mid-summer, year 02 – eryndor academy vault entrance
the ground still trembled from the eclipse's fall. smoke and red mist curled from broken towers as after life's banners snapped in the hot wind.
inside the courtyard, the machiavelli family gathered around the shattered seal. the vault's glass stairway spiraled downward into lightless fog.
lumiel exhaled. "once we go down, there's no retreat."
daniel tossed his coin, caught it, smiled. "retreat's bad for business anyway."
laora tightened her gloves. "someone remind me why our family meetings always happen in war zones."
"because we're cursed," akari muttered.
kain looked at them all – his siblings, their wives, his companions. "no," he said quietly. "we're chosen."
acheron stepped forward, crimson horns glinting faintly. "then lead, prince."
1 – the march below
the vault's staircase opened into vast corridors of crystal and shadow. the air shimmered with ancient mana, runes pulsing along the walls like veins.
kasumi's voice echoed from the front line. "mirror-metal everywhere. this place isn't a vault – it's a heart."
mira walked beside daniel, her red eyes dim in the half-light. "vorseth must have built his army here. each mirror a gate, each gate a soldier."
reika trailed her fingers along the wall, leaving talisman marks. "i can seal some, but not all."
lumiel unfolded a projection map, silver light reflecting on his glasses. "each corridor branches to a ritual node. elariel and i will handle the upper sector."
yoriko's tails flared softly. "then akari, reika, and i take the left. our spies have been waiting there since dawn."
kain nodded. "acheron and i will take the core path."
2 – the forge's song
kasumi's oni forge team moved first, striking mirror soldiers as they emerged from cracks in the walls. sparks flew, lighting their horns and eyes.
kain joined them briefly – katana in one hand, wakizashi in the other. mirror soldiers lunged, their bodies sharp as glass. he parried two, then spun the shorter blade, cutting a curved path that tore their reflections apart.
"beautiful form," kasumi shouted over the clash. "but you're wasting reach!"
she hurled the newly forged naginata toward him. "try this!"
kain caught it mid-spin. the shaft vibrated with energy, the blade humming with silver fire.
as he moved, the naginata extended, its arc slicing through five mirror soldiers at once. each strike left streaks of dark silver flame on the walls.
his susanoo echoed the motion – six wings unfolding, spectral hands wielding the other two blades in harmony.
acheron's voice in his mind: "your soul finally remembers its rhythm."
3 – the battle of fronts
in the upper sector, lumiel and elariel led the diplomatic wing, their combined runes turning into barriers that reflected and purified corrupted mana.yoriko and akari coordinated the shadow operatives, cutting communication lines across the mirror network.daniel's group sabotaged the mana reactors, reika sealing them with blood sigils while mira drained excess energy into crystal vials.
each victory echoed through the corridors as the shadow brotherhood advanced like clockwork – noble grace meeting assassin precision.
4 – the first flicker of nihility
in the heart corridor, kain and acheron reached the core gate – a massive mirror of blood and glass. reflections screamed within it, forming faces of every enemy he had slain.
a whisper filled the air.
"every shadow you've devoured still hungers."
the mirror glowed crimson. for a moment, kain saw himself inside it – eyes hollow, wings torn, blood dripping from fangs he didn't yet have.
his breath caught. rage surged – the air around him cracking like thin ice. the world dimmed; reflections multiplied infinitely.
acheron grabbed his wrist. "kain – breathe!"
the ground shattered. the space around him turned silver-black. within it, mirror versions of the soldiers froze, whispering their own fears.
"what is this?" she whispered.
his flame burned quieter, deeper. "i don't know… but it's mine."
the shadows around him dissolved into mist. the light returned.
acheron studied him, awe flickering across her face. "you almost opened a domain."
"then next time," he said softly, "i'll open it fully – on my terms."
5 – the vow of unity
when the last mirror soldier fell, the family regrouped at the central chamber.kasumi's armor smoked from battle; laora's potions gleamed in her satchel; selene's wings still sparkled faintly with healing light.
lumiel surveyed the corridor map. "three ritual nodes destroyed. two remain."
daniel stretched, rolling his shoulders. "so halfway done. not bad for a cursed bloodline."
acheron smiled faintly. "no – for a chosen one."
kain raised the naginata, its silver fire reflecting in every eye. "from this point, we fight as one. no family. no guild. no rank. only the Shadow Brotherhood."
their hands met in the center – light and shadow intertwining.above them, the air vibrated softly, as if the Aeon Ix itself approved.
[status update]
name: kain machiavelli
race: half aeon • half blood dragon
level: 26 exp: 3 420 / 4 100
tree rank: chesed (4th sphere)
guiding aeon: ix – aeon of nihility
unique skill: shadow nihility flame lv 6
new ability (unstable): nihility domain – dormant
weapons: katana – flame of nihility | wakizashi – silent reflection | naginata – heavenpiercer of shadows
organization: shadow brotherhoodbond updates: acheron (24 %) • kasumi (allied forge mastery) • yoriko (trust +5)objective: destroy the remaining ritual nodes and uncover the mirror heart at the vault's core.
end of chapter 18 – the shadow brotherhood rises