Past | Emberium Training Grounds
In the center of a windy rune field stands Lucil, crimson coat snapping around black trousers and red boots. Two swords cross his back— one violet-crimson like wounded dusk, the other white with veins of red. Crimson scars slash across his neck. Opposite him waits Silver, moon-pale hair and a single longsword sheathed.
Lucil's voice rips through the wind.
"Why did you choose this path?"
Silver's reply strikes like flint on flint.
"Why did you abandon the way of the warrior?"
Hatred surges in Lucil's eyes, glowing crimson.
„LuSilfer!"
„BrightMoon" Silver shouts
The air splits under the roar of two unseen dragons.
A mage shrouded in black— with a long beard— rushes to the training grounds, robes snapping in the wind. He raises a palm
„Sa so roh!" he chants.
Pressure condenses around the combatants, rattling loose stones on the field. Neither man flinches.
Steel sings free. Lucil launches first— Silver, a heartbeat behind. Their collision detonates the pressure field in a white flash. Lucil aims for Silver's throat; Silver's blade thrusts for Lucil's heart.
Silver staggers back, screaming as his arm hits the ground. Lucil drops to one knee— left leg severed below the knee, blood spills to the ground.
"What are you doing?" the black-robed mage roars, disbelief in his voice.
"This ground is sacred— not made for killing!"
Both warriors turn face to face, still feral enough to kill each other in this fight.
"I will stop you." the bearded mage warns.
"Sa so roh—jo za du." A shout from a woman far away
Blue luminance floods the field. The light presses against their minds; Lucil's eyelids droop. Silver collapses with a rattling breath, his swords clattering beside him.
From the distant path comes a sprinting figure— long pink hair streaming down, robe the soft hue of sunrise. She skids to a halt, pink eyes wide. "Ceza! I heard dragon roars. Are you all right?"
Ceza— the black-robed mage— stares, shocked. "Separate them, Dena. Reattach their limbs before they awaken. If we don't, they'll butcher each other again."
Dena kneels, luminous runes swirling beneath her.
Ceza folds his arms, gaze fixed. "So much talent, wasted on clan pride. Lucil, Silver— remember this. Inside Emberium's realm, all mages stand equal. Feuds die at the gate; only evolution survives."
Wind slides across the field, carrying the scent of blood, while Lucil and Silver fall into a deep slumber.
ESTATE OF THE WHITE DRAGONS | SHRINE
"That's the real reason Japan's mages have no voice in the Mage Tower." she spits. "We severed every bond— cut ties with the Circle and the Tower— because one clan head decided we were 'strong enough.' " Her laugh is raw. "No wonder Silver mocks our spellcraft. He is right— our magic is PATHETIC!"
"Ruin, calm yourself!" Estelle's voice slashes through the air.
Joseph raises a hand. "She isn't wrong, Estelle."
Estelle rounds on him, her eyes sharp with warning.
"But we've kept evolving." Joseph insists, turning back to Ruin. "We still have plenty of tricks."
Jessica gestures to an empty seat. "Sit, Ruin. Let us finish."
Ruin draws a ragged breath. "Arrogance over substance— that's our legacy. One clan preaching unity, yet we destroyed our own future— WITHOUT UNITY!" She sweeps her gaze across the elders; their stunned faces only tighten her chest. Finally, she sits, shoulders trembling.
"Emberium." she mutters. "Silver went looking for it, yet there's no record left in our archives."
Joseph glances at Estelle, disbelief flickering between them. "How could he know that name?"
Ruin fires back "Does it surprise you? You don't even know what your son is. Pathetic again. Nothing new!"
"Mind your tongue." Joseph warns.
"Or what?"
Estelle steps in. "Ruin, please. Listen this time."
But Ruin's temper snaps. She stands up again, defying the command! She lifts a hand— white light blooming in her palm.
"Lunation End Time—Death from A—"
Estelle, Joseph, Jessica and Jonas lunge for her, but silver lunar light detonates first— an expanding shockwave that hurls them against the walls, cracking the stone.
Ruin's breath comes in furious bursts. "Ever listened to me? Even once? AND I NEED TO MIND MY TONGUE? ENOUGH!"
Blue fire crackles along her fingertips. "Your stories— your endless wars— they sicken me. You think another history lesson will fix this? Rot that blood! No— let's be honest. The only way our country's magic can evolve is if we erase the clan clinging to the past!"
Joseph staggers upright, blood trickling from his mouth. He spreads his arms wide. "Then kill me. Right now. Prove your point."
Thought burns away in Ruin's eyes, replaced by a roaring certainty. They have certainly never felt the world shift beneath their feet— she will make it quake.
Silver light coils around her right hand, condensing into a rapier of pure moon-glow. A tiny crescent charm dangles from the pommel.
She whispers "Queensmoon—Lunar Sword."
One heartbeat later, she lunges, blade aimed straight for Joseph's heart.
"Queensmoon—Death Play."
The spell fractures space: three Ruins flash into being— one behind Joseph, one behind, one above— all striking in unison.
Joseph's brows lift even as steel glints at his throat. "Magnificent. I didn't expect that."
From across the hall Estelle's voice rings out. "SE RA SI VA!" A wolf's roar answers. White dust swirls, taking shape as a colossal snow-wolf barreling between the clones.
"ICAKATA—break it!" Estelle commands.
The wolf cries— ice shards are revealing, slashing through every image of Ruin. The clones shatter. The real Ruin, now above it, plants a kick against the wolf's snout mid-air, launching herself to safety.
"I'll kill you too, Mother, if I must!" her voice echoes, raw and shaking.
Sweat beads on Joseph's brow. "A harsh creed. Believe me, Ruin— we are fighting for the future."
He drops to one knee, studying her aura. "I see it in your magic… You carry an avatar, nobler than your mother's."
Ruin's breathing slows. "Perhaps I underestimated you both."
She lowers her blade an inch. "You were ready to die, Father— so I'll grant a chance. Explain everything. Jonas, Jessica— drop the silent incantation behind me, I broke it a long time ago."
The two elders materialize behind her.
Jonas offers a stiff bow. "Lady Ruin, your insight is… considerable."
Estelle's voice cracks. "Entities, Ruin! That power runs in Red-Dragon blood— so stop this! We are right in this case!"
"And even if it does?" Ruin snaps.
Joseph rises, palm pressed to the wound in his robe. "Emberium was once the pride of every mage in this land— a bastion of modern magic and unity. Ask why it no longer exists; then everything will make sense. Stand with us or not— but know this: a single awakened entity could erase Japan."
Ruin inhales sharply. "Break Zero."
Moonlight gutters around her; the rapier dissolves into a narrow silver beam and vanishes. The hall falls silent except for her steady breathing.
"If your reason satisfies me." she says "I won't annihilate this clan."
Estelle steps forward, voice trembling. "You don't understand the weight of killing!"
Ruin turns away, crossing the marble toward Jonas. "Ohh I understand! And I will prove it!"
Moon-white flames pulse from her shoulders as she steps toward Jonas. The marble beneath her boots ticks with each measured stride, echoing through the vaulted walls of the hall.
"You've lived long enough, haven't you, Elder?" The question slips from her lips like a scalpel.
Jonas's jaw tightens. "What are you planning to do—"
"My mother keeps thinking I'm not serious." she continues. "It isn't my first kill and I'm ready to die if it comes to that. Ready to kill and ready to die— simple. That was my first lesson, from these two. And I am proud of it!"
Silver-light blooms from her palm.
„Queen Execution."
Behind Joseph, a white shadow wearing a crown appears, wielding a massive sword as white dust coils around it.
At a silent command, the avatar raises the sword.
Jonas stammers a reflex incantation— "Se ra li!"— muscles swelling with sudden sorcery. But the sword of light kisses his throat before the spell takes root.
"She broke my barrier…" His voice fades to disbelief.
"That's Lucil's lesson." Ruin says, eyes like frost. "Break the spell before it blossoms. Mother, you say I don't grasp the 'weight' of killing. After this, perhaps you'll understand."
Estelle's composure cracks— fear flickers in her eyes.
Ruin tilts her head. "These techniques you worship haven't evolved in centuries. Killing them is child's play— see?" She sweeps a hand over her skin. "Your 'wolf pup' couldn't leave a scratch."
Joseph steps forward, hands raised. "Ruin, what happened to you? Your personality and whole demeanor has changed beyond recognition!"
"The problem is." she replies evenly. "Only Father, recognize my strength. I bow to knowledge, to wisdom, to power— but never to weakness. Not even to you, honored Elders. My apologies."
Estelle stammers shocked— "Ruin— you're serious— sorry!"
Light flashes.
Queen Execution slices through the air, faster than sound itself. Jonas gasps; his eyes widen in a single, helpless instant before his body splits cleanly in two.
For a breathless moment, no one moves. Only the hiss of spilled life breaks the silence.
Ruin lowers her hand, light dimming but not gone. "So! That was easy!" she says, voice steady, almost gentle. "Now— you know your position, or do I need to kill Jessica next?"
Estelle drops to her knees. Joseph and Jessica hover a glance at her avatar.
Jessica staggers back, horror draining the colour from her whole face.
"R-Ruin… he was the eldest." she croaks.
Ruin's gaze doesn't soften. "Grand-grandmother, don't test my patience. Push me, and you join him."
Jessica falls silent, throat swollen from fear.
Ruin turns to the others, breath frosting the air in a sudden, killing chill. "Mother, Father, Grandmother. Remember how this works. When I demand the truth— you obey. When I protest— you listen. And if you refuse?" Her voice rises, ringing off the marble. "Then everyone dies by my hand. Enough of this acting!"
The temperature plummets— an aura of lunar ice swirling from her skin.
"I'll make it quick." she adds, voice flat. "Merciful, compared to Silver's methods. So consider yourselves fortunate."
Estelle, Joseph and Jessica each give a trembling nod.
Ruin snaps her fingers. Moonlight surges around Jonas's severed body. It dissolves into silver butterflies, which flutter towards her as she calmly absorbs them.
Estelle shudders at the sight.
"Such cursed magic!" she whispers.
"Adaptation, nothing more." Ruin replies. "That's what our clan forgot. Even Mai alone could erase you all. You should be grateful none of us have broken— yet." A cruel smile tilts her lips. "Besides, I'm only playing games so far."
She strides to the throne and sits cross-legged, like a queen reclaiming her seat.
"Now." she says, steepling her fingers, "Tell me the real cause of this feud. Don't try to manipulate me. Give me honesty— and I'll let you live."
Her eyes flick from Estelle to Joseph to Jessica— cold and gleaming, as though she's studying insects pinned beneath glass.