It was a quiet morning...
A gentle breeze drifted through the open windows, sunlight spilling lazily into the warm room.
Yui opened her eyes slowly, then sat up and tied her hair up in a loose knot. She whispered to herself:
Yui:
"A new day... Let's take it seriously this time."
She grabbed her short sword and quietly left the room. Rin was still fast asleep, and Ryo was mumbling in his sleep about "stealing pies from a sleeping dragon."
---
Adventurers' Guild
The guild hall buzzed with noise and movement. Yui walked in with her usual calm demeanor, her eyes scanning the mission board.
But then—two large men approached. One wielded an axe; the other wore rusty armor that barely clung to his frame.
Man 1:
"Well, well. A girl? Lost on your way to the kitchen?"
Man 2 (mocking):
"Or maybe she's here to polish our weapons? Haha!"
Yui didn't speak. She simply stared at them—cold and quiet.
A stare like winter's breath.
They froze for a moment.
Yui (calmly):
"Outside. Now."
Man 1:
"Hah? Are... are you challenging us?"
Yui:
"You won't be laughing once you're missing your teeth."
---
Behind the Guild – A Back Alley
The air grew heavy. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
The two men stood facing her. But they weren't honorable.
The moment the fight began, one drew a poisoned dagger while the other circled behind her.
A stab.
Then a blow.
Then—
Yui (eyes wide):
"...My arm?"
Pain exploded in her body. Blood splattered.
Her left arm hit the ground.
Man 1 (coldly):
"Arrogant girl. That's what you get."
They left her there—laughing—as she slid down the wall, blood pooling beneath her.
---
An Hour Later – Back at the Inn
Ryo opened the door to find Yui soaked in blood, her face pale.
Ryo (barely a whisper):
"What... who did this...?"
Yui (with a weak smile):
"I'm sorry... I wasn't careful enough."
Ryo (his voice trembling):
"...Who. Did. This?"
A voice rang in his mind—one only he could hear.
Ryo (burning with quiet rage):
"Playtime's over."
---
Back Alleys – The Hunt
Ryo moved like a storm unchained.
His steps echoed like thunder, eyes locked onto a trail only he could see.
Then—he spotted them.
Laughing near a small tavern.
Man 1:
"She screamed so well. Delicious."
But then... the world shifted.
The air froze.
Light dimmed.
Ryo (quietly):
"Domain... of Eternity."
---
Inside the Domain
Everything changed.
The sky turned a dead ash-gray. The ground hardened like steel. Silence fell like a shroud.
Men (panicked):
"W-Where are we?!"
Ryo (eyes glowing):
"Welcome... to your end."
Here, his strength and speed were multiplied by a hundred.
Theirs? Cut to a crawl.
He stomped the ground—spikes of jagged iron erupted.
He raised his hand—flames and wind howled together in a deadly storm.
They ran. Screamed.
But the ground split open—serpents of ice burst forth.
Even the air fractured, and nature itself impaled them with living thorns.
Then, behind Ryo, a spiritual construct roared to life—a ghostly chariot of lightning.
It rammed one of them, sending him flying.
Ryo (coldly):
"You could've walked away...
But you touched mine."
---
At the Domain's Edge
The two men tumbled out of the domain—burned, frozen, shredded. Barely standing.
Waiting for them... was Rin.
He stood silently, hands behind his back, cloaked in a swirling black aura.
His gaze—a bottomless abyss.
Rin (calm, chilling):
"Your souls will bleed for this...
But your bodies?"
He raised his hand.
His footsteps echoed softly.
Then he said, without emotion:
"This is the price for touching my family."
The air solidified.
Shadows behind him took form—becoming a formless creature made of pure darkness.
---
Later... at the inn
Yui lay sleeping on the bed, her arm wrapped in glowing bandages.
Rin knelt beside her and whispered:
Rin:
"You're one of us now...
No one hurts our family and walks away."
He stood, leaving the room quietly.
But his shadow lingered—
And in the hearts of those who saw that night...
Terror never left.
---(If you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to vote or leave a comment — it really helps and means a lot to me! 💬)
To be continued...