Light spun, then broke apart. The floor beneath the brothers vanished, and all sense of balance went with it. Wind screamed past their ears, cold and sharp as the cry of forgotten spirits.
When the world stilled, they stood amid charred stone and blackened skies. Mountains in the distance glowed red from the endless burning of elemental fire. Shadowed silhouettes fell and reformed, clashing across an open plain where the air itself raged.
Dylan looked around, stunned. "Is this—"
"—another trial?" Kris finished, voice hoarse as heat waves rippled through the air.
Kevin shook his head. "No. This is memory."
A figure appeared on a distant ridge—a man cloaked in smoke and light, his blade etched in shadow. The air bent around him, alive with every element at once.
Kelivin.
Their father.
The War of the Five Paths
Maiko's voice surrounded them, soft and sorrowful.
"This was the end of the Elemental War, when the five realms clashed for dominion of creation. Greed and fear turned mastery into conquest. But even balance can corrupt when forced by human hands."
The illusion trembled as armies surged below. Fire‑borne warriors marched shoulder to shoulder with molten blades, while figures of wind and lightning darted across the battlefield, streaks of color in chaos. Above them floated luminous beings of pure Ryuma—mortal energy long unanchored from flesh.
Amid it all, Kelivin moved alone. His blade cut arcs of shadow through storm and flame, every swing carrying both life and ruin. When lightning struck him, he redirected it into earth; when rock walls closed in, he split them with darkness. He wasn't fighting for victory. He was fighting to stop everyone from destroying themselves.
"Your father stood between the realms," Maiko continued. "He sought unity, not dominance. But unity cost everything."
The Meeting of Light and Shadow
A bright pillar erupted across the battlefield, scattering combatants in all directions. From within the radiance stepped a woman clothed in white and silver energy. Her aura harmonized fire, wind, and water, merging them into patterns that hummed like song.
Maiko.
Dylan gasped. "That's—"
"The real her," Kevin said quietly.
They watched as the two drew toward each other, light and dark swirling in harmony for a fragile instant. Their energies met, creating calm for the first time on that field. Sky and ground stilled, enemies lowering weapons, eyes drawn to that strange peace.
Then, from far above, a thunderous roar split the horizon—a colossal spirit, crowned in rings of flame, descended: Ryuzen, ancient master of elemental law.
"Balance cannot belong to mortals!" he bellowed. "What you seek will unmake the worlds."
Kelivin glanced toward Maiko. "Together, we can contain it."
She nodded, hand trembling. "Then if one survives, they must remember."
They joined hands, and the world erupted. Two forces merged—light folding into shadow. The impact sent shock waves tearing across reality, breaking the barriers between the Elemental Realms.
When the light cleared, only two beings remained standing: Ryuzen, unharmed yet weakened, and Kelivin, dragging Maiko's fading body to the center of the collapse.
The Creation of the Elemental Seal
The brothers stood frozen as their father knelt in the ruins. Maiko's body shimmered between form and energy, dissolving faster than his hands could hold.
"Do it," she whispered. "Before what's left of me spreads."
Kelivin hesitated. "You'll vanish."
Maiko smiled faintly, touched his face, and pressed her forehead to his. "Not vanish—become the bridge."
Light poured from her, fusing into his palm. Kelivin drew sigils in the air, sealing her essence into the fracture between realms. The ground vibrated as the Elemental Seal came into being: a circle of energy binding dark and light at its core.
Ryuzen watched, silent, as the energy sealed the rift. His eyes burned with both awe and grief. "You've challenged balance itself," he murmured. "Someday your sons will finish what you began."
The vision trembled again. War dissolved into quiet. Only Kelivin remained, kneeling beside the dormant Seal as glowing dust fell around him like snow.
He whispered into the silence, "I promised you peace. Even if it costs my name."
The Illusion Breaks
The brothers blinked as the world shattered back into light and silence. They stood once more within the Shinsei Market, the echoes of battle fading like echoes in deep water.
Maiko stood before them, no longer radiant but faint, almost translucent.
"Now you know why the world fears your bloodline," she said. "You are children of the bridge. The seal that binds us still trembles beneath Kyomisu. Should it break before you mature, the realms will fall into chaos again."
Kris's jaw tightened. "Then our purpose is to guard it."
"Not just guard it," she said softly. "Understand it. You cannot protect what you do not accept."
Dylan folded his arms. "Our father never told us any of this. Why hide it?"
Maiko's eyes dimmed. "Because truth is heavier than power. He feared you'd inherit his mistakes."
Kevin stepped closer, his voice steady. "If the Market chose us, then hiding won't stop it. Tell us what comes next."
Maiko glanced upward as the hall darkened. "Next, you learn why Ryuzen still lives."
Her form dissolved into motes of starlight, and the Market's doors swung open again—to a horizon ablaze with thunder and storm.
The past had awakened, and the war was not yet done.