The laughter flowed easily along the quiet banks of the Meridicus River, carried away by the soft evening breeze. The golden hues of sunset painted the water in shimmering light, and for the first time in what felt like forever… things felt normal. Lux sat leaning back on the grass, one arm supporting him, the other lazily tossing small pebbles into the river. Zack and Emma sat close together—a little too close. Rose sat across from them, still occasionally glancing at their joined hands like she was trying to confirm reality hadn't glitched. "…So you're telling me," Lux said slowly, squinting at Zack, "this idiot actually pulled someone like you?" Emma smirked. "Surprisingly, yes." Zack groaned. "Can you not say it like I'm some kind of achievement unlock?!" Rose burst out laughing. "No, no—this is shocking. I support this investigation." "Hey!!" Zack protested. Lux shook his head dramatically. "I leave for a few days and come back to betrayal." Emma leaned back on her hands, smiling. "You'll survive." Lux smirked faintly. And for a moment— Everything felt… light again. Then— It vanished. Lux's smile dropped instantly. His eyes sharpened. His body tensed. Before anyone could react— WHOOSH! Lux disappeared from his spot. Emma blinked. "Lux—?" In the next instant— He reappeared right in front of her. GRAB! His hand snapped forward— And caught something mid-air. Emma screamed instinctively, flinching backward. "WHAT—?!" Lux didn't answer. He stood there, arm extended, fingers tightly gripping— An arrow. Silence fell. Zack's eyes widened. "…What?" Rose slowly stood up. "…Where did that come from?" Lux's grip tightened slightly around the arrow as he looked ahead. His voice was low. "Someone's here." Zack's heartbeat picked up. I didn't even see that… Or sense it… His gaze slowly shifted toward Lux. …He did. A small thought crossed his mind. He's gotten stronger. All of them slowly turned toward the direction the arrow had come from. At the far end— Figures emerged from the dimming light. Soldiers. Several of them. Standing in formation. And behind them— A massive black horse. And atop it… A man. Broad shoulders. Straight posture. A presence that felt… heavy. Even from a distance. Lux narrowed his eyes slightly. …This guy… He's different. —
Flashback –
Earlier that day: The streets of Meridicus were overflowing. Everywhere— People. Masks. All wearing the same face. Ray's face. It had made things easier for Lux and the others to blend in. But not invisible. As they walked through one of the wider streets— Zack muttered quietly, "There are way more guards than before…" Emma nodded. "Yeah… they're everywhere." Rose held Lux's hand a little tighter. "…Let's not stay too long." Lux didn't respond. His eyes were moving. Observing. Calculating. Then— They passed him. A black horse stood still among the chaos. And on it— That man. Helio. Even without knowing his name— Something about him stood out. Emma whispered under her breath, "That guy looks important…" Zack scratched his cheek. "Yeah… like final boss energy." Lux glanced at him briefly. But didn't stop walking. "Don't stare," he said quietly. "Let's keep moving." As they passed by— Helio's eyes shifted slightly. Just slightly. But enough. He watched them. Carefully. Silently. One of the soldiers beside him leaned closer. "Sir?" Helio didn't look at him. But spoke calmly. "…Did you feel that?" The soldier hesitated. "…No, sir." Helio's gaze remained fixed ahead. "Four of them." The soldier blinked. "Four…?" Helio's voice lowered. "Different signatures." "Sound… Earth… Fire…" A brief pause. "…And Light." The soldier's expression changed. "You mean—" Helio raised his hand slightly. Silence. His eyes narrowed just a fraction. "They're not ordinary." The group continued walking, unaware. Helio turned his head slightly. "Follow them." The soldier nodded immediately. "Yes, Sir Helio." And just like that— The hunt had begun. —
Back to Present: The air near the river had changed. It wasn't calm anymore. It felt… heavy. Dangerous. Lux stepped forward slightly, still holding the arrow. "Guess we've got company." Zack clenched his fists. "…Yeah. And I don't think they came to talk." Emma stepped beside him, her stance lowering instinctively. Rose moved closer to Lux. "…Lux…" Lux didn't look at her. His eyes were locked on the man atop the black horse. Helio slowly guided the horse forward. Each step— Calm. Controlled. The soldiers behind him remained still. Waiting. Watching. Then— Helio spoke. His voice carried across the riverbank. Deep. Heavy. Like iron striking stone. "…You." His gaze fixed directly on Lux. "…You were in the mansion that night." A chilling silence followed. Zack's eyes widened. He knows…?! Emma's jaw tightened. Rose's grip on Lux's arm stiffened. Lux didn't respond immediately. He simply stared back. Unflinching. Then slowly— A faint smirk appeared on his face. "…Took you long enough." Zack turned sharply. "LUX—?!" Emma whispered harshly, "Are you insane?!" But Lux didn't break eye contact. Helio's expression didn't change. Not even slightly. But the air around him felt even heavier now. "…Good," Helio said quietly. "Then I don't have to waste time." The soldiers behind him shifted slightly, gripping their weapons tighter. The wind picked up. The river rippled. And for the first time— Lux felt it clearly. This wasn't like before. This wasn't like the hooded boy. This was something else. Something grounded. Solid. Overwhelming in a completely different way. Lux's smile faded. His stance lowered slightly. "…He's strong." Zack swallowed. Emma exhaled slowly. Rose didn't say anything. Helio's gaze remained locked on Lux. "…You will answer." A pause. Then— His voice dropped colder. "…Or you will fall." The evening sky darkened slowly behind them. And on the quiet banks of the river— Two paths finally crossed. Lux. And Helio. And neither of them looked like they were going to walk away easily.
The river flowed quietly. Too quietly. Moments ago, it had been filled with laughter… voices… life. Now— Nothing. Only tension. Lux stood still, his body slightly angled forward, golden light faintly flickering around his fingertips like restless flames. Across the field— The man stepped down from the black horse. Helio. The moment his boots touched the ground… The air felt heavier. Not violently. Not aggressively. But like something ancient had just settled into place. Zack exhaled slowly, his throat dry. "…Yeah… I don't like this guy." Emma didn't blink. "…You're not supposed to." Rose instinctively reached for Lux's arm. "…Lux… something's off…" Lux gently moved her hand away. His eyes never left Helio. "I know." A pause. Then— A flash. The ground beneath Lux shattered as he launched forward. A streak of gold tore through the air. "Radiant Blade!!" Light condensed along his arm, forming a sharp, glowing arc that screamed through the atmosphere, distorting the air around it as it cut forward— Helio moved. Barely. A subtle shift of his torso. The blade passed within inches of his face— —and split the ground behind him in a violent explosion. Lux's eyes narrowed mid-motion. He twisted instantly— Too late. Helio was already there. BOOM!! A punch. Not flashy. Not exaggerated. Just perfectly placed. It drove into Lux's core and detonated like a contained explosion. The ground collapsed beneath him as he was slammed into it, cracks spiderwebbing outward in all directions. Dust erupted. Shockwaves rolled across the riverbank. "LUX!!" Rose screamed. Zack stepped forward immediately. "I'm not letting this—" "DON'T." The voice came from the crater. Low. Controlled. Lux stood up slowly, rolling his shoulder as golden light flickered more intensely now. A small trickle of blood ran from his lip. And yet— He smiled. "…That actually hurt." Helio watched him in silence. Then— A flicker of interest. Lux stepped forward. His stance changed. Less reckless. More grounded. He wasn't rushing anymore. He was reading. "…You're not just strong," Lux muttered. "You're precise." Helio finally spoke. "You noticed." Lux smirked. "Yeah… took me one punch to figure that out." Then— Helio raised his hand. Light gathered. Pure. Blinding. The moment it formed— Emma's breath hitched. "…No way…" Zack stared. "…That's—" "Light," Rose whispered. "…Another Light user…" Helio's voice was calm. "Now show me." "…what you're truly capable of." Lux grinned wider. "Oh, you asked for it." They vanished. Not fast— Instant. Two beams of light collided mid-air— BOOOOOOM!! The impact split the air itself. A circular shockwave burst outward, flattening grass, sending river water crashing violently against its banks. Lux spun mid-air, twisting his body unnaturally fast— "Aurora Kick!!" His leg ignited in radiant gold, slicing downward like a falling star— Helio didn't block. He stepped into it. "Solar Break." His arm glowed— And intercepted the kick directly. The collision created a piercing sound— Like glass shattering across the sky. Lux's eyes widened. "He blocked that?!" Helio pushed forward— Lux was thrown back, skidding across the ground, carving a deep trench behind him. But he didn't stop. He planted his hand. Flipped. Redirected momentum— And dashed again. This time— Feints. Multiple light afterimages flickered around Helio from different angles. Helio's eyes tracked— One. Two— Three— He turned— Too late. BOOM!! Lux's strike connected clean across his side. Helio was sent flying— CRASH!! He slammed into a massive rock formation near the riverbank. The entire structure shook violently. Fragments fell. Dust filled the air. Lux landed. Breathing heavier now. "…Got you." Silence. Then— A glow. Faint at first. Then stronger. Cracks spread across the rock. Light leaked through them— Then— BOOOOM!!! The rock exploded outward. Helio stepped out. Unharmed. His aura brighter now. More intense. "…Impressive." Lux exhaled slowly. "…You're insane." Helio's lips curved slightly. "So are you." Both of them raised their fists. Light surged violently. The ground beneath them trembled continuously. Pebbles lifted. Air distorted. Zack took a step back. "…This feels wrong…" Emma nodded slowly. "They're about to go all out…" Helio spoke— "This ends now." Lux cracked his neck slightly. "…Yeah. Let's finish this." They vanished. Two streaks of pure light. Crossing— Reappearing— Colliding— Again— And again— Faster than the eye could process. The battlefield became nothing but flashes. Explosions. Shockwaves. And then— Both appeared. Mid-air. Fists pulled back. Everything slowed. For a fraction of a second. Their final attack— About to collide— but They stopped. Mid-motion.
Lux's eyes twitched. "…What…?" Helio's expression shifted instantly. His instincts screamed. Something was wrong. Then— It came. Not energy. Not power. Weight.
A pressure so dense it felt like the air had turned into stone. Zack dropped instantly to one knee. "…What the hell… is this…?!" Emma tried to move— Her legs trembled violently. "…I… can't…" Rose's breathing became shallow. "…It's… crushing…" Even the soldiers— Collapsed. Weapons falling from their hands. Helio clenched his fists. Veins visible. "…So you've arrived…" Lux's teeth gritted. His body shaking. "…HE'S… HERE…" Then—
Step.
A sound from the forest. Soft. But it echoed like thunder.
Step.
The trees didn't move. The wind stopped. Even the river… Seemed to slow. From the shadows— He emerged. A boy. Hood covering his eyes. Hands in his pockets. Walking forward— Calmly. Casually. As if the world itself wasn't collapsing under his presence. No aura. No visible technique. Nothing. And yet— Everything reacted to him. The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly with each step. The air distorted faintly around him. Not violently. But like reality itself was… uncomfortable. Lux's pupils shrank. His voice came out in a whisper. "…Umbra…" The boy stopped. Lifted his head slightly. A faint smile formed. And in that moment— The pressure intensified. Like gravity had doubled. No— Tripled. Zack slammed both hands into the ground just to stay upright. "…This guy… is a monster…" Helio stared directly at him. For the first time— Not as a king. Not as a warrior. But as someone who had just found… the real enemy. He spoke to himself "This isn't strength… this is something else…" Then- Umbra spoke. Softly. Calmly. Yet every word felt like it weighed a thousand tons. "…You've both improved." A pause. Then— "You trained… just to stand still in front of me." Silence. Absolute. Crushing.