The island trembled under the weight of emotions sharper than any blade. Lucy's eyes burned with fury, her voice cutting through the air like a storm.
"Killing Master would have been one of your greatest mistakes in your miserable revenge-driven life, Amanda! I would scour the ends of the earth to find you and make you pay!" Lucy roared, her words vibrating with raw hatred.
Amanda didn't flinch. Her short hair fluttered in the sea breeze, her lips curling into a faint smirk, though her eyes betrayed the storm inside her.
But before the sisters could collide, Miyamoto stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. His calm but commanding voice broke the tension.
"Hey, hey… both of you. Don't talk about killing me like it's something simple. I am the master here, and don't forget—it's not that easy to put me in the grave."
He walked closer, his presence alone enough to make the crashing waves seem quieter.
Amanda's gaze shifted to him. "Then hear me out, Miyamoto. I'll say this once. Convince my sister to stop chasing me. My plans have already shifted. I don't need her shadowing me anymore. And here's a warning—don't think your strength gives you the right to hunt me down. That would be your death wish. The Avengers you once fought are not the same as before. The ones who stand now are stronger—far stronger—than the Upper Five you clashed with years ago."
Lucy growled, gripping her sword tightly, her knuckles turning white. Amanda's words only fueled her anger.
Amanda exhaled softly, her tone lowering. "Since I cannot bring Lucy to stand with me… then I'll let her live as she wishes. And I expect the same. We were never meant to walk the same path."
Lucy's eyes softened for a brief moment, then hardened again as she walked past Miyamoto and toward her wounded companion. She bent down and lifted Peaches gently into her arms, holding him as though he were her own blood.
"That's fine by me. Suit yourself. Don't get involved with me, because I won't involve myself with you. We were born to live separate lives. I was never your responsibility… and you were never mine. Goodbye, Amanda."
Her voice cracked at the end, though her face remained stoic. She turned her back, her cloak swaying in the wind.
Amanda stood frozen, her lips trembling as she stared at her younger sister's retreating figure. She forced a breath, whispering to herself in silence. "Have a nice life, little sister… I'll do this for us, even if you never understand."
With a wave of her hand, her dark Renshi flared. It swirled like smoke, then condensed into a massive shadowy arm that stretched across the ground, lifting Clark and Raven gently into her grasp. She pulled them close, holding them as if to shield them from the world.
Miyamoto, watching with narrowed eyes, finally spoke. "Amanda. Before you go… answer me this. The boy you killed—his name was Peaches. His entire family was taken by the Avengers some time ago. If you can confirm their safety… and bring me word… it would be a great favor to me."
Amanda's smirk faded for a heartbeat. Her eyes softened with something that almost looked like regret. "Hmph. I'll see what I can do. But don't expect urgency. That matter is far from my concerns."
With that, she snapped her fingers. One of the five men at her side opened a shimmering portal of darkness, its edges twisting like a void eager to devour light. Without another word, Amanda stepped through, her figure swallowed by the darkness. The portal closed, leaving only silence in her wake.
Lucy clutched Peaches tighter, refusing to let Miyamoto take him from her. "No, Master. Leave him to me. He's my responsibility."
Her voice was heavy with grief but steady with resolve.
Miyamoto sighed, placing a hand on his sword. "And where do you think you're going with him, Lucy? There's nothing ahead of you but the endless sea."
Lucy ignored him, walking toward the edge. Miyamoto closed his eyes, then released his bloodline technique—Range Domain. The sea itself seemed to twist as both of their bodies were lifted and flickered rapidly, switching through streams of space with blinding speed. The world folded in on itself again and again, until finally, after one last pull, they broke free.
When the light faded, they stood in Guhan.
Lucy sank to her knees, laying Peaches down gently. His eyes were closed, his body lifeless, his spirit gone. The weight of loss pressed against her chest, heavier than any blade she'd ever carried. Miyamoto stood silently behind her, his usual calmness unable to shield the sorrow pressing down on them both.
---
Ten years later…
The world whispered Amanda's name.
Rumors spread like wildfire of a young emperor rising—an emperor already stronger than the reigning one. That name was Amanda. The Avengers hailed her as the rightful ruler, fanning the flames of her ascension. Her power and influence grew, and her shadow spread across the lands.
But Lucy walked a different path.
She opened an academy, free for orphaned children who had nowhere else to go. There she taught swordsmanship not as a weapon of blood, but as a shield to protect the weak. Among her students, five stood out—Romero, Voldigo, Pascal, Fushira, and Onamuchi. Each one carried a spark she recognized, something worth nurturing, something worth protecting.
Through teaching, she found her true purpose.
But the world would not let her rest. To shield the people from the horrors that never ceased to rise, Lucy took a new role. She shed her name, her face, and even her identity. She disguised herself as a man, donning the mantle of a Special Darkside Knight.
Generations passed, and with each one she changed her mask, her name, her face—but never her vow.
Lucy became the blade that guarded the innocent, a shadow that moved unseen, the Shinra who lived for others. While Amanda built empires from ambition, Lucy built legacies from sacrifice.
And though their paths split, the blood they shared ensured their fates would one day collide again.
---