A decade had passed since Aizashi Shishiroma, wielder of the Flame Blade of Eidolon, faced the demon-lord Gimori in a battle that nearly shattered a continent. The war had ended, but scars remained.
Aizashi, wearied by years of bloodshed, had chosen peace.
He left the life of a Warden behind—those elite warriors sworn to defend the Five Nations and the surrounding islands of Eidolon. Now, in a quiet village on the outskirts of the Akira Nation, he lived humbly with his wife, Katherine Kunehane, wielder of the legendary but weakest Shadow Blade, and a survivor of the nearly extinct Kunehane Clan.
Their first son, Levine, already showed promise as a fighter. But their hopes for true peace and legacy were renewed the day Katherine gave birth to their second child.
Katherine held the newborn boy in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
Katherine: "So beautiful…"
Aizashi smiled, kneeling beside her.
Aizashi: "He really is, isn't he?"
Katherine: "What should we name him?"
Aizashi: "I'm not really sure…"
Levine (age 6) burst into the room with excitement in his eyes.
Levine: "I have a name, Mommy!"
Aizashi: (laughs) "Go ahead, son."
Levine: "Let's name him… Xzavier."
Katherine: "Xzavier Shishiroma. It's perfect."
But joy shattered like glass.
Screams. Fire. Destruction.
Aizashi bolted outside. The skies bled red. Flames devoured the village as villagers cried out in terror. Floating above the inferno was a figure cloaked in shadow and malice—Gimori, reborn and more monstrous than ever.
His Aku no Eye glowed violently, and his Demon Blade howled for death.
Aizashi's eyes widened. He knew this power. He had hoped—prayed—it would never return. He snatched his Flame Blade, igniting it with righteous fury.
Levine, trembling but resolute, grabbed Katherine's Shadow Blade.
Levine: "Let me help!"
Aizashi: "No, he'll kill you without hesitation!"
Levine: "Then I'll die protecting Mom and Xzavier! I won't sit and watch you die!"
Aizashi paused—staring at his brave, young son.
Then he nodded.
Aizashi: "…Let's do this."
They charged.
Steel clashed against darkness. The father-son duo fought with valor, their blades dancing in unison against the monster that haunted their bloodline. But Gimori—ten years stronger, ten times more cruel—overpowered them. Every strike of his Demon Blade cracked the earth, and each glance from his Aku no Eye weakened their spirits.
Meanwhile, Katherine, injured and pale, limped away, clutching the infant Xzavier in a woven basket.
She staggered toward the Great Valley of Eidolon, a sacred ravine behind their village, her legs trembling. There, surrounded by whispering winds and ancient stone, she turned to Levine.
Katherine: "Protect him. Love him. Guard him, Levine. Please."
Levine (crying): "I will! I promise!"
But fate had no mercy.
As Levine turned to flee, a horrific shape lurked in the shadows—a Grimly. Blind but all-seeing in hate, it was one of Gimori's twisted creations, a mutated beast born of corruption and experiments gone vile.
It lunged.
Snap.
Levine's head rolled across the ground. Katherine screamed. But before she could move, the Grimly sank its jaws into her, tearing flesh from bone.
Then, the baby.
Xzavier's cries were silenced as the Grimly devoured him whole.
Aizashi, in the distance, roared in agony.
He turned—saw his wife collapse—saw Levine's lifeless body—saw the blood-stained basket.
His heart shattered.
Gimori laughed coldly, stepping forward.
Gimori: "You brought this on yourself. I told you, Aizashi… I will have those two blades."
And with a cruel grin, he plunged Aizashi's own Flame Blade into his abdomen.
Aizashi gasped, blood pouring from his mouth. He collapsed to his knees.
Gimori: "Come on now, you nasty thing… Our work here... is done."
He yanked the blade from Aizashi's gut and tossed it beside him, then vanished into the burning horizon with the Grimly.
Smoke rose. The wind died. And silence reigned.
In that silence, with blood staining the earth and ash blotting out the sky… something stirred in the Great Valley.