Perspective of ???
Lucius and Isolde ran, fighting to survive alongside their friends Gareth and Leonard, following the guard sent to retrieve Alicia. Debris rained from crumbling structures, shattering on impact. Fire spread, slow but relentless.
Then Dante forced the group apart. He slashed Isolde's ankle, making her collapse. Her fall held Lucius and the other two boys back.
Alicia tried to turn back. She wanted to help Isolde. But the guard scooped her up, forcing her to keep moving.
"Let me go! I have to help her!" the princess screamed, kicking and pounding the guard's back.
"Princess, you know I can't let you! The king will have my head if he finds out I let you stay while I escaped!" the guard replied, running steadfastly, dodging debris. "Forgive me! I know they're your friends, but I can't go back. It's your life or theirs! I have priorities as a royal guard."
Alicia looked back. The figures of the four children faded into the distance. The pain of leaving them tore her apart. Tears welled up. When the human heart is forced to choose, it weakens. You think those people will die. It anguishes you. Scares you. Paralyzes you with the fear of never seeing them again.
Alicia was trapped in that panic. In shock, her soul shattered, imagining every scenario where Lucius and Isolde died. Every possible cause of death that could rip them from her life forever.
"What… is that?" the guard muttered.
Through gaps in the collapsed buildings, he saw it: a massive beast with bat-like wings and an unnaturally white, scaly body. From its skull, two horns curved backward, branching like black limbs.
It was so colossal that even Millford's tallest buildings looked like toys beside it. It didn't breathe fire. It spewed lightning. The bolts struck with ferocity, obliterating everything in their path.
One hundred thirty meters long. One hundred ten meters in wingspan. Eighteen meters tall.
A white dragon, besieged by Veil Masters, Ether Guardians, and Kingdom Sentinels.
Among them, the six most prominent: old Floiyo, Director Frederic, the mechanic Reginald, King Leo, and the twins' parents—Erika and Elias.
The guard kept running. With a massive leap, he climbed onto a building's roof, crossing terraces until reaching the chaos's epicenter. He stopped beside the king.
"Sire, the princess is here! She's unharmed!" he shouted, setting Alicia down.
"Thank you. But… where are the other four?" the king asked, eyes narrowed.
"Well…"
"They stayed behind," Alicia said, her voice trembling, finishing the guard's sentence.
The moment those words left her mouth, Erika and Elias appeared instantly, halting their fight. They materialized before the guard like specters of fury.
"What did you do?!" Elias roared, grabbing the guard by his armor's collar.
"I had no choice! One of them fell, like their foot was suddenly injured!"
"What?"
"Where are they?" Erika asked, clearly shaken.
"I don't know exactly. The streets are unrecognizable from the destruction, but it was about five minutes from the central park."
The air was tense. Everyone was on edge. But Elias, despite the storm, stayed calm. His face barely twitched.
"Darling, the kids…" Erika whispered, clutching his shirt.
Elias stood still, his expression grim. Then he straightened.
"I have to go."
"I'm coming with you."
"No… Erika, you need to stay."
"Elias. They're my kids too. Okay? I can't stay here doing nothing."
"They need you here. Floiyo and Reginald are wearing out. Frederic's barely standing. I promise I'll bring them back."
Erika hesitated. Her lips trembled. But she nodded.
"Your Majesty, please… take care of my wife."
"Don't worry, Elias," the king said. "I won't let… what happened ten years ago happen again."
Elias nodded. He prepared to launch himself. But before he could, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down. Alicia was trembling. Crying.
"Please… bring Lucius and Isolde back."
Those words weren't hers to say. But Elias felt her fear. Her raw anguish. He nodded firmly and launched himself.
The structures around him blurred into distorted streaks. His speed broke the sound barrier. He closed his eyes. Searched for mana signatures in a five-kilometer radius. Behind him, the aura of those fighting the dragon. Ahead, more presences. Some weak. Some dying.
Then, at four kilometers… five signatures stood out. Three strong. One unstable. Blurry.
And one more… one he knew too well. Dark. Malevolent. Unforgettable.
Elias's face contorted with rage. He drew his sword. Accelerated. Reached Mach 10.
He arrived in an instant. Barely glimpsed Dante. And slashed. Then struck his jaw, sending him skyward.
Elias had done the only thing he could. He'd separated the kids from danger. Because Dante was dangerous. More than the chaos engulfing the city, more than the storm of destruction consuming the streets. He wondered how they'd survived so long against something like that. Though he'd sent them toward worse devastation, leaving them with Dante… would've been worse than all the destruction.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Gareth asked, panting, trying to keep up with Lucius, who still clutched his chest from the earlier blow.
"I guess toward the source of all the destruction. My dad seemed exhausted, so he probably came from the center of it," Lucius replied, dodging falling debris.
"Do you think Mom's okay?" Isolde asked, her voice heavy with worry.
"She should be. She's not someone easily defeated."
Lucius trusted his mother's strength, hoping to reassure his sister. He glanced at Leonard, who was also clutching his chest. Dante's knee strike had been brutal.
"You okay, Leonard?" Lucius asked.
"Sort of. That guy left me with a hell of a pain in my chest. Who was he? Why'd he go straight for you?"
Leonard had questions. But it wasn't the time. Though, for Lucius, there was always room to think.
"I don't know. But it was strange. He seemed determined to kill Isolde and me. Either way, we need to hurry. I feel… something bigger coming."
They quickened their pace. Meanwhile, Elias fought Dante.
Their swords clashed, a collision of force and will. The impact triggered an explosion that leveled nearby structures. Dante aimed for Elias's shoulder, but Elias dodged with trained reflexes, sidestepping right and kicking Dante's neck, sending him flying.
Elias didn't stop. He closed the distance in a blink, delivering a knee strike that slammed Dante into the ground, drawing a grimace of pain.
Dante recovered fast. He grabbed Elias's leg, forcing him back. He stood instantly and landed a kick to Elias's jaw, sending him airborne. In midair, Dante appeared behind him, striking the back of his neck, sending him crashing down.
Elias regained control just before impact. He formed a water sphere and launched it at Dante. But, as expected, Dante appeared behind him. Elias spun, landing an elbow to his face. Dante countered with a punch to Elias's ribs. Both were thrown back, injured, panting.
"Ten years ago…" Dante said through gritted teeth, his body trembling with pain. "You weren't this strong. Did I force you to train after that?"
"Why don't you shut up for once?" Elias growled, standing tall, sword in hand. "What are you doing here? You were far, far from this kingdom."
Dante laughed, clutching his wounded arm.
"I was tasked with something. Being here makes my scar burn," he touched his left eye. "Don't interrupt my job, Elias. Go back. Or the dragon will destroy everything."
"Let's end this."
Elias charged. His sword aimed for Dante's shoulder, but Dante deflected and punched Elias's stomach. Elias caught his fist, and with a swift twist, delivered a kick that sent Dante flying.
With a gesture, Elias raised the earth. A wall surged, and Dante crashed into it violently. Elias caught him in midair. But Dante grabbed his leg, slammed him to the ground, and tried to drive his sword into Elias's chest.
Elias, quick, drew his pistol and fired. The bullet struck Dante's sword, deflecting it. He pushed with his feet, launching Dante upward, and with a mana surge, sent debris crashing into Dante like stone projectiles.
Dante sliced the projectiles midair. Using one as a platform, he launched himself at Elias. The clash was brutal. A massive explosion shook the city, scattering debris for a kilometer.
Elias lay exhausted, out of strength. Dante, atop him, began pummeling his face with unbridled fury. Blood poured from Elias's mouth. He was weak.
"Damn it. You had to come and ruin everything. Couldn't you stay fighting the dragon and let me kill your kids?" Dante spat, each punch fueled by more rage.
Elias caught Dante's fist, his voice a whisper of fury.
"Don't you dare… mention them…"
"Come on. You don't even know them well," Dante pressed harder. "You know what? Those kids you call your children… they killed the real ones."
Elias felt something ignite within him. He grabbed Dante's neck and stood.
"What are you saying?"
"Your kids. Those two. They're reincarnated. Didn't you know? Haven't you noticed how Lucius acts like an adult trapped in a young body?"
Elias remembered… gestures, words, glances. Every odd moment, every out-of-place trait.
"And your daughter, Isolde. She's normal for now. But when she regains her memories… even you won't know what to do."
"You…"
Elias tightened his grip on Dante's neck, choking him. Dante smiled, almost with pleasure, as he struggled to breathe.
"Sooner or later, you'd find out. Thought it'd be fun if it came from me."
Dante tried to teleport, but Elias caught him again, as if anticipating every move.
"You're not escaping, bastard. Repeat what you said."
"Those kids aren't who you think. They're the ones who killed the real ones."
Elias trembled, rage and fear intertwining within him.
Dante laughed… and teleported, far from the continent.
Elias stood still, scanning the air as if he could catch Dante's trace among the settling debris. But there was nothing. Only the distant roar of the true threat: the dragon.
He sighed.
"I'd better move," he said quietly, and with a surge of mana, he ran toward the heart of the battle.
Meanwhile, the battlefield was hell.
The dragon's claws tore through buildings like wet paper. Reginald fired relentlessly at the beast's heart, but his mana-charged bullets bounced uselessly off its hardened scales.
Beside him, Frederic and Floiyo arrived, panting, their bodies drained from the effort.
"How the hell did you kill the Eldrathorn dragon?" Frederic spat, frustrated and staggering.
"Elias did most of the work," Reginald replied, aiming at the monster's left wing. "And that dragon, though bigger, didn't have scales this damn tough."
"Frederic, go find Elias," Floiyo ordered, dodging a falling stone block just in time.
"What? No way! If I leave, this'll go to hell even faster."
"We're already at a disadvantage. Without Elias, we're dead. Erika won't hold out much longer either."
Frederic hesitated. His breathing was a dagger in his throat. But he clicked his tongue and nodded.
"You better not die, old lady," he said, stepping back and turning on his heels before sprinting off.
But on his way, he ran into Lucius, Isolde, Gareth, and Leonard.
"Director?" Lucius asked, stopping abruptly.
Frederic halted, incredulous.
"Lucius? Where's Elias?"
"Fighting," Isolde replied, visibly worried and breathless.
"Fighting who?"
"With…"
"No time," Frederic cut her off. "Run. I'll find Elias."
And with that, he vanished into the rubble.
Lucius watched him go, then turned and kept running. The others followed. The sound of destruction guided them to the storm's center.
And then they saw it.
The dragon.
"What… is that?" Gareth asked, eyes wide with shock.
Lucius looked at it, his gaze cold, analytical.
"A dragon," he said simply. "We have to help."
But they didn't get far.
A figure, distorted by speed, appeared before them, dragging them to a secluded spot.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" a familiar voice shouted, laced with fear.
"Mom?" Isolde said, bewildered.
A dragon's lightning bolt illuminated Erika's sweaty, exhausted face.
"Mom!" Isolde ran to her, throwing herself into her arms, her voice breaking with tears.
Erika hugged her tightly, not letting go.
"Where's your father?" she asked, looking at Lucius.
"He's fighting," he replied, stepping closer.
"What? With who?"
"With someone called…"
The dragon's roar interrupted, a scream that shook the earth. Erika reacted instantly.
"You have to go. Now."
"What? No! We can't leave you here," Lucius protested, stubborn.
"Lucius! This isn't the time," her voice cut like a military order. "That thing will destroy the kingdom if we don't stop it now."
Lucius was speechless. Erika turned and shot toward the battle.
Gareth turned to Leonard.
"Let me ease the pain," he said, placing a hand on his chest. Mana flowed, soothing the ache. But another roar shook the ground. Gareth stumbled but kept going.
Isolde stood still. Lucius took her hand firmly.
"We have to obey Mom."
She lowered her head, biting her lip. Finally, she nodded sadly.
Gareth finished and stood beside them. Without a word, the four began their retreat, moving away from the disaster with hearts heavy with guilt.
They ran, feeling like they were betraying those fighting to protect them. And just then, debris fell from the sky at deadly speed.
But it pulverized in midair.
"Hope you're okay, kids," Reginald said behind them.
"More or less," Isolde replied.
"I'll help you get out of here. You must be exhausted."
"Shouldn't you be helping with the dragon?" Lucius asked, confused.
Reginald looked toward the battle, letting out a long sigh.
"Maybe. But your mom put me in charge of you. So… let's go."
Without another word, he started running, and the kids followed without hesitation.
"Be careful!" he warned as they moved. "The dragon's not the only threat. There are enemies in the shadows who want us dead."
Lucius clenched his fists.
He remembered the hooded figure he'd seen attacking a guard during their escape.
Now he understood.
That was part of the threat too.