The village street had become a battlefield.
Broken stones covered the ground.
Dust floated in the air.
Villagers stood far away, watching with terrified eyes.
Some hid behind houses.
Others grabbed their children and ran.
"Stay away!"
"That cursed child has gone mad!"
"His aura… it's terrifying!"
Fear spread through the crowd like wildfire.
At the center of the street stood Ragna.
Crimson flames surrounded his body like a violent storm.
The air around him shimmered from the heat.
Dark cracks filled with glowing red light spread slowly along his arms and shoulders, like burning veins beneath his skin.
But those flames were not controlling him.
They were reacting to something inside him.
His anger.
His pain.
The years of whispers.
The words curse child that he had heard again and again.
And now—
Sylpy's blood dripping onto the ground.
Behind him, Sylphiya struggled to remain standing.
Her injured arm trembled.
Blood still ran slowly down her skin.
"Ragna…" she called weakly.
But the boy in front of her barely seemed to hear.
His breathing had grown heavy.
His fists trembled.
The seal placed on him twelve years ago had begun breaking apart.
Not because Infernos forced it.
But because Ragna's emotions were tearing it open.
Across from him stood Leon.
Golden mana slowly gathered around Leon's body.
The power of Astra shone like sunlight in the middle of the burning crimson aura.
Leon stared at his brother with wide eyes.
He had never seen Ragna like this.
"Ragna… stop."
But Ragna didn't answer.
His glowing crimson eyes slowly lifted toward Leon.
For a brief moment, recognition appeared.
But the anger inside him was too strong.
"You saw it…"
His voice sounded rough.
"They hurt her."
Leon clenched his fists.
"I know!"
"But this isn't the way!"
Ragna suddenly moved.
In a flash of red light he appeared in front of Leon.
His fist shot forward.
Leon reacted instantly.
Golden Astra energy exploded from his arm as he blocked the attack.
BOOM!
The collision sent a violent shockwave across the street.
Nearby wooden walls cracked.
Windows shattered.
Dust and stones flew everywhere.
Villagers screamed and backed away even further.
"T-Their power!"
"It's destroying everything!"
Leon slid several steps across the ground before stopping.
His arms trembled from the impact.
Ragna stood still again, flames swirling around him.
Leon could feel the difference clearly.
Ragna's strength had grown far beyond normal.
And the seal was continuing to weaken.
"Ragna!" Leon shouted again.
"Listen to me!"
But Ragna attacked again.
This time he moved even faster.
His fist crashed toward Leon's side.
Leon twisted his body and dodged at the last second.
The punch struck the ground.
BOOOOM!
The stone street shattered like glass.
Large cracks spread across the ground.
Chunks of rock were blasted into the air.
Villagers screamed and ran.
"This place isn't safe!"
"Run!"
Leon jumped back, breathing heavily.
Ragna slowly lifted his head.
The flames around him grew larger.
Hotter.
More unstable.
Inside his chest, the anger continued growing.
He remembered the villagers' whispers.
The fear in their eyes whenever they looked at him.
Monster.
Curse.
Stay away from him.
The flames around his body responded to that anger.
The seal cracked further.
A burst of crimson energy exploded outward.
Leon raised his arms to block the wave.
"This is bad…"
If the seal broke completely, the power inside Ragna could become uncontrollable.
Ragna suddenly looked toward the villagers.
His glowing eyes stared at them.
The same people who had thrown stones.
The same people who had always feared him.
Fear spread instantly.
"He's looking at us!"
"Run!"
People began fleeing in panic.
Ragna slowly stepped forward.
Each step left small cracks in the ground.
The crimson flames followed him like a burning shadow.
Leon's heart dropped.
"RAGNA!"
He rushed forward and grabbed his brother's arm.
Golden Astra energy surged through Leon's body.
"I won't let you hurt them!"
For a moment—
Ragna stopped moving.
Their eyes met.
Leon looked desperate.
"You're not a monster."
"Don't prove them right."
The flames around Ragna flickered.
For a brief second, his expression changed.
But then his eyes moved.
Toward Sylpy.
She was still kneeling on the ground.
Still bleeding.
Still trying to stand.
The anger inside him exploded again.
"They hurt her…"
The flames around him erupted violently.
Ragna swung his arm.
A burst of crimson energy threw Leon backward.
Leon crashed into the ground several meters away.
The villagers gasped.
"Even Leon can't stop him!"
Ragna's aura grew even stronger.
The heat became unbearable.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
Sylpy watched everything through tears.
"Ragna… please…"
Her voice trembled.
She forced herself to stand despite the pain.
"You're not like this…"
But Ragna's breathing grew heavier.
The seal continued cracking.
The power inside him kept rising.
Leon slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He looked at his brother again.
Golden Astra energy gathered around him once more.
"If I don't stop him…"
The village would be destroyed.
Leon took a deep breath.
Then stepped forward again.
Golden light expanded around his body.
The power of Astra burned brighter than before.
Across from him, crimson flames surged higher.
The air trembled from the pressure of the two forces.
The villagers watched in horror.
Two overwhelming powers stood facing each other.
One shining like the stars.
The other burning like a raging inferno.
Leon raised his hand slowly.
"Ragna…"
His voice was calm but determined.
"…I'm going to stop you."
Ragna's crimson eyes stared back at him.
The flames around him roared like a burning storm.
And for the first time—
The two brothers prepared to fight with their full strength.
The clash between Astra and Infernos was about to begin.
And none of them realized…
That the awakening of such ancient power had already begun shaking the world itself.
Far above the sky—
The air trembled slightly.
As if something beyond the village had noticed the rising flames.
But the people below were too focused on the battle about to begin.
Two brothers.
Two ancient powers.
And a destiny that was beginning to unfold.