The streets of Rio de Janeiro were alive with music and color just hours ago. Carnival floats still lined the avenues, feathers and glitter scattered like jewels across the pavement. But now the celebration was gone—replaced by terror.
The sky split apart with a deafening crack. Darkness poured from the rift above the city, blotting out the stars. Fire rained down, igniting the festival floats in a twisted parody of the parade.
And then they came.
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The Demons of the Carnival
Three demons descended from the rift, their forms monstrous against the glowing lights of the city.
Zarvox, the Drumbeast (Low-Rank). A hulking demon whose chest was a hollow drum of bone.
Skill: Rattlequake — pounding his chest to unleash concussive shockwaves.
Veyra, the Masked Dancer (Low-Rank). A lithe creature draped in fragments of masks, her face shifting constantly.
Skill: Phantom Waltz — illusions that confused enemies while her claws struck unseen.
Ignath, the Fire Jester (Mid-Rank). A twisted figure wreathed in flames, juggling spheres of molten fire.
Skill: Infernal Carnival — launching fire orbs that exploded like fireworks, burning everything.
The three landed in the heart of Rio, their laughter and shrieks mixing with the terrified screams of civilians.
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Maria Torres – The Storm Wielder
Amid the chaos, a young woman strode into the street. Her dark hair whipped in the rising wind, sparks of lightning dancing across her skin.
Maria Torres.
Her storm-blue eyes reflected the city's lights. Crackles of thunder followed her every step, her aura wild and untamed like the tempest itself.
She raised her hand, lightning sparking between her fingers.
"This is my city. My people. And I won't let you destroy them."
The wind howled in answer. The storm had arrived.
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The Clash
Zarvox struck first, pounding his chest.
"Rattlequake!"
A concussive wave blasted outward, shattering windows and knocking civilians off their feet. Buildings shook as the shockwave rolled through the streets.
Maria slammed her palm into the ground.
"Storm Barrier!"
A wall of swirling wind formed, absorbing the impact. Sparks of electricity danced through the barrier, dispersing the quake into harmless static.
Veyra laughed, her masked face twisting.
"Phantom Waltz!"
Suddenly the street was filled with illusions—ten, twenty copies of the demon dancing in every direction. Each flickered, each carried claws dripping with black venom.
Maria narrowed her eyes, her aura flaring brighter.
"Lightning Pulse!"
A burst of electricity surged from her body, the air itself crackling with raw energy. The illusions shattered, leaving only the real Veyra shrieking as lightning scorched her form.
Ignath cackled, flames swirling in his hands.
"Infernal Carnival!"
He hurled burning orbs across the street, explosions painting the night sky red. Carnival floats ignited, fireworks burst prematurely, and chaos spread in every direction.
Maria raised both arms to the storm above. Thunder answered.
"Tempest Call!"
Clouds gathered in an instant, black and heavy. Lightning speared downward, striking each of the fire orbs mid-air, detonating them before they could hit the ground. Sparks rained across the city like silver rain.
The people watching from hiding gasped. For the first time, hope flickered.
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The Storm Unleashed
Maria's aura surged higher, the storm feeding her power. Wind whipped around her, sparks crawling along her arms and shoulders.
"Come, demons," she whispered. "Dance with the storm."
She moved first. Her body blurred, carried by the gale itself. She appeared before Zarvox in an instant, her fist wreathed in lightning.
"Thunder Strike!"
The punch landed square against his chest. The bone-drum cracked, lightning exploding outward. Zarvox howled as his entire body convulsed, smoke rising from his maw. With one final burst, his body shattered into ash.
Veyra screeched, lunging from behind. Her claws swiped for Maria's throat.
Maria spun, her aura flaring into a cyclone.
"Tempest Spiral!"
Wind and lightning tore outward in a vortex, catching Veyra mid-leap. The demon was shredded in the storm, her scream fading into silence as her body dissolved into dust.
That left only Ignath.
The Fire Jester cackled, juggling flames that grew larger, hotter, deadlier.
"You think lightning can match fire?"
Maria's hair whipped in the storm, her eyes glowing white with energy.
"Lightning doesn't match fire."
She raised both arms to the heavens. Thunder roared, louder than any drum, shaking the entire city.
"It overwhelms it."
"Judgment Storm!"
The skies split open. Dozens of lightning bolts crashed down, striking Ignath from every angle. His laughter turned into a scream as the storm consumed him, fire snuffed out beneath the relentless fury of the tempest.
When the light faded, nothing remained but ash.
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Aftermath
The storm clouds slowly dispersed, leaving the night sky clear once more. The carnival floats smoldered, feathers and glitter drifting in the wind like fallen stars.
Maria stood alone, her chest heaving, electricity still sparking faintly across her skin. Around her, civilians crawled out of hiding, staring in awe.
She lowered her hand, her expression hard. She knew this was only one battle.
Above, the rift still pulsed, darker and hungrier than before. The storm inside her heart told her the truth:
This wasn't the end. It was only the beginning.
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