Stormbarrier village

The morning sun bathed Requiem Prime in golden light as Eclipse Zero stood at the entrance of Hugo's mansion, preparing to leave.

Their gear was packed. Their mission was clear.

But before they could step away—

Reginald stood before them.

His ghostly form hovered just slightly above the ground, arms folded neatly behind his back, his glowing blue eyes fixated on Hugo.

The old butler sighed. "Master Hugo, if I may offer a single request…"

Hugo raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Reginald's expression didn't change.

"Try not to get yourself killed."

The group chuckled at the remark, but Hugo smirked slightly.

"You forget," he said, rolling his shoulders. "I'm immortal."

Reginald's gaze didn't waver.

"And you forget," he countered smoothly, "that another Cosmic Sword can kill you."

Hugo's smirk faded slightly.

For a moment, the weight of that truth settled in.

But then, he exhaled and nodded. "I'll be fine, Reginald."

"See that you are," Reginald responded, before turning toward the rest of the team. "And the rest of you—please keep him in check. He has a habit of overextending himself."

Darius grinned. "Oh, trust me, we know."

Lena stretched. "We'll drag him back in one piece."

Reginald sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of."

With that, Eclipse Zero turned and left, heading toward the Veilgate.

The city's Veilgate Terminal stood at the edge of Requiem Prime, a massive archway lined with glowing Arcana circuits.

Through its center, a swirling vortex of Arcana energy shimmered, waiting to transport travelers.

Two guards stood at the entrance, their armor gleaming in the morning light.

As Eclipse Zero approached, one of the guards stepped forward.

"State your business," he said, voice firm.

Before Hugo could respond, the other guard's eyes widened.

"Wait a second—you're Eclipse Zero!"

His partner blinked, glancing between them. "Eclipse… what now?"

The second guard's face lit up with excitement. "They're the special forces unit the Chancellor just approved! These guys took down a Dominion base!"

The first guard straightened slightly, clearly more interested now.

He looked at Hugo.

"Is that true?"

Hugo simply nodded. "We're heading to Stormbarrier Village for our next mission."

The first guard, now looking more respectful, stepped aside. "Understood. You're clear to go."

The second guard grinned. "Man, I wish I could see you guys in action."

Darius smirked. "Eh, stick around. We might make history."

With that, the team stepped through the Veilgate's shimmering portal—

And vanished.

Their journey to Stormbarrier Village had begun.

Eclipse Zero stepped through the Veilgate, the rush of Arcana energy fading as their feet touched solid ground once more.

Before them stretched Stormbarrier Village, nestled between towering cliffs, its skyline dominated by blacksmith forges spewing out thick trails of smoke. The rhythmic clang of hammers against steel filled the air, blending with the distant roar of Arcana-powered furnaces.

But before they could take in the full sight—

"Lena?! Ethan?!"

A young voice rang out.

A boy, no older than ten, stood frozen in the village square, his wide eyes locked onto the two siblings.

In an instant, he turned and shouted to the village.

"They're back! Lena and Ethan are back!"

The reaction was immediate.

Villagers stopped what they were doing. Blacksmiths lowered their tools, merchants peeked out from their stalls, and within moments, a crowd formed around them.

An elderly woman stepped forward, eyes filled with concern. "Lena… Ethan… Have you found your father?"

The excitement in the air dimmed for a moment. The villagers' faces reflected years of worry—hope mixed with fear.

Lena's hands clenched slightly. Ethan, usually quick to speak, hesitated.

Before either of them could respond—

"Wait… that sword…"

One of the villagers pointed directly at Cosmos, resting against Hugo's back.

The red and blue edges shimmered faintly in the sunlight, a stark contrast against the dark leather of Hugo's coat.

Then—Cosmos hummed.

"A quaint little village," the sword mused aloud, its voice smooth and effortless. "Tell me, Hugo, do you intend to forge a new blade here? I'd personally advise against it—no weapon surpasses me, after all."

The crowd froze.

Then—

A loud gasp.

A middle-aged blacksmith's eyes widened in realization. His voice boomed across the village.

"THAT'S COSMOS! THAT'S THE HERO OF THE ECLIPSE!"

The entire crowd shifted.

Their eyes darted from the glowing sword to the white-haired man holding it.

And then—chaos erupted.

"HOLY ARCANA, IT'S HIM!""The real Hero of the Eclipse?!""He's alive?! He's here in Stormbarrier?!""I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY YOU!"

The crowd exploded into excitement, swarming toward Hugo like a tidal wave of enthusiasm.

Several villagers immediately started fanboying and fangirling—just like Ethan had when they first met.

A younger blacksmith in his twenties grabbed his friend by the shoulders, practically vibrating with excitement. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS?! THE ACTUAL LEGENDARY HERO OF THE ECLIPSE IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!"

Another man wiped his eyes, overwhelmed. "I read every book about him! The battle against the Titans! The Perfect Life Form War! The Eclipse Requiem! AHHH!"

A woman clutched her heart. "I named my first son after you!"

Hugo… said nothing.

His expression remained blank as the wave of admiration crashed over him.

Darius grinned. "Well, well, Boss. Looks like your fan club just tripled."

Lena and Ethan, despite the earlier tension, couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

And the rest of Eclipse Zero?

They felt a strange nostalgia.

They had all grown up hearing stories about the Hero of the Eclipse.

How he single-handedly turned the tides of the Eclipse War. How he wielded the only sword capable of balancing light and dark. How he vanished without a trace, becoming more myth than man.

And now—he was standing right beside them.

Not a legend. Not a story.

A real person.

And yet—nothing had changed.

They still fought alongside him, just as the heroes of old had.

And for a moment… it felt like history was repeating itself.

The excitement only escalated from there.

A teenage boy rushed forward, clutching a worn-out storybook with Hugo's name boldly printed across the cover.

"I— I NEED YOU TO SIGN THIS!" he practically shouted, his hands trembling as he held it up.

Before Hugo could even react, more villagers piled in.

Books. Scrolls. Comics.

Dozens—no, hundreds of them, all featuring him.

A woman pulled out an illustrated comic book, its cover depicting a highly exaggerated version of Hugo standing on a mountain of defeated enemies, his glowing sword raised toward the sky.

"Please, Hero! Sign my Eclipse Requiem Chronicles Volume 7!" she begged.

Another blacksmith, a burly man twice Hugo's size, practically shoved a gold-plated hardcover in front of him.

"I read The Hero's Eclipse at least twenty times!" he boomed. "It got me through my first forge apprenticeship! You gotta sign it!"

Then—

A little girl, barely seven, shyly stepped forward and held up a small, hand-drawn picture of Hugo and Cosmos.

She looked up at him with big, hopeful eyes.

"…Can you sign mine too?"

Hugo… blinked.

He stared at the mountain of books, scrolls, and comics stacking up in front of him, the entire village eagerly waiting for his autograph.

Darius whistled. "Damn, Boss. I think you just became more famous than the Chancellor."

Ethan was visibly struggling not to laugh. "Oh, this is exactly how I reacted when I met you."

Stella crossed her arms, smirking. "This is what you get for disappearing for a thousand years."

Lena leaned toward Hugo, grinning. "So… you gonna start signing, or do I have to forge your signature for you?"

Hugo sighed.

He reached out—grabbed the first book—and with his usual blank expression…

Started signing.

As Hugo signed book after book, a strange feeling crept up on him.

At first, the sheer amount of fanboying and fangirling had been nothing short of overwhelming.

But then—

A memory surfaced.

A thousand years ago.

A village—not too different from this one—celebrating their liberation.

Hugo, Xander, and Mina stood at the center of the town square, surrounded by grateful people, cheering for their heroes.

"HERO OF THE ECLIPSE!" they had chanted.

Villagers had shoved books, letters, even crude sketches in front of them, begging for autographs, stories, anything to prove that they had truly met the legends.

Hugo had loved it.

So had Xander.

"I swear, Hugo," Xander had chuckled, grinning ear to ear as he scrawled his name across a kid's wooden sword. "At this rate, we should start charging for these."

Mina had rolled her eyes, arms crossed, but there had been a warmth in her expression. "You two are insufferable."

But Hugo had smirked back then, too.

Because in that moment, they were just heroes.

Not soldiers. Not warriors fighting an endless war.

Just three people, enjoying the moment.

The memory faded.

Hugo blinked, the weight of the past fading into the present.

The Stormbarrier villagers still surrounded him, beaming with admiration, their excitement so pure, so real.

And before he could stop himself—

He smirked.

Just for a moment.

Lena caught it immediately.

"Oh?" she teased, nudging Ethan. "Did Hugo just smirk?"

Ethan grinned. "I told you he likes the attention!"

Darius snickered. "Bet he had a whole fan club back in the day."

Hugo exhaled, shaking his head.

"…I did," he muttered under his breath.

The group paused.

"…Wait, you what?" Stella blinked.

Hugo didn't elaborate.

Instead, he simply kept signing.

For the first time in a long while—

The spotlight didn't feel so bad.