In the valley of Libero, Danes stood alongside ten spies from the Zinarian army. They had been sent to investigate the brutal attack that had devastated the area. Chaos reigned everywhere: many inhabitants had lost their homes; the air reeked of sulfur, and ash blanketed fields that had once been green and vibrant. Now, nothing remained but a gray plain, consumed by a force whose sole intention had been to destroy everything.
Witnesses claimed to have seen a group of masked figures tearing through everything in their path. No one had identified them, and their motive remained a mystery. Danes, as he advanced, sinking his boots into the ash, tried to follow the trail the attackers had left behind.
The mission was clear: discover the reason for the attack and find those responsible. The king himself had ordered it, which meant the matter was grave.
—This is madness —muttered the Supreme.
Danes was the youngest of the Supremes, recognized as a prodigy, the second-strongest guardian among the Seven Kingdoms, and one of the few of SS class.
—Sir, what's the next step? —asked one of the spies.
The Supreme crouched, scooped up a handful of soil, and let it slip through his fingers before replying:
—For now, there's nothing more we can do here. We'll follow the trail, but without rushing. We don't know what abilities they possess… though, judging by the destruction they left behind, I'd say they're extremely powerful.
He always wore a dark blue suit and a pair of dragon-shaped earrings. His blond hair streaked with black, and his slim build did nothing to reveal the power he concealed.
—I understand, sir. I'll give the order.
They advanced together for a good distance until Danes stopped. He crouched and examined fresh footprints; he could feel the enemies' energy and the direction they had taken.
—We'll continue along this stretch —he ordered confidently.
Meanwhile, in the mountainous lands of Tereval, Pikur was regaining his strength. The memory of that day haunted him like a cursed ghost. Every day, he saw the same image: himself getting to his feet and, upon opening his eyes, feeling a shiver climb his spine —like a swarm of needles— at the sight of his sensei's lifeless body, surrounded by dried blood.
An emptiness hollowed his chest. He brought his hands to his head, then cradled his master's body, stifling a sob. He looked around, searching for Ibaki, but he was already gone. Doubt gnawed at him —was Ibaki guilty?— though he swore to uncover the truth.
Elsewhere, Zaara stood by the shore, gazing at the stars and thinking about Ibaki. She could not believe what he had done. The waves crashed against the coast, and the wind caressed her face.
—Was revenge more important to you than our friendship? —she whispered.
She remembered how, days before the incident, he had seemed distant, shadowed… as if something dark were consuming him.
—I wish I could see you again —her words drifted away on the wind, as if hoping the magic of the feelings she still held for him would carry the message to him.
The trail led Danes to a land unfamiliar to him. In the crowd, he felt heavy stares on his back. The spies tried to gather information, but the townspeople seemed too afraid to speak.
He ventured into a dark forest and sat upon a large rock, waiting for news. Time passed… nothing. Then, he sensed a powerful presence approaching.
BOOM!
A projectile whistled past, missing him by inches, splintering branches and raising a cloud of dust. He dodged it, only to realize with shock that what had been hurled at him were the corpses of his own men.
—What are you doing here? —asked a dark voice, resonating like an echo that chilled the air.
—Who are you? —Danes replied, on guard.
—What are you doing here? —the voice repeated, still unseen, radiating a suffocating energy.
—I want to know why you attacked the valley and destroyed nearly everything —said Danes firmly.
—That's none of your concern. You're outside your jurisdiction, guardian.
Danes narrowed his eyes —the voice knew who he was.
SWOOSH!
A dark sphere shot toward him. He dodged, but a second nearly caught him. He used his ability to dematerialize his body, letting the attack pass through him like he was a ghost.
Suddenly, a massive masked figure —one he hadn't sensed at all— appeared in front of him.
BAM!
The blow missed him by a hair but struck the ground with such force that it sent a shockwave hurling him back several meters.
The attacker wore a purple robe with a red emblem at the center, a crimson mask, and skin covered in dark scales.
—Leave this place! —the voice rumbled.
Danes couldn't tell if it was human, a modified Draguld, or an Arkano.
—I don't think so —he replied.
In the blink of an eye, the monster appeared before him again.
WHAM!
The impact forced Danes to cross his arms to block. Then came a barrage of energy-charged punches, each one thundering through the forest.
Danes phased through him and countered with an explosion at point-blank range.
KABOOM!
But the creature barely reacted and attacked again, carving a massive crater into the ground with a single blow.
—This is insane… —Danes thought—. How can he have so much energy without—? What is he?
The monster hurled a long-range attack so devastating that Danes had no choice:
—First Core, Space-Time Power!
SHOOM!
His figure vanished and reappeared elsewhere in the forest. When he saw the spot where the attack had landed, his blood ran cold —had it struck him, he would be dead.
But relief was short-lived.
BOOM!
A strike slammed him into the earth, showering stones and dirt everywhere.
He staggered to his feet. Another blow like that and he was finished.
—Second Core, Stellar Power Release! Starfall!
The sky lit up, and a cascade of luminous projectiles rained down on the enemy.
TATATATATA!
Each impact tore up flashes of light and chunks of earth from the ground.
—Third Core, Grand Starburst!
A blazing sphere engulfed the enemy and detonated with a deafening roar.
BOOOOOM!
Half the city shook, and much of the forest was obliterated by the blast.
When the dust cleared, the attacker's body was shattered. Danes advanced to finish him —but a swirling orb of black energy hurtled toward him.
WHOOSH!
He leapt back, barely avoiding it.
Looking up, he saw seven masked figures standing at the edge of the crater. One drew the shattered body toward them with an invisible force. The shortest among them, part of his face visible —young, far too young— touched the fallen one, and he regenerated as if nothing had happened.
—Guardian —said the figure with long purple hair—. We wished to avoid this. But your stubbornness has matched your curiosity… and now you must die.
Thank you for reading this chapter. It's a pleasure to have you here, and it truly gives me more motivation to keep writing. If you'd like, you can follow me so we can bring this story to life together ✨