The air fractured first.
Not with sound—but with absence.
Mana recoiled as if instinct itself had learned fear.
Lunareth was the first to feel it.
Her pupils constricted, silver mana flaring instinctively around her body as she slowly turned toward the distortion ahead. The ground beneath her boots darkened, frost-like cracks spreading outward—not from cold, but from pressure.
"…She's here," Lunareth whispered.
From the torn veil of space, something stepped through.
A figure cloaked in flowing black and deep violet layers, as though night itself had been tailored into garments. The fabric seemed half-real, edges fraying into starlike motes that drifted and vanished before touching the ground. A long, tattered mantle flowed behind her, constantly dissolving and reforming, as if reality struggled to decide whether it was allowed to exist.
Her face was hidden beneath a deep hood.
Yet within the darkness—
two soft, violet lights gazed outward.
Eyes without pupils.
Eyes without warmth.
Around her neck, a crystalline core glowed faintly purple, pulsing like a second heart. Chains of arcane metal and sigils wrapped elegantly around her waist and chest—not restraints, but ornaments, each humming with ancient authority.
She did not radiate killing intent.
She radiated inevitability.
Lunareth took a single step forward, her voice steady—but heavy.
"…Ithryne."
The name itself made mana tremble.
Kaelith's eyes widened. "Ithryne? That name—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because the Primordial tilted her head.
Slowly.
As if acknowledging a memory she had long since discarded.
"So," the hooded figure spoke, her voice layered—soft, distant, yet echoing as if spoken by countless throats across time.
"You still remember me… Lunareth."
The moment her voice settled, pressure crashed down.
Lunareth's cloak snapped violently behind her as she braced herself.
"I remember enough," Lunareth replied coldly. "Enough to know you shouldn't be here."
A faint, amused hum escaped the Primordial.
"Last time," Ithryne continued, taking one step closer, "I merely took your position."
Her eyes flared brighter.
"This time—"
Her mana surged like a collapsing star.
"—I will take everything."
She moved.
Not fast.
Not slow.
She simply was suddenly in front of Lunareth.
A hand of void-tinted mana lashed out—
"—Enough."
BOOM.
Elaryn appeared behind the Primordial in a burst of radiant distortion, her blade already descending.
"You're far weaker than you pretend," Elaryn said sharply. "Primordial or not."
At the same instant—
Kaelith vanished.
Space rippled.
He reappeared directly before Ithryne, weapon leveled, eyes blazing with challenge.
"If you can take everything," Kaelith said calmly,
"then do it."
For the first time—
The Primordial paused.
Her glowing eyes shifted between them.
Then—
She dissolved.
No explosion.
No retreat.
Her form unraveled into fragments of light, pulled violently into a summoning seal that snapped shut with a sharp crack.
Silence followed.
Mana slowly stabilized.
Lunareth exhaled sharply and turned toward Kaelith.
"Why did you interfere?"
Kaelith sheathed his weapon without hesitation.
"Because you're my teammate," he replied simply.
"And Reeve told me to take care of everyone."
Nerisse stepped closer, placing a gentle hand on Lunareth's shoulder, smiling softly.
"You're part of the Eclipse Collectors," she said.
"And you always run toward danger to save others."
Her smile deepened.
"So don't act surprised when we do the same for you."
---
Scene Shift
Reeve laughed.
A rare, unguarded sound.
He sat on the grass, casually playing with a small girl who tugged at his sleeve while a woman stood nearby—her crimson eyes watching calmly, a faint smile on her lips.
Tsukiyra appeared silently.
"…Who are they?" she asked.
Reeve glanced up.
"That woman is the Vampire Queen," he said.
"As for the girl…" he scratched his head.
"I honestly don't know what her relationship with the queen is."
---
Nightfall
Under an open sky, Reeve stood alone.
Nyx hovered beside him, her form flickering like shadowed starlight.
"What should I do next?" Reeve asked quietly.
Nyx's voice was gentle—but firm.
"Build a new kingdom," she said.
"One where every race can live."
She paused.
"And if you plan to kill the Demon King—do it first."
Reeve frowned.
"Why?"
Nyx's eyes darkened.
"Because if he learns you intend to create such a kingdom…"
"…he will destroy it before it ever exists."
The wind passed softly through the grass.
Reeve looked toward the horizon.
"…Then I'll choose carefully."
Nyx smiled faintly.
"And that," she whispered,
"is why the world is already changing."