The towers of the Central Order trembled beneath the red light tearing through the sky.
A magical alarm echoed through the corridors, reverberating among the columns like a funeral chant.
The ground shook.
Ancient statues of angels shattered one by one, as if refusing to witness what was unfolding.
At the heart of the sanctuary — the Vault of Eternal Relics — a beam of blue energy spiraled, guarding the First Arcane Crystal.
And before it stood Tismani.
She did not move like a thief.
Her steps were soft, almost sacred.
The lilac mist enveloping her body seemed to obey an invisible rhythm.
Her cold, translucent eyes reflected the crystal as if it had belonged to her forever.
> "What are you doing here?!" shouted one of the guardians, brandishing the Order's enchanted spear.
"Why would a captain be... in the vault?"
Tismani looked at him — and smiled.
An empty, distant smile that made the man hesitate.
The energy around her shifted, becoming dense, vibrant, alive.
The vault's air grew heavy, suffocating.
The guardian took a step back, but it was too late.
With a simple gesture, Tismani raised her hand.
The shadow on the floor stretched like a serpent, wrapping around the soldier's body.
A second later, he dissolved into black ashes.
> "I don't need witnesses."
The crystal floated toward her.
The protective glyphs began to break, one by one, emitting magical screams that sounded like echoes of agony.
The blue beam extinguished.
The vault plunged into darkness.
Outside, the Order's mages ran, guided by the alarm's light.
Cronos, the High Executor, arrived first.
He saw Tismani at the center of the room, surrounded by shards of shattered magic.
The crystal was gone — in its place, only the reflection of its purple energy.
> Cronos: "Tismani... what have you done?"
Tismani (without turning): "What had to be done."
Cronos: "Are you betraying the Order?"
Tismani: "Betrayal is a word that depends on which side you're on."
Cronos attacked — the air exploded with golden light, seals and circles spinning.
But Tismani vanished before the strike could reach her.
A shadow, a mist... and silence.
The Order's bells tolled in mourning.
Cronos fell to his knees, cold sweat running down his temple.
He touched the ground and felt the trail of energy she left — something ancient, dark, and familiar.
But he couldn't fully identify it.
> "This energy... it's impossible."
Outside, the clouds parted, revealing a deformed moon stained with purple.
Dead birds fell from the sky.
The world's balance cracked in tiny fractures.
A warning.
Meanwhile, Tismani walked across the open field beyond the Order's walls.
The wind cut across her face, and the crystal pulsed in her hand, emitting a subtle sound — like a beating heart.
She looked toward the horizon and murmured, with an enigmatic smile:
> "One of four."
The crystal vibrated stronger, responding.
At that moment, the entire world felt the imbalance: seas roared, mountains trembled.
But no one knew why.
Not even Tismani fully understood what she had unleashed.
Behind her eyes, a distant voice — female, cold, and seductive — whispered in her mind:
> "Continue, my child. The seal needs to breathe again."
She closed her eyes, and the wind turned to silence.
No one knew who she worked for, nor the reason for the theft.
But one thing was certain: the first act of the liberation had begun.
And somewhere, in the depths of the seal inside Yuta, Lilith smiled in her sleep.
---
The room where Yuta rested was shrouded in darkness.
Curtains closed, candles flickering, and the distant sound of rain tapping on the glass.
Lyra stayed by his side, leaning over him, fingers entwined in the unconscious boy's hands.
His body trembled slightly, as if struggling against something invisible.
The air was dense — heavy with ancient magic.
Lyra couldn't explain why, but she felt it.
A feminine presence, arrogant and as old as time itself, watched her from the shadows.
Suddenly, the candle flames turned blue.
From their reflection, a silhouette formed.
— So... you are the new Queen. —
The voice echoed, soft and cutting like a blade.
Lyra spun around sharply.
Before her stood a woman impossible to describe simply: Lilith, the first witch, sealed within Yuta's body.
Her long hair like veils of night, eyes a deep red — the kind of gaze that sees even what shouldn't exist.
Her presence was dominant, almost suffocating, but at the same time... there was something captivating, something that made Lyra hesitate to breathe.
> Lyra: "You... are her. The legend. The fallen queen."
Lilith (laughing softly): "Queen? Oh, dear... don't confuse a throne with a prison."
The reply came with irony but no cruelty.
Lilith floated a few inches above the floor, taking a few steps.
She studied Lyra with clinical, almost scientific eyes, as if measuring every breath, every heartbeat.
> Lilith: "You carry her scent. The same lost look. But you're weak... still."
Lyra: "Weak? I fought to the limit for this world!"
Lilith: "And it rewarded you with pain. Just like it did me."
The silence that followed was icy.
Lyra clenched her fists, but Lilith's expression changed — there was a trace of melancholy behind the sarcasm.
> Lilith (quieter): "Three. Three fragments remain."
Lyra: "Fragments...?"
Lilith: "Tismani took the first. When all are gathered... the seal breaks. And then, everything breathes again."
Lyra shivered.
That cold look from Lilith did not seem that of a villain — but of someone carrying a purpose too ancient to be understood.
> Lyra: "You want... freedom?"
Lilith (smiling sideways): "Freedom is a small word. I want... justice."
Her voice echoed like thunder in the confined space, but there was no anger — only conviction.
She stepped closer and, standing before Lyra, lifted the girl's chin with a finger, provocatively.
> Lilith: "Tell me, queen... do you remember me?"
Lyra: "I... feel something. Like we walked together, long ago."
Lilith: "Walked? We conquered worlds, Lyra. And lost everything... for love."
Lyra's eyes widened.
The air seemed to shatter around them.
Fragments of memories, brief and confused, invaded her mind — two figures side by side, fire and darkness, swearing to protect the world's balance.
But one was betrayed.
And sealed.
> Lyra (whispering): "You... were my sister."
Lilith: "I still am. Just... older, bitterer, and less foolish."
Lilith turned, facing Yuta's unconscious body on the bed.
For a moment, something in her gaze changed.
As if behind the contempt and pride, there was something... human.
> Lilith (softly): "He carries my seal. The perfect vessel, and the final disgrace. If I am freed, he dies."
Lyra: "Then why keep going?"
Lilith: "Because fate doesn't ask what I want. It only forces me to act."
The wind blew, and the candles went out.
Darkness enveloped them both.
Lilith stepped forward, her face inches from Lyra's.
> Lilith (cold, almost maternal): "Tell him not to fight what's coming. Tell Yuta... that chaos is inevitable."
Lyra (with tears in her eyes): "You speak as if you want the world to burn."
Lilith (dark smile): "Maybe the world needs to burn... to remember that I exist."
And with that, she vanished, dissolving into a whirlwind of shadows and red petals.
Lyra collapsed to her knees, heart racing, tears flowing — not out of fear, but deep recognition, as if she had found a forgotten piece of herself.
Outside, thunder tore the sky.
Yuta's eyes opened slightly, murmuring a name he hadn't spoken in centuries.
> Yuta: "…Lilith."
And in the abyss of his mind, Lilith smiled — not with hatred, but with something rare in her: longing.
---
The world seemed still.
Only the sound of wind ripping through the mountains interrupted the silence.
Shadow walked across a black plain, the cracked ground as if time had forgotten the place.
He observed the ruins, dead trees, the shattered horizon — and for the first time in centuries, felt something he did not immediately recognize.
> Shadow (softly, to himself): "Longing... to live. Is that what mortals call feeling?"
The sound of footsteps interrupted his reverie.
A figure approached through the shadows — silver hair reflecting the gray light of the sky, golden eyes full of a thousand questions.
Valhart.
He stopped a few meters away, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Two opposing poles — absolute void and unbreakable will — face to face.
> Shadow: "Who dares cross my path uncalled?"
Valhart (smiling): "A curious one. They say there is a being so powerful even time hesitates to touch him. I thought it was a myth. Apparently, it's not."
Shadow simply observed, impassive.
His voice, when it came, sounded like a muffled thunder.
> Shadow: "Go back while you still can breathe, human."
Valhart: "Human? I prefer to think of myself as... an exception."
Valhart's insolent smile broke the tension.
Shadow tilted his head, intrigued — not by the boldness, but by the total absence of fear in those eyes.
> Shadow: "You do not fear death?"
Valhart: "No. I have met her. And she did not want me."
The calmness of the reply was infuriating.
Shadow raised his hand, and the air distorted — a beam of dense, black energy like nothingness shot toward Valhart.
The impact cracked the ground beneath their feet.
But instead of fleeing, Valhart raised a single hand.
The energy collided with his palm — and stopped.
The wind fell silent.
Valhart, with an almost childlike grin, returned the attack with equal force.
> Valhart: "Take it back. I don't like gifts."
The energy sphere returned to Shadow, who intercepted it with a punch, sending it soaring.
The sky exploded in a blast of purple and black light, illuminating the entire valley.
When the dust settled, Valhart was no longer in front of him.
He was behind.
The strike came fast, aimed straight for the jaw.
Shadow blocked with his forearm, the impact cracking the ground beneath their feet.
For a moment, time froze.
The two stood there, opposing forces balancing.
> Shadow (locking eyes): "Interesting..."
And vanished.
But Valhart had already sensed the movement.
He spun his body, pointed his hand toward a distant forest — and fired a golden beam.
The energy sliced the air like lightning, striking exactly where Shadow reappeared.
This time, Shadow didn't dodge.
He raised his hand, absorbing the impact.
The energy dissolved into particles, sucked into his body.
> Shadow: "So you're not just a mortal... you're a flaw in the natural order."
Valhart: "Maybe. Or maybe I'm a reminder that even gods can be surpassed."
Shadow analyzed him, and for the first time in ages, smiled.
A small but genuine smile.
> Shadow: "What's your name, insolent one?"
Valhart: "Valhart. And yours, dead legend?"
Shadow: "Shadow. The first echo of the void."
The two remained silent for a few seconds.
The wind resumed, stirring dust and ashes.
Then Valhart's voice broke the silence:
> Valhart: "They say you Primordials are moving again. Why? What is Lilith planning?"
Shadow (calmly): "Lilith sealed herself inside the boy. Not out of regret... but purpose. She hopes to be reborn beyond the limit of existence."
Valhart: "And what happens when that occurs?"
Shadow: "The cycle ends. She will become an endless entity — both human and divine. Not even the Primordials can contain her."
Valhart narrowed his eyes, curiosity and danger mixed.
> Valhart: "And why do you help her?"
Shadow: "Because when chaos awakens, even the void obeys."
Silence returned.
Only the distant sound of thunder echoed between the mountains.
Valhart then stepped forward, a slight smile full of provocation.
> Valhart: "If she is the key to everything... why not kill the boy and end it now?"
Shadow watched silently.
Then slowly, smiled.
That calm, dark expression was worse than any threat.
> Shadow (softly, almost a whisper): "Because, Valhart... the story is not over yet."
The wind blew fiercely, and the entire scene distorted into shadows.
When the dust settled — Shadow had disappeared.
Valhart stood alone, staring at the horizon where the sky cracked in fractures of light and darkness.
> Valhart (thinking): "Lilith, Yuta, Primordials... all playing the same game.
But who really moves the pieces?"
He smiled slyly, eyes firm and enigmatic.
> Valhart: "If the world is going to end, I want to be there to watch it up close."