The world vanished. No light. No sound. No air. Only him. And them.
Seraphina felt her body freeze as the darkness wrapped around her like a living thing. She couldn't even see her own hands. Panic clawed at her chest.
"G-Ginro…?" No response. Then, A sound Heard. A slow, wet crunch. Followed by a scream that was abruptly cut short.
Inside the abyss, Ginro stood unmoving. But something else was moving through him.
The shadows weren't just surrounding the battlefield anymore, they were feeding. Tendrils slithered across the ground like serpents, coiling around the two remaining knights. The one with the shield tried to resist. "W-What is this—?!" His barrier flared and shattered instantly.
The darkness pierced through his armor like a butter. His scream dissolved into silence as his body was dragged downward and swallowed whole.
The knight Leader break free and leapt back, eyes wide with terror looking around. "A Burial…?! Impossible…!" He dashed across the void without vision, slicing through shadows base on insticts, trying to find an escape but there was no direction. No ground. No sky. Only consumption.
A massive maw opened beneath him, formed from writhing darkness and snapped shut. "shi-" the knight leader said.
Then.
The darkness collapsed inward. Light returned. The forest reappeared. The corpses of the fallen knights lay scattered… except for the two. They were gone. Completely. Not even blood remained.
Ginro stood in the center, breathing heavily. His arm trembled. Black veins pulsed faintly beneath his skin before fading away.
Seraphina stared at him in horror. "T-That… that was…" Her voice shook. "A Burial…"
Ginro didn't answer. He just stared at his own hand. "What was that..." Ginro was trying to remember what flashed to his memory.
Seraphina slowly stepped back. Her instincts, her very soul screamed at her. 'Run!', But she didn't. Instead, she whispered: "Ginro… what are you?"
He clenched his fist. "I don't know." And that was the most terrifying part.
Far away. The black figure froze mid-laughter. "…What?" The rune seals in its hand cracked slightly. Its grin widened unnaturally. "He unconsiously use Burial? that unbelievable hahahahaha" It tilted its head, eyes gleaming with twisted excitement. "…How interesting." The shadows around it began to stir violently.
Back in the forest. A cold wind passed through. Seraphina wrapped her arms around herself, still shaken. "Ginro… Burials are powers of demons. They consume, corrupt… destroy everything." She looked at him, conflicted. "But you…" She hesitated. "You protected me... Thank You~"
Ginro let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "…Yeah." He looked at the empty space where the knights had vanished.
Silence stretched between them. Then, A distant horn echoed through the forest.
Ginro glanced toward the noise, then back at her. "…You still want to go to them?"
Seraphina hesitated. Her hands trembled slightly. "no... anymore of this will cause more damage to people"
Ginro stared at her. For a moment, the forest felt unbearably quiet. Then he sighed. "…Yeah."
Before they Vanish, Ginro saw a Female Knight Within the Valoria. A Golden hair and Green eyes, the prophecy Hero. Lira!