The Eye of Destruction
Nero stood at the precipice of the abyss—a gaping wound in the earth bleeding crimson mist. Keisuke sneered beside him, knuckles white on his sword.
"Try not to slow us down, trash."
Nero flicked a pebble into the void. "Says the guy I one-shot last month."
Before fists flew, Sayuri's voice cut through the tension: "Save it for the demons."
The Girl with Horns
Deep underground, they found her—a girl with obsidian horns chained to an altar, her whimpers echoing in the cavern. Monsters circled like vultures.
"Leave her," Yui hissed. "She's abyssal-born!"
Nero's fists ignited with blue fire. "Just like someone from my past."
He moved.
Blessings of Amun scorched the air. Ash rained where monsters stood.
The horned girl—Eri—collapsed into Nero's arms, trembling.
The Witch's Secret
In the tunnels, Yui cornered Nero. His right arm still smoldered.
"Blue flames…" She paled. "Your mother is the Lost Witch of Azure Flames. Aryavarta executes her kind on sight."
Nero froze. Luna—gentle, sickly Luna—a witch?
"Why tell me?"
Yui's eyes glowed crimson. "Because I'm crimson flame. And your king? He's the Eighth Lunic Shade—stronger than all seven generals combined."
The General's Gambit
At camp, Sayuri watched Kenta materialize from shadows—Third Lunic Shade, Master of Stealth.
"Ledger's missing," Kenta murmured. "Traces lead to Head Priest Tessa's chambers. And Nero… his soul-seal is failing."
Sayuri's grip tightened on her dagger. "The Dark Ceremony approaches. They'll target him next."
Kenta vanished, his warning hanging: "Trust no one. Not even the king."
The Package
Nero returned home to find Luna clutching a velvet box.
"A stranger left this. Said you'd understand."
Inside: Ledger's cracked spectacles, smeared with dried blood, and a note:
"The Gates hunger. Run."
Outside, crows with red eyes gathered.