The shattered palace trembled under the force of a violent clash, as if the ancient bones of the stone could no longer endure. The sound of swords colliding rang out, echoing through cracked walls and broken pillars, as though the very stone groaned beneath the brutality unleashed within.
Dust rose into the air—thick, suffocating—while black and violet sparks scattered with every strike, flickering in the dim darkness like distant stars. Amid the ruin, two men fought without mercy, each striving to tear the life from the other.
Their blades slammed together with force before finally breaking apart.
Each of them stepped back.
Their breathing was heavy, their eyes burning with a hostility that allowed no retreat.
The white-haired man stepped forward slowly.
His violet armor, etched with black patterns, shimmered faintly in the darkness, as if it breathed a sinister energy. He lifted a hand and brushed his hair back in a calm motion, then smiled.
A twisted smile… touched with madness.
"Saruto…" he said, his voice low, yet sharp as a blade. "You are nothing but a weak human… and you dare challenge the ruler of darkness… Umbra?"
The air trembled slightly, as if his words themselves carried weight.
On the other side, Saruto stood motionless.
His eyes were empty… utterly cold, like a dark mirror that reflected nothing.
His limbs resembled those of a dragon, his muscles tensed with power, while behind him flowed a dense cloak of dark energy, moving slowly as if it were a living entity watching everything. In his hands were two swords, bound by chains wrapped around his wrists, humming faintly with every movement.
He slowly raised his gaze… and smiled.
A calm smile, devoid of mercy.
"Did you forget…?" he said quietly. "That I am half a ruler as well… Umbra?"
In an instant, he vanished.
There was no visible flash—only a sudden emptiness.
The next moment, he appeared directly behind Umbra, driving both swords toward his neck with deadly precision.
But Umbra was not surprised.
Without turning, he raised his sword and deflected the strike with a precise shift, then pressed down, redirecting the attack.
In a single swift motion, he countered.
Saruto's swords were knocked from his grasp, shooting upward and embedding themselves into the cracked ceiling, where they remained fixed as if held by an unseen force.
Saruto pulled on the chains—
They didn't move.
By then, Umbra was already in front of him.
He placed a hand over Saruto's face, then surged forward at terrifying speed, smashing through pillars as he dragged Saruto's body across the palace floor, until he slammed him into the main wall.
The entire structure shook. Chunks of the ceiling collapsed.
Umbra stopped… and raised his sword.
"Blade of Darkness."
Lethal slashes tore through the air, racing toward Saruto.
He moved with difficulty, recalling his swords from the ceiling as they reformed in his hands from dark energy, and blocked the attack.
But his body had reached its limit.
He dropped to his knees.
Blood dripped onto the ground, soaking into the stone beneath him. His breathing grew ragged.
"I…" he whispered hoarsely. "I'm sorry… Star… Emilia… I couldn't avenge you…"
His vision trembled.
He saw Star before him, holding his hand, blood flowing from the wound where a sword had pierced her body. Then Emilia… lying still, a victim of his loss of control over his power.
His head lowered for a moment.
Then slowly… he raised it again.
Umbra stood before him.
With a snap of his fingers, chains of dark energy erupted from the ground, wrapping around Saruto's body and tightening until he was completely immobilized.
"Did you truly believe… you could kill me?" Umbra said coldly. "We rulers… do not die."
He raised his hand, dark energy gathering within it, swirling and condensing into a deadly vortex.
He stepped closer.
"And now… hand it over—"
He stopped.
Saruto… was smiling.
A small smile.
But absolute.
"You will never get what you want."
In the next instant, dark energy exploded from his body.
A black sphere formed around him, expanding rapidly, devouring everything in its path.
Umbra's eyes widened—his anger surfacing for the first time.
"You fool! Are you trying to blow yourself up? After ten thousand years of work… I won't let you ruin my plan!"
Saruto replied with an eerie calm:
"It's too late."
Violet light began cracking across his body, as if his power had spiraled out of control.
Tears streamed down his face.
"I'm… sorry…"
Then the sphere exploded.
And the world fell into absolute silence.
---
"Master Saruto… wake up."
Saruto's eyes snapped open. His breathing was rapid, his heart pounding violently.
He looked around.
The ceiling—intact.
The walls—unbroken.
No destruction… no blood.
Just his room.
"Where… am I…?" he murmured weakly.
The servant bowed respectfully. "Master, today you have your usual training with your father."
Saruto froze.
"My father…?"
He stood up abruptly, as if something inside him was pushing him forward.
He walked toward the mirror.
Stopped in front of it.
Looked.
His body… smaller.
His features… younger.
He slowly raised his hand and touched his face, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
His fingers trembled.
"No…"
His eyes widened. Shock mixed with fear…
And something else.
Hope.
"Did I… return?"
he whispered.
But this time… the question wasn't empty.