In a vast realm of crimson waters and a pale, lifeless sky, five dark suns orbited their single prisoner.
But now, those suns no longer shone upon the bloody sea.
They hung instead beneath a towering mist, black and impenetrable, a darkness so dense that even their light could not pierce it.
The mist had consumed everything, the prisoner and his student alike. Hidden from the eyes of the suns, none could know how this event would unfold.
Vale stood within that endless darkness.
The air was thick and suffocating, almost liquid. He peered ahead, narrowing his eyes, but he could see no farther than a few meters. Beyond that, there was only shifting shadow, a darkness that swallowed distance itself. After a moment, he sighed softly and gave up.
Beneath him, three small creatures stirred, his companions.
A white cat, its fur faintly luminescent.
A crimson centipede, its carapace pulsing like a living ember.
And a deep black lizard, whose eyes shimmered like obsidian mirrors.
They were climbing up his legs now, seeking the safety of his shoulders. Even in this suffocating void, their presence felt sharp and alive, beings of immense, contained power.
Vale's fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade. He turned toward where the chained man had stood only moments ago.
"Heh… what exactly will hap-pen?"
His voice faltered. There was no one to answer.
The man had been only a few steps away, but now the space he had occupied was empty, utterly erased, as though the mist had claimed him whole, leaving not even a trace.
Vale frowned, his expression wary, his eyes fixed on the empty air. The creatures on his shoulders began to hiss, all three at once. Their bodies tensed, their gazes locked on the darkness around them.
And then, a voice spoke.
"My, my… is that the way you greet a friend of your creator, little Eidolons?"
The sound froze Vale where he stood.
It was deep, incredibly deep, a voice that seemed to crawl out of the air itself. It carried the hollow timbre of something long dead, as though a corpse had been made to speak through rotting cords.
Vale spun, scanning the mist. But there was no one there. The voice didn't come from any direction at all. It came from everywhere, from the mist itself.
"Who… no. What are you?" he asked, a cold bead of sweat running down his temple.
The voice gasped, audibly startled.
"What? There is a sixth being among you? Impossible. You are not like the others… not an Eidolon."
Silence hung for a moment before the voice returned, quieter now, as if thinking aloud.
"For his sake… you don't even possess a signature. How can you possibly speak? How do you exist?"
The words struck Vale like a faint echo of something he'd heard before.
He'd been told, more than once, that his very existence felt wrong. That something about him was missing. But what did it mean to lack a "signature"?
He clenched his jaw.
"Answer my question," he said sharply, eyes darting through the shifting haze. "What are you?"
For a few long seconds, there was no sound but the distant hum of the mist. Then the voice returned, softer now, almost… regretful.
"What am I?" it repeated. "I ask myself that question often as well. Perhaps I've forgotten, as time passed."
There was a hint of sorrow in that hoarse, inhuman tone. Vale wanted to respond, but found he couldn't think, literally couldn't. His mind felt muffled, his thoughts smothered by the weight of the mist.
"Do not worry, little human," the voice said, as if sensing his unease. "I have no intention of harming you. I came for your companion, your 'roommate,' as you call him. I have important news to deliver."
Its tone shifted suddenly, a flicker of amusement.
"I know. How about I take a physical shape? Perhaps that will calm you."
Vale barely had time to react before the darkness rippled.
From the mist, a shape emerged, faint at first, then solidifying into the form of a man. His eyes were veiled in shadow, invisible even in the faint crimson light. His hair was pure white, his skin deathly pale. He wore garments of immaculate white that glowed faintly in the darkness, too radiant to belong in this realm.
At a glance, he looked angelic. But the longer Vale stared, the more wrong it felt, like staring at a reflection that almost mimicked humanity.
Then the figure froze. His expression twisted in shock.
"I… impossible…"
His knees buckled.
Vale lunged forward instinctively, catching the man before he could collapse into the blood-red sea. For a moment, he hesitated, every instinct screaming to stay back, but there was no malice in this being. Whatever he was, he didn't feel evil.
The angelic figure trembled in Vale's arms, his breath uneven. Vale's voice came out steady, calm.
"Are you alright?"
The man blinked, as if the question itself startled him back to life.
"Ah, yes. Yes, of course. My apologies… that was unexpected."
He rose slowly, brushing himself off, regaining his composure. Then he looked Vale in the eyes, and smiled faintly, almost humanly.
"Well," he said lightly, "I suppose I owe you one for catching me, don't I?"
A pause. The mist around them pulsed faintly, listening.
"Tell you what," the angelic figure continued, straightening his collar. "You can ask me one question. Anything you desire."
His gaze sharpened, piercing, endless.
"And I will answer truthfully."
Vale studied the angelic figure before him with a mix of confusion and quiet fascination.
He had expected the entity within the mist, the same one that had erased titanic monsters without effort, to be something unspeakably terrifying. Yet here it stood before him, calm, composed, even… friendly.
For the first time since entering this cursed realm, Vale realized he was having an actual conversation. A real exchange of words, not cryptic warnings or maddened howls, but a dialogue.
It almost felt wrong.
He hesitated, then spoke, his voice steady despite the unease creeping up his spine.
"Why… why were you so shocked when you saw me?"
The angelic being tilted his head slightly, raising a pale hand to his chin as he seemed to ponder the question. The silence stretched long enough for Vale to hear his own heartbeat. Even the mist grew still, as though listening.
On Vale's shoulders, the three small creatures, the white cat, the crimson centipede, and the black lizard, relaxed slightly. Their tension eased, their glowing eyes now fixed curiously on the radiant stranger rather than the shadows around them.
Finally, the angelic figure spoke.
"You reminded me," he said softly, "of someone very dear to me."
He paused, eyes lowering. His voice grew heavier, the perfection of it cracking just slightly.
"Of someone I… could not protect in time."
For a moment, the world fell silent. Even the mist's endless hum seemed to fade.
Vale looked at him, his expression shifting to something sober, sincere.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said quietly.
The being lifted his gaze again. His face softened, or perhaps it didn't; perhaps it was only a carefully practiced mask of warmth. Either way, his tone brightened.
"Oh, don't worry. It was my fault, in the end."
He smiled faintly, too perfectly.
"But enough about the past. You must have many questions, don't you? Feel free to ask them. I'll answer what I can."
Vale frowned subtly. Something about that phrasing struck him.
Didn't this being just promise to answer any question truthfully?
And now it was only those he could?
That small inconsistency gnawed at him. But he stayed silent, studying the figure instead. There was no use pressing, not yet.
The angelic being's eyes drifted downward. His expression sharpened as his gaze fell upon Vale's right arm, the metallic one. His tone shifted, gaining a faint edge of intrigue.
"Well, well… I didn't expect that one to serve anyone other than its master," he murmured.
His words cut through the stillness like a blade.
Vale blinked, then looked down at his own arm, the smooth, seamless metal gleaming faintly even in the dim light.
"Are you… talking about my arm?" he asked, confusion tightening his voice.
The angelic figure tilted his head again, surprise flickering across his perfect face.
"Wait," he said slowly, genuine curiosity in his tone, "you don't know who that is?"
Vale's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean… who?"
The being sighed, not in mockery, but in something that felt close to pity. He brought a hand to his forehead and let out a long, weary breath.
"I see," he murmured. "I'm sorry, but that's something you'll have to discover for yourself. If I told you…"
He hesitated, his voice growing quieter, more careful.
"Then he might refuse to serve you any longer."
Vale looked down again at his right arm. The mist's faint glow rippled along its metallic surface, smooth, cold and flawless. He flexed his fingers experimentally. The movement was natural, yet something about it suddenly felt foreign. Like the arm was listening.
He looked back up, meeting the angelic figure's shadow-veiled gaze.
Before he could speak, the being straightened slightly. His voice rose, clear and solemn, carrying through the suffocating mist like a bell.
"Either way," he said, "I came here to deliver something, a message, a burden, to my friend. But it seems fate had other plans."
He took a step closer.
"You, Vale, seem far better suited for this task."
The faint glow of his white garments pulsed once, as though resonating with the mist itself.
"So, will you do me a favor?" he asked, his voice both commanding and kind. "In exchange, I will guard you, for as long as you may need."
Vale blinked, unsure whether to be wary or honored. There was weight behind those words, an offer made not lightly, but with great authority.
He straightened, meeting the being's gaze with quiet resolve.
"What kind of favor?" he asked.