The silence wasn't a gift… it was a warning.
The air around them exploded with a shocking wave, as if the entire universe were holding its breath. From the heart of the darkness, nightmares materialized, moving in three dimensions.
Aona jumping up as if ready for battle :
"They're here! Baba Raga!"
Ronald (touching his aching head):
"No… this is something different."
From the depths, a voice burst forth like thunder:
Mysterious Voice:
"Finally… we found you, our key."
Eight tall figures appeared wearing crimson robes, their eyes gleaming like dying stars.
Ronald:
"Who are you?"
The Leader:
"Guardians of the Gates… we came to reclaim what was stolen from us."
Aona whispers in Ronald's ear:
"Your blood… they want your blood to open the gates."
Ronald:
"Why me specifically?"
The Leader:
"Because you're the last descendant of the guardian lineage… the last one who carries the pure blood."
And suddenly… the demon returned.
The Demon (laughing in his head):
"Didn't I tell you? Everyone wants a piece of you!"
Ronald:
"What do we do now?"
Aona steps toward him, pushing him forcefully until he falls to the ground. He stares at her in shock, unable to comprehend what's happening.
Aona (placing her foot on his chest):
"Now you will die and open the Eight Suns Gates."
The Demon (laughing with bitter sarcasm):
"See? This is why I kept humans away from you! You can't trust them!"
Ronald (with tears filling his eyes):
"Why, Aona? What did I do to you?"
Aona (in a broken voice):
"We lived in suffering and fear because of your demon… and his blind brother."
The Demon:
"Are you talking about the Blind Demon?"
Ronald (pointing at her with a trembling hand):
"And you… you traitor."
Aona (her eyes gleaming with pain):
"All those words about hope… they weren't all lies. But sometimes we sacrifice one to save thousands."
Ronald (in a broken voice):
"You were my last thread of hope… and now you've cut it."
Aona (drawing a gleaming dagger):
"They saved me from them… they gave me back my brother whom they had kidnapped in exchange for my help."
The Demon:
"Didn't I tell you? Human lies are sweeter than our truths!"
And in that moment, as the dagger gleamed in Aona's hand, Ronald's heart bled more than any wound he would ever receive.
Ronald (whispering):
"So… it was all a deception?"
Aona:
"No… not all of it. But some rights are taken by force."
And the sound of the dagger whistling through the air was more beautiful than all her words… and harsher.
Ronald advanced toward her with steady steps, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of pain and strength. He approached Aona and took her face firmly in his hands.
Ronald:
"This is the end you deserve."
He kissed her with a long, passionate kiss, but it carried the taste of death and farewell. When he pulled away, his eyes glistened with suppressed tears.
Ronald:
"See you in hell… where we both belong."
He turned away abruptly, his footsteps heavy yet resolute. He walked toward the Baba Raga men with his back straight.
Ronald:
"Aona… I wish you a happy life. You are beautiful, and my demon was right… you are not suited for me."
The Baba Raga leader began to speak:
"Walk ahead of us and without…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Ronald raised his hand with lightning speed. A spear of dark energy shot from his palm, piercing the leader's face completely. The leader fell dead before he realized what had happened.
Ronald turned and continued walking as if nothing had happened. The remaining Baba Raga men stood stunned, then cautiously began to follow him.
Aona whispered in a broken tone:
"I preferred death over living without you… and now I understand, too late."
The demon laughed in Ronald's head:
"Finally, you have become the man I hid inside you! You have gotten rid of your human weakness!"
One of the Baba Raga men whispered to his companion:
"This is not the key they promised us… this is a new demon born!"
Before disappearing among the trees, he threw a small knife that landed in front of Aona. His voice reached her clearly despite the distance:
Ronald:
"Death as a faithful lover… is better than living as a traitor."
Aona picked up the knife with a trembling hand, then raised it to her chest. Her eyes followed his shadow as he vanished into the darkness.
Aona (crying):
"I should have chosen you… but I chose betrayal."
She stabbed herself with the knife and fell to the ground, while Ronald's weapon gleamed in her dead hand as a perpetual reminder of her wrong choice.
The Demon (in Ronald's head):
"Look! Everyone around you is dying… and you have become stronger!"
Ronald (with a bitter smile):
"No… I have become exactly like you."
From afar, a mysterious voice whispered:
"The eight gates await… and your pure blood will free us all."
And so, Ronald disappeared into the darkness, burdened with a new curse… and darker destinies awaiting him.
Aona lay on the ground, breathing heavily, her blood spreading around her like a wilted rose petal. Suddenly, a blue portal shimmered in the air, and two men emerged from it.
Jack the Great (in a thunderous voice):
"Jiraiya, hurry! She's dying!"
Jiraiya (walking swiftly):
"As you command, my lord Jack the Great."
Jiraiya gently lifted Aona, his features visible under the magical portal's light.
Jiraiya:
"Do you see these features? They are the image of your great-grandmother—the first Aona—not only in her beauty but also in her betrayals."
Aona (in a broken voice):
"Lord Jiraiya… but you… the darkness consumed you…"
Jiraiya (moving toward the portal):
"Yes, dead in your world. But Jack the Great saved me, and now I will save you—to a world where there is no death or aging."
Aona (sighing in pain):
"It seems like a dream… but what about Ronald?"
Jack the Great (entering the portal first):
"I will bring him too. This is a promise."
Aona heard Jack's final whisper before losing consciousness: "The two of you are part of a prophecy older than time itself…"
Days later, in the haunted house
Aona woke up in a crystalline hall, finding Jack the Great and Jiraiya waiting for her.
Jack the Great:
"You're finally awake. Do you remember the prophecy?"
Aona (sitting up sluggishly):
"What prophecy?"
Jiraiya:
"The Twins Prophecy—Ronald the Demon, and you the Angel. The fate of the worlds lies in your hands."
Aona (touching her broken chest):
"But I failed him…"
Jack the Great:
"That was part of the plan. Sometimes we must fall to rise stronger."
Suddenly, another portal opened in the middle of the hall. Ronald appeared, his eyes crimson red, his dark powers swirling around him like a storm.
Ronald:
"Aona… I thought death had parted us."
Aona (stepping toward him):
"It brought us together again, but this time, I will prove that I am worthy of your trust."
Jack the Great (smiling):
"Now the real war begins. The forces of darkness are moving to open the Eight Gates, and only you can stop them."
Ronald and Aona exchanged a look… a new understanding, filled with hope and challenge.