Johnathan dropped to the floor, his body collapsing under the overwhelming pressure emanating from the unseen intruder. It crushed down on him like a boulder, forcing the air from his lungs and locking his muscles in place.
August fell beside him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him desperately, her hands trembling as panic overtook her.
August: "J-Johnathan! Johnathan, snap out of it! What's wrong?! Who is that?!"
Her voice barely reached him.
It was nothing but distant noise against the suffocating, godlike presence lurking within the darkness.
His eyes widened. The realization finally began to set in. A lady stepped forward.
It was one of the Five Titans of Creation.
The Titan of Love. Siren.
Siren burst from the shadows with gleeful energy, spinning across the inky ground illuminated by the cold lapis glow of the luna.
Her short rose-pink curls fluttered wildly around her snow-white body, bouncing with each erratic movement like petals caught in a storm.
Her void-black eyes shimmered with countless tiny white specks—clustered together like the glistening pupils of a spider, each one seeming to move on its own.
She wore almost nothing. A small black fur top barely covered her chest, while an old, tattered black dress hung from her waist, torn open and dragging behind her like shedded skin.
Her bare feet touched the dark surface lightly, sinking into it with eerie softness—like leaves settling into still water.
She hummed. Soft. Sweet. Almost loving. Until her lips split into a wide, jagged grin.
Siren: "Oh… oh this is nice. This is very nice! I wonder which part you two are at. The promise? The denial? The final breaking point?! I LOVE this!"
Her voice burst outward, sharp and electric, each word laced with manic delight.
Siren: "The way your hearts start racing, the way you cling onto each other like it's going to save you—ahh, it's perfect!"
She leaned forward slightly, her breathing quick, excited, bloated with intense passion.
Siren: "So desperate… so sweet… it just makes me wanna sink my fangs into you both and see what spills out~!"
August froze. She couldn't believe her eyes.
August: "S-Siren…? T-The Titan of Love…?"
Her legs gave out beneath her. She dropped to her knees instantly, hands pressing together as she forced herself into a prayer.
Sweat glided down her eyebrows.
August: "P-Please… oh great Titan… we are nothing but followers of the Balance—the one who guides us all…"
W-We didn't mean to commit whatever act brought us here. We didn't mean to offend you! Please—spare us, dear goddess! P-Please forgive us!"
Siren: "Shut up."
August let out a small, broken squeak as she was knocked backward, her body reacting before her mind could even process. Her lips sealed shut instinctively, fear choking off any further sound.
Siren took a step closer.
She lifted her long, toned leg and hooked her foot beneath August's chin, raising her face upward with effortless force. She tilted her head, studying her like an object.
Then—she dropped her.
Siren: "You Balance zealots are always the same. Why must you drag that wannabe 'god king' into everything?
Sometimes I wonder if you fools can go a single morning without whispering its name. Balance this, Balance that—ugh…"
She dug her fingers into her own cheeks, pulling and stretching at her skin in a grotesque manner. She gurgled on her spit.
Siren: "It makes me wanna rip my skin off every time I hear it!"
Her nails dragged down her face as she let out a wild, breathless laugh—high-pitched and unstable, echoing through the void.
That's when a swarm of bright green grasshoppers manifested into existence around her.
They crawled across her pale thighs. Their crooked legs clicked and twitched against her white skin in a nauseating display as she casually dropped down in front of August.
She was close. Mere inches away in fact. Siren leaned in, her many-speckled eyes locking directly onto August's form.
Siren: "Mmm… but forget that. Is it just me… or is there something delicious bubbling between you two~?"
She giggled childishly, profoundly entertained.
Siren: "Reunited lovers… ohh, I can feel it! I can do so much with that."
August held herself together with everything she had left, her body quivering as she avoided Siren's piercing gaze. She felt as if one glance from Siren would tear her to shreds.
Johnathan snarled, snapping out of his trance as he forced his body upright. He shouted at the childish goddess with everything he had left.
Johnathan: "Stay away from her, you vile witch!"
Siren didn't even glance his way.
Siren: "Be quiet."
Rings of grasshoppers wove themselves out from Siren's thighs, thousands upon thousands of them spilling into existence. They collided and spiraled together into a living storm before launching forward.
They shot straight through Johnathan's arms—pinning him brutally into the pulsing ground beneath.
The insects burrowed. They tore through muscle, crawled through veins, and chewed through his fleshy insides.
Johnathan's screams ripped throughout the darkness, each one rawer than the last. His body spasmed violently against the terrain.
August: "Johnathan! No…"
Her voice broke into a pathetic shriek.
In an instant, Siren's hand snapped forward, grabbing August by the mouth. Her black claws dug deep into the girl's jowls as she lifted her high into the air.
Siren: "YES—there it is! That's what this tale is missing—HEARTBREAK!"
Her grin stretched wider, reaching uncanny lengths.
Siren: "It's all coming together now. It's so beautiful."
She pulled August closer, her voice dropping into a hot whisper against her ear.
Johnathan grit his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. His bloody hand found the hilt of his blade.
His eyes burned—faint, flickering gold, like dying stars struggling against the shadow.
The Calypso Sword.
A Blessed Tool.
Weapons like these were rare—crafted by Treasured Blacksmiths, ancient beasts, even the Titans themselves. The tools were strong enough to destroy waves of buildings within seconds.
But those gifted with the Blessed Tools created specifically by the Titans… were destined to be known as Champions.
Champions had to power to level entire kingdoms… perhaps even scar the realm itself. Permanently.
Johnathan drove the blade straight through his own forearm.
The steel pierced clean through, sending a wave of golden fire surging through his veins
The flames flooded his body, devouring the invasive swarm inside him. The grasshoppers shriveled up and burned as his scream twisted into something defiant.
He shot upward, tearing himself free from the ground in a burst of sheer will, blade blazing in his grip.
Johnathan: "I said—!"
Siren: "Mm? What was that, my sweet?"
Her voice dripped with amusement.
Siren: "Say it again. Louder this time. I want to feel it."
Johnathan froze. Not because of Siren, but because of August.
August: "Take his life!"
Her voice cracked.
August: "P-Please, Siren! I'm begging you—take him instead! Not me! I just want to go home… I just want to live!"
Johnathan's whole world stopped.
Johnathan: "A… August…?"
Siren: "Of course, darling! Anything for you."