The town was old, but the landscape was something else. It looked like the world had grown around the houses instead of the other way around. These weren't just shacks; the wooden structures were built with a precision that felt slightly off, held together by spirit magic that kept the beams from rotting or sagging under the mountain humidity. Everyone here wore the same deep red, a thick-threaded cloth that matched the marks on their skin. They called this place Ouroboros. It was a ghost town, a pocket of history that technically didn't exist to the rest of the world.
The Elder was a noble who had discovered this patch of land while fleeing with his family during the Fourth War. That was ninety years ago. He'd managed to pull a few Vermilions out of the fire back then, and their descendants were the ones staring at Renji now.
Renji followed the girl through the center of the village. The air was thick with the smell of woodsmoke and cold stone. The citizens didn't wave. They watched with eyes as cold as the mountain peaks, whispering behind their hands about the outsider following the Elder's granddaughter. They stayed quiet out of respect for her, but the tension was a physical pressure against Renji's skin.
"Umm..." Renji started. He realized he didn't even have a name for her. How was she this calm? Most people would have bolted the second they saw a bleeding man with blue hair in the woods.
She turned around before he could finish. "Liora," she said.
Renji blinked. He hadn't asked. He nodded, trying to steer his brain back toward the Aeterians and the one name that mattered: the Abyss Lord.
"Who is the Abyss Lord?" Liora asked. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked him right in the face.
Renji froze. The question was a physical shock. He'd been rehearsing how to bring it up for miles, and she'd just plucked it out of his skull like a loose thread.
"Did you... did you just read my mind?"
Liora smiled. It wasn't a malicious look; it was pure pride. "Some of us got gifts from the ancestors. Mine is hearing the noise behind people's eyes. I know enough about you to know you need help. That's why you're here."
Renji felt exposed. It was a strange, electrifying sensation to realize his internal monologue was basically a public broadcast. He thought a compliment about the gift, and she thanked him before he could speak. It was efficient, but it meant he had to be careful about what he let surface.
They walked for a few more minutes toward the center of the valley.
"You mentioned him again," she said, her voice dropping. "This Lord. Who is he?"
Renji took a long breath. The hatred came back—that heavy, dark weight in his gut. He thought about his family, about leaving them to Itosai and returning to find nothing but silence.
"He's one of the heavenly lords," Renji said. "He's been dead for centuries, at least on paper. But his bloodline is Aeterian. It's still out there."
Liora knew more than she let on. Spending a decade with a grandfather who had lived through a century of war meant she'd spent a lot of time with old books.
"Aeterians have three lords," she explained. "Aethelgard, Ignis, and Veridia. The history books say we all lived together once. Color didn't matter. Then the conflict started, the lords split, and they divided us by the pigment of our skin and the frequency of our magic."
"So where are they now?"
Liora sighed. It was a heavy sound for a kid. "I read a book a few months back. It claimed that after the Fourth War—the one against the ninth generation of the Demon Leaf—the lords sacrificed their physical forms to seal the Aeterian portals. They did it to keep the demons out. But it feels like a lie."
Renji nodded. "It doesn't add up. Why burn your life just to close a door? They're hidden. Or they're seeking the Laws of Heavenly Tribulation to transcend. They aren't dead."
They finally reached the heart of the town. A small mountain floated a few dozen feet off the ground, held up by a hum of static energy. Water spilled off the edges, falling into a pool below. A series of wooden stairs and platforms climbed the side of the floating rock, leading to a cluster of beautiful, organized buildings. Guards stood at the base, their posture stiff.
"There. That's my grandpa's place. He'll have your answers."
Renji felt a rare spark of something like hope. "Thank you, Liora."
The guards moved to block the stairs as they approached, their eyes flicking to Renji's torn clothes and blue hair.
"He's with me," Liora snapped.
The spears shifted. They let him pass, but Renji could feel the killing intent coming off them. These weren't the soft citizens from the market. These were Vermilions of the Strength Division. Their bodies were built for impact.
Inside the main hall, about ten people were moving around—the Elder's extended family. They whispered as Renji passed, some of the women noting how handsome he was despite the dirt and blood. At the far end of the hall, on a throne of aged gold, sat the Elder. He was deep in conversation with a few other old men.
"Grandpa!" Liora ran ahead, throwing her arms around the old man.
The Elder's face softened for a second, then his gaze shifted to Renji. He stood up abruptly. The air in the room grew heavy, a black and white aura flickering around his shoulders like a warning.
"Why is there an outsider in my home?" the Elder barked.
Liora stepped between them. "I found him in the forest. Trust me, Grandpa. He's different. He's lost a lot, and he isn't like the others."
The Elder didn't look convinced. His eyes remained narrowed, his hand hovering near the hilt of a blade at his side. "I trust you, Liora. But an outsider is a threat to everyone here."
"Please. Just this once. Do it for me."
The Elder exhaled, the tension in his shoulders dropping just an inch. He sat back down. "Fine. What is this favor?"
Liora cleared her throat and looked at the circle of old men. "He needs answers. Grandpa, have you ever heard of a lord called the Abyss Lord?"
The room went dead silent. The other elders stood up at once, their faces pale.
"The Abyss Lord?" they repeated in a jagged, terrified unison.