RAIJI: (Dodging another devastating scythe slash, his breath coming in heavy huffs) "Just who are you? You're not Silas, that's certain now. He confirmed you're an imposter, and I believe him!"
His comms device buzzed. He answered without looking.
RAIJI: "Can't speak right now, man!"
KIRO: (Voice faint from the comm) "Don't trust Silas! He's a fake!"
RAIJI: "Talk later!" He ended the call, his eyes never leaving the enemy.
"SILAS": "A good choice. They might catch on now. But I really shouldn't leave any witnesses." His gaze fell on the barely-conscious Neo. "One must die. Let's start with the dark elf."
As he moved, a shadowy duplicate of Neo erupted from the ground, crawling up the imposter's legs to hold him. The real Neo, summoning his last ounce of strength, lunged from behind for a desperate backstab.
"SILAS" dodged with an infuriating ease. He simply punched through the shadow clone, his fist continuing its trajectory to smash into the real Neo's ribs, sending him crumpling to the ground.
But Raiji was already there in a flash, both swords swinging in a furious, coordinated attack.
"SILAS": "This isn't my first time getting double-teamed!" He blocked Raiji's dual blades with his scythe, holding them back with just one arm, while his eyes tracked Veyra.
BANG!
Veyra's shot rang out. "Silas," caught slightly off-guard, twisted his head. The bullet didn't draw blood instead, it scraped across his cheek, peeling back a flap of skin to reveal something unnatural underneath.
RAIJI: (Eyes widening) "Is that a fake face?! That's how false you are?!"
NEO: (Gasping from the ground) "Who are you?! And what did you do to the real Silas? Why?"
The imposter's pleasant facade melted away, replaced by a cruel, dark smile as the demonic aura swirled around him once more.
THE IMPOSTER: "Oh, him? He's dead. I killed him. And you're next."
"Then who am I? I am the original. No, not an imposter of Silas. I am not talking about him." His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "So you want to know what I did with the real Dr. Silas? It was easy. I offered him a job working for the Duchess, and a few others. Earned his trust. The others, though... they're real. They run the black market slave trade to the government, to any bandit clan that pays enough. But they all work for me, not the Duchess. She was a thorn in my side. Good thing she's dead by now. then I took his place"
RAIJI: (Enraged, finally breaking free from the pressure) He jumped back, putting all his fury into his blades. "WIND CUT!"
Two massive slashes of air tore through the ground towards the Imposter. He blocked the first, was pushed back, but then jumped over the second with contemptuous ease.
NEO: (Voice trembling with rage) "So you planned all of this?! Where is his body, you scum?!" Neo entered a blind rage, his body dissolving into a giant, 30-foot shadow wielding a colossal dagger, and thrust forward with a full-force attack.
The Imposter simply smiled. He blocked the shadow dagger at the last second, ducked under Silas's follow-up, and only received a scratch on the opposite side of his face. The impact broke half of his false mask away, revealing pale white skin and a strange purple line on his forehead.
There was a dent in the ground where he'd braced. He raised his other hand, darkness swirling around it, and fired a dark ray that completely obliterated the giant shadow.
He then formed a sword of pure darkness and swung it casually at Raiji. A wave of dark energy, gentle as a breeze yet unstoppable, sent Raiji flying.
He grabbed the re-materialized Neo by the throat and punched him hard, his evil grin making him look like a demon in everyone's eyes.
VEYRA: She fired a few shots and threw Neo's discarded knife at him.
But he caught it all in a cloak of darkness. The knife blew up, tearing a temporary hole in the dark shroud.
"You again. I like you. You're the only one who managed to trick me, a very old man." His voice was almost conversational. Then it hardened. "But be gone!"
A wave of ground-shaking force erupted from him. From the swirling shadows at his feet, a massive, spectral hand formed and swatted Veyra away with contemptuous ease. made of rocks and darkness
He looked back at the choking Neo. "So, who am I? How did I survive your backstab? Easy, Neo. I knew it was coming. I just moved my body a little then harden my body and played dead."
RAIJI: (Struggling to stand, his voice filled with pure contempt) "I've never met anyone like you... You're pure scum. Evil doesn't even... you're like a"
THE IMPOSTER: "Ugh, the swordsman still has breath." He cut Raiji off, his voice dripping with disdain. "Let's see... 'evil'? Don't insult me. I've lived for millions of years. I even killed my own brother. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. He was the favorite... I had to get rid of him. Back then, we never even had names. Murder... good times." His tone was chillingly nostalgic.
"Anyway, time to end this." He raised his scythe, aiming the point directly at Neo's heart.
Both Raiji and Veyra watched in horror, their bodies too broken to intervene. They were utterly powerless.
The scythe plunged down. Neo fell, motionless.
Suddenly, the man in the green suit appeared as if from nowhere, delivering a punch so fast it was a blur. The Imposter, however, saw it coming and dodged with a fluid step back.
THE IMPOSTER: "And who might you be?"
BODYGUARD: "Just a humble bodyguard. Of whom... doesn't matter to you, scum."
The bodyguard launched a kick that generated a blade of sharp wind. The Imposter simply jumped above it, the powerful gust tearing through the park below. He retaliated, forming a huge, crushing fist of darkness and slamming it downward. The bodyguard crossed his arms, blocking it but being pushed back several feet from the force.
When he looked up, the Imposter was gone. He reappeared on a nearby rooftop.
THE IMPOSTER: "Fine. You three get to live... for now." And with that, he vanished into the night.
The bodyguard finally relaxed his stance, a single bead of sweat tracing down his temple.
RAIJI: (His voice weak but defensive) "Who are you?! Stay away from Veyra!"
The bodyguard turned, his expression unreadable but not hostile. "Don't worry. Just rest. Kiro sent me."
FLASHBACK - 8 MINUTES EARLIER
The bodyguard carefully placed Sosiego into a sleek, glass chamber. It closed, filling with a thick, green healing liquid up to his neck before a breathing mask automatically attached to his face.
He moved to do the same for Kiro. But before the glass could seal, Kiro slammed his hand against it, stopping the mechanism.
KIRO: "Wait! I know I might fall asleep in here, but I need to check on my friends first! Raiji and Veyra... they might be in trouble!"
VESPER: (From the doorway, her voice calm but firm) "Calm down, boy. They will be okay. Maybe. But only after you are done. So rest easy." She turned her gaze to the bodyguard. "You know what to do."
THE BODYGUARD: "Where to?"
KIRO: "The last place I saw them! The big gym in the mid-class district! There's an alley nearby, a shady area where Sosiego did his... jobs."
The bodyguard gave a curt nod. "I know the place."
The glass chamber finally closed over Kiro, the liquid rising and the mask covering his face. Through the glass, Vesper could see his eyes were still open, fighting the sedative pull of the fluid.
The bodyguard left on his mission.
Vespers approached the chambers, her heels clicking softly on the floor. "Looks like you're both still awake."
SOSIEGO: "Mmmph" His eyes were heavy, his speech muffled by the mask as he tried to form words.
VESPER: "Don't speak. Either of you. Just focus on healing. You're on my side of the mansion, so you're safe." She activated a holographic screen next to their tanks. "Anyway, here is the proof I collected. There was a man... wearing a mask, so I can't tell who he is. But his hand is pale white."
A video played on the screen. It showed a hooded man meeting with Fulmen.
HOODED MAN: "You got the credits?"
FULMEN: (Handing over a data-stick) "Here's your cut. 500k. That last shipment of slaves was very good. Next time, make it women. I want an army of electric-types."
HOODED MAN: "And the files to frame Vesper? I will get her kicked out easily. The Grand Master might not care, but if it gets out to the public, it will be a huge scandal. So, hand it over." Fulmen's tone was demanding.
Suddenly, a tendril of living darkness slithered from the hooded man's sleeve. His voice shifted into a calm, chilling, UK-accented tone. "Don't... tell me what to do. I am the boss. I allow you."
The darkness wrapped around Fulmen's throat, lifting him off his feet.
FULMEN: (Choking, eyes wide with terror) "S-sure! No problem! Sorry! Take your time!"
The hooded man dropped him and handed over the data-stick containing the doctored photos. The video ended.
Kiro burst out of the healing chamber early, steam rising from his fully restored body. "I need to see my friends!"
VESPER: (Wide-eyed with surprise) "You must still Wait, you're... fully healed? Fine. You can go."
SOSIEGO: (Staggering out of his own chamber, still visibly wounded) "I am going too. Still a bit damaged."
VESPER: (Sighing) "Fine. Go."
PRESENT DAY - THE ABANDONED PARK
They arrived just as the 35 minutes were up. The scene was devastating.
Raiji and Veyra were conscious but badly hurt. Neo was in the worst state; a small, glowing medical device was strapped to his chest, artificially keeping his heart pumping, but he was hovering at death's door.
KIRO: (Rushing to Raiji's side) "Raiji! What happened here?!"
RAIJI: (His voice a weak rasp) "Sorry, Kiro... He was too strong. Don't... don't fight him." He gripped Kiro's arm with fading strength. "Don't worry... I protected Veyra from Silas..." His eyes rolled back, and he blacked out.
KIRO: (Turning to Veyra, his voice frantic) "Veyra! Are you okay?!"
VEYRA: (Clutching her ribs, her face pale) "Just... some pain. But not as much as Neo."
The bodyguard knelt by the dark elf. "He's on death's door. His heart is destroyed."
Sosiego approached Neo, his expression unreadable. "Did Silas do this? He's an imposter. Who is he?"
NEO: (A bloody, pained whisper) "Don't know... But he's very strong. Skilled. Might even be older than me, a dark elf." He managed a weak, bitter smile. "We had a good run... right?"
SOSIEGO: "We did. But there can be many more. You know you can do that... that forbidden skill. The dark magic."
NEO: "That will mark me. Branded by the Void, banished by the dark elf clans forever. I don't know..."
SOSIEGO: "That's better than being dead."
KIRO: (His voice firm, pleading) "You've got many more years in you, Neo."
RAIJI: (Regaining a sliver of consciousness, coughing blood) "Pl-please... do it. You'd be a good rival. I know you had fun in our fight... and I didn't win, right? You lost focus... so I beg you... plz."
The bodyguard gently laid Raiji back down.
Neo looked at the faces around him the rival who respected him, the enemy who showed him mercy, the ally who fought beside him. He closed his eyes, a decision made.
NEO: "Fine. Hope it's worth it."
Neo began to chant, his voice a low, guttural rasp in a language long forgotten. "I sacrifice my life span for healing!" He showed his palm, and a patch of shadow writhed in front of him like a pool of oil. He plunged his hand directly into it.
NNEO: (Chanting) "gee my 'n nuwe hart... I SUMMON YOU VOID!"
The shadow shuddered and spun, twisting into a dark portal that tore open the air. A violent vacuum force pulled at everything around it, howling with the sound of absolute nothingness.
KIRO: "What is that?!"
SOSIEGO: "I don't know! But that might be a portal to the Void!"
KIRO: "What's the Void?!"
SOSIEGO: "I don't know. No one truly knows. Some say it's dark nothingness, a breach to other dimensions."
RAIJI: (Weakly) "Maybe even the Demon Realm..."
VEYRA: (From where she lay) "I've heard stories... It might even be the definition of nothingness. A void of pure darkness."
Neo strained, pulling his arm back from the portal. In response, inky black tentacles, cold and slick, slithered out, wrapping around his limbs and torso. A voice, so deep it felt like the earth itself was speaking, boomed from the abyss.
THE VOICE: "WHO DARES TO SUMMON ME? I AM THE KING. THE PRICE IS FIFTY YEARS."
NEO: (Gritting his teeth, his eyes wide with terror and resolve) "I... ACCEPT!"
In a blink, the darkness vanished. The portal was gone. The silence it left behind was deafening.
It was over. The medical device on his chest went dark. His heart was healed.
Neo gasped, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "No more... death's door..."
The bodyguard checked him, his professional demeanor cracked with awe. "Fully healed. So... the forbidden dark magic is real."
The cost was now etched onto his body. A single, stark black dot marked the center of his forehead. And where the void-tentacles had touched his arms and legs, dark, swirling patterns stained his skin like permanent tattoos of shadow.