The air felt heavy that day.It wasn't just the weather — it was something else. Something that clung to Nyx's chest like a warning he couldn't shake off.
He hadn't seen Felix in years. Not since the Void took everything.So when he saw that familiar face again, standing by the edge of the old ruins, he almost thought he was dreaming.
"...Felix?" Nyx called out, voice low.
Felix turned, smiling just a bit. "You look like hell, Nyx."
"Yeah," Nyx said, brushing dust off his coat. "Haven't had a good day since… you know."
Felix nodded slowly. Then his smile faded. "There's something you need to know. A war's coming. Four nations. And the balance is gone."
The words hit like a blade. Nyx stayed silent for a moment, the wind passing through the ruins.
"Who started it?" he finally asked.
Felix looked down. "Kinjay's clans. They've been moving. Someone's pulling strings behind the scenes. But this time… it's different. They're not just fighting for control. They're fighting for souls."
Nyx clenched his fists. "Then we don't have much time."
Later that night, the group gathered in the small hideout just outside the old city.Kim — or rather, Itsunari Kimbachi — stood at the head of the table, his sharp eyes glowing faintly in the firelight.
"Listen," Kim said, voice calm but heavy. "This isn't just another fight. It's a war, and it's already moving. Nyx, you did good bringing this here. But for now—everyone stays put."
Tix frowned. "What about you?"
Kim grabbed his sword from the table, strapping it to his back. "I'm going to the Cryptsite. If this war's real, I need help from people who know how to end it."
Rob looked up from his gear. "Kim, wait—"
But Kim was already at the door. "Stay sharp. Don't move until I'm back."And with that, the flames dimmed as he stepped into the night.
The road to the Cryptsite was silent. Too silent.Kim felt it long before he saw it — the pull of something wrong.Smoke. The faint scent of ash and blood.
He reached a small town, or what was left of it. Houses burned in the distance. The ground was scattered with cracked soul stones — fragments of people who couldn't handle what they'd seen.
Then, in the middle of the street, he saw him.
A man standing alone in the ruins.The moonlight hit his white hair, his coat torn and blackened by battle. A faint purple aura rippled around him like a living storm.
Kim took a step forward, his hand on his sword."You…" he said quietly. "You did this?"
The man didn't turn right away. When he finally did, his eyes glowed faint violet. Calm. Empty.
"They killed him," the stranger said. His voice was low — cold, but tired. "So I killed them."
Kim's grip tightened. "Who are you?"
The man's aura flickered, purple fire crawling across the ground.
"Kaza."
And then silence. Just the crackle of burning wood between them.
Two souls — both broken, both burning — staring at each other in the ruins of a dead town.
Kim's eyes narrowed, blue fire sparking faintly around him. "Guess we're both here for answers."
Kaza's expression didn't change. "Then draw your blade."
The night air shifted.Fire met void.And the world held its breath.
— To Be Continued —