The first mission

Hugo leaned back slightly, letting out a small breath as he continued the story.

"After Mina forced me and Xander into an alliance, she didn't waste any time putting us to work. Our first mission together? Breaking into a Genesis Order facility."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Genesis Order? Aren't they one of the Five Great Nations?"

Hugo nodded. "Yeah. Back then, they were one of the biggest research hubs under the Perfect Life Forms. And they weren't just studying Arcana—they were experimenting with it."

Ethan crossed his arms. "I've heard the stories. They created living weapons, twisted abominations—things that shouldn't exist."

Hugo's expression darkened. "Exactly. And our job? Free the ones they were keeping locked away."

Nathan leaned forward, intrigued. "So, what happened?"

Hugo smirked. "We met Reginald."

Silence.

Nathan blinked in confusion. "Wait… who?"

The rest of Eclipse Zero immediately burst into laughter.

Lena wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh my god, Nathan doesn't know."

Darius snickered. "This is amazing."

Iris chuckled smugly. "The poor kid has no idea."

Nathan looked around, completely lost. "Wait, wait, what?! Who the hell is Reginald?"

Hugo sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. "Guess I never told you. Reginald is my ghost butler."

Nathan stared.

"…Your what?"

Lena grinned. "His ghost butler. You know, the one that takes care of his mansion?"

Nathan's eyes widened even more. "Wait—you have a mansion?!"

Eclipse Zero erupted into laughter again.

Nathan looked around, completely betrayed. "And you all knew?!"

Ethan nodded. "Oh yeah. Reginald's great."

Darius smirked. "The best ghost butler in history."

Nathan threw his hands in the air. "So let me get this straight—Hugo, the guy who eats ramen like it's a religion, has a mansion with a ghost butler?!"

Iris sipped her tea calmly. "Sounds about right."

Nathan groaned, slumping into his chair. "I've been traveling with you for this long and I'm only learning this now?!"

Hugo chuckled. "You never asked."

Nathan shot him a deadpan look. "Because who randomly assumes someone has a ghost butler!?"

The group laughed even harder.

After a moment, Nathan sighed, still baffled. "Okay… so how the hell did you meet Reginald?"

Hugo smirked, finally getting back on track.

The air was cold and sterile, the dimly lit hallways of the Genesis Order research facility filled with the distant hum of machinery.

Hugo, Xander, and Mina moved silently through the corridors, dodging patrolling guards as they worked their way deeper into the facility.

"Where are they keeping the test subjects?" Hugo whispered.

Mina scanned the area. "Should be in the restricted wing—past the security checkpoint."

Xander, ever focused, tapped his blade's hilt. "Then let's move."

They made their way forward, avoiding detection until they reached a large containment chamber. Inside, a series of glass tubes stood in rows, filled with strange Arcana-infused fluids.

Mina's face twisted in horror. "Gods… these are people."

Xander stepped closer. "No… not just people." He pointed at one of the chambers. "They're already dead."

Hugo's eyes narrowed. "Then why keep them here?"

Then—one of the tubes shattered.

A swirling spectral energy emerged from the broken chamber, reforming into the figure of a well-dressed man. His ghostly form flickered slightly, but his polished suit and refined expression remained intact.

He adjusted his monocle, giving them a calm, gentlemanly nod.

"Ah, finally," he said smoothly. "Took you long enough."

Hugo, Xander, and Mina stared.

"…Who the hell are you?" Hugo asked.

The ghost bowed elegantly. "Reginald, at your service. Former butler of House Caelum, current unfortunate test subject of the Genesis Order."

Xander's expression barely changed. "…He's dead."

Reginald sighed. "Yes, I'm quite aware."

Hugo blinked. "So… you're a ghost?"

Reginald smirked. "If you wish to be blunt, yes."

Mina shook off her shock quickly. "You said we 'took long enough'—what do you mean?"

Reginald adjusted his cuffs. "Because I knew someone would come eventually. The Genesis Order sought to bind my spirit into one of their Arcana experiments. But I refused to be some lab rat. And now, here you are—my ticket out."

Hugo crossed his arms. "And what do we get out of helping you?"

Reginald smirked. "Well, my dear boy, I happen to know the layout of this facility perfectly. If you want to free these poor souls and escape undetected, you need me."

Mina glanced at Hugo. "He's got a point."

Xander sighed. "This is ridiculous."

Hugo grinned. "Yeah… but I like him."

And that was how Reginald, the ghostly butler, became part of their team.

Nathan shook his head, still struggling to process everything.

"So let me get this straight," Nathan said slowly. "You rescued a ghost from a secret lab… and then he just became your butler?"

Hugo smirked. "More or less."

Nathan rubbed his temples. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever heard."

Lena grinned. "Oh, trust me. It gets better."

Hugo stretched. "That was only the beginning. With Reginald's help, we broke out every single test subject that night."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "And then what?"

Hugo's smirk faded slightly, his expression growing more serious.

"…Then we realized that fighting alone wasn't enough. We needed something bigger."

He exhaled, eyes sharp.

"That night was when we truly formed Eclipse Requiem."

The room fell silent.

Because from that point on—Hugo, Xander, and Mina were no longer just rebels.

They were something more.

They had started a revolution.

The room remained silent as Hugo continued his story. His gaze was distant, locked onto memories buried beneath a thousand years of time.

"The name Eclipse in Eclipse Requiem—it came from me. From Eclipse Mode."

Nathan sat up straighter. "So, you showed them Eclipse Mode?"

Hugo nodded slowly. "It wasn't planned. It was… necessary."

The air crackled with Arcana energy, the ground littered with debris and fallen warriors.

Hugo, Xander, and Mina stood in the center of a burning village, surrounded by the forces of the Perfect Life Forms and their human enforcers. The enemy outnumbered them twenty to one—a fight they had no chance of winning.

Xander, gripping his blade tightly, exhaled. "We're not getting out of this one."

Mina, blood staining her coat, clenched her fists. "We have to."

Hugo remained silent, staring down their enemies with an unreadable expression.

Then—he made his choice.

He reached for Cosmos and called out.

"Cosmos!"

The blade trembled, its energy surging. Then, for the first time before others, it roared in response.

"ECLIPSE MODE!"

The moment Cosmos spoke, the entire battlefield trembled.

Hugo's body transformed, his power erupting in an overwhelming surge.

Everything changed.

Mina and Xander, still mid-battle, froze in shock, their eyes widening as they saw what Hugo had been hiding.

The enemies around them hesitated, fear creeping into their expressions.

And then, the real fight began.

Hugo exhaled, fingers tapping against the table. "That was the first time I revealed Eclipse Mode."

Darius smirked. "I bet Xander had thoughts about that."

Hugo chuckled. "Oh, he did. But what really mattered was that, from that moment on, he and Mina knew we could fight back against the Perfect Life Forms. That was the moment Eclipse Requiem was born."

Ethan leaned forward. "So you held back your most powerful ability until it was absolutely necessary?"

Hugo nodded. "Back then, I wasn't sure if I could control it. It wasn't just power—it was responsibility."

Lena crossed her arms. "And what about now?"

Hugo's expression darkened slightly. "Now? Xander made sure I can't use it."

The room fell silent again.

Nathan clenched his fists. "Then we'll get it back."

Hugo exhaled, smirking slightly. "That's the plan."