Dawn came.
The curtains of darkness had been uncovered, and the sky was brimming with brightness — as if declaring the day would be good.
But for the Black Halo Agency, that brightness was nothing but mockery.
What awaited them was chaos.
"Review all systems and deploy combatants to the front!" Maria's voice echoed across the command hall, sharp and commanding.
Rows of operators sat before holographic consoles, their hands trembling as they monitored the flickering screens showing live feeds of a burning city. Alarms blared; red lights bathed the room in a warlike hue.
"Ma'am," one of the officers stammered, "the rookies—should they be deployed?"
Maria clenched her jaw. "The current situation is dire. All upper ranks are already assigned to external missions, and only the C and D ranks are free. But if this escalates further…" — she hesitated, her eyes narrowing — "the rookies will have to fight."
A tense silence filled the air before she turned back toward the main screen.
On it, a section of the nearby district lay in ruins, the result of a terrorist attack just before dawn.
These weren't ordinary terrorists. They wielded abilities—powerful ones, rivaling even the elite agents of Black Halo.
Normally, B-rank and above operatives would've been dispatched immediately, but they were already pursuing another priority mission: the pursuit of those searching for the Book of Liv — an artifact rumored to grant the deepest desires of its holder.
For months, there had been no leads. No faces. No names. Only whispers. But one truth remained — the Book couldn't be allowed to fall into anyone's hands.
That mission, however, would have to wait. The present demanded blood.
---
Inside the operations room, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Maria issued rapid commands:
"Activate Sector Barrier A. Deploy Drone Units to Quadrants 7 through 12. Set up support channels for healers on standby."
"Ma'am, perimeter shields are weakening!" another voice called out.
Maria didn't flinch. "Reinforce it with all remaining power from the secondary generator! I want that barrier holding!"
In the lower chambers, dozens of combatants scrambled to their posts.
Weapons formed from energy, elemental auras ignited around their bodies.
And in the midst of that chaos stood Red Fire, his crimson flames dancing faintly around his arms.
"It's sure lively today," a younger agent muttered beside him. "What do you think, Red Fire?"
"Why should I care?" he replied coldly. "And don't talk to me."
"You two," Maria barked from the comm, "what are you doing standing there? Move to—"
She didn't finish.
Because in that instant, the entire facility shook violently.
A deafening explosion ripped through the west wing. The reinforced walls cracked. The security gates melted like wax.
An entity stepped through the breach — humanoid, yet wrong. Its aura distorted space itself.
"Shit," Maria hissed. "All units, both rookies and ranks, prepare for combat! This is an emergency situation!"
She conjured her sword from thin air, its silver edge glowing with compressed light, and took a battle stance.
But the entity ignored her entirely — its gaze fixed elsewhere.
Then, in a blur, blue flames erupted across the room. Red Fire had moved.
His mystical fire surged forth, engulfing the intruder in a torrent so hot it could melt steel.
Yet… nothing.
The being walked through the flames untouched.
In the next heartbeat, Red Fire was slammed through a wall, blood spraying from his mouth.
Two other fighters lunged in, shouting war cries — only to be disintegrated instantly, erased from existence.
Maria didn't hesitate. She drove her sword toward the being's neck—
But her strike froze mid-air. The creature caught the blade effortlessly, twisted, and reached for her throat.
Her vision blurred — until a sudden barrage of floating rocks struck the creature, freeing her.
A young girl with geo-manipulation powers stepped in.
Then came another — a metal user — twisting the building's frame into a cage around the being.
But the entity shattered it like glass.
The battle turned desperate. Most of the top combatants were gone, and what remained were the inexperienced and the underpowered.
Through it all, the being's focus never wavered. Its eyes stayed locked on one person.
Shita.
No matter how many attacked, the creature ignored them — its hostility aimed solely at him.
Chains burst from its arms, lunging toward him.
"Tch!" Shita leapt back, slashing through the air. His twin blades cut the chains apart as he dashed outside, trying to lead the threat away from his allies.
The city trembled as they clashed — shadow against destruction.
"Damn it," Shita muttered between breaths, "first the Nightmare Deity, now you? What are you supposed to be?"
He dodged again as buildings collapsed behind him.
With nowhere left to run, he landed atop a ruined tower — cornered.
He looked down at his hands.
"Elemental traits… mine should be shadow. But I've never been able to control it."
He remembered Red Fire's words:
>"It feels natural. Like breathing."
"Yeah," he smirked faintly, "but some people have breathing problems."
The being raised its chains again, aiming to finish him.
Then—
Flames. Black flames.
They erupted from Shita's body, swallowing the chains whole. His eyes glowed obsidian.
He had learned the truth.
Shadow could mimic any element it touched — and his was born from fire.
The being screamed as it was consumed — body, essence, and soul erased from existence.
When the smoke cleared, only Shita stood, breathing heavily amid the ruins.
His first true victory.