Vernasha was exhausted. Her body trembled, but her eyes burned with the satisfaction of control. Everything unfolded exactly as she had foreseen: the secret alliance with the Reapers, Mei's brutal containment, the fall of the Imperators, the weakening of the spiritual barrier, and now, the resurrection of Dante. Her body, once unable to contain such force, was finally beginning to mold itself to the blazing energy of Mei trapped within her. Her strength returned, pulsing.
Isha struggled to rise, his body battered, yet his gaze remained sharp. Kaze, unconscious, was shaken awake. Jouki emerged from the shadows, watching the scene of destruction with fascination.
— Truly… impressive — she murmured, as if the chaos were a work of art.
Hazau lurked, hidden in the shadows, his eyes always fixed on Vernasha. He was the silent guardian, invisible yet ever-present.
Above them, the sky wept petals of pure energy — remnants of the explosion that had shattered everything. It was beautiful, lethal, and terrifying.
— He survived… — Jouki whispered.
— Dante… — Isha confirmed. — A monster, like Mei.
---
Akira was shattered.
Before him, Aisha lay fallen, motionless. And in his mind, the image of Tenklyn dying replayed on an endless loop, each time sharper, more cruel.
— This can't be real… — his voice faltered. — This is just a nightmare… it can't end like this…
He wept on his knees. The proud warrior, now merely a broken man.
But then, a breath. A faint movement.
Aisha was breathing.
A thread of life.
As if her soul, even on the edge of the abyss, screamed not to be extinguished. Akira staggered to her, clutching her with desperate care. His heart beat with renewed hope.
But before he could even rise, a cold voice cut through him:
— There is no more hope — Isha said.
Akira turned and saw the horror: Isha, Vernasha, Jouki, Kaze, and Hazau — all marching toward him, relentless. Like judges in a court without mercy.
— If we were dead… maybe — Isha continued. — But with all of us here? It's over, Akira.
Kaze summoned a gust of wind, hurling Akira into the wall. A snap. The sound of ribs cracking. He screamed.
Isha approached and crushed Aisha's head with her foot, not with enough force to kill, but enough arrogance to crush any hope.
— The new era has begun. No weak Imperators. No flames that fade. Only strength. Only power. Just knowledge.
Kaze conjured a spear of wind. Lethal. Intended to end Akira's life.
But before it could strike… the world shook.
An aura enveloped the battlefield.
The pressure… suffocating.
Dante had returned.
His presence made the air feel like lead. Even Kaze, once insolent, froze.
— If any of you touch this boy — Dante said calmly — you will be exterminated. Right here.
Dante's body regenerated, centimeter by centimeter. Charred flesh remade molecule by molecule. And yet… part of his clothing remained intact. He was more than a living being. He was an event.
Akira, bleeding, crawled to Aisha. With trembling arms, he sought to lift her away. He knew it was impossible, yet he moved nonetheless. For her.
Dante merely observed in silence. Then, he laughed.
— Perfect. Perfect.
He turned to the others:
— The barrier is on the brink of collapse. Keep generating hatred, despair, pain. After that, all of us will become gods.
---
— It can't be…
The voice was low. Trembling. From the entrance.
Tekio.
His eyes fixed on the scene: blood, destruction, the bodies of Akira and Aisha — fallen, crushed.
Akira turned slowly, his eyes trembling.
— RUN! — he shouted with his soul.
But it was too late.
Vernasha stared at Tekio as if he were a new piece on a board she thought she controlled. Dante watched him silently, confused.
He began to walk.
Tekio didn't understand. Everything was a blur.
His heart already tightened at the sight of Akira and Aisha on the ground, yet…
Then he saw.
Dan.
But… it wasn't Dan.
His eyes… red. Empty. Strange.
— Dan…? — Tekio whispered, his voice breaking. — What's happening…?
He saw him partially charred, clothes torn, radiating abnormal energy.
Dante smiled darkly.
— Dan is dead. The soul of this body… no longer exists.
— No… — Tekio whispered. — That can't be…
He walked, incredulous, as if still wanting to believe. Still pretending he was speaking to his friend.
— Who are you…?
In seconds, Dante struck him in the stomach with overwhelming force. Tekio flew meters above, blood spraying. Another blow sent him crashing into the upper floor atop the walls.
Fallen. Bloody. Gasping.
Dante knelt beside him.
— Who… are you?
His eyes saw. Tekio was no ordinary boy. His aura… unique. Disconcerting.
— What… are you?
And Tekio remembered.
He remembered the day he met Dan.
He had been only thirteen, a confused boy still trying to understand the shattered world around him. Mei had taken him in as one would rescue a spark amid chaos. Days later, she called him to the courtyard, where a thin, silent boy stood, staring at the ground. His eyes… empty. Soulless. Like bottomless wells.
— Be good friends — Mei had said. No emotion. No explanation.
But Tekio felt it.
That gaze was a cry for help.
Dan was like him… only worse. Any pain Tekio carried, Dan seemed to bear a hundredfold. It was as if something alive had been buried inside that boy.
At first, Dan didn't speak. Not with words. But through heavy silences, through the way he fought, fell, and rose again, as if the pain was all that kept him standing.
And Tekio… stayed by his side.
They trained together. Ate together. Laughed, occasionally. Dan changed—not suddenly, but gradually. Like the sun warming without one noticing. Then Stella arrived. With her eyes full of light, her voice like spring. And the trio was formed. A strange trio of patched hearts that, together, became almost whole.
One night, when they were only fourteen, after brutal training, the two lay on the grass staring at the sky cracked with stars. Dan spoke:
— Do you think we'll survive until the end?
Tekio laughed, unsure how to answer.
Dan turned his face and whispered:
— I'm scared…
Tekio clenched his fist and extended his pinky.
— I promise. If you fall, I'll lift you. If you get lost… I'll find you. Even if I have to walk through hell. We'll be together, and together we'll be strong and unbeatable. So don't be afraid. I promise I'll be by your side whether you want me there or not.
Dan hesitated… then linked his finger with Tekio's.
— Then it's promised.
A child's promise. Yet more real than any oath.
One night, Mei spoke to young Tekio under the moon's melancholy light.
— If one day Dan gets lost… and I'm not there… Tekio, save him. Bring your friend back. Find your brother.
Tekio, eyes shining with pride, answered:
— I'll protect Dan from everything.
Mei smiled. But there was something behind that smile. Something like fear.
---
And now, there, amidst rubble and flames… Tekio screamed.
— DAN, STOP IT! — his voice cracked the air. — Come back to yourself! Those red eyes… they're horrible! Mei will be sad, you idiot! Stella's in danger, we should be with her!
Dante hesitated.
Tekio approached, trembling, crying, blood dripping from his scalp, splattering the ground with every step.
— I know you're in there! — he shouted, his words spilling through sobs. — I know!
Then Dante—or Dan—struck.
A punch with the back of his fist.
The impact was brutal, a sharp crack of bone. Tekio's right cheek split, the wound open to the bone. Blood sprayed through the air like paint across a canvas.
But the boy… did not fall.
— It's useless. Your friend is dead.
Tekio staggered. But he smiled.
He smiled.
— I know he's in there… because…
With faltering breath, eyes half-closed, he whispered:
— You're crying.
Dante brought his hand to his face. Moisture. A tear.
Real.
Unexplainable.
"What… how did this boy do that?"
But there was no time to reflect.
Dante cast a look at Hazau. The call was silent—and absolute.
Hazau appeared behind Tekio, placing his hand on the boy's head and invading his mind.
Tekio's body went limp.
But inside…
Hazau expected chaos. Dreams, memories… But all he found was emptiness. An oppressive void. A space where even time hesitated to pass.
And deep inside…
He saw her.
A woman. Faceless. Her body made of pure energy. Half light. Half darkness.
— I'm awake. — said the voice, echoing through the very universe.
Hazau felt his consciousness tear apart. A hand rose toward him.
Darkness.
He fell into the real world. Unconscious.
Dante recoiled, eyes wide.
Tekio, still in trance, brought his hands to his eyes and screamed:
— IT BURNS!
The scream was inhuman. It tore through the air like thunder, shaking the ground.
His mark burned like the fire of ancestors.
And then, a voice inside him:
"Do you want to save them?"
"Do you want to win?"
"Do you want to protect your friend?"
— YES! — Tekio answered, with all he had. With his heart. With his soul.
And his aura exploded.
Light and darkness danced around him like living entities. The ground cracked beneath his feet. The sky seemed to recoil.
Dante stepped back. One step. Then another.
Vernasha watched from the darkness. Her eyes narrowed. Something… was wrong.
Something was slipping out of control.
This was not supposed to happen.
Tekio wasn't supposed to be capable of this, it made no sense.
How could a boy like that, weak and simple, threaten to break the entire game?
Dante advanced with rage. With fear.
But stopped.
Tekio lifted his head.
His eyes… black as night. Only the iris, white. Burning. Alive.
Dante was repelled. An invisible force threw him back.
He fell to his knees, stunned.
— You… — he murmured, his voice trembling. — You are an aberration… no… you are bizarre.
Tô Be Continued...