Enzo, Luro, Ningin, Buffei, Light, and the one and only person that matches and outmatches me in a one-on-one fight...
Sukojo: Cosmic, Existence's Engine.
Tier: Wait a second, you said a name earlier, Luro.
Sukojo: What about her?
Tier: My brother told me hundreds of stories about her. Who is she?
Sukojo: Luro, Goddess Of The Eight Seas.
Tier: Eight? Isn't there only seven seas?
Sukojo: Seven on earth and one in Plainlam Domain.
Tier: Plainlam? My brother told me stories of Plainlam.
Sukojo: Who is your father?
Tier: My father's name is Kenzo.
Sukojo gasps in shock upon hearing Tier's father's name.
Sukojo: Ryo Cancel.
Sukojo's Domain dissipates as he retreats from the classroom and the damaged wall. A rare moment of vulnerability flickers across Sukojo's face.
Tier: What's wrong? You alright?
Sukojo: I-...
Sukojo ceases his act, using telekinesis to pull Tier close, gripping his neck tightly.
Sukojo: You really think I would fall for such words?
Tier gasps, struggling for air.
Tier: No.... It... It's..... true.....
Tier: Kenzo Mahago.
Sukojo is genuinely shocked, his millennia-old composure momentarily shattered.
All of a sudden, footsteps are heard approaching from behind. They all turn to see Nature, transformed and radiating a powerful aura. She wields a glowing white katana.
Sukojo: Eh? Took you long enough, Nature.
Nature: Sukojo, I will silence you right here and right now.
Tier walks towards Nature, hands in pockets, a calm demeanor, his hair flowing with each step.
Tier takes out an orb, futuristic tech orb.
Tier watches in awe as Nature, with a swift and graceful movement, snatches an orb from the air and flicks it towards Sukojo at a velocity that blurs its path, sending it hurtling through space faster than light itself. The scene, tense with anticipation, pauses momentarily as the orb approaches its target.
Sukojo, with an air of nonchalance that belies the imminent threat, extends his hand. His fingers, poised with precision, clamp down on the speeding orb. The moment of impact resonates with a crisp sound, as the orb shatters between his two fingers, its fragments dissipating into the air like dust.
Tier, witnessing this display of raw power and effortless control, gasps audibly, his expression a mix of fear and disbelief. The realization that the stakes are higher than he imagined washes over him, intensifying the atmosphere of the confrontation..
Sukojo: You think some orb thrown at Domain Speed is supposed to hurt me?
Sukojo suddenly stops, touching his chest and feeling a sharp pain.
Sukojo: The hell? I thought I killed this body's soul.
Sukojo: Tch... what a strong warrior....
Sukojo: Just who is he...
Nature: That is Dark, Shadow Conqueror.
Sukojo: Childish title.
Sukojo attempts to move but collapses to the ground, fainting.
Confusion reigns among Nature, Tier, and the other students. Leona, freed from the wall, slowly gets up, her eyes shadowed and mouth straight, a purple aura emanating from her.
Leona walks toward Dark's unconscious body, lifts his head, and sheds tears that fall onto his face. She hugs his face, kissing him on the lips.
Dark begins to breathe slowly.
Leona lets go and smiles.
Leona, battered and injured, whispers.
Leona: Welcome back... Dark.
Dark gazes at Leona, observing her injuries. He turns around, seeing the destruction around him, blood on the ground, and terrified students. His eyes then meet Nature, and Dark starts tearing up.
Dark's voice breaks as he speaks.
Dark: What.... have I....
Dark: Done...?
Nature approaches Dark with Tier.
Nature: That wasn't you; it was a being from ten thousand years ago, an era where existence was ruled by fear....
Tier: We are fine....
Tier: He killed one student....
Tier: Lozus.
Dark's eyes widen in shock, tears streaming down.
Dark: So....this being....killed someone and hurt you guys using my body?....
Silence lingers as Dark, overwhelmed with anger, gets up. He looks at the wall beside him and, in a fit of rage, unleashes an intense punch that shatters the whole wall, blood spilling from his fist. As he falls to the ground, he gazes up at the sky, and chapter 4 comes to an end.
End of chapter 4