The sky above Bandung cracked.
Not like glass.
Something forced it open from the inside.
Black fragments drifted down.
More like… errors.
Arlan stood in the middle of a broken road.
The asphalt was split open.
Buildings on both sides were half gone.
His breathing was uneven.
His hand still gripped his sword, even though it trembled.
In front of him,
Azazel.
It didn't move.
Didn't do anything.
And that was exactly the problem.
"Lan… this doesn't make sense…"
Bara's voice came from the left, rough and strained.
He was half-kneeling, one hand pressed against his shoulder.
Raka was still standing up front, but barely.
"My defense got broken in one hit…"
Maya raised her hand.
A spell started to form,
then collapsed before it could finish.
"…why did it disappear?"
Vila tried again.
Nothing came out.
She clicked her tongue under her breath.
Arlan didn't answer.
His eyes stayed locked forward.
Something was wrong.
Not just strong.
It felt like… they weren't even supposed to exist in the same space.
[WARNING]
A red notification blinked at the edge of his vision.
[DATA CORRUPTION DETECTED]
"…too late…"
Arlan muttered.
Azazel tilted its head slightly.
The ground beneath them,
vanished.
"Lan! Fall back!"
Bara shouted.
Arlan stepped forward instead.
"If we fall back, we're dead anyway."
Silence.
"…then what do we do?" Maya asked.
Arlan exhaled.
"…we hit it."
"Are you insane?!" Raka snapped.
Arlan didn't reply.
[ERROR]
[COMMAND NOT RECOGNIZED]
The messages stacked.
Faster.
Messier.
"…good."
His grip tightened.
"…then I'll force it."
Azazel moved.
Just a shift.
But the pressure changed instantly.
Heavier.
Sharper.
Like the air itself turned hostile.
Maya dropped.
"I can't,"
Vila failed another cast.
Bara couldn't stand.
Raka still raised his weapon.
"…come on, then…"
Arlan leaned forward.
One step.
Then another.
[HP: 3%]
Still blinking.
Still red.
"Lan… stop…"
That voice again.
Soft.
Familiar.
His mother.
His body froze for a split second.
Then,
he forced himself forward.
"…not now."
He pushed it away.
Eyes locked ahead.
Azazel raised its hand.
The space around it twisted.
Thin lines cut across the air.
Like something invisible was tearing everything apart.
Arlan didn't stop.
He broke into a run.
Each step felt wrong.
Heavy.
Like reality itself was resisting him.
"LAN!"
Someone shouted behind him.
Didn't matter.
He raised his sword.
All the noise.
All the warnings.
All of it faded.
Just one thing left in his head, and Hit it.
Azazel's hand shifted.
The air split.
Something was coming.
Arlan swing....
......
......
......
Arlan opened his eyes.