mid-summer, year 02 — eryndor skyline
the floating empire never truly slept, yet this night the sky itself refused to blink.a red haze bled across the stars—thin at first, then thickening into a trembling curtain.
in after life's rooftop garden, kain watched the moon drown in crimson light.laora's teacup clinked softly. "please tell me that's just bad weather."acheron's voice was calm but heavy. "no. it's vorseth. he's weaving an eclipse.""he can blot out the sun?" selene asked, wings twitching."not blot it," acheron corrected, "mirror it—turn light into its reflection."
daniel leaned back against the railing, tossing a coin. "that sounds very expensive."
lumiel's faint smile didn't reach his eyes. "and he's paying with our mana grid."
1 – shadows over trade row
morning never arrived. eryndor's towers glowed in the dim red hue of a false dawn.market vendors whispered prayers, the alchemy guild shuttered its doors, and all mana lanterns flickered like dying hearts.
in the after life lounge, selene and laora arranged healing stations while akari packed throwing blades laced with holy ink."people will panic soon," laora said. "if the mana fails, airships will start dropping."akari tightened her sash. "then we make sure we don't."
daniel entered, cape brushing the floor, followed by mira and reika. both wives carried scrolls glowing faintly blue—their clan sigils fighting against the eclipse's pull.mira's tone was dry. "news from the nocturne syndicate: half the noble fleets are grounded. the other half think it's the apocalypse.""good for business," daniel murmured.
lumiel rolled his eyes. "you two would sell umbrellas during a firestorm."
2 – the first breach
kasumi's forge thundered below. mirror-metal armor lined the walls, pulsing faintly with heartbeat light."these suits should block reflection magic," she said, handing one to kain. "don't test them too hard unless you like spontaneous combustion."
before he could answer, acheron froze. "they're here."
the forge windows cracked—then shattered outward.shapes of molten glass crawled from the debris, each bearing a warped reflection of kain's face.
"mirror soldiers," reika hissed. "mass-summoned through the red veil."
"brotherhood!" lumiel shouted. "formation one!"
silver flame erupted from kain's palm, swirling around his armor.selene and laora wove twin glyphs overhead, shielding the forge.akari and yanari flashed through the smoke, tails and ribbons blurring red and blue.daniel's golden script lit up the floor: contract nullified—reflection denied.
the first wave fell, dissolving into red dust.
but above them, the sky cracked. a black disc eclipsed the sun completely, turning daylight into a mirror-red midnight.
3 – acheron's prophecy
"this is the black sun," acheron whispered. "vorseth's ritual of inversion. if it completes, every soul in eryndor becomes a reflection."
"then we stop it," kain said.
acheron stepped forward, eyes glowing like twin shards of lightning. "i can locate the ritual core—but you won't like where it is."
"try me."
"the academy's central vault. your father sealed it centuries ago with aeon ix's fragment."
the siblings exchanged looks.
laora sighed. "of course it's always home."
daniel grinned. "family business never ends."
kain's smile was thin. "let's finish it, then."
4 – the black sun battle
the flight through eryndor was chaos-airships spinning, mana engines failing. the sky itself buzzed like an enormous cracked bell.after life's escort ships—converted mining barges armed by kasumi—escorted them to the academy spire.
as they landed, mirror soldiers poured from the courtyard.lumiel and elariel conjured a radiant barrier of runes, while akari's kunai carved glowing arcs through the enemy lines.
kain raised both katanas, his susanoo of void flame forming fully—six silver-black wings unfurling like a dragon's.acheron's own armor overlapped his, crystalline and thunderlit.
together they struck: flame and glass, sweeping the courtyard in a spiral inferno.each impact shattered a dozen reflections; each shatter dimmed the red sky a little more.
but the black sun pulsed-alive, angry.
"come to me," a voice thundered from the clouds. "let us see if nihility burns brighter than memory."
5 – the decision
they reached the vault entrance. an obsidian door, older than the city, hummed with aeonic runes.
acheron touched the seal. "if we break this, we risk releasing whatever your father locked away."kain's eyes glowed faintly. "he sealed the path between worlds. we can't save one without opening it."
lumiel placed his hand beside kain's. "then we open it together. family, remember?"
laora smiled nervously. "this feels like a terrible idea. let's do it anyway."
daniel chuckled. "classic machiavelli logic."
acheron raised her sword, lightning tracing its edge. "on your mark, prince."
kain inhaled, the nihility flame coiling behind his back.
"brotherhood," he said quietly, "ignite."
their combined powers struck the seal. light exploded outward—silver, gold, crimson, and violet—tearing the eclipse apart for a heartbeat.when the glare faded, the vault door stood open, revealing a stairway of glass descending into red mist.
acheron's voice was steady. "below lies the heart of the market."
kain tightened his grip on his swords. "then below is where we go."
[status update]
name: kain machiavelli
race: half aeon • half blood dragon
level: 24 exp: 2 970 / 3 600
tree rank: chesed (4th sphere)
guiding aeon: ix – aeon of nihility
unique skill: shadow nihility flame lv 6 (phase II – mirror purge)susanoo: void flame armor – six-wing form
organization: shadow brotherhoodbond updates: acheron (22 %) • akari (11 %) • lumiel and daniel (co-commander seal awakened)
objective: descend into the academy vault and destroy vorseth's ritual core before the black sun reforms.
end of chapter 17 – under the black sun