The Request

Flameheart Territory

The scene shifts to the Flameheart mansion. Servants and knights bustle about, maintaining the estate. Inside the grand study, Xavier Flameheart, the head of the family, reviews documents while his assistant, Dmitri, stands by.

"Dmitri, how is the situation in that area?" Xavier inquires, his eyes never leaving the papers.

"It's quite bad, sir. The bandits have been causing significant trouble for the people there. The local landlord hasn't taken any action."

"I see. And what about him? I heard he adopted another son recently."

"Yes, sir. About that—"

[BUMP]

The door slams open, and a disheveled Alexander barges in. "Xavier, I need your help!"

"Guard!" Dmitri calls out, but Xavier raises a hand, signaling them to hold back.

"After years of disappearing, this is how you greet me, Alexander?" Xavier's voice is calm but laced with underlying tension.

Alexander struggles to maintain his composure. "My son... he's gone."

"Seems Hekal is already in his rebellious phase, like his father," Xavier remarks with a hint of sarcasm.

"I mean my second son, Harith."

"The adopted kid? Are you sure he didn't just run away?"

"We found this in the woods," Alexander says, showing a sling bag riddled with bullet holes, covered in blood and mud, along with several bullet shells. The sight shocks everyone in the room.

"What do you want me to do, then?" Xavier asks.

"I need you to deploy your knights to search for him. He might still be alive. Please, for old times' sake, Xave," Alexander pleads.

"How dare you address the head of the Flameheart family so casually," Dmitri interjects angrily.

"Hold on, Dmitri," Xavier says, considering Alexander's plea. "Alex, I know you're desperate for help, but you—a traitor—are requesting me to deploy my knights to find a boy whose survival is uncertain?"

"Fine," Xavier concedes after a moment of silence. "Are you sure he's still alive? There are a lot of rounds here."

"Yes, after all, it belongs to him," Alexander replies, leaving the room with Xavier and everyone else in suspense.

The Temple

At a distant temple, the Archbishops and other clergy work frantically to repair a cracked sphere.

"Hurry, bring it here!" an elder commands.

A young girl carrying a divine artifact rushes towards them. "Almost... I made it!"

As she nears, she slips, and the bottle shatters on the ground. "No, the divine water!"

"FOOL! YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!" the elder roars.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall," the girl sobs, trembling.

The celestial beings struggle to fix the sphere as the cracks widen. In the woods, Harith's lifeless body lies while a dark creature relentlessly stabs a divine wall, trying to break through for two days straight.

"ARGH! COME ON! IT TOOK ME DAYS, YOU RASCAL!" the creature roars, using its power to seek out the source of interference. "Ah, I see you."

The girl, terrified, sees the creature's reflection in a mirror. "I'm coming for you, celestial," the creature hisses.

The sphere's surface is entirely cracked, and the creature gives a final blow. The scene shifts to a girl in a distant room, crying over her punishment for stealing.

The Awakening

In the woods, the creature gives a last, dramatic strike to the divine wall.

"it futile"

[SCRAAAAACK]

The sphere shatters, releasing a dark red energy. A red beacon shoots into the sky, reminiscent of the First Armageddon.

"YEAH, FINALLY!" the creature exclaims.

In an unknown location, a group of armored, red-eyed Aetherians—the surviving Voidtheris—witnesses the beacon. "The time has come," one of them says.

The scene returns to the girl in her room. She stops crying, captivated by the beacon's beauty. Wiping her tears, she resolves to face whatever life throws at her.

Back in the woods, the creature is about to leave but turns back with a final word. "The time has come. I hope you know what you're planning."

The creature uses its art on Harith's body. A glowing orb emerges from the formation, noticing Harith's corpse and entering it. Harith's wounds heal, and his eyes open. The body stands up.

A random bandit enters the cave, looking to loot. "Ah, a gun, jackpot—" His hand is sliced off.

"Keep your filthy hands off my gun," Harith mutters, his voice cold and detached. The bandit tries to scream, but Harith silences him with dark magic, slicing his throat.

"Ugh, UHUK," Harith coughs, freshly revived. He remembers fragments of his identity, his expressionless eyes scanning the surroundings. Alone with the corpses, he mutters, "Hobs... I'm sorry. It's my fault."

He releases dark energy from his palm. "That bastard did this. I'll make sure he pays."

At dawn, Harith buries the bodies and begins his journey anew, driven by vengeance and the dark power coursing through him