Early Spring, Year 02 — Eryndor Academy of Astral Arts
The skies above the academy glimmered like polished glass, fractured clouds reflecting the floating city's silver light. The winter's storm had ended, but something new lingered in the air — a pulse of spirit energy, bright and alive.
Kain stepped onto the practice terrace with Acheron beside him. The floor beneath them shimmered with runic lines and mirrored pools, designed to anchor souls during astral projection. Dozens of students were already in position — seated, focused, meditating — but Kain could feel most of their projections flicker like candles in the wind.
Acheron's presence, however, was steady — thunder in silence.
Instructor Arvand, a gray-haired elf with eyes of pure blue mana, addressed the class from the balcony."Today," he announced, "you will learn to call forth your Susanoo - your soul's armor, the extension of your spiritual truth. To awaken it, you must find harmony between the body you inhabit, the spirit you invoke, and the higher self that guides you."
He turned toward Kain. "Machiavelli heir. You and the Prophet of Nihility may demonstrate."
Whispers rippled through the class. The Prophet of Nihility?That's the woman who broke the storm!
Acheron stepped forward, her hair glowing faintly under the morning sun. "Let them watch," she murmured. "Futures are better when witnessed."
1 – The Invocation
Kain exhaled, centering himself. "Astral projection… begin."
His vision dimmed as his consciousness split from his body, drifting upward into the thin, shimmering world between light and shadow. Around him, the academy vanished, replaced by a vast sea of stars. Threads of gold and crimson connected every student — every soul — like constellations waiting to ignite.
"Show them the Flame," whispered Ix, the Aeon's voice calm and vast."Let the body remember its higher self."
Kain lifted his hand. The Shadow Nihility Flame burst from his palm, swirling into silver-black fire that shaped itself into wings, claws, and armor plates.The air trembled as the outline of a dragon-angel silhouette appeared behind him — six blazing wings unfolding like celestial glass.
Gasps erupted across the terrace.
Acheron watched him quietly, then closed her eyes.
2 – The Glass of Heaven Susanoo
She whispered words that shimmered through the air like a hymn:
"Ix Nihilveil… grant me resonance through sight unbroken."
Lightning cracked across her horns. The runes beneath her feet glowed red and violet. Her Susanoo took form — a towering goddess of shattered crimson glass, with one wing made of thunder and the other of mirrored light. Every movement left trails of fragmented reality behind, as if the world itself bowed to her clarity.
Even Instructor Arvand took a step back. "Two dual manifestations… impossible."
Kain opened his eyes, half within the astral plane, half grounded. His armor's claws flexed in sync with his breathing. "Feels like I'm wearing my own shadow," he said.
"That's what it is," Acheron replied softly. "Your shadow, your higher self, and your spirit — all agreeing you're worth existing."
He smiled faintly. "You make it sound poetic."
"It is," she said. "You're rewriting causality with every heartbeat."
3 – The Duel of Harmony
"Now," Arvand said, voice shaking but composed, "face each other. The Susanoo stabilizes only through conflict."
Kain nodded. "Try not to erase me."
"Try not to burn me," Acheron replied, smiling faintly.
Their Susanoos surged - flame against lightning, void against storm.The impact cracked the terrace, and every watching student gasped as waves of energy rolled across the runes. Their spiritual armor moved faster than thought - each strike born from instinct, not training.
Silver fire devoured crimson lightning; crimson lightning split silver flame. For a moment, both merged - a red-silver storm bursting across the astral sky. Students fell to their knees from the pressure.
Ix's whisper echoed through Kain's mind.
"This is resonance, my flame. You are two halves of my memory."
4 – The Higher Self
The power threatened to overload, but Acheron suddenly stepped forward, placing her blade against his armor's chest."Focus," she said. "Anchor it. Don't let the Flame decide for you."
He did - his aura stabilized, the six wings folding neatly behind him. Their Susanoos began to fade, dissolving into motes of starlight.
When they returned to the physical plane, the terrace was silent - half awe, half fear.
Instructor Arvand exhaled slowly. "...That was not instruction. That was revelation."
Kain helped Acheron steady herself. "You okay?"
"Always," she said, though her breath trembled slightly. "The future still exists. For now."
5 – The Bond of Susanoo
Later that evening, the two stood on the academy's balcony overlooking Eryndor's glowing city. The silver Flame flickered faintly between their hands, connecting them like twin stars.
"Every time you summon your Susanoo," Acheron said, "you call more than your soul. You call your future self — every version of you that ever tried to become real."
Kain looked at her. "And what do you call?"
She smiled. "Every version of me that failed."
They stood in silence for a while, watching the aurora sweep across the skies.Below them, the banners of After Life fluttered in the wind - the symbol of a new empire rising between worlds.
"You're improving fast," Acheron murmured. "Your Flame doesn't waver anymore."
Kain laughed softly. "Maybe it's just learning to trust the future."
[Status Update]
Name: Kain Machiavelli
Race: Half Aeon • Half Blood Dragon
Level: 16 Exp: 900 / 1120
Tree Rank: Tiphereth (6th Sphere)
Guiding Aeon: Ix – Aeon of Nihility
Unique Skill: Shadow Nihility Flame Lv 4
New Power: Susanoo – Armor of the Void Flame (Partial Manifestation)
Bond Progress: Acheron Nihilveil (Trust 11%)
Objective: Master dual resonance with Acheron and uncover the academy's connection to the Shadow Market mirrors.
End of Chapter 12 – Futures in Flame