As a carriage moves through a forest trail, "Wooow, girl slow-down" a short gruffed man shouts, Seido eyelids flicker open to be caged, the walls around him pulsed faintly, carved from obsidian and laced with glowing runes. The cage floated inside a moving carriage, its wheels groaning beneath the weight of stolen souls.
"What do we have here?"
The dwarf's voice carried a greedy excitement. His fingers twitched as he examined the floating orbs.
"Rare spirit orbs. One black, with white light pulsing at its center, a ring swirling around it, two piercing eyes… And this one—purple, no ring, two eyes as well. A rare find indeed."
His sneer deepened, hunger glinting in his gaze. He didn't see souls. He saw currency.
A flicker of movement caught his attention. He scowled.
"What!? Why are the bars melting? Bah, no matter—the magic box is what holds them."
He chuckled darkly, turning on his heel and disappearing down the corridor.
"Emma, wake up!"
Seido's voice cut through the suffocating silence. His form flickered erratically, unstable, like a flame caught in wind.
"Ugh… what happened?" Emma murmured, blinking against the dim light.
"It doesn't matter. We're stuck in a cage."
Panic tightened his words. His body trembled—his edges fraying.
Emma searched her thoughts.
"All I remember is… a blue light."
Seido flickered violently.
"Don't worry about it. The dwarf said we were rare—meaning he has plans for us. We need to get out. Now."
Emma absorbed the urgency in his voice. Without thinking, she hurled herself toward the eroded part of the cage—but instead of breaking free, she crashed into an unseen force.
"Ouch! That freaking hurt!" she squealed, floating back slightly.
"Oh yeah, forgot to mention—there's a magic barrier," Seido said, chuckling despite the situation.
Emma glared.
"Oh wow, such a great joke. But do you have a way for us to leave?!"
"Nope, not a clue."
Seido's form darkened. He activated his atom corruption. The barrier warped under his influence, distorting like ink spilling into water.
"I think it's working! Try going through, Emma!" he shouted as his black haze spread.
Emma surged forward—but just as she slipped through, the barrier snapped shut, trapping Seido inside.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The dwarf stood in the doorway, lips curling in amusement as he noticed the escaping orb.
"RUN, EMMA! BEFORE HE GETS YOU!" Seido's voice was raw, desperate.
Emma hesitated.
"But what about you—"
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." His voice steadied, calm despite the chaos. "Trust me—we'll meet again. For now, we separate."
Emma took the hint, floating away as fast as she could. The last thing she saw was Seido flickered violently, his form pulsing in reaction to the dwarf's twisted smile.
After Emma Escaped. Hours blurred in probe-pain, his ring-eyes flaring defiance. A sudden uproar erupted outside. Several royal knights surrounded the carriages. One of the dwarves stumbled into the room, eyes wide with terror.
"Boss! The royal guards—we were ambushed!"
The dwarf snarled. His grip tightened as he turned back to Seido.
"Damn, I'll see you later"
Seido flickered wildly, the distortion in his body deepening. His form was no longer stable—it was unraveling.
The carriage rocked back and forth, creaking with every shake. Then—silence.
"We know you have the orbs. Hand them over or else!" one of the royal knights shouted.
Seido's thoughts spiraled.
There's no way they're talking about me and Emma… right?
His form valiantly flickered and shook.
There's no way… right? Isn't this a good thing? They're here to save me… right?
The words echoed in his mind. But doubt lingered. The flickering calmed—but didn't vanish.
He was still trapped. Still rare. Still wanted.
And somewhere outside, the world was deciding what to do with him. The black-ring orb—it's the glitch that breaks the hero.