Chapter 3: Red Halo

Seraph exhaled, the cold night air slipping between her lips like a whispered promise. The moons above cast their twin glows over the landscape, but she did not look up. Instead, she focused on the ground beneath her feet—the earth, the pulse of the world, the only thing that had remained constant through the endless destruction the Sphere had wrought.

Slowly, deliberately, she lifted her foot and began.

The Silent Claw—a ritual of the Fox-Kin, passed down through generations. A quiet prayer, a tether to the past, a thread of hope woven into the very bones of the world. Her mother had taught her this when she was a child, pressing gentle hands to her shoulders, guiding her steps.

"Watch, Seraph. This is how we speak without words. This is how we tell the world we are still here."

Seraph's foot traced a curve in the dirt, smooth and sure, leaving behind the faintest shimmering rune—a crescent twist, a symbol of resilience. She stepped forward, her movement fluid, her body an extension of the ancient dance. Another mark—a spiral, curling inward, signifying remembrance.

Her tail swayed behind her as she moved in careful, practiced steps, each motion deliberate. With every stroke of her foot against the earth, more symbols appeared, glowing faintly in the dark like embers beneath the soil. A lattice of history. A pattern of survival.

The ritual had no words, no grand invocations. It did not beg the gods for mercy, nor did it seek vengeance against those who had wronged her kind. 

She spun lightly on the balls of her feet, drawing the final rune at the center of the pattern—a fractured circle, the sign of a heart that has not yet been broken completely.

And then, she stopped.

The symbols pulsed once, a gentle flicker, before fading into the earth.

Seraph stood there, her arms wrapped around herself, her breath uneven. She closed her eyes, pressing her lips together, holding in a feeling she refused to name.

And then, she sighed.

"I don't wanna die."

The words fell from her lips like a secret too heavy to carry. The wind took them, sweeping them into the night, scattering them like dust.

But the silence did not answer her.

And so, alone beneath the twin moons, Seraph remained.

__________________________________________

Inside the Wooden House, Kylas lay on his back, staring at the ceiling with narrowed eyes, arms crossed over his chest. He scoffed.

"That damn fox woman…"

Across the room, Gunthr and Zedlock sat against the wall, both of them staring at him like two lost, wide-eyed children. Kylas turned his head, scowling at them.

"What?"

Gunthr and Zedlock exchanged glances, then looked back at him.

"You two BARELY helped me."

Gunthr made an exaggerated gesture, clutching his own chest as if deeply wounded.

Zedlock pointed dramatically at Kylas, then mimed a fox tail, then mimed choking, then made a grand sweeping motion that somehow perfectly conveyed what happened earlier.

Kylas groaned. "I don't know! She's crazy! She almost killed me! And you two just sat there, all huddled up!"

Gunthr and Zedlock immediately hugged each other again, shaking in mock terror.

Kylas dragged a hand down his face. "You know what? Forget it. I don't care. If she comes back and murders me in my sleep, at least I won't have to deal with you two mocking me anymore."

Zedlock made a dramatic, scandalized gesture, while Gunthr pretended to wipe away a tear.

Kylas threw a pillow at them.

Later, as the silence settled over the house, Kylas remained awake, staring at the ceiling. His mind was restless, thoughts flickering like dying embers.

'Seraph. The prettiest ones were always the most dangerous. That was what my father had told him once. That beauty was a weapon, just as much as a sword.'

He scoffed, rolling onto his side.

Her claims about his past life were still circling in his head. 

'A king? The ruler of the old world? It doesn't make sense. It felt like a bad story someone had forced into my brain, like a play where I had no memory of reading the script. But… what if it was true? If it was, does my parents know?'

His heart tightened slightly.

He had to find them.

He had to learn his power.

He had to get out of this garden.

____________________________________________

In the depths of sleep, Kylas heard it.

"Chaos."

The word slithered through his mind, an echo, a whisper, a distant roar.

And then—fire.

He was clad in glowing red armor, its surface cracked and pulsing like molten rock, heat radiating from his very being. The ground beneath him was blackened ash, the sky above a swirling maelstrom of red and black.

Before him stood chimera beasts and monsters—grotesque things of twisted flesh and snapping jaws, their bodies dripping with something thick and rancid.

Kylas moved without thinking.

His blade—a weapon of fire and ruin—carved through them like they were made of air. The flames devoured them, reducing them to nothing in mere moments. Their shrieks filled his ears, a twisted symphony of agony.

He cut through them. Again. Again. Again.

Blood splattered his armor, but it did not burn.

The fire within him was hotter.

Chaos. Chaos. Chaos.

It surged through him, a wildfire that could never be tamed, a force that sought only to consume.

And then—

Darkness.

___________________________________________

Morning

Kylas awoke slowly, his body feeling heavy. A weight pressed against his chest, warm and soft.

He blinked blearily. The morning light was filtering through the wooden walls, the gentle sound of the wind whispering outside.

And then—

His vision cleared.

Black hair. A tail draped lazily across his legs.

Seraph.

Sleeping. On top of him.

Kylas inhaled sharply.

His brain immediately shattered into a million incoherent pieces.

Kylas could feel her warmth—the slow, steady rise and fall of her breathing against his chest. His muscles locked in place, his eyes frozen wide as his brain scrambled to process what the hell was happening.

'What the hell..?!'

Seraph. Seraph was on top of him.

Asleep.

Peaceful.

'Shit…'

Gunthr and Zedlock sat against the wall, both of them vibrating with pure unfiltered murderous energy.

Gunthr mimed slitting her throat.

Zedlock dramatically clutched his helmet in distress, pointing frantically at Kylas.

Kylas, for the first time in his life, had no idea what to do. He panicked.

His thoughts were a mess. 

'Why is she on me?! What the hell did I do?! Why is she so warm?!'

He turned to Gunthr and Zedlock, throwing his hands up in a silent, frantic plea for help.

Zedlock pointed at Seraph, then did a very vivid "breaking neck" gesture.

Gunthr dramatically fell to the side, playing dead.

Kylas glared at them, whispering harshly, "Are you two serious right now? Do you actually think I—I would do anything to her?!"

Gunthr nodded.

Zedlock gave him a thumbs-up.

He turned back to Seraph. 

'Shit. Shit. Shit!'

His heart was hammering in his chest. He had never been this close to a female before.

Ever.

 He turned back to Gunthr and Zedlock. "What the hell do I do?"

Gunthr made a very graphic stabbing motion.

Zedlock mimed picking Seraph up and chucking her out the window.

Kylas gave them both a horrified look. "You guys are crazy." But then he chuckled, "I like when you two think like that. I would clobber her in her sleep, but I need her for answers."

Gunthr and Zedlock nodded sagely.

Kylas clenched his fists. 'Okay. Okay, just… just move her.'

Slowly, he reached for her shoulders, fingers twitching—

Then Seraph stirred.

His whole body locked up as her lashes fluttered, her lips parting slightly as she breathed out—

"…Mom…"

Kylas froze.

Gunthr and Zedlock froze.

The entire world froze.

Seraph's eyes slowly opened, golden irises hazy with sleep. And then—

She looked up.

And locked eyes with him.

The room stood still.

Kylas could feel her breath.

The silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

And then—

Seraph's face turned red.

Kylas immediately panicked.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—"

Seraph stared at him, silent.

Which was worse.

He was sweating. "I—I don't know why you're here—I swear, I just woke up and you were there—"

Seraph blinked, completely still.

Gunthr and Zedlock slowly slid out of the room.

Kylas was suffocating under the pressure.

Seraph narrowed her eyes, her blush deepening.

And then—

— Kylas burst out of the house at full speed, sliding across the grass before coming to a stumbling stop.

He groaned, holding his ribs. 

'That damn fox. I can't let her keep thinking she can't kick me around.'

Footsteps.

He turned—and Seraph was walking towards him.

She was cracking her knuckles.

"How dare you lay with me?" she hissed, eyes burning with rage.

Kylas threw his arms up. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, YOU DUMBASS—"

Seraph vanished.

In an instant, she was right in front of him, her fingers elongating into razor-sharp claws.

Kylas' instincts screamed.

"Chaos."

The word echoed through his mind.

And before he even realized—

He moved.

A burst of red flames erupted around him. And in the blink of an eye—

He was gone.

Seraph's claws slashed through empty air.

She whipped around—

And Kylas was above her.

He hovered, surrounded by red flames.

A halo of red fire burned above his head. Behind him, a massive spinning magic crest made of swirling embers twisted in the air, intricate and ancient. A long flaming tail flickered behind him, and his right fist was engulfed in fire.

For the first time—he felt powerful.

And he smiled.

Wide.

Cocky.

Arrogant.

The feeling of speed, strength, destruction—it was intoxicating.

And then—

He punched downward.

The moment his fist nearly touched the ground—

Everything vanished.

The halo. The crest. The flames. Gone.

Then pain—unbearable pain—shot through his entire body.

Blood gushed from his nose and mouth as he collapsed, gasping, clutching his chest.

'The seal!'

He could feel it burning on his back, locking his power away once again.

Kylas cursed, voice ragged. "Curse my parents… curse them for this fucking seal." He groaned, spitting blood onto the dirt. "How could they do this to me…?"

Gunthr and Zedlock immediately rushed to his side, gently propping him up.

Seraph watched him carefully. And then, she spoke:

"The seal is scared of your power."

Kylas looked up, panting.

Seraph crossed her arms. "It's working hard to suppress it. But the fact that you were able to conjure even a little of it means… the seal isn't strong enough to contain all of it. If you learn to wield your power, you can break it."

Kylas clenched his fists, trembling. His entire body hurt. But—

He sat up, eyes burning with determination.

"…Teach me."

His voice was low, serious, desperate.

Seraph's ears twitched.

Kylas' mind flickered—an old memory.

His parents.

Their voices, soft and warm, whispering to him as a baby:

"We love you."

Kylas' teeth clenched.

His fist slammed into the dirt.

"My ass."

He pushed himself up, wobbling, wiping the blood from his mouth.

And he glared at Seraph.

"Teach me."

Seraph watched him.

The wind howled.

And then—

She smirked.