Tonight the world will know us

And yeah...

I was taken to a cold and damp basement.

They said I had to be punished.

The reason?

Just because of some gold coins.

Even though I wasn't the one who took them...

But this is how the world works.

Justice? Truth? Those are just cheap illusions on the gambling table of greedy officials.

I was shoved into a dark room.

The walls were damp, mossy, and the stench of rusted iron filled the air.

They tied me to a wooden chair, coarse ropes binding my wrists and ankles tightly.

I just stayed silent.

Then...

"You little bastard!"

A hard slap struck my cheek.

My head twisted to the side, and fresh blood dripped from my mouth.

Another punch.

And another.

My body trembled. But... I remained calm.

"Why are you quiet, huh!? Just admit it already! You stole it!!"

shouted a bald man, his face red with fury.

I stared blankly at them. Not angry. Not afraid.

Just... calm.

...What a perfect scene.

In my mind, I whispered a dramatic monologue.

"So this is it... my downfall, the scene where the shadow is crushed by the false light of tyrannical guards."

"But... this is only a part of the grand scenario I orchestrated from the start."

Of course, I orchestrated nothing, but... yeah, it sounds cool.

They kept beating my body, but I stayed silent.

The wounds were real. But my suffering?

That was just part of the role.

They kept hitting Kazuki mercilessly.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his small body trembled as if on the verge of collapse.

"I... I-I'M SORRY, PLEASE... F-FORGIVE ME!!"

I screamed in panic... or rather, pretending to panic.

Yes, all of this was just part of the act.

I wanted them to let their guard down. I wanted them to believe.

But then...

SHLICK!!

The sound of claws tearing through flesh echoed from behind.

Suddenly, from the darkness of the room, a wolf-eared girl leapt in.

Her eyes glowed red, and her fangs were bared.

Without hesitation, she ripped apart one of the guards who had been beating me. Blood splattered into the air.

I froze for a moment.

"...A wolf...?" I muttered, eyes wide.

Wait...Isn't she...

The girl I saved from that rotten hero...?

"BU-BUT WHY ARE YOU HERE!?"

I backed away in panic, struggling to break free from the ropes while trembling dramatically.

"STAY AWAY! I'M SCARED!! I'M A GOOD PERSON!!"

I screamed... with the most terrified expression I could muster.

Obviously... still acting.

But the wolf girl didn't respond.

With a swift motion, she sliced the ropes binding me.

Then, without saying a word, she pulled my body into her arms.

"You...!?"

I tried to ask, but didn't get the chance.

With incredible speed, she leapt out of the basement, carrying me away.

My body soared through the air, her warm embrace clashing with the brutality we just left behind.

And I... was carried away by the night wind.

"So this is what it feels like to be saved by a savage monster. Well... at least it looks cool."

"But this also means... the next stage has begun."

After the wolf girl saved me, we landed in a quiet forest, far from the guards.

Suddenly...

"BOSS REAPER!"

she shouted, then without hesitation jumped onto me like a puppy finding its master.

I was speechless.

"...Ehh!?"

My reflexive reaction slipped out unintentionally.

A few seconds later, she realized what she'd done and quickly jumped off.

She immediately knelt before me, full of respect.

"Boss... please let me join your army!"

she said with sparkling eyes and a wagging tail behind her.

I stared at her in silence.

...She knows who I am.

How...?

Wait... maybe she recognized my scent. Creatures like her are sensitive to smell.

I'm too fragrant... the fragrance of darkness.

I nodded slowly, looking at her with a mysterious gaze.

"Very well... I'll accept you."

My voice was deep and calm.

"You have great potential in battle. And... I need soldiers who can move through the shadows."

"FOR REAL, BOSS!?"

she shouted excitedly, her eyes gleaming like a child who just got candy.

I gave a faint smile.

"Yes."

My answer was short, but full of meaning.

Without warning, the wolf girl immediately hugged me tightly, her tail wagging happily like a puppy.

"Finally... I have a place..." she whispered softly, resting against my chest.

I looked up at the evening sky.

"Heh..."

I kept in touch with Neera and the others through long-distance magic.

"Neera... our mission begins tonight."

I spoke those words in the darkness, filled with mystery and chill.

Yes... most of my members are girls.

But... DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA.

I am NOT the type of guy aiming for a harem in my organization!

I am a shadow. Not a pervert.

Though, well...

With all the unique members, secret magic powers, and a hidden base I've built...

I can say one thing with pride:

All the absurd magical stuff that used to only exist in my imagination... is now reality.

And this is just the beginning...

In the city…

The same place where I was taken by those corrupt guards.

Now, all members of Nocturne Eclipse have arrived.

Including the wolf girl, because yeah... I told her to come.

Meanwhile, I... Kazuki... strolled casually through the city, biting into a piece of bread like a normal person.

But in one narrow alley...

Two city guards were whispering.

"That's him, right? The one who stole the gold?"

"Yeah, that's him. Let's grab him and beat him up."

And without shame, they threw a rock at me.

I caught the rock with one hand.

Expressionless. Wordless.

Their eyes widened.

"Heh... so you still haven't learned your lesson, huh!?"

I just stared at them, flatly.

"So that's how it is..."

"Yeah, obviously! Just look at your face!"

But the next second...

One of them collapsed, sent flying by a flash of light magic I launched without a single noticeable movement.

"W..WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"

screamed the other guard, panicking.

He looked at me... and his body trembled.

That's when I reached for my black cloak and put it on.

My body was enveloped in shadows, and the world seemed to stop as I transformed into...

White Reaper.

"D..DON'T TELL ME... YOU'RE!?"

And he collapsed before he could finish his sentence.

I looked at their bodies calmly.

"A game far too easy..."

I murmured, as if it were just another piece of a grand plan in the shadows.

As the guards' bodies fell helplessly, shadows began to gather behind me.

One by one, they emerged from the darkness of night, with silent steps and a menacing aura.

The members of Nocturne Eclipse.

"Nice move, Lord Reaper," said Neera with a faint smile, bowing respectfully.

I, White Reaper, only gazed at them with cold eyes, then slowly raised my hand.

"Alright... tonight, the world will know our name."

Silence. Then I spoke with a heavy tone full of arrogance:

"WE, NOCTURNE ECLIPSE, WILL ANNIHILATE ALL HEROES!"

The sky seemed to rumble as I raised both hands...

And activated my ultimate skill...

"Death Bloom."

A thick aura of black and white spread, blooming like a beautiful and terrifying flower of death.

"Chaos is merely the opening act..."

I said softly, almost like a whisper.

I looked at the night sky and declared,

"We are not heroes... nor are we villains..."

"We are merely shadows… playing our role on the world's stage."

And a quiet laugh escaped my lips, faint but filled with certainty,

as if everything was part of a grand scenario whose end only I knew.