The Shadow portal didn't open with violence, but with the sound of a hermetic seal breaking. Kaito fell onto cold, damp grass, feeling the impact's sting through the dense dark energy enveloping him.
He was outside Aethelgard, in a somber forest bordering the capital's dome. The difference between this world and the Citadel of Ash was a physical shock.
The air of Eterea was clean, frigid, and filled with Light. For Kaito, now a conduit of refined Chaos, the city's Forged Light wasn't just energy – it was a physical aggression burning his skin.
It was like being under a relentless spotlight.
"Now, Specter!" Elora's voice resonated in his mind, the final magical instruction of their bond. "Activate the Infiltration Cloak!"
Kaito focused. He stopped struggling against the Light and surrendered to Elora's training.
He abandoned his own will and compelled the Chaos of his soul to mimic his brother's mask.
The dark Shadow covering him ignited, not with fire, but with a pale golden pulse, almost imperceptible, settling over his form.
The Light's pain ceased instantly.
He was no longer Kaito, the Specter – his aura was now an exact replica of an Elite Paladin's Forged Light Magic.
His eyes shone with Aethelgard's cold authority.
Using the Cloak, Kaito walked toward the forest's edge. Aethelgard's enormous dome loomed before him, resplendent like a god of gold and crystal.
Crossing the magical perimeter, Light sensors scanned him.
The Cloak worked perfectly.
Sensors registered only the signature of a "High-Level Commander, Paladin Class."
No alarm triggered.
Kaito entered the city.
Passing Paladins, clad in gleaming armor, greeted him respectfully, assuming he was a high-ranking colleague.
It was utter humiliation for the truth, and a triumph for the Shadow.
The First Objective: The Fracture
Kaito's mission wasn't brute violence.
It was Psychological Sabotage.
The Ash Queen wanted Ren's new power to crumble from within.
The primary target was Lyra, Chief Custodian of Archives – the new key piece in Ren's political scheme.
Kaito followed the psychic trace Elora taught him to detect: the Arcanist Magic signature mixed with Ren's presence.
He found her in the Library of Arcanist Archives.
Lyra was alone, working feverishly at a table.
Her face reflected stress and guilt over her role in the Altar's sabotage.
She was the weakest link in Ren's new network.
Kaito approached the table silently.
Lyra looked up, seeing the golden-aura "Elite Paladin."
"Commander... forgive me, I didn't recognize you. Do you need something from the Chronicles Section?" Lyra asked, rising with due reverence.
Kaito didn't speak.
Instead, he used his Infiltration Cloak in the most insidious way.
He channeled Chaos through the Forged Light replica, targeting the psychic bond Lyra shared with her own guilty conscience.
He unleashed an energy wave appearing as pure Light, but pure Chaos in intent.
The wave struck Lyra's psyche.
She felt no pain, but an overwhelming sensation of exposed guilt.
It was the feeling her secret – betraying her people by aiding Ren's sabotage – had been discovered by her God's Light.
Lyra clutched her head; her violet eyes dilated with terror.
"No... I... I didn't do it..." she murmured, backing away.
Kaito, maintaining the cold Paladin mask, finally spoke.
His voice was an authoritative whisper, mimicking Ren's sometimes severe tone.
"The Conclave knows."
The simple phrase sufficed.
Lyra collapsed against the bookshelf.
The attack hadn't harmed her body, but shattered her mind, breaking the discipline keeping her functional.
Her ascension had become her worst nightmare.
The Bond Ignites
Kaito withdrew swiftly, leaving Lyra in shock.
His first sabotage act succeeded, but was interrupted by a far greater force.
Exiting the archives sector, the bond with Ren ignited with uncontrollable fury.
This time, it wasn't mere detection – it was psychic confrontation.
Kaito! Ren's mental voice was a roar of pain and rage, rupturing Kaito's control over his Cloak.
Ren hadn't merely detected an "anomaly" – he'd recognized his brother's soul.
Kaito felt Ren's Forged Light pulse, now directed at his position like a thunderbolt.
He was close.
Kaito compelled himself to focus, repairing the Infiltration Cloak.
He knew he couldn't confront Ren here.
Not yet.
His mission was chaos, not direct confrontation.
He fled the building, merging with the Paladin throng.
The game had begun.
Ren, the Master of Shields, was in motion.
Kaito, the Specter in Light armor, was his nemesis.