4th Day of the 1st Fire Cycle[1], 2000 g.c.
Grandma's living room held Alex's silent exit for a moment longer than I would've liked. His energy lingered like a scream trapped in glass, thick and aching. The room still smelled of lingering bacon and bitter incense from my mana residue—remnants of my [Midnight World] closing. The mood stayed heavy as Aunt Glynis quietly stood, her eyes rimmed with a grief that made her steps almost ghostlike as she walked toward the back rooms. No one tried to stop her. Not one of us said a thing.
But Vericka moved.
She caught the weight in her sister's retreat and didn't hesitate. This was the mother I grew up watching. Not only a warrior, but someone who bore others' pain without complaint. Now that she didn't have to compress her emotions under the pressure of the [Trance] skill, she embraced her heart. Vericka followed her sister without a word, empathy swimming in her features, and for the first time, I understood why I cared so much about my people—why my loyalty ran deeper than most would ever know. She planted that seed in me—loyalty watered with her own blood.
Grandma Fann took Billie Holiday down the hall to Vericka's old room, her steps steady and full of quiet intent. Kimmi left to use the restroom. That left just me, Steez, Luda, and the humans encased in my magnetic field—Jojo and Krystal floating gently in place like mannequins waiting for judgment.
The silence grew awkward, almost hollow, as magitons subtly pulsed through the air. Luda stood leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed. He pulled his facemask down and rubbed at his chin, now sporting the kind of fuzzy stubble that made him look five years older. A deep wrinkle of thought in his brow told me his mind was split between our personal losses and the looming war.
"He'll be okay, Xi. Alex just needs a moment to digest what happened."
I nodded but didn't relax. "Yeah, but I can't help but feel he's going to do something brash... Or I will."
"Even so, the attack by the humans can't be ignored. That should be a priority."
"Yeah, I know."
Steez piped up, not one to keep things bottled for long. "Fuck the humans for now, we need to ride on the Illuminati. Beau and that red bitch gotta pay for attacking Ma, and killing Unc."
Luda lifted his chin. "I can feel your desire for vengeance, but we can't ignore the humans' declaration of war. They sent elite warriors here to kill him and Sensei Vericka. That can't be brushed off."
"It won't be," I said, cracking my knuckles. "I'm too petty to ignore someone trying to assassinate me. But I'm feeling like Steez. I'm debating when do I spin their block."
"Bro, my only question is, do you need my help?"
"I appreciate you, fam. But no, I've got it. I'm about to take this 'King of a country' role a lot more seriously."
Luda grinned and gave a single nod. "My nigga."
Steez leaned back into the couch, arms spread wide. "I'm posting up in town 'til we know who else wants smoke."
"Oh, there is a way." I tilted my head toward the floating pair.
Jojo noticed my gaze and gave an awkward, polite wave. His innocent look made it hard not to grin sinisterly. I stepped forward, letting the mana around me thrum as I activated [Who is Jill Scott] & [Heaven's Kaleidoscope]. My [Kaleidoscope Eyes] flickered to life, casting layers of crimson, cerulean, and ultraviolet over my pupils. The mana sparkled in fractal patterns, like stained glass melting into the wind, recreating the gankyil.
As I drew closer, the effect took hold. Jojo didn't even have to make direct eye contact. The crescent moons etched themselves into his pupils like soft tattoos, and I felt his will collapse beneath mine like silk giving way to fire.
"The Church abandoned me… maybe this is my penance."
And somewhere between the skill and his own disillusionment, Jojo gave in.
His voice dropped, dreamy and intoxicated. "Lord Xiro, I will tell you all I know."
Krystal flinched in the air beside him. "Jojo, what are you doing? Are you okay?"
"I'm going to help him, Krystal."
"Why in the hell would you help the enemy? You're the Hero of Mankind. That would be traitorous."
Jojo blinked slowly, like he was underwater. "The church threw my life away to escape a fight. I'm just making it useful to the person they gave it to."
Krystal's body locked up, her teeth gritted so hard her jaw ached. Traitor, she wanted to scream, but the word dissolved like salt on her tongue. Her fingers twitched toward her bow—useless in the magnetic field—as her pupils fought against the moons creeping into them.
"Jojo," she whispered, "don't... let them win."
"Jojo..."
I stepped closer, lowering my voice just a bit. "Don't worry, Krystal. It's better this way."
She turned her head to meet my eyes, and I felt her defenses crack like thin ice. Her aura pulsed—briefly resisting—but grief made her vulnerable. Her friend's words had hit a place she didn't know existed, and just that split-second of wavering was all my skill needed.
A single tear fell as her body relaxed in the field. I didn't smile. I wasn't proud of it. But I wasn't about to deal with half-truths and omissions. I needed answers. I needed clarity. And I was going to get everything they knew, whether they liked it or not.
Meanwhile...
Standing at the entrance of the front porch, the son of Shukaku was still swallowing the truth of his father's death. The air was cool and damp, the kind of weather that didn't ask you questions, just offered space. Memories flickered through Alex's mind—Shukaku's broad back in the early morning light as they fished in silence, the calm power in his kicks as he trained Alex in the yard, his laugh, low and warm, always rising just a half-second before Alex cracked a joke.
These memories ran through him like film reels, overlapping one another, suffocating him in their abundance. He stood beside a patch of blue roses Kimmi had planted seasons ago, their petals kissed with the faint silver glow of the tri-moons above. Tears dropped from his chin, soaking into the petals. But if you asked Alex about it, he'd tell you it was just rain.
His sorrow stirred something in the air. The raw ache of loss, of love unmet by presence, cracked open his Soul Core. Sorrow was the key his soul needed. The Prime Realm System responded to his desire.
«Evolution of the Tengu Warlord, Alex Zo, will now be enhanced. The addition of [Mana Wings] and [Canid Mana Ears] is installed into the personal skill [Heavenly Wolf].»
Bio Mana surged from his spine with a heat-like breath, hitting cold air. It coalesced in an inferno of feathers and light behind him, taking the shape of two massive wings, iridescent and wild. A tail of the same shimmering energy unfurled from his lower back, swaying slowly with the wind. Then came the ears—wolf-like, upright, twitching on top of his head. The tips glowed faintly as they synced to every tremble in the air.
Alex flexed his shoulders, watching the wings spread wide with a whoosh that brushed against the porch beams.
"Wow. So it gives me flight and a physical strength increase of ten percent? Smooth."
He smiled, but only halfway. The kind that tried to be strong but couldn't erase the crack in his voice. As a kid, he used to dream of having more Tengu traits. Growing up in a town where Tengu and Tanuki were the majority, his appearance made him different. Weird. Alien. But after years with us—his cousins—he embraced himself. It made this moment bittersweet.
"Are you watching, Father? I promise to make you proud, old man."
He lifted his chin, gazing at the tri-moons, the reflection of them caught in his shimmering wings. With a slow, deep breath, he brought his wings in and let the transformation fade. The energy was dispersed like mist in the breeze. Alex reached back, tightened his dreadlock ponytail, and stepped forward—his steps light, but now each one laced with purpose.
He was moving on. He was stepping into a promise.
And the world wasn't ready for what he'd become.
Looking to clear his thoughts, Alex drifted from the porch, his boots pressing gently into the dew-kissed dirt as he walked toward the north exit of Talasi. All of my clones had moved toward the west, patching up what Marzia had torn open. And with the last of the repairs wrapping up, silence had crept into the village like fog on a still lake. It was eerie—too quiet. The kind of calm that makes your memories scream.
He sauntered, letting the hush of the streets settle over him. Cracked stones, wet with moonlight. The low hum of magitons still floated in the air. But none of that mattered. All he could hear was his father's voice in the back of his head. All he could feel was that hollow space where Shukaku's presence used to be. The ache grew sharper when he felt the cool nudge of his dawnstone necklace tapping against his skin, poking through the cloth under his chestplate.
He pulled it out.
"I can't believe you were taken from us, old man. From Mom."
Just saying it aloud took something out of him. The words were like glass in his throat. He stared at the stone—its azure blue shade, carved into eight points, and wrapped in gold wire. It caught the night lights in soft pulses. His mother had given it to him when he was six. Said it would protect him, as she wore one made from the same stone. Looking at it now, he felt her smile flicker across his mind. The kind of smile that could melt stubbornness off a brick wall. That memory twisted with the guilt rising in his gut. He thought about how he'd snapped at the news. At the clan. How childish he'd been.
"Damn. I gotta apologize."
He sighed, deep and sharp, but then his nose twitched. A scent. His enhanced sense of smell caught something on the wind—three distinct mana signatures approaching from beyond the north gate. Floral. Sweet. Lightly humid. The scent was overwhelmingly feminine, tinged with travel fatigue and a hint of blood. He tensed.
His instincts screamed they were connected to the human attack somehow. Maybe cavalry. Maybe a clean-up crew. Whatever they were, he wouldn't let anyone else get hurt tonight.
Unaware of the tension they were walking into, three women stepped past the boundary of Talasi's northern gate. The air here was cooler, tinged with cinders and something mystical. Nicole scanned the town with cautious eyes. Dream Flower walked beside her, carrying the limp, fur-covered body of a Vulpin woman over her shoulder. Ameera. Still breathing. Barely.
Dream's voice broke the silence. "Is it me, or is this place confusing?"
Nicole's brow creased. "No, I get what you mean. I see evidence of a fight. Yet, these houses show no damage."
"Did the Devil recreate the town or something? That would be wild. Who has that much mana to spare like that?"
"That would match the legend that the Devil has more magick than an Outer God."
Dream narrowed her golden eyes. "Wait... do you feel that?"
Nicole turned. "Feel what?"
"Here. Hold her."
Without another word, Dream passed Ameera into Nicole's arms and turned toward the shadows. Her senses flared—something was watching them. The fluttering of blackwood moths danced around nearby lanterns, harmless at first glance. But Dream Flower knew the air. She knew the rhythm of silence before a fight.
"Sunshower—[Spirit Weapon: Tarika Blue]!"
Spiritons burst from her hands in cascading violet wisps, curling around her high pink nails and forming into a sleek, aegir-blue spear. Its tip shimmered like frozen ocean light, its hilt pulsing at the bottom with a mirrored glow.
A high screech—part bird, part feline—ripped through the quiet as her spear launched through the air, cutting across the moonlight. A shadow dropped from above.
Alex Zo came flying in from the darkness, his red gi snapping behind him. The spear met his kick mid-air.
He twisted mid-flight, flipping to redirect his momentum. With a sharp snap of wind, he landed a few meters back, crouching low, eyes glowing scarlet and hair white as snow under the moons.
Dream Flower stood in a full battle stance now, her spear pointed directly at Alex. Nicole adjusted her hold on Ameera and stepped back.
Dream hissed, "Who the hell is this?"
Nicole whispered, "I don't know. I've never been here either."
Alex's gaze narrowed. "You don't appear to be human. Are you sociovores connected to Beau Soleil?"
Nicole blinked. "Head of the Illuminati of Velonica?"
Dream scoffed, "Eww, no. I've heard that his collection of clans has been working with the Panty Raiders. They're all trash if you ask me."
Nicole stepped forward a little. "We're actually here to ask for help. We're trying to rescue a Wolven named Melech Una—and others—from those same Panty Raiders."
Dream tilted her head. "So… are you the Devil of Velonica?"
Alex cracked a half-smile. "Nah. I'm the Scarlet Wolf, Alex Zo of the Mikazuki Clan. The Devil—or should I say Xiro—is my big bro."
Both women blinked.
Dream's eyes widened. "You're related to him? Does this mean you could introduce us?"
Alex paused, thoughtful. "Maybe. Wait… didn't you say something about Melech? The same buff wolf dude with one eye?"
Nicole nodded. "Yes. That's Captain Una. Do you know him as well?"
Alex's smile softened. "We've sparred a few times, back when I was a kid. He was good with a sword. He mostly talked about his daughter, though."
Dream Flower lowered her spear, the spiritons unwinding from the weapon like threads of mist as it returned to her body.
"No weird twitches in his signature," she said. "He's telling the truth."
Nicole stepped forward, gently shifting Ameera in her arms. "Well… this woman right here is his daughter. Ameera."
Maybe it was the moonlight. Maybe it was the bruises. Maybe it was fate. But Alex's heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful even in pain. His body moved before his mind gave permission.
In one fluid movement, he reached into the satchel at his belt and retrieved a small fruit wrapped in a mana-drenched cloth—an Arcanum Delight.
In the same breath, a [Crest Link] Blessing activated. My Mana Art, Air Samba, cast around him, echoing in the wind with ghost steps. Alex appeared before Nicole and Ameera in a blink, an afterimage still hanging in the moonlight behind him.
Nicole flinched. "Woah! Hey! What are you doing?!"
Alex gently opened Ameera's jaw and pressed the fruit to her lips.
"I'm helping her."
Dream narrowed her eyes. "Is that a… Wait. Where did you get that fruit from?"
The Arcanum Delight's nectar poured out in soft yellow-orange light, sparkling with micro-spores of healing magick. The juice slid down Ameera's throat, glowing brighter with each drop. Her wounds began to evaporate—cuts knitting back together, bruises fading into smooth fur. Magickal sparkles lifted from her body, floating like fireflies into the air.
He watched as a golden bloom of light pulsed beneath her fur, the bruises lifting like ink fading in sunlight. Even her breathing, once shallow, now came easily, like a baby's first gasp.
A breath later, Ameera stirred.
"Wha… Uggh. Where am I?"
Nicole gasped. "Ameera?"
The Vulpin's blue eyes blinked open, unfocused but warm.
"Lieutenant Kanra? Is this really you?"
Nicole smiled widely. "You're awake! And your injuries have disappeared?"
Dream Flower didn't say anything, but her eyes were fixed on the fruit in Alex's hand.
"That has to be the same fruit I found in that labyrinth… But that one was supposed to be extinct," she thought to herself.
The three women turned their full attention to Alex now—this white-haired stranger in blood-slick gi armor, standing in the lantern light like a legend come to life.
As if waking up from some kind of spell, Alex suddenly backed up a step. The crushed remains of the Arcanum Delight dripped between his fingers, citrine-colored juice splattering in thick drops onto the moonlit cobblestone. The magickal citrus hissed faintly as it hit the ground—tiny runes flickering to life where it pooled, then fading as the juice cooled. His eyes darted around in confusion, like he'd just realized how close he was standing to the girl in front of him. Something in his movement was unnatural—uncharacteristically unsure. He quickly turned his head and brought his hand up to cover his face, the faintest pink crawling across his cheekbones.
And there was no mistaking it. Because while Alex stood there, bashful and confused, Ameera was standing up.
She lifted herself out of Nicole's arms, the strength in her limbs restored by the Arcanum Delight. As she rose to her full height, 5'5" in frame, her presence filled the space like a sunrise after a long storm. Her tangerine-orange fur glowed under the moonlight, her thick Vulpin tail with its white tip flicking softly behind her. Her long ears twitched, reacting to the tension in the air—and maybe something else.
She wore a white silk wrap around her chest, almost like a sash, tied into a subtle tube top that left her shoulders bare. A smooth teal-colored Magic Gem rested between her breasts, embedded perfectly into the fabric like a statement piece. She adjusted the top with a demure grace, clearly raised with discipline, yet her movements held a quiet confidence that betrayed something deeper—resilience, perhaps.
Then their eyes locked.
Ameera's was a deep, byzantine blue. The same as her father's. And when she looked up at Alex, the way her pupils widened ever so slightly, the way her fingers twitched, and her tail slowed into a slow sway, you didn't need to be a mind reader to know what she was feeling. Hell, even a blind cyclops could've sensed it. She had butterflies. That weird stomach flutter that meant something chemical had just clicked.
And Alex?
My nigga was flustered like a middle schooler on prom night. The blush hit him again, and for once, the big-mouth Tengu didn't have a cocky statement.
I ain't gon' lie… the whole moment was disgustingly cliché.
But it was cute. Like, sitcom-cute.
Then, breaking the silence, Ameera stepped forward.
Her voice came soft, yet noble, like someone who'd been trained to speak with respect since she could talk.
"Thank you, kind Lord. Without your assistance, I don't think I would have lasted much longer."
She lowered her head in a sincere bow, hands placed softly over her stomach. The gesture wasn't only gratitude—it was clearly tradition. Noble culture.
Alex scratched his head and looked off to the side, still hiding his smile behind his hand.
"Um, yeah, no problem. It was honestly nothing."
But that was when his gaze dropped to the crescent-shaped pendant around her neck.
The moment his eyes caught the soft glow of the gem—a pale lavender crystal shaped like a crescent moon—he froze.
"…Yo, where did you get the mnemonic crystal from?" His tone sharpened just slightly. "Do you know Xiro?"
Ameera blinked, then looked down at the necklace. "This?"
Dream turned her head. "Mnemonic crystal?"
Alex pointed. "The crescent moon around her neck. It's a special gem. Only created by the Devil of Velonica."
Ameera's expression shifted, subtle but telling. Her ears flattened just slightly. Her pupils twitched as a memory flickered behind her eyes. The scene played out like a guilty reel in her mind.
She'd been in Talasi before.
A small orange fox, curious and nimble, was creeping through the first floor of the Talasi Inn. She had been snooping, nosing around Mrs. Clark's kitchen. I had given the finished outline of a pizza blueprint to Mr. Wooden a few days prior. He placed the mnemonic crystal next to the parchment while chopping ingredients. Then, when he turned his back…
Gone.
She swiped it. With her muzzle. Quick thief style. What's funny is I had seen a mischievous fox that day. Never woulda guessed it was Melech's daughter. Who would have guessed the fox form altered her mana signature?
She coughed lightly, composing herself.
"I errr… borrowed it. From a resident of this town. A male who worked at the local hotel."
Alex raised a brow. "You must mean Mr. Wooden." His voice dropped. "Well… sadly, he won't be asking for it back."
Ameera blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Dream Flower folded her arms, attempting to give the moment some breathing room, but she ran out of patience.
Before he could answer, Dream cut in, her tone light but pointed.
"Aww, watching you two is cute and all. But didn't we come here to ask the Devil of Velonica for help?"
Nicole, ever the straight-talker, nodded. "You said you were related to him. Is he here in town?"
Alex lifted a hand. "Hold up. Slow down. Y'all keep saying you need Xiro's help?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "With what?"
Dream, Nicole, and Ameera shared a look.
It was like something divine had cracked open right then and there.
Three women. Each with a different prayer in their hearts. One wanted her clan rescued. One wanted her Fenrir returned. And the last?
Redemption. Real redemption.
They had come to the ass end of nowhere in Velonica lookin' for me—The Devil.
And instead, they found my little brother. The link they didn't know they needed.
The stars were still hanging overhead like quiet witnesses.
And I knew.
If the Dayhalf of our return to Arcadia had been filled with blood, blades, and flame…
Then the Nighthalf?
The Nighthalf was about to be somethin' else entirely.
This wasn't a coincidence. This was the pull of something bigger.
[End of Chapter]
[1] April on Earth