That night, at Vynarix Central, only a few people were using the train. Perhaps it was because it was a working day. Azure sat beside Vinny on one of the benches there. At his left foot rested Vinny's suitcase. Silence filled the space, as Azure didn't know what to talk about with Vinny—after all, who was he to speak freely with someone so honorable?
Suddenly, Azure felt a slight tug on his clothes. Vinny looked at him with a smile.
"Azure… what's it like in Terau? Has the sun ever appeared there? Is it an amazing place?" Vinny asked.
"Terau is a place filled with knowledge, with bright light both in the morning and at night. The more knowledge there is, the more people come to learn—whether young or old," Azure explained with a smile.
Vinny smiled and looked up at the sky. The stars glittering in the night were truly beautiful. "You really know a lot, Azure. It must be nice being someone from Terau," Vinny said, glancing at him.
Azure fell silent for a moment. His smile faded. Vinny, noticing this, looked at him in confusion.
"Actually… I'm not from Terau," Azure said, like someone carrying a heavy burden.
Vinny went quiet after hearing that. Just as she was about to ask more, the sound of an approaching train cut their conversation short. Azure stood up and picked up Vinny's suitcase. Vinny quickly got up and took it back from him.
"If we meet again, can I know your real origins?" Vinny asked as she boarded the train. After taking its last passenger, the train departed. Azure watched it fade into the distance.
"Yes… we'll meet again," Azure said as he walked out of Vynarix Central.
As Azure exited, he heard clapping. Turning toward the sound, he saw Verus leaning against a lamp post.
"Wow, that was quite the performance," Verus said, clapping. "So where did you learn to act like that? From Atamize?"
"I only do what I'm told. Master Vahara wants the best," Azure replied calmly.
"No wonder Atamize called you a frozen lake," Verus said with a cynical stare. "Come on, let's go meet Velmira." She grabbed Azure's hand and pulled him along.
As they made their way toward the royal residence, someone followed them from afar. Noticing this, Azure tried to avoid heading straight there. Verus grew confused by his odd behavior.
"Are you okay? You're sneaking around like there's an assassin after us!" Verus said.
"Someone is following us, I think—" Azure didn't finish his sentence. A massive explosion erupted nearby. When Azure saw who was behind it, he immediately understood the attacker's intent.
"Your attack missed… Hezin Kaien," Azure said, readying himself.
The man called Hezin Kaien unleashed an attack in the form of a black dragon charging toward Azure. Azure quickly dodged and trapped him within a storm of fire.
"So you know me," Hezin said, stepping out of the flames without a scratch. "But you'll need stronger fire than that to defeat me."
"My fire is enough to defeat you, Hezin. Why? Because you're the one who failed in Terau—so much so that even old Tu Vat refuses to acknowledge you as his student," Azure said with a smile.
"I'll make you take those words back," Hezin growled.
"Try me."
And with that, the battle began.
Meanwhile, Verus was busy evacuating civilians to prevent injuries during the fight. She knew the battle would destroy parts of the area. She only hoped someone would stop them.
Back to the fight—Hezin hurled sharp knives toward Azure, but they melted instantly as Azure deflected them with his lantern.
"That's all you've got? Power-forged knives?" Azure taunted.
"You want to provoke me?" Hezin charged at him like a dragon lunging for its prey.
"Come," Azure whispered softly, his eyes unblinking, tracking every shift in the air caused by Hezin's speed.
The lantern in Azure's hand began to glow intensely. The once calm orange flame turned into a blinding blue-white. As Hezin struck with a fist wrapped in black dragon energy, Azure didn't dodge. He stomped his left foot, sending a wave of heat that cracked the asphalt.
"Ignis Barrier!"
The clash between Hezin's black dragon and Azure's wall of fire created a shockwave that shattered nearby building windows at Vynarix Central. Hezin was pushed back several steps—but he laughed wildly.
"You think that scrap lantern's fire can withstand the darkness of Terau that I wield?" Hezin spread his arms. Shadows beneath him stretched and rose into sharp black spikes. "I abandoned the light for this power, Azure! Cowards like you could never understand!"
Hezin dashed again, faster and more unpredictable. In an instant, he appeared behind Azure, a shadow blade aimed at his neck.
Clang!
Azure blocked it with his lantern handle. Sparks of fire and dark energy scattered across their faces. Azure stared into Hezin's hatred-filled eyes with cold indifference.
"You didn't abandon the light, Hezin. You were too weak to bear it," Azure said flatly. "Terau didn't cast you out—you ran away, afraid of your own shadow."
Those words ignited Hezin's fury. He roared, unleashing a storm of dark energy that began devouring the street. From a distance, Verus shouted in panic.
"Azure! Finish it quickly! This place won't hold much longer!"
Azure took a deep breath and slightly opened his lantern. The light began consuming the surrounding oxygen, rapidly raising the temperature.
"Sorry, Verus. This might get a little hot."
But before Azure could unleash his finishing move, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended from the sky. It felt as if gravity itself had increased tenfold.
Hezin froze. His legs sank into the asphalt. Gasping, he looked up in terror at a figure standing atop a building.
Vahara.
The man stood with his cloak fluttering in the night wind, his gaze sharp and dismissive—as if Hezin were nothing more than dust. Without a word, Vahara snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
An invisible force struck Hezin in the chest, launching him hundreds of meters into a concrete wall, instantly knocking him unconscious. His black dragon power vanished at once, leaving behind a tense silence.
Vahara leapt down, landing gracefully before Azure, who still held his lantern.
"You took too long playing with trash, Azure," Vahara said coldly. "We don't have time for dramas tied to your past."
Azure closed his lantern and lowered his head slightly. "My apologies, Master Vahara. I only wanted to confirm his intentions before finishing him."
Vahara glanced at Verus, who approached with a pale face. "Verus, handle the aftermath. Make sure news of this attack doesn't reach Velmira before morning. I don't want her peace disturbed by flies from Terau."
"Yes, sir!" Verus replied, still trembling from Vahara's overwhelming presence.
Vahara turned and gestured for Azure to follow him toward the royal residence. "Let's go. The night has only just begun—and the 'light' you must protect is far more valuable than the lives of people like him."
Azure gave Hezin's unconscious body one last look before turning and following his master into the darkness of Vynarix night—a night filled with even more secrets.