TIKKA — LAKE VAIL
A shimmering circle appeared inside a small, abandoned house.
Its edges glowed with a faint, pale light as strange symbols and intricate patterns slowly moved across its surface. The symbols shifted and rotated, forming a complex magical formation that seemed to come together in an instant.
Then
Nara appeared within the circle.
The moment her feet touched the floor, the magical circle vanished.
But Nara didn't.
A translucent, glowing barrier completely surrounded her body.
She immediately slammed both hands against it.
The barrier barely moved.
"Hey! Get me out of here!" Nara shouted. "Where am I?!"
She struck the barrier again, harder this time.
Nothing.
Her eyes widened as she looked around the unfamiliar house.
"What's going on...?"
The barrier remained completely intact.
TIKKA — LAKE VAIL
CUTTER ALLEY STREET
A monstrous roar erupted through Cutter Alley Street.
RROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!
The sound was so powerful that the surrounding buildings seemed to tremble beneath it.
Windows rattled violently,Glass shattered.
People inside their homes screamed as they instinctively covered their ears.
Some dropped to their knees, others stumbled into the streets, desperately trying to escape the source of the sound.
The roar continued.
Several people began bleeding from their ears as the sheer force of the sound overwhelmed them. Thin streams of blood trickled down the sides of their faces, staining their clothes as they cried out in pain.
Serenya stood beside her sister, Seranya, one hand pressed against her ear.
"What the hell is this noise?" Serenya shouted. "I can still hear it even after covering my ears!"
The monster suddenly moved,its enormous fist swung toward them.
The sisters vanished in an instant.
BOOOOOOM!
The fist slammed into the ground.
The impact cracked the street from one end to the other. Deep fractures spread through the stone like lightning, while the shockwave tore through the surrounding buildings.
One structure directly behind them couldn't withstand the impact, its walls collapsed inward
Dust and debris exploded into the street.
People began pouring out of their homes.
"RUN!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
"HELP!"
"THE MONSTERS ARE HERE!"
Families rushed through the streets in panic,some carried their children.
Others dragged injured relatives behind them.
But the monsters didn't care.
One of the creatures swung its enormous arm toward the fleeing crowd.
Several people were caught in the path of the attack.
The impact was immediate.
Bodies were thrown across the street as the force of the blow crushed them against the ground and nearby walls. Blood splattered across the broken stone, mixing with dust and debris. Pieces of clothing and shattered remains were scattered across the street.
The surviving civilians screamed even louder.
The sight sent the entire crowd into a frenzy.
Serenya's expression hardened.
"Seranya, take care of the civilians. I'll distract them."
Before Seranya could respond, Serenya vanished.
She reappeared high above one of the monsters.
Her fist was already drawn back.
She dropped.
Her punch struck the monster directly on the head.
The creature was driven into the ground with tremendous force.
The street collapsed beneath it, creating a massive crater.
Dust erupted into the air.
The remaining two monsters immediately turned toward Serenya.
Both charged.
One swung its massive arm.
Serenya vanished.
The fist tore through the space where she had been standing.
She reappeared behind them.
White lightning suddenly wrapped around her hand, it wasn't ordinary lightning.
The energy burned with a strange,pure radiance light.
Serenya drove her fist forward.
The white lightning exploded through both monsters.
Their bodies were thrown across the street.
They crashed through a building before disappearing beneath the rubble.
Meanwhile, Seranya extended her detection.
Her perception spread throughout the surrounding area.
She could feel every movement.
Every heartbeat,Every person desperately trying to escape.
Her eyes narrowed.
Multiple circles appeared throughout the streets.
One beneath a fleeing family, another beside an injured man, another near a group of children.
One after another, the civilians vanished, like flash of light.
Each teleportation circle transported them somewhere far away from the battlefield.
Seranya continued until she could no longer detect anyone in immediate danger.
Then
The rubble exploded outward, one of the monsters emerged.
The second followed,Both were already moving toward Serenya.
She barely had time to turn around, One enormous hand shot toward her.
It caught her, serenya was thrown through the air.
She twisted herself around before crashing into a building.
She stopped herself against the wall.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I understand now."
Her voice entered Seranya's mind through their telepathic connection.
"They have an extremely high resistance to soul attacks..."
She looked toward the monsters."Or possibly... they don't have souls at all."
A white blade suddenly materialized before her.
It was a construct formed entirely through her mind.
Serenya seized it.
The monster lunged, increasing its speed as it dashed towards her, raising her hand she sent the sword flying.
SHING!
The blade sliced cleanly through its arm, The severed limb fell to the ground, The monster stared at the stump.
It didn't scream, it didn't recoil, no sign of fear or pain.
Serenya watched carefully.
The severed limb twitched against the ground.
"Now that's more like it."
She disappeared and reappeared beside Seranya.
"And from the looks of things..." Serenya continued, "...they don't feel pain either."
Seranya glanced toward the monsters.
"Have you cleared the civilians from the market?"
"Yes."
Seranya looked toward the distant streets.
"And judging from the destruction, the Knights of Tikka will send reinforcements very soon."
She looked at Serenya.
"We can't cause unnecessary problems with Tikka"
Serenya nodded.
"Then we blend in."Their bodies suddenly shifted.
Their appearances changed, within seconds, the two sisters had transformed into men wearing the armor of the Knights of Tikka.
They looked toward the monsters, the creatures slowly rose, all three were standing again, their bodies were changing, Dark veins spread across their flesh, pulsing violently as strange energy flowed through them.
Then something darker began leaking from beneath their skin, a shadow-like substance seeped through their bodies.
It crawled across their flesh like living darkness.
The creatures suddenly became more aggressive.
They began rampaging through the streets, buildings were torn apart, Walls were smashed through.
The monsters weren't fighting with any particular strategy.
They simply destroyed everything in their path.
Looking for anything they could kill.
One of them suddenly disappeared.
Seranya's eyes narrowed.
"Behind us."
Both sisters moved at the exact same instant.
The monster's enormous arm swept through the space where they had been standing.
It missed.
But the attack slammed into a nearby building.
CRAAAAASH!
The entire wall exploded outward.
Stone, wood, and glass rained across the street.
Serenya flipped through the air and landed against the side of another building before pushing herself away.
Seranya landed beside her.
The monster was already coming again.
Its enormous arm swung horizontally.
The sisters ducked.
The fist passed over their heads with enough force to create a violent gust of wind, they immediately separated.
"So, what do we know about them?" Seranya asked telepathically as they continued dodging the monsters.
Serenya's eyes remained focused on the creatures.
"Soul manipulation likely doesn't work on them."
She ducked beneath another attack.
"They don't feel any form of pain."
She jumped over a claw.
"And they probably can't be tamed."
A monster smashed both fists into the ground.
The sisters jumped away.
"Their attacks aren't coordinated," Serenya continued. "That means they could be under some form of mind control... or they're simply acting on instinct."
She glanced at the creatures, "But there's something else."
Seranya looked at her.
"They're learning from us."
Serenya narrowly avoided another strike.
"Every time we use an ability, their reactions change."
She looked at the monsters.
"They're adapting."
Seranya's expression became serious.
"Meaning..."
"They're nothing but children."
Seranya's eyes widened slightly.
"If they're really like children..."
She looked toward the monsters.
"...then I don't want to face one that's had years to gain experience."
Multiple white spears suddenly materialized around one of the creatures.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
The spears shot forward.
They pierced through the monster's body and pinned it against the ground.
For several seconds, it couldn't move.
Then—
The creature grabbed one of the spears.
Its muscles tightened.
CRACK!
It tore one of its own arms away.
The severed limb fell to the ground.
A moment later, another arm began growing from the stump.
Then another.
The monster regenerated completely.
Serenya's eyes narrowed.
"The moment they regenerate a severed body part, the original piece disappears."
She watched the discarded limb.
"There isn't any Dio or Eno energy at work."
Dark energy pulsed through the creature.
"Instead, they're drawing power from something else, a third form of energy "
She stared at the dark substance flowing beneath their skin.
"Something different, and new or something extremely old, and unknown energy" Her eyes narrowed, "Something dark."
Serenya suddenly vanished.
She reappeared behind one of the monsters.
Her hand touched its back.
The creature's entire body instantly crystallized.
CRACK.
Ice-like crystal spread across its body.
Within seconds, the monster had completely transformed into a massive crystalline statue.
Then...
CRASH!
Its body shattered into countless pieces.
Serenya stared at the remains.
"Crystallizing them seems to have an effec—"
RROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!
The shattered pieces suddenly began moving.
The fragments pulled themselves together.
The crystal broke apart.
The monster emerged from within it, Completely restored.
Serenya stopped speaking.
Seranya immediately reacted.
A gigantic magical barrier appeared around the three creatures.
VMMMMMMMM!
The monsters slammed against it, shaking the barrier violently, but they were unable to break through.
The monsters continued pounding against the barrier, desperately trying to break through, but the barrier held.
Seranya reinforced it, Serenya joined her.
The sisters began manipulating the barrier.
Slowly...
The enormous prison began shrinking.
The three monsters were forced closer together, the space within the barrier kept on reducing, shrinking.
Until the massive barrier had compressed into a sphere barely larger than a human hand.
The monsters were still moving inside, still alive, but they could no longer escape the tight space or forcefully break through, Serenya reached out and caught the sphere.
"That's that, they sure caused alot of destruction"
She looked at the trapped creatures.
"They're still alive."
Seranya nodded.
"But we need more information about them."
She stared at the dark energy moving through their bodies.
"So analyzing what they are would be the right move."
Serenya looked toward her sister.
"Where do you think we should start?"
Seranya paused.
Then her expression changed.
"This should be a product from the dark market ."
Serenya's eyes narrowed, the sisters exchanged a glance.
They both vanished.
---
A FEW MINUTES LATER
The sound of marching soldiers echoed through the ruined streets.
The Knights of Tikka finally arrived, At the front of the formation was Lord Alric.
He stopped the moment he saw Cutter Alley Street.
His eyes widened.
The entire area had been devastated, buildings had been reduced to rubble, Walls had collapsed into the streets.
Smoke rose from burning structures.
The market had been destroyed.
Stalls were overturned and scattered across the road.
Broken weapons, shattered wood, debris, and blood covered the ground.
Cracks stretched through the streets in every direction.
Alric stared at the destruction.
"What in the hell happened here...?"he quickly regained his composure.
"Search for survivors!"
The knights immediately scattered.
"Over here!"
"I found someone!"
"He's alive!"
"Get him out!"
"Check beneath the rubble!"
"Search every building!"
"Careful! The structure is unstable!"
"Any sign of the creatures?!"
"Nothing here!"
"Keep searching!"
Several knights lifted broken pieces of stone, desperately looking for survivors trapped beneath the ruins.
Others moved through the destroyed market, checking every corner.
"Look for blood trails!"
"Search the alley!"
"Check the rooftops!"
"Has anyone seen the monsters?!"
"No, my lord!"
Alric turned slowly, surveying the devastation.
There was no sign of the creatures, Only the destruction they had left behind.
Lord Alric clenched his fist.
"Keep searching."
His eyes remained fixed on the ruined street.
"Whatever did this..."
He paused.
"...we need to know where it went."