Thunder cracked across the sky like a warning from the gods.
Rain pounded the earth in unrelenting fury, blurring the line between heaven and hell.
Raymond stood in the middle of it all — drenched, fists clenched, his black turtleneck shirt clinging to every defined muscle of his frame. Water streamed down his face, mixing with the heat of his rage. His chest rose and fell in sharp, controlled breaths.
"Nagato!" His voice tore through the storm — deep, commanding, and angry enough to shake the earth beneath him.
A faint chuckle answered from the shadows.
Then,... lightning.
A flash illuminated a figure a few feet away, standing atop the cracked concrete like he owned the night.
Nagato.
That wicked, beautiful grin painted across his face — the kind that made darkness itself lean closer.
"Still dramatic as ever, brother," Nagato drawled, spreading his arms wide as if welcoming the rain.
"Tell me—did you miss me?"
Raymond's jaw tightened. In a blink, he was gone — the air where he stood cracked with energy and before Nagato could move, Raymond's hand was around his throat, lifting him off the ground.
"Why?" Raymond's voice was a growl. "Why send Ba-hal to my territory?"
Nagato's grin faltered for a second before returning, sly and unbothered. "Tsk, tsk... always straight to anger. You never did learn patience."
"Answer me!" Raymond's grip tightened. His eyes glowed an unnatural shade — a deep, demonic crimson that sliced through the night.
Nagato laughed, the sound low and dangerous, even as lightning arced around them. "Alright, alright—" he coughed, his voice hoarse yet playful. "You need an explanation… but you'll have to let me breathe first."
Reluctantly, Raymond released him. Nagato landed lightly on his feet, rolling his neck with an audible crack.
"You've changed," Nagato said, brushing water from his hair. "This human world… it's softening you."
"Watch your mouth."
"Oh, I will," Nagato said with a devilish smirk. "But I'm not wrong, am I? That girl,....the one you're protecting, she's blinding you. You think she's harmless?"
Raymond's eyes narrowed. "Don't say her name."
Nagato's grin stretched wider, sharp canines flashing like knives. "Oh, I won't. But she's powerful, brother. More than you know. And if you don't wake up…"
He took a slow step closer, voice dropping to a whisper.
"She'll be your downfall."
A violent gust of wind roared through them, tearing branches from the trees. The sky darkened unnaturally, thunder rolling like the growl of an angry god.
Raymond's fists burned faintly with dark energy — his control slipping. "You think you know everything, Nagato. You don't."
"Oh, I know enough."
Nagato raised his palm — a dark portal swirled open beside them, sucking in rain and debris. The air turned electric.
"Come with me. Let me show you what your precious human really is."
Raymond hesitated, every instinct in him screaming not to trust his brother.
But there was something in Nagato's eyes — a flicker of genuine concern buried beneath the mockery.
He looked toward the storm, then back at the portal. His voice was low, controlled.
"This better not be one of your games."
Nagato smiled faintly. "Oh, it isn't a game, brother. It's a revelation."
And with that, they both stepped into the darkness — the storm swallowing them whole.
_ _ _
As Raymond and Nagato stepped into the portal, the darkness enveloped them, swirling with colorful, ethereal souls that danced around their figures. Raymond's eyes narrowed as he turned to Nagato, the tension palpable in the air.
"Where does this lead us?" Raymond demanded, his voice echoing in the void.
Nagato's smirk was as unnerving as ever. "Just follow me, brother. The answers lie ahead."
Raymond clenched his fists, ready to strike, but he paused as Nagato continued, "No need for violence here. This place… it's more than just a portal. It's a reflection of our true selves."
As they walked deeper, the swirling souls seemed to whisper secrets, their colors shifting and blending. Raymond's eyes flickered with determination.
"Are you sure we're ready for this?" Raymond asked, his voice low.
Nagato's eyes glinted with a hint of seriousness. "It's time for you to see beyond the surface, to understand the true nature of our world."
Raymond's gaze hardened, but he nodded, knowing that the journey ahead would reveal more than just answers — it would uncover hidden truths.
Meanwhile, back in the human world, Amara tossed restlessly in her bed, her body shifting back and forth as if caught in a dream. A sudden thunderclap resonated through the room, and a bolt of lightning seemed to strike her, jolting her awake. Her eyes flickered open, wide and unblinking, as if forced to see beyond the ordinary.
In that moment, different dimensions and alternate realities flashed before her eyes, some rushing by at breakneck speed, others unfolding slowly. It was as if the universe itself was searching, scanning for the right dimension to reveal its truths to her. Eventually, the right reality settled in, and Amara found herself immersed in a vivid, otherworldly vision, as if the secrets of the cosmos were unfolding just for her…..
As Amara's mind tried to make sense of the unfolding universe, her eyes widened in astonishment. She looked down at her hand, questioning its transparency. Confusion took hold as she whispered, "Where am I? What's happening?"
The eerie silence enveloped her, and she shouted out, "What is this place? Is it a prison?" Her voice echoed, amplifying her uncertainty.
And with that, the scene fades, leaving Amara lost in the mystery.
"Am I dead?"...
* Throne of Lotháír *
The darkness inside the portal shifted.
What began as an endless tunnel of swirling souls suddenly thickened—colors slowing, stretching, pulling backward as if time itself was resisting their steps.
Nagato stopped first.
Raymond almost bumped into him.
"Why are we stopping?" he asked, eyes narrowing at the way Nagato's shoulders stiffened.
Nagato didn't turn.
His voice dropped low.
"We're here."
The space around them cracked open like glass struck by a hammer—fracturing into countless floating shards. Through each shard flashed a different world, a different timeline, a different fate. Screams whispered from some, lullabies from others.
Raymond swallowed.
He had seen horrors, he had seen demons…
But this? This was the in-between. The forbidden passage.
A single path formed under their feet, made of obsidian stone and lit from beneath by pulsing white veins that looked disturbingly like souls.
Raymond exhaled.
"This feels… wrong."
Nagato smirked over his shoulder.
"Everything about Lotháir feels wrong."
The crackling shards finally burst open—revealing a colossal throne room suspended in nothingness. Massive pillars floated freely, chained by glowing sigils. Everything here refused the laws of gravity.
And on the throne—
He sat.
Lotháir.
Ancient. Unbending.
A creature sculpted from moonlight and shadow.
His long white-silver hair drifted like it was underwater.
His skin glowed faintly, cracked with celestial markings.
His eyes—cold, molten gold—lifted slowly as the two approached.
The book rested across his lap.
A thick, blackened tome sealed with living chains.
The Book of Professors.
Stolen. Forbidden.
And very much awake.
It growled the moment it sensed Raymond.
Lotháir's voice echoed without him moving his lips—
both a whisper and a thunderstrike:
"Rai'Ven of the Infernal Line… you walk boldly into my dominion."
Raymond flinched.
No one called him that.
Not since…
Nagato stepped forward, bowing slightly.
"Lotháir, we seek your guidance—"
Golden eyes snapped to him.
"I did not summon you, Moonbreaker.
I summoned him."
Raymond stiffened.
His fists clenched.
Nagato glanced at Raymond, silently warning him:
be careful.
Raymond forced his voice steady.
"Then say what you dragged me through realms to hear."
Lotháir slowly rose to his feet.
When he stood, the entire realm trembled.
Chains rattled.
Souls wailed.
Light bent away from him.
He stepped down from his floating throne—each footstep creating ripples in the void.
"You carry a scent," Lotháir said, circling Raymond like a predator studying a new species.
"A presence that should not exist."
Raymond's brows pulled together.
"What presence?"
Lotháir stopped in front of him.
His voice deepened, ancient power rolling through the air:
"A mortal girl… has tethered herself to your fate."
Raymond's chest tightened—
Amara.
His mind flashed to her sleeping form, to the moment he kissed her forehead, to the promise he breathed to her father.
Lotháir's lips curled faintly.
"Ah. So you do care."
"That's none of your business," Raymond growled.
Lotháir lifted a hand.
The Book of Professors snapped open by itself—pages flipping violently, ink shifting like rivers.
Suddenly, the book projected a blinding white sigil into the air.
A sigil Raymond recognized.
Because it was the same one that had pulsed on Amara's chest in her sleep.
Lotháir leaned in.
"She is awakening, Rai'Ven
Her soul… her lineage… her power."
Raymond's voice cracked:
"What do you mean?"
Lotháir's eyes flashed pure gold.
"She is not human."
The whole realm shook with the force of the revelation.
Raymond froze.
Nagato's head whipped toward him.
Lotháir closed the book with a thunderous snap.
"Bring her to me… before her misaligned awakening destroys your world."
Raymond stepped back, instincts flaring.
"You're not touching her."
Lotháir's smile was slow, cold, dangerous.
"Then pray, Rai'Ven…
that you can protect her from herself."