Chapter 3: The City of Sea and Stone
In the old legends the ones whispered before the world turned to ash Kaiju were not considered monsters. They were scions of an ancient, magical bloodline, noble beasts that ruled the heavens and the deep currents of the earth. Folktales spoke of them as guardians of balance. But in this timeline, they were the undisputed nightmare of humankind.
There were only two ways a human could hope to survive an encounter with a Kaiju.
The first was the Lumin Blade — a weapon forged from pure Luminite, its edge shimmering like distilled light. In skilled hands, it could slice through the toughest scales, tearing apart defenses that no ordinary steel could pierce.
The second was far more brutal: destroying the Core. Deep within every Kaiju lay a crystalline heart, pulsating with its life force and regenerative energy. To shatter it required both the precision of a surgeon and the power of a falling star — a feat that few humans could even attempt, and fewer still could survive.
"Come on, Crim! Stop daydreaming! Let's go!"
The voice snapped Crimson out of his trance. He blinked, the blinding light of the regression still echoing in the back of his mind. He was staring into a sky that was actually blue a sight he hadn't seen in centuries of subjective time.
Standing a few paces ahead was a girl with hair the color of a supernova and eyes that sparkled with a fire that hadn't yet been extinguished by war. Neonika.
"Right. Let's go, Neo," Crimson replied, his voice steadier than he felt. He adjusted the strap of his worn satchel, feeling the strange weight of his younger, weaker body.
They were in Valmira, the crown jewel of the Kingdom of Eryndor. It was one of the last "Domains"—fortress cities engineered specifically to withstand the Kaiju onslaught. Built into a jagged crescent of the sea, Valmira was a marvel of desperation. Massive, soot-stained walls rose hundreds of feet into the air, their foundations sunk deep into the ocean floor to prevent aquatic Kaiju from undermining the city. The air here smelled of salt, coal smoke, and the metallic tang of Luminite-tech.
The mag-lev train hissed as it came to a halt, and the duo stepped onto the crowded platform. The city was a beehive of activity.
"Look at that hair color... is that her?" a merchant whispered, pausing as he hauled a crate of salted fish. "It is! That's Neonika, the 'Crimson Genius'!"
"I heard her kill count topped fifty last week," another man added, his voice thick with awe. "And she's not even twenty yet. With someone like her on the walls, maybe the Kaiju won't break through this year."
"She's a goddess of the blade," a young boy cheered, pointing at her as they passed.
"Valmira is safe as long as she's here!"
Crimson glanced at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew her true strength better than anyone; in several timelines, they had died side-by-side. "Look at you, Miss Popular," he teased, leaning in. "Oh, Great Neo, please, save us humble peasants from this terrible predicament!"
Neo's face turned a shade of pink that rivaled her hair. "Shut up, Crim!" she snapped, though her eyes danced with amusement. She delivered a sharp, practiced kick to his shin not enough to bruise, but enough to make him hop. Before he could retort, she marched ahead, her ponytail swinging defiantly to hide the smile she couldn't quite suppress.
"Wait for me!" Crimson called out, laughing as he limped after her.
They navigated the winding cobblestone streets until they reached a monolithic structure of stone and iron. A massive sign hung above the entrance, depicting a broken claw: The Guildhall.
This was the heart of Valmira. Here, the Kaiju Hunters gathered men and women who turned the slaughter of monsters into a paycheck. It was a profession where the life expectancy was measured in months, not years. In a world where humanity was being slowly erased, the Hunters were the only thing keeping the ink from running dry. And in Valmira, Neo sat at the very top of the food chain.
The heavy oak doors thudded shut behind them as they exited an hour later, having filed their most recent reports. Neo threw her arms up, her joints popping with a satisfying click.
"I'm starving, Crimson," she groaned, her stomach letting out a roar that rivaled a Kaiju. "If I don't eat something in the next five minutes, I'm going to lose my mind. I might actually eat you. You're skinny, but you'll do."
Crimson chuckled, checking the small pouch of coins at his belt. "Don't worry. There's a stall around the corner that serves meat skewers glazed in honey and spice. My treat."
They hadn't made it ten paces when the atmosphere changed. The bustling crowd parted as three men stepped out from the shadows of a narrow alley, blocking the path. The leader was a mountain of a man with a scarred face and a rusted claymore strapped to his back. He spat on the ground, the glob landing inches from Crimson's boot.
"Look at this," the leader sneered, his voice a gravelly rumble. "The 'Genius' is out walking her pet. Hey, kid, does your mistress know you're this pathetic, or does she just keep you around for the laughs?"
His two goons erupted into forced, jagged laughter. They stepped forward, crowding into Crimson's personal space. "The Guildhall is for real warriors, boy. Not charity cases who hide behind a girl's skirts."
Crimson didn't flinch. To these men, he looked like a weakling. They couldn't see the soul of a man who had watched universes end. He began to sigh, ready to de-escalate, but Neo didn't give him the chance.
She moved like a lightning strike.
One moment she was standing still; the next, there were three distinct, meaty thuds. Using the momentum of a single fluid spin, Neo sent all three men flying. They crashed into a stack of empty fish crates with enough force to splinter the wood. They didn't even have time to groan before their eyes rolled back in their heads.
"So," Neo said, turning back to Crimson as if she had just swatted a fly. "About those skewers? Do they have the extra spicy sauce today?"
"Wait!"
The shout came from a man draped in polished silver armor that gleamed painfully bright in the sun. He stepped forward, his white cape billowing theatrically despite the stagnant air of the alleyway. He walked past the unconscious thugs without a glance, his eyes locked onto Neo.
"I saw that," the man declared, striking a heroic pose. "Impressive form. Raw, unrefined, but you have potential, girl."
Neo blinked, her expression shifting from hunger to total blankness. "Who are you? Do I owe you money?"
The man's face flushed a deep, bruised crimson. "You... you don't recognize me? I am Zephyr! The Gale of Valmira! I am ranked second only to the veteran elites! After you, I am the strongest Hunter in this district! People tremble at the mere mention of my—"
Neo didn't wait for the end of his sentence.
She reached out, grabbed Crimson's arm, and physically hauled him away. "Cool story, Mr. Shiny. Anyway, Crimson, if they're out of the spicy sauce, I'm going to burn this city down."
"Hey! I'm talking to you! Come back and show some respect!" Zephyr screamed at their retreating backs, his voice cracking with indignation.
Crimson looked back over his shoulder at the fuming 'strongest' hunter, then at Neo, who was already scanning the horizon for the food stall. He smiled quietly to himself.
100th time's the charm, he thought. But first, we eat.