The desert night was alive with fire. The outskirts of the village had become a raging inferno, where sand and timber danced in molten chaos, tossed and whipped by the merciless wind. Flames licked at the edges of collapsed huts, sending clouds of sparks spiraling into the sky like the sparks of a storm. The air was thick with smoke, choking and acrid, carrying the screams of villagers who scrambled over broken fences and the jagged remains of shattered beams. Their faces were twisted with fear, some wide-eyed, some screaming in desperation, as the very night itself seemed to burn.
Law stood at the edge of the chaos, his scarf fluttering like a banner, alive with echoes that whispered faintly — unstable, distant, yet undeniably familiar. His amber eyes held the faint overlay of golden light, soft but steady, the glow of years spent carrying a power he had barely begun to understand. Three years of wandering. Three years of testing himself against shadows that slithered through the night, shards of raw energy that could tear flesh and stone alike, and whispers that promised both knowledge and ruin. He had seen power in its rawest form, had watched it destroy and consume. And now, standing amidst the burning remains of the village, he could feel it stirring again.
A guttural rasp sliced through the smoke, a sound no fire should ever make. It was raw, alien, and hungry. Law's eyes narrowed. From the haze, a figure emerged — a husk, lean and jagged, its forearms jagged with crystalline blades that caught the firelight in cruel shards. Its mirrored eyes reflected nothing but hunger, a void staring back at the living. Every step it took seemed to twist the shadows around it, jagged fragments of crystal scraping against the scorched earth.
Nysera surged forward, her golden aura shimmering faintly against the inferno. Her wolf-ears flickered atop her head, twitching as if they sensed the creature's intent. Claws met crystal with sparks, sharp and blinding in the firelight. The pendant at her neck swung wildly with every motion, a tether to the power she was only beginning to grasp. Law split into afterimages, a dance of echoes guiding him closer. He noted her movements with careful precision — raw, instinctive, barely controlled, yet alive with a new awakening.
The husk lashed, crystalline blades tearing through the air in a jagged arc. Nysera twisted mid-flip, crouching low, letting the wolf within her whisper guidance. Her aura pulsed, a faint golden shimmer highlighting her natural eyes, reflecting a power she hadn't yet mastered but which burned bright in her chest.
Law and Liora flanked her, moving as one with her rhythm. Liora's threads of light shimmered faintly over the chaos, green eyes tinged with a soft gold as she attempted to catch falling embers, protect the villagers. But her control trembled; the threads flickered like candlelight in a gusting wind.
"Stay behind me if you can't keep up!" Nysera's growl cut through the crackling fire.
"I'm not hiding," Law replied, scarf pulsing with his echoes. His afterimages moved with deliberate precision, a stark contrast to the raw displays of his companions.
The husk roared, shards erupting outward in a jagged wave. Nysera vaulted, claws meeting crystal in a symphony of sparks. Law twisted through his echoes, striking in tandem. They tore into the creature, spiderweb cracks forming across its crystalline core. But the husk's retaliation was brutal; it raked Nysera's arm. Blood sprayed, sharp and acrid, staining the sand and smoke.
A spectral wolf outline flared behind her eyes, luminous and fleeting, before vanishing into the night. Nysera panted, aura flickering as she struggled to regain her footing.
Then, as if drawn by instinct, Zero appeared silently from the shadows, blades of void-light flashing in deadly arcs. His dark eyes held a soft silver overlay, barely perceptible, bending the shadows around him like water. With surgical precision, he severed the husk's retreating arm, leaving it splintered on the scorched ground. Calm, efficient, deadly.
Liora reinforced her shields, threads of light weaving into protective cages. The faint glow highlighted her eyes, now soft gold, trembling as she maintained focus. Nysera lunged again, claws sparking, teeth bared, wolf aura flaring. Laura stepped forward, small hands trembling as she raised her hourglass pendant. Blue light traced her irises, stretching debris and stones into suspended forms, freezing the chaos in mid-air.
The husk faltered, unable to recover from the combined strikes. Sparks collided with shards, light flashing through smoke-choked air. Finally, it collapsed, its crystalline body dissolving into ash and mist.
Villagers emerged cautiously from hiding, faces wide with awe and fear. "Children… with shards," one whispered, voice trembling.
Law lowered his blades, amber eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "They awaken," he murmured, studying the four of them. New, raw, dangerous, but alive.
Zero sheathed his knives, the silver overlay fading. "We fight again tomorrow," he said flatly, scanning the ruins.
Liora exhaled, threads dimming, her soft glow fading. "Together… we survive."
Nysera's aura flickered, the spectral wolf barely visible. "And we fight. Or we die."
Laura's hands trembled as the blue glow faded. "…Then we learn. All of it."
The fire crackled around them. Faint outlines lingered — echoes, wolf shadows, threads of light, void residues, tiny ripples in time. Their powers were raw, imperfect, barely awakened. But they were alive.
Law's older voice whispered from memory: The beast is not the enemy. Awakening is dangerous. The Path has begun. And there is no turning back.