Day 14: Six Days Before the Ceremony Ends
Scene 1: Golden Crest Squad Mission Briefing – Morning
[Inside the Academy war room, Zeru stands with Daiki, Nara, Rei, and Tama in front of a mission crystal. Headmaster Lysia and Commander Varo (a tall, scarred war veteran) lead the briefing.]
Commander Varo:
"Three hours ago, one of our eastern watchposts went dark. No flare signal. No survivors. But the land isn't destroyed — it's emptied."
[He taps the crystal. A 3D illusion shows a perfectly intact outpost… completely lifeless.]
Lysia:
"You five are being dispatched on a recon-retrieval. Minimal magic use. Your goal: discover what happened… and return alive."
Daiki:
"That's not a training op."
Zeru:
"No. It's a warning."
Scene 2: Eastern Ridge Forest – Midday
[Golden Crest arrives at the site. The air is unnaturally still. Trees sway, but no animals stir. The watchpost looms in silence.]
Tama (muttering):
"Creepy. Even the wind sounds… wrong."
Nara:
"No blood. No burn marks. It's like they were pulled out of the world."
Zeru (touching the wall):
"…There's mana residue. But not natural."
[Suddenly, a black slash opens in the air behind them — a Void Rift. Out steps a Nullborn — humanoid, but twitching, with warped spirit energy leaking from its joints.]
Rei:
"Enemy contact—!"
Scene 3: First Combat – Golden Crest vs. Nullborn Raider
[Daiki charges first, swinging his spirit glaive. The Nullborn warps space, phasing through the strike.]
Daiki:
"What the—?!"
Nara:
"Fast and intangible? Great!"
[Rei fires radiant arrows to pin it down. Tama drops a gravity field to slow the Rift's pull. Zeru readies his blade.]
Zeru:
"…Let's see if Phoenix flame sticks to shadows."
Zeru:
"Ashwing Talon – Flame Arc!"
[He slashes mid-air — the fire doesn't aim for the Nullborn directly, but surrounds it in a spiral, then detonates inward. The Nullborn screeches, smoke trailing from its body.]
Rei:
"That hurt it. It can burn."
Scene 4: Aftermath – Partial Victory
[The Nullborn flees through the Rift, but leaves behind a black sigil etched into the wall of the outpost. Nara touches it. Her hand recoils instantly.]
Nara:
"Cold. Like… soul-deep cold."
Zeru:
"They're not here to destroy. They're marking something."
[A glyph begins glowing under Zeru's boot. He jumps back as the ground explodes upward — it's a trap seal left behind to destabilize magic fields.]
Rei (grabbing him):
"Fall back! It's not over!"
Scene 5: Academy War Room – Night
[The team reports back. Lysia looks grim. Varo scowls at the sigil.]
Commander Varo:
"That's a Nullborn Warbrand. A precursor to an invasion — they're staking claims. Like wolves marking territory."
Lysia:
"And they chose a location too close to our Ceremony Grounds. They want us to gather in one place."
[She looks at Zeru.]
Lysia:
"Your presence may have accelerated their plan."
Final Panel:
[Cut to the masked figure again, holding a crystal with the same Warbrand symbol. Around them, five new Nullborn vessels stand ready, each with a broken spirit weapon fused into their arms.]
Masked Figure:
"Six days left. We'll show them what happens when spirit and shadow combine."