Guild of a Thousand Lights — Morning Training Grounds
The courtyard buzzed with energy since sunrise.Clear skies, gentle wind, and a roaring crowd surrounding the central arena.
Everyone knew why:a friendly duel between two of the Guild's most respected names — Lorien Valtier, the golden hero, and Kelvin Nox, the heir of shadows.
Lorien spun his golden blade with ease, sunlight gleaming across his hair.Kelvin, in contrast, stood still, his black wooden sword pointed at the ground, his gaze calm and cold as a moonless night.
"A duel between sunlight and moonlight… this is gonna be legendary," murmured one of the recruits.
The bell rang — CLANG! — and the world held its breath.
Lorien moved first.A blur — too fast to follow. His blade sliced the air like lightning.
Kelvin blocked — CLANG! — and countered with a diagonal strike.Lorien flipped midair, landing behind him, the ground cracking beneath his feet.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"He moves like the wind!""No, Kelvin's faster! Look at that!"
Their swords clashed again and again, each strike echoing like thunder.Lorien grinned — not out of arrogance, but pure exhilaration.
"You've gotten faster, Kelvin. Finally catching up to me."
Kelvin took a slow breath, unflinching.
"Or maybe you're just slowing down, Lorien-nii-san."
Lorien blinked.
"Ooh, was that a jab I heard?"
CLANG! SWOOSH!
Kelvin vanished — reappearing to the left — his strike came sideways.Lorien leaned back, the black blade grazing his hair, then spun, using the motion to knock Kelvin's sword away.
THUD!
Kelvin's weapon flew, embedding itself in the dirt.
Lorien landed gracefully, spinning his own sword before placing its tip at Kelvin's neck.
"Touché."
Kelvin raised a brow, not even sweating.
"You're incredibly annoying sometimes."
"Yes, but irresistibly so."
The crowd erupted into cheers.Some girls screamed. Others actually fainted.Lorien tossed his golden hair back and struck a flamboyant pose.
Kelvin sighed.
"Are you training or auditioning for a parade?"
"Why not both?"
Laughter filled the arena, closing the duel in high spirits.But while the crowd celebrated, something darker stirred elsewhere in the city…
Phoenix Guild Headquarters — Training Hall
The air was thick with tension.
Diana Flamesoul stood at the front, arms crossed, posture sharp.Behind her, Inavy, Rose, and Darius waited in silence.
"Today," she began, her voice firm, "you'll learn something only two people in this world have mastered: myself… and Ray Stormbreak."
Darius' eyes widened.
"Wait— Ray?! Okay, now I'm listening."
Inavy smirked.
"You only listen when his name's involved."
"Of course! The man's a living legend!"
Rose rolled her eyes.
"And you're still a walking disaster."
Diana raised a hand — silence fell again.
"What we're training today is called Harmonization of the Primordial Aura.It connects your soul to the planet's pulse — the bridge between will and world."
She stepped forward.
"But it's dangerous. If your aura's unbalanced, it can turn against you."
Darius scratched his head.
"So… I just have to, what, feel the earth breathing?"
"Something like that," Rose muttered. "Try not to kill any plants."
Diana exhaled.
"Begin."
Hidden Falls of Resonance
The roar of the waterfall echoed through ancient cliffs.Silver mist drifted around the meditation field, swirling like spirits.
Diana stood motionless.Behind her, the three disciples focused.
"Listen to the world," she said. "Don't fight it. Feel it."
Time passed.The sound of rushing water became a mantra.
Then — a golden light bloomed around Darius.His aura flared like a rising sun.
"Whoa… this feels amazing!"
He opened his eyes, awestruck.
"I can feel everything — every stone, every leaf… like the planet's breathing with me!"
Rose sighed — but soon, her own aura ignited in a crimson hue.Steam rose where her energy touched the water.
"Hot… but steady," she murmured.
Diana nodded.
"Good. Now, Inavy—"
Something was wrong.
Inavy trembled. His eyes were shut tight.The air around him began to crackle.
Red lightning burst from the ground.The waterfall's roar deepened.
"Inavy?"
Diana's instincts screamed. His energy wasn't flowing — it was detonating.
The sky darkened.Thunder split the heavens.
"That aura…" Rose gasped. "It's not his!""What do you mean not his?!" Darius yelled, shielding his face. "He's gonna blow up?!"
"INAVY!" Diana shouted. "Control your breathing! Return to the flow!"
But he was elsewhere now.
Subscene — Echoes of Chaos
He saw it.A wasteland. Crimson skies. The earth reduced to ash.And at the center — Ray Stormbreak, fallen among dead lightning.
"No…" Inavy whispered. "Ray…"
A flash.Then — explosion.
The ground quaked. The waterfall reversed, rising upward as gravity itself failed.Crimson lightning spiraled around him, forming a glowing cocoon.
Rose screamed.Darius barely held his footing.
Diana dropped to her knees, palms pressed to the ground.
"INAVY! Focus! Restore your balance!"
But the power was wild — unstoppable.Rocks floated. Light consumed everything.
And then — silence.
The energy faded with a final muted thunder.The water fell once more.
Inavy knelt, gasping.His eyes glowed bright red, his body wrapped in a calm yet pulsing aura —the Crimson Storm.
Diana approached cautiously.
"Inavy… are you all right?"
He raised his gaze slowly.
"I heard something…"
Rose frowned.
"Heard what?"
A pause.Then a deep, ancient voice echoed inside his mind:
"Not yet, boy. Your time hasn't come."
Inavy jerked his head, startled.
"Who said that?! Who's there?!"
Rose and Darius exchanged worried looks.
"Is he talking to someone?"
Diana only watched — her eyes heavy with understanding.
She knew what it meant.The balance had been broken.
And somewhere in the world's hidden dark, something — or someone — had awakened once more.
The Crimson Storm had begun.