7:30 AM…
The sky above Dichondra City trembled.
A distant rumble rolled across the horizon—low at first, like an approaching storm—but it grew louder, sharper, until it became unmistakable. The sound of rushing wind, of clouds bending unnaturally, of power tearing through the sky.
Then they appeared.
Leo descended first.
He dropped from the clouds with controlled force, his boots striking the stone plaza with a heavy, echoing thud that cracked the ground beneath him. Dust scattered outward in a ring, the impact sending a ripple through the once-celebratory square.
For a split second, everything froze.
Then light erupted.
A radiant glow surged from Leo's body, flooding the plaza in gold and white. Particles of energy gathered in his hand, spiraling, condensing—until they took form. His weapon.
Ethereal Rapier.
The blade shimmered into existence, its edges translucent yet blinding, beams of light refracting outward like shards of the sun itself. The air around it hummed, distorting slightly under its sheer power.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
The wedding music faltered.
And in that single moment—everything changed.
Rein didn't hesitate.
Before the silence could settle, she raised her staff high, flames already dancing at its tip. "Move!" she shouted—not to Leo, but to the moment itself.
With a sharp thrust forward, she released it.
A blazing fireball tore through the air, screaming as it burned, leaving a trail of scorching heat behind it. It struck Prince Keane directly—
BOOM.
The explosion burst outward in a violent bloom of fire and smoke, swallowing him whole. The force of the impact sent him skidding backward across the stone floor, tearing through decorative banners and scattering petals into ash.
The crowd screamed.
What had been cheers seconds ago turned into panic.
Smoke curled upward, thick and suffocating, as embers rained down like dying stars.
Above the chaos, Alice hovered on a cloud, her figure steady despite the storm below. Her eyes were sharp, scanning the crowd, calculating.
Then she raised her voice.
"Everyone!" she called, her tone cutting cleanly through the noise. "Prince Keane is deceiving you! Don't trust him!"
Her words struck harder than the explosion.
Confusion spread instantly—faces twisted, people hesitated, unsure whether to run or listen. The illusion of a perfect royal wedding shattered like glass, its fragments dissolving into fear and doubt.
This wasn't a celebration anymore.
It was a battlefield.
---
Prince Keane staggered within the fading smoke.
His breathing was uneven. His body trembled—not from weakness, but from something far more dangerous.
Disbelief.
His eyes locked onto Leo.
"How…" he muttered, voice low, almost broken. "How are you still standing…?"
Leo stood firm, though his body told a different story.
Blood stained his clothes. His breathing was heavy. His hands trembled slightly around the hilt of his rapier.
But he didn't fall.
He didn't step back.
And that—more than anything—was what unsettled Zagan.
Because this wasn't supposed to happen.
Fifteen minutes earlier…
High above the city, the world had been quieter.
The chaos hadn't begun yet.
The clouds drifted beneath them as Leo stood at the edge of his own thoughts, staring into the distance. The wind whipped past him, but he didn't feel it.
All he felt was weight.
Guilt.
"Leo…"
Rein's voice broke through softly, but firmly.
She floated beside him, her cloud steady as she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her grip was warm—grounding.
"Look at me."
He didn't respond at first.
But slowly… he did.
Her eyes met his—calm, but burning with purpose.
"Think about everything we've been through," she continued. "Every battle. Every time you thought you couldn't keep going… and did anyway."
Leo's jaw tightened.
"This city… these people… even Helmond…" she said, her voice softening. "They can't do this without you."
His breath hitched.
"You're the only one who can stop him."
Leo's composure cracked.
"Helmond…" he whispered, his voice breaking under the weight of the name. "He's gone… it's my fault…"
The words barely escaped before they collapsed under their own pain.
Alice turned sharply from ahead, her cloud shifting with her movement. Her expression was fierce—unforgiving.
"No."
The single word struck like a blade.
"Stop blaming yourself!" she snapped. "Helmond trusted you with his life!"
Leo flinched.
"You don't get to fall apart now!" she continued, her voice rising. "Not after everything we've been through!"
Rein tightened her grip on his shoulder.
"Remember the cave?" she said quietly. "When we found him… barely holding on?"
Leo's eyes flickered.
"He survived because of you."
Memories flooded back.
Helmond—weak, exhausted, but smiling.
Training together. Fighting together.
Laughing, even when everything hurt.
"He believed in you, Leo," Rein whispered.
Alice leaned forward, her gaze piercing.
"And now he's gone because he chose to protect you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
"Leo!" Alice shouted. "Snap out of it!"
He inhaled sharply.
"You're alive," she said, slower now, but no less intense. "And you're strong. Don't waste what he gave you."
Rein nodded.
"Power means nothing without purpose," she said. "This… is your purpose."
Something shifted.
Leo's hands tightened around his weapon.
The trembling didn't stop—but it changed.
From fear…
To resolve.
"You're right…" he whispered.
Then louder—
"I won't fail."
His eyes burned now—not with grief, but with fire.
"I'll stop Zagan."
His grip steadied.
"I'll save the city."
And finally—
"I'll make sure Helmond didn't die for nothing."
Rein smiled faintly, tears in her eyes.
Alice gave a firm nod.
And the clouds surged forward.
Present…
Leo stepped forward.
The plaza trembled beneath him.
Prince Keane's body began to twist unnaturally.
His form glitched—like reality itself was rejecting him.
Then—
It broke.
Shadows erupted violently from his body, bursting outward like a living explosion. Darkness spilled across the ground, swallowing light, consuming everything it touched.
His human form stretched—
Distorted—
Then vanished.
What stood in its place…
Was Zagan.
Towering. Monstrous.
His body writhed with living shadows, massive tentacles lashing outward like serpents made of pure darkness. His presence alone bent the air, suffocating everything around him.
The crowd erupted into panic.
Screams filled the streets.
People ran blindly, pushing past each other, desperate to escape.
High above—
Rein moved instantly.
Cradling Helmond's lifeless body in one arm, she raised her staff with the other. Her expression hardened, grief buried beneath iron resolve.
"Move!" she shouted. "Everyone, get to safety!"
Magic surged from her.
A wide, shimmering barrier spread across the streets below, glowing with layers of water and light. It curved protectively around the fleeing civilians, forming a shield between them and the nightmare behind.
Zagan attacked.
His tentacles lashed out violently, slamming into the ground with devastating force. Buildings cracked. Stone shattered. Debris flew through the air.
But none of it reached the people.
Each strike collided with Rein's barrier—
And stopped.
The impact sent ripples across the shield, light and shadow clashing violently, sparks bursting at every point of contact.
Rein gritted her teeth.
She held.
"This is impossible!" Zagan roared, his voice echoing unnaturally across the city. "Years… YEARS of planning—ruined because of you!"
His attacks grew more erratic.
More furious.
But Rein didn't break.
"Not today," she whispered.
Her magic surged brighter.
"No one dies while I'm here."
Above, Alice darted across the sky on a newly formed cloud, weaving through falling debris with precision.
"I've got the east side!" she shouted. "Keep them moving!"
She guided civilians, her voice steady, directing them through safe paths, away from danger.
Below—
Zagan staggered back slightly as Rein's barrier flared, pushing against him.
For the first time—
He hesitated.
His perfect plan…
Was collapsing.
And at the center of it all—
Leo stood.
Still.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
The light from his Ethereal Rapier flickered against the shadows, the two forces clashing without even touching.
The air grew heavy.
The city trembled.
And then—
Leo took another step forward.
The real battle…
Was about to begin when suddenly...