A Few Moments Later

  Above the Surface

  That Same Night

  A few kilometers away from the heart of the capital-where the old royal castle once stood, now overrun by sprawling vegetation that covered the remains of its buildings- a pair of soldiers from the Reginae forces could be seen patrolling a segment of what was once the city of Oculi, now reduced to complete ruin.

  It had been five years since its fall, when the Inanis forces invaded and carried out a massacre that decimated much of the capital's population.

  The two soldiers-brothers-were Larel, aged seventeen, who led that night's patrol, and his younger companion, Leriel, sixteen.

  Their control over their Oculi abilities was visibly refined, marked by the minimal dissipation of energy into the surrounding environment.

  Larel and Leriel leapt between the ruins of buildings, some partially destroyed, others entirely collapsed, as they navigated their route through the night.

  They eventually reached the roof of what had once been one of the three most beautiful churches in the ancient capital of Oculi-a structure now marked by a gaping hole in its ceiling, inflicted during an assault long past.

  The two paused there, atop the rooftop, in a spot where they could rest for a while before returning to their base, having completed their patrol in search of threats.

  It was evident that most of the buildings surrounding the church-including the church itself-were now blanketed in roots, with interiors filled with rubble and debris.

  Roots, moss, and vegetation clung to every surface, growing both above the ceiling and along the outer walls facing the city, painting a scene of solemn abandonment.

  After one last survey of their surroundings, they deactivated their Oculi abilities, allowing their bodies to relax, reassured by the absence of anything that might pose a threat.

  The area was considered entirely secure, closely monitored by various patrols that scoured the vast, ruined expanse of Oculi's territory.

  Larel and Leriel wore sleek black combat suits, adorned on the back with gold detailing-symbols that denoted their status as level-3 combatants.

  They were considered strong enough not only in physical combat and swordsmanship but also in the precise and effective use of their Oculi powers to enhance their physical attributes.

  On their faces, the two brothers wore masks designed to enhance their visual senses, projecting enhancements directly into their retinas in such a seamless, natural way

  that the masks felt like extensions of their own bodies-not mere tools, but almost living instruments of perception.

  Standing side by side and gazing toward the distant silhouette of the ruined royal castle on the horizon, they seemed to inhale deeply, as though caught in thought.

  Their short, black hair stirred softly in the breeze-the only parts of them not covered by the mask-making the moment feel momentarily still, intimate in its quiet.

  Then, after a few seconds, Larel asked his brother to notify the Intelligence Center that they had completed their sweep successfully.

  Lariel stretched lazily, clearly relaxed after such an uneventful shift-a calm night.

  And just as Lariel raised his arm to send the report using the bracelet on his wrist, a strange sound echoed unexpectedly-not from outside the city, but from alarmingly close by.

  It came from within the church itself.

  More precisely, from inside the gaping hole in the ceiling beneath them. The interior was swallowed in deep darkness, intensified by the thick gloom of the night.

  The two brothers turned their gaze toward the opening, but received no Oculi readings-no sign of ability usage.

  Still, out of caution, they reactivated their Oculi, not in defense this time, but fully prepared for combat.

  With a swift, practiced motion, each brother extended an arm outward, manifesting from one of their hands their personalized energy blades-born from their very essence.

  The blades, though made of pure energy, had an unmistakably sharp and solid form, glowing faintly at the edges with an ethereal shimmer.

  They were about to descend into the church through the broken ceiling, suspecting it might be a wild animal that had wandered into the city earlier that morning and gotten trapped after falling through.

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  But Larel, being the more experienced of the two, suddenly sensed it-something so subtle, so faint, like the touch of a passing breeze.

  [(Larel - Fearful Mental Murmur) ...What the hell is this?! That "thing" is way too close!! (Voice trembling)]

  It made him instinctively move away to the opposite side of the church's interior so quickly that his brother was left confused, unable to understand what had just happened.

  Then, a sound followed, echoing a laugh so innocent in tone, reminiscent of a child, and within less than five seconds.

  The sound echoed in the space above the church, beneath the night sky, making their bodies instinctively shiver.

  But even before he could make the same move as his brother, Larel, his older brother saw time slow down, and a shadow cloaked in a hooded robe seemed to materialize behind Lariel, emerging from the hole with a surreal speed.

  Before he could move to protect his brother, Lariel, he saw nothing less than a single blade-extremely thin and shimmering with essence-coming from behind Lariel.

  It pierced through the middle of his brother's neck, stopping almost a meter ahead of his face.

  A horror-stricken expression began to form on Larel's face, mixed with overwhelming panic, as the blade sliced through his brother's neck, rendering him unable to scream his brother's name.

  In a daze, he watched, eyes wide open, as Lariel, knowing he had been gravely wounded, smiled.

  He understood, in that instant, that his brother was already dead. The blade that had come from behind Lariel's neck was pulled back by the shadow of the hooded figure.

  This caused Lariel to gasp for breath, the dark blood pouring from the gash in his neck, while he stumbled forward, his steps shaky.

  As he tried to press his hands to the open wound in his neck, he heard his brother, still gripping his own blade tightly in his hand.

  [Female Voice - Playful & Gentle] There was no scream this time. What a shame... [Sighs sadly] -

  The scene that followed was surreal-a young girl wielding a blade decapitated Lariel in a perfect horizontal cut.

  This strike, from behind Lariel, cut between his eyes and nose. He collapsed forward, heading toward the hole in the ceiling.

  His body quickly disappeared into the darkness, followed by the wide-eyed stare of his older brother, who watched from the other side of the ceiling's hole.

  As he saw his brother's body "swallowed" by the shadow within the church, Larel bared his teeth, his expression one of extreme vengeance.

  He focused on the cloaked figure, a girl whose hood concealed her eyes, who seemed to giggle in the most delicate and sweet way.

  [Larel - Murmuring, Impenitent] How dare you, you... YOU BITCH!!!! -

  This caused Larel to charge forward, releasing a pulse of wind with his movement, lifting him off the ground.

  He screamed in fury, his expression one of merciless anger, completely lost in his thirst for revenge.

  Thus began a sequence of extremely rapid attacks, creating the image of several incandescent blades cutting the air at a surreal speed, as two shadows seemed to fight above the church, where only Larel wielded his blade at that moment.

  The young girl, cloaked, did not return her essence blade to materialize, not once attacking with it again to fiercely strike Larel.

  Even with all his combat abilities and fencing techniques, not a single strike or cut from his blade managed to touch her.

  She seemed to dance throughout the entire battle, clearly superior, easily anticipating each of his attacks.

  Driven by an explosion of rage and the loss of rationality, Larel resorted to a decisive move, one that would affect a much larger area in all directions.

  He distanced himself slightly and spun on his own axis, causing a horizontal cut through the air in all directions.

  It seemed to traverse the entire ceiling of the church, cracking the air under the pressure of the silent and extremely fast cut.

  A pulse was launched in all directions, and Larel smiled, believing that he had successfully executed his strongest combat technique.

  But just as he thought he had returned to his combat stance, no longer crouched and looking down toward the ground, Larel heard, from above him, almost five meters above, the voice of the young girl, leaving him speechless.

  [Young Girl - Cheerful & Attentive] This combat technique is new to me, how interesting... [Soft, Pleasant Laugh] -

  Before the World in Microseconds

  Still Above the Church

  Gradually lifting his head to where that young girl would be, he gazed upward, seeing the world slow down through the lens of his own fear.

  The young girl floated with her black hood covering her head and body, revealing her face by gracefully pulling back the hood with one hand.

  The scene sent a shiver through Larel as he immediately recognized her - the long white hair like freshly fallen snow.

  Those eyes, so void of any humanity, seemed to stare into the very depths of his essence, once burning fiercely with rage.

  Now that fire began to grow steadily colder, overtaken by the creeping terror of standing in the presence of that twenty-year-old girl.

  She floated at the end of her movement, dissolving the blade of her essence once again into one of her hands.

  After she extended her arm to the side in a movement as soft and delicate as a ballerina's, her smile appeared - strange and terrifying all at once.

  Just as the Reginae intelligence reports had described that smiling young woman before him, he understood at last: he had no chance of resisting her.

  [(Larel - Fearful Mental Murmur) Oh no... Miss Viat?! (Deep, Horrified Breathing)]

  Thus, it was revealed that the previously mysterious girl was none other than Miss Viat? herself, who, even when alone, carried a presence so dense and imposing that it weighed heavily on the surroundings.

  It was a feeling one could only perceive once they knew who she truly was - and what she had already done in the past, even as a child. She was not just any skilled warrior; Viat? was one of the strongest renegades.

  Expelled personally from the Reginae faction's forces by Princess Nox herself.

  Viat? was nothing less than one of the ten greatest fighters of the new generation who, while still young, had already become an exceptional assassin.

  It had been far too easy for her to slip past patrols not nearly as well-trained as she had once been in her youth.

  In less than a single night of infiltration, she had already gotten dangerously close to breaching the inner kilometers of the old capital.

  Near the main entrance to Reginae's central underground base, hidden beneath the ruins of the ancient royal castle, now largely crumbled into decay.