anwhile—
At Astro’s headquarters, an interesting scene was unfolding.
More precisely, it was the training ground located underground.
A deep rupture bood against the ceiling.
KUUUUUNG—!
Two people stood with swords drawn against each other.
One, a white-haired fox; the other, a red-haired man.
None other than Irene and Kyle.
The two exchanged fierce blows.
"Hup...!"
The fox let out a light breath.
A pure white fla gathered at her fingertips, and in the next mont, engulfed the blade entirely.
The strike born from it turned the entire field of vision into a blinding flash.
The shockwave it created was overwhelming, to say the least.
But the one receiving it was no pushover either.
A hearty laugh broke the mont.
"Uhaha! Now that’s hot!"
THUONG—!
At so point, the man raised the spine of his sword in defense.
His blade flowed with grace, letting the flas roll off like a gentle dance.
Surprisingly nimble for soone of his size.
"Then let show you my move now...!"
Kyle pushed off the ground.
His contracted leg muscles exploded into a leap.
His body launched forward and vanished, almost like a blink.
And in the next instant, the man appeared right in front of her in a flash of light.
So fast it caused visual distortion—the flaring strike barreled down on the fox.
But Irene was just as adept at reading the flow.
Her eyes were calm and clear.
"You’re fast."
SWEEEING—!
The tip of his sword ca rushing in, but the girl only slightly tilted her head.
The missed attack grazed past her cheek by a hair’s breadth.
A faint warmth lingered on her skin.
The fox remained relaxed.
"Splendid! You've completely broken past the wall—!"
"We're still sparring. Could you shut up for a second."
Pointless chatter.
Despite the casual tone, the scene itself was nothing short of intense.
The clash between a star who once stood at the pinnacle, and a star soon to rise there.
The white radiance of starlight refused to leave the training ground.
The searing heat wrapped around the space.
FWOOOSH—!
Starlight scattered, illuminating the darkness.
Just a few months ago, it had been a one-sided ntorship.
But now, they stood on equal footing—able to cross blades as peers.
As proper swordsn, they exchanged philosophies in steel.
The light flared.
"Ti to bring this to a close?"
"..."
Both prepared for the end.
With starlight imbued in their blades, they sharpened their points.
Their grips burned with both light and darkness.
It was like capturing the night sky in motion.
Their feet pushed against the ground—
TAK—!
Just as the radiant streaks were about to collide,
A shadow slipped between them.
"That’s enough."
Silver hair flowing.
Eyes glinting indifferently.
It was none other than Neria, Astro’s vice-captain.
She had stepped in to diate the incoming clash between Kyle and Irene.
She stood with both their blades firmly caught in her hands.
Her crimson lips spoke in a flat tone.
"I told you, didn’t I? No excessive force in sparring."
Neria had been judging their duel until now.
As the tension started to rise, she stepped in at the right ti to stop them.
Any more, and the headquarters building itself might’ve suffered damage.
Neria blinked.
"Settle down."
Her hands still held the blades wrapped in starlight.
Yet her palms showed neither burns nor wounds.
Seeing this, Irene’s eyes briefly widened in surprise.
Starlight was not a power re mortals could touch.
Even if she’d held back for a spar, it wasn’t sothing anyone could grab recklessly.
The fox looked at the silver-haired woman with newfound interest.
"...How?"
A short murmur.
Rather than answering, Neria scolded them both.
The typical nagging of a superior.
"If you insist on sparring, please take it outside next ti. You’re wrecking the training ground. There’s only so much I can clean up when the equipnt keeps breaking."
"Uhaha! Vice-Captain! Why so uptight!"
"I’ll be billing the damage to you, Mr. Kyle."
"How petty!"
On the other hand,
Kyle responded like he was used to this kind of scolding.
The spar ended quickly after that.
The man shook out his hand that had held the sword.
A light sheen of sweat covered his forehead.
"Amazing! To think you’d grown this much in just a few weeks!"
"I still didn’t beat you though."
"Still, it was neck and neck, wasn’t it? Against soone once called the strongest, no less."
"Well, you’ve been off the front lines for a while. How would I fare against you in your pri?"
"Hmm... I’d say your win rate is about forty percent now."
"That’s higher than I expected."
"ans you’ve co a long way!"
A brief exchange of idle banter.
While they wrapped up their surroundings, a certain boy stepped in.
That familiar slit-eyed glare had been watching the duel all along.
The snake offered light applause as he spoke.
"That was splendid, Lady Irene."
"I’m glad. That it pleased you."
"It more than pleased ."
Yuda smiled in satisfaction.
The fox had grown considerably in a short ti.
She hadn’t overwheld Kyle just yet, but in ti, she would.
Give it another year or so, and she’d reach a level rivaling the Red Sword Saint in his pri.
That was how brilliant Irene’s talent truly was.
The boy offered his praise.
"Well done, everyone."
The spar ca to a close.
Everyone returned to their respective places.
Except for Neria, who had served as the judge.
She remained in place, quietly clenching and relaxing the hand that had just touched starlight.
"..."
She wasn’t hurt.
From the start, she had always been attuned to the stars, and thus familiar with this kind of power.
Though her starlight was currently sealed, Neria could still wield it to so extent.
She gazed down at her hand, still warm with lingering heat.
A complicated expression crossed her face.
"Lady Neria?"
"Ah... It’s nothing, Master."
She seed briefly swept up in a particular feeling.
Soon regaining herself, the girl withdrew.
The snake, pretending not to notice, was already watching her pale expression.
***
After Irene and Kyle’s spar concluded, the hour had crept into dawn.
As I sat in the captain’s office, a guest ca to see .
It was none other than the vice-captain.
"Master..."
Her silver hair draped calmly down her back.
The girl stood hesitantly at the doorway, looking up at .
Maybe it was because I’d already noticed the paleness in her complexion earlier today.
I opened the door for her as though I’d been expecting her.
"Co in. I was waiting for you."
"...Excuse ."
A face that seed weighed down by unease.
I already knew what had brought Neria here.
The seal.
Back in the winter when we first t—
It was the seal I placed to prevent her starlight from rampaging again.
Perhaps being surrounded by the starlight of those two all day had stirred sothing.
The anxiety that had lain dormant for so long seed to be flaring up once more.
"It’s just... I was worried that the seal might be loosening..."
Neria wanted regular checkups on the seal.
Normally, she wouldn’t harbor even a sliver of doubt when it ca to matters involving —but when it involved starlight, she couldn’t maintain her composure.
And understandably so. It was the trauma that had utterly shattered her life.
I tasted a bitter sigh on my tongue.
Is she afraid?
Neria was a kind person.
She feared that she might hurt soone.
That the people she cared about could get injured.
That she might end up all alone again, just like before.
Despite the power she held within her, she couldn’t even think about wielding it.
The horrifying mories of her past were gnawing away at her heart.
The mistrust ran deep—too deep.
"I’m sorry. For doubting your will, Master..."
"It’s alright, Lady Neria."
"..."
"And the seal is perfectly fine. There’s nothing to worry about. You can rest easy."
"I see... Please forgive the unfounded doubt I dared to entertain."
"I «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» told you—it’s fine."
Neria bowed her head.
But beyond her silver eyes, relief shimred faintly.
That subtle shift in emotion made her all the more pitiable.
I spoke with a vague sincerity.
"Lady Neria."
"Yes."
"The seal is strong. Strong enough to last at least a hundred years. But... if you truly wished, you could break it at any ti. It was designed that way from the start."
"..."
"What matters most is your mindset."
"But... Master, I’m still not ready..."
"You’re not alone anymore. Maybe it was impossible back then, but the Neria of today could do it. I truly believe that."
"..."
"You’re still always afraid of that ti, aren’t you."
The girl drooped her head, downcast.
I gently reached out and stroked her silver hair.
The way she quietly accepted the gesture hadn’t changed at all.
What flickered before my eyes was a winter long past.
—You don’t have to hurt anymore.
—Let’s go ho together.
The girl covered in wounds, and .
The snowstorm of dawn, starlight fluttering all around.
Now, it had beco just another tucked-away mory.
With the sa smile as back then, I whispered the sa unchanged words.
Wishing, if only slightly, that her nightmares might fade.
"I’ll always be by your side."
So don’t worry about anything.
That soft echo laid beside her ear.
Neria couldn’t respond for a while.
She only nodded faintly in the silence that followed.
We both drifted deep into thought.
anwhile—
In the Empire’s largest underground city: the Kingdom.
A domain ruled by the Sovereign, once known as the pinnacle of the underworld.
Sothing ominous was brewing there.
"Hmm..."
An old man let out a quiet hum.
His golden eyes swept across an alley strewn with corpses.
A stench of blood hung thick in the air.
A chilling bloodlust stirred faintly in the Sovereign’s gaze.
"Bulmyeong."
"You summoned , Your Majesty."
Standing at his side was a young man, known as the Sovereign’s right hand.
Bulmyeong also looked out at the alley.
His expression was visibly shaken—a rare thing.
As if he’d seen sothing he shouldn’t have.
"Send word to the Snake."
Regardless of that—
The old man spoke calmly, undisturbed.
"Tell him the situation we feared... has co to pass."
Tsk tsk—
A soft chuckle followed.
Thin smoke drifted behind the smoldering cigarette he held.
In a city devoid of the slightest light, the Sovereign stood atop pitch-black shadows.
A deep disgust shimred in his signature golden eyes.
"So even here... night finally cos."
What lay sprawled before the Sovereign was a corpse.
None other than Anxiety—one of his five elite guards known as the Five Negations.
He looked as if sothing had torn into him and devoured him alive.
A grotesque sight.
The old man murmured through a haze of cigarette smoke.
"It’s begun."
The shadow was descending upon the world.
Reviews
All reviews (0)