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DOMAIN ZERO — The Corridor
The meeting had ended, yet the air still thrummed with tension, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. A lone figure walked through the obsidian corridor of Domain Zero, each step deliberate, echoing with authority. He exuded the presence of a high-level Nobel—the weight of centuries behind him, his mind sharp, his aura impossible to ignore.
From the shadows, a second figure emerged, silent and calculated: Talen Zyphar, of the 2nd Nobel family which is in charge of domain zero after solvance . He had followed the first figure from the meeting, his steps light but determined.
"It's been a long time," Talen said, his voice cutting through the eerie silence of the corridor.
The first figure halted, freezing like stone. His gaze was icy, impenetrable.
"What do you want, TALEN ZYPHAR?" His tone held authority, yet there was a sharp edge of warning.
Talen allowed a faint, amused smile.
"Actually… that's my question, Noble Reigen Saigetsu."
Reigen tilted his head slowly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Not your concern," he said evenly.
Talen's eyes narrowed, dangerous.
"So… you came to check on the Core activities?"
Reigen's smile deepened, unsettling and controlled.
"And? Are the affairs of Domain Zero of any consequence to you?"
Talen's step forward was slow, deliberate.
"I don't care what your Saigetsu house plans, but Domain Zero's operations will not bend to your whims."
Reigen chuckled softly, low and unnerving.
"Understand this: as a Nobel family in charge of the Main HQ, the power of the Cores is not to be underestimated."
Talen's lips curved into a sly smirk.
"We know how to handle them. But the higher nobles would do well to stop interfering in Domain Zero's missions."
Reigen's eyes glinted, almost playful, yet lethal.
"You have high hopes for Domain Zero, Talen."
Talen's glare sharpened, unwavering.
"Do not underestimate us. Three Nobel families—Solvance, Zypher, Ceaser—stand guard here. You would do well to remember that."
Reigen's cold laugh resonated down the corridor.
"Credit? You think this is about credit?" He turned, moving with casual menace toward the exit.
"Let's see what the future reveals…"
Talen remained, eyes sharp, fixed on Reigen until he vanished from sight. He muttered, tense and urgent.
"Shigure… something is not right."
He stepped onto the balcony, gazing over the sprawling city below. The wind tugged at his cloak, carrying the weight of responsibility and a shadow of impending disaster.
---
EARTH — Hospital Room
Sunlight spilled across Mavis' hospital bed, stripes of gold highlighting the sterile room. He blinked awake, groggy, his mind still fogged from the vivid nightmare.
Beside the bed, George's eyes brimmed with relief.
"Mavis… you're awake! I thought…" His voice cracked.
Dave, Mavis' younger brother, grinned widely.
"Whoa! You actually survived!"
Shaha, standing slightly behind, gave a subtle, calculated nod.
"You're unharmed… impressive."
Mavis slowly pushed himself upright. "I… I'm okay."
The doctor, shaking his head, added gravitas to the scene.
"It's miraculous. Fainting from mental exhaustion… no physical injuries. He fell from the fourth floor—not a single scratch. His body, completely untouched."
Mavis' heart thumped, still unsettled. The voices from his collapse echoed faintly in his mind: kill… why… who are you… why haven't I died?
Mavis's parents burst in then, their faces pale with worry. "Mavis! Are you alright? What happened?" his mother cried, rushing to his bedside. His father hovered, eyes scanning for any sign of harm.
Mavis, still piecing together the fragments of his blackout, felt a strange energy coursing through him—an inexplicable power awakening. Little did he know, this was just the beginning of his entanglement with forces beyond Earth.
---
LUSSIA — The Knight's Awakening
On a distant, unnamed planet orbiting the equator of its star, a knight chosen as a core user grappled with his newfound core abilities. His kingdom, Lussia, was a bastion of ancient warriors, but now it teetered on the brink of chaos. He trained relentlessly, his body a vessel for raw, untamed power, but understanding it proved elusive. Sweat poured down his face as he summoned bursts of energy, only for them to fizzle out in frustration.
Then, the nightmare arrived—a cataclysmic invasion from the void. Shadows descended like a plague, devouring cities whole. The knight fought valiantly, his core powers finally igniting in a blaze of glory, but it was too late .
Meanwhile, Nivaros, came for the search of core users, materialized on the planet's surface. "What a pleasant weather!" he exclaimed, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he inhaled the humid air. "I love it." He strolled through a bustling city, his alien suit drawing curious stares, until a guard barred his path.
"Hey, you! Who are you?" the guard barked, his hand on his weapon.
Nivaros stared back with a deathly gaze, silent as the grave. The guard didn't flinch. "Hey, are you deaf? Which kingdom do you belong to?"
Nivaros remained mute, his irritation simmering. The guard called for backup, whispering to his comrade, "This guy's suspicious. That fishy suit... and he won't answer."
In Nivaros's mind, a storm raged: *These guys are... pathetic.* The guards advanced to arrest him, weapons drawn.
Finally, Nivaros spoke, his voice a low growl. "What is this kingdom's name?"
The first guard sneered. "So you're not deaf. Nessara welcomes you, mister."
Nivaros laughed, a chilling sound. "Nessara? Not bad for a warm-up!" As the guards lunged, weapons raised, Nivaros vanished into the void—a blink, and he reappeared behind them, calm as ever.
The guards spun, but it was too late. With brutal efficiency, Nivaros ripped their heads from their bodies in a spray of blood and gore, holding the severed heads aloft like trophies. Screams erupted from onlookers as more guards charged, their kingdom's warriors rallying to defend Nessara.
Nivaros grinned, blood dripping from his hands. "Come on, let's see what the warriors of Nessara have got!" The battle erupted in a frenzy of violence, Nivaros a whirlwind of death, his core powers unleashed in a symphony of carnage. He was here for a core users—and nothing would stand in his way.
---
KEPLER — The Underground Fury
In the shadowed underbelly of Kepler, the "Underground Planet," civilization had long since abandoned the surface, retreating into labyrinthine tunnels carved from the earth's womb. Above ground, the world was a wasteland of erased history—crumbling ruins under a perpetual twilight sky. Below, in the dim glow of bioluminescent fungi and flickering lanterns, survivors eked out a brutal existence. Kepler was infamous across the multiverse for its power users, drawn to its raw, untamed energies, but for Locarno, it was a prison of endless torment.
Locarno was 18 now, but his soul felt ancient, scarred by a childhood that had shattered him. Abandoned at age 8 by parents who couldn't—or wouldn't—bear the burden of a child in this forsaken world, he had survived on the streets. Hunger gnawed at him constantly; he scavenged for scraps, fought rats for food, and endured beatings from older urchins who saw him as prey. Nights were the worst—huddled in damp alleys, the cold seeping into his bones, his stomach a hollow void. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the nightmares that plagued him from that tender age: visions of his parents' faces twisting in disgust as they left him, of shadowy figures dragging him into darkness, of being torn apart limb by limb while he screamed in silence.
At 12, he met Riven, his only friend—a feral boy who had murdered his own parents in a fit of rage, their blood staining his hands as he fled into the tunnels. Riven's eyes were wild, his laughter manic, but he shared Locarno's hatred for the world. Together, they became inseparable, forging a bond in violence. Riven taught Locarno to steal, to fight, to survive. They raided underground markets, clashing with gangs in brutal brawls where fists met flesh, bones cracked, and blood flowed like rivers. Locarno watched Riven gut a rival once, the knife plunging into soft flesh with a wet squelch, intestines spilling out in a steaming heap. The sight didn't sicken him—it fueled him. Loneliness became his weapon, his nightmares his forge.
At 16, the Red Core chose him, a searing power that burned through his veins like molten fire. It was a curse and a gift, amplifying his rage. As the only core user on Kepler, he trained alone in forgotten caverns, his body a canvas of bruises and scars. He mastered the core quickly, its energy responding to his isolation—bursts of crimson flame that incinerated targets, tendrils of shadow that strangled foes. But the power came at a cost: his nightmares intensified, morphing into waking horrors. He'd relive his abandonment nightly, feeling phantom hands ripping at his skin, peeling it away layer by layer until he awoke screaming, drenched in sweat and tears.
Riven stood by him, a twisted guardian. "You're stronger than this shit planet, Locarno," he'd growl, his voice rough from years of hardship. But even Riven couldn't erase the void. Locarno hated Kepler with every fiber of his being—the damp tunnels that reeked of decay, the power users who lorded over the weak, the endless cycle of violence. His parents' faces haunted him; in his dreams, he'd confront them, only for them to laugh as they beat him senseless, whips cracking against his back, drawing blood that pooled in the dirt.
Now, at 18, Locarno's goal was singular: to crush the strongest in his world, to make Kepler tremble. He sparred with Riven daily, their fights savage—punches that split lips, kicks that cracked ribs, blood spraying across the cavern walls. "One day, we'll burn this whole fucking planet," Locarno would snarl, his eyes glowing with Red Core fury. But deep down, the trauma festered. He feared sleep, where the nightmares peaked: his body violated by unseen forces, organs torn out while he begged for mercy, his screams echoing in the void. Loneliness was his strength, but it was also his poison—a sad, brutal existence that drove him toward oblivion or glory.
As Kepler's undercity pulsed with hidden dangers, Locarno prepared for the battles ahead, his heart a blackened core of rage and sorrow.
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✧ ETERNAL VERSE ✧
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