A soft knock echoed in the sleeping chamber just before dawn. Cain stirred groggily as Nova poked his head in, eyes already gleaming.
"Rise and shine, devil bros. Training waits for no one."
Riven groaned, covering his head with a pillow. "You're way too chipper. Are you even human?"
"Half. The fun half. Now get up."
The training grounds of the Guild were different at dawn. Torches still burned, but the sky above—cracked open by volcanic fissures—bled a faint orange light. The air was thick with anticipation, spell dust, and the scent of scorched leather.
Serika stood by a large obsidian circle with her arms crossed. Around her were new faces: a tall girl with crimson horns nad Shura, a quiet boy with storm-gray eyes and electricity pulsing through his veins called Rael, and twins nad Vix and Vox who spoke in riddles and moved like dancers.
They all watched Cain and his brothers with curious, wary gazes.
"From today," Serika said, "you don't train alone. You learn from each other or die not knowing how."
Shura scoffed. "They look soft."
Elias stepped forward. "You want to test that?"
Before a fight could break out, the earth shook.
Everyone froze.
From the far chamber ca a shrill screech—not human. Not beast. Sothing ancient and wrong. The torches flickered and flared.
Serika's face hardened. "That wasn't supposed to wake up yet."
A trap door in the far side of the guild burst open, and out flew a creature like molten shadow—bat-like wings, bleeding eyes, and a crown of bone. It slamd into the wall, shrieking, and vanished into the upper vaults.
"What was that?" Cain asked, heart racing.
Serika grimaced. "The first trial. Unscheduled. A beast bound by the Devil himself. Looks like soone tampered with its cage."
She turned to them, cold fire in her eyes. "Find it. Kill it. Or it kills us all."
---
As they ard themselves, Cain noticed Shura slide a massive, rune-etched blade across her back. "Still think we're soft?" he asked.
She grinned. "Let's see if you can keep up."
Nova tossed Cain a blade—slim, obsidian, light. "This one's na is Ashveil. It cuts through more than flesh. Just don't let it bite you back."
Rael sparked with energy. Vix and Vox laughed in sync. Kaze appeared from the shadows, silent and ready.
Together, they ran toward the open vault.
Together, the new generation of the Guild faced the wings of ash.
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