"Mask of Shadows"
Scene 1: The Uninvited Guest
The dimly lit classroom reeked of incense and malice. Nero stood at the doorway, his obsidian mask glinting faintly under the flickering candlelight. Two figures—twin brothers clad in crimson robes—turned sharply, their eyes narrowing like vipers scenting prey.
"What kind of place is this…?" Nero mused aloud, his voice muffled yet deliberate beneath the mask.
The brothers exchanged glances. "We don't recall inviting you," one hissed, fingers twitching toward hidden blades.
Nero tilted his head, the mask's hollow eye sockets obscuring his gaze. If I reveal I'm Aryavarta's backup, suspicion will spiral. Instead, he shrugged lazily. "I'm this class's new teacher. Now, care to explain why children are dabbling in sacrificial rites?"
The air crackled.
In a blur, the brothers lunged, daggers gleaming. Nero sidestepped, their strikes tearing through empty air. "Liar!" they snarled. "The Priest Academy has no new instructors!"
Nero chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. "Punishing disrespectful students is part of the job."
Scene 2: Sparks of Divinity
The brothers' laughter echoed unnaturally as their bodies blurred, moving faster than humanly possible. Nero blocked a kick aimed at his ribs, the impact reverberating through the stone walls.
"You think you can defeat Divine Gate candidates?!" one brother spat, his blade grazing Nero's cloak.
Candidates. Not yet blessed with true power. Nero smirked beneath the mask. "Divine Gate? Sounds like a cheap bedtime story."
They attacked in tandem—a whirlwind of steel and fury. But Nero moved like shadow incarnate, fists crashing into jaws, ribs, knees. Bones crunched. The brothers crumpled, bloodied and gasping.
"First question," Nero said, looming over them. "Who fed you this 'Gate' nonsense?"
Instead of answering, the twins clasped hands. Light erupted, merging their forms into a grotesque, two-headed entity. Its speed blurred—a claw swiped, tearing Nero's mask away.
Scene 3: The Unmasked Truth
The creature froze.
Nero's face was exposed—pale skin, a jagged horn curling from his left temple, and eyes glowing like smelted gold. The brothers recoiled. "What…are you?!"
"Disappointed?" Nero grinned. With a snap of his fingers, primordial energy surged, coalescing into a fist-shaped vortex. It struck like a meteor, obliterating the monstrosity.
"Primordial Fist," Nero muttered as the brothers' unconscious forms were sealed into a shimmering cage. "All that shouting about techniques…pathetic."
He turned, only to freeze.
Ayumi stood at the chamber's edge, her sword trembling in her grip. Her voice shook. "Nero…Almik."
Scene 4: Echoes of Betrayal
Nero sighed. "Wrong person, princess."
But Ayumi's gaze locked onto his horn. "Liar! You died! I saw your corpse!"
He floated upward, lounging midair as if on an invisible throne. "Corpses don't dream. Or claw their way out of slums." His tone sharpened. "Friendship? You lot wouldn't know it if it stabbed you frontally."
Ayumi lunged, her blade piercing his palm—yet no blood spilled. The wound sealed instantly.
"Monster," she whispered.
Nero's laughter was bitter. "Pain? I was born in it. Molded by it." Golden eyes bored into hers. "Your royal hands ever touched starvation? Watched your mother rot while nobles clinked wine glasses?"
Scene 5: The God Who Kneeled
Enraged, Ayumi chanted, summoning a Battle God—a towering deity clad in ethereal armor. But the god took one look at Nero and collapsed, trembling.
"P-Please…" it begged.
Nero strode past, not sparing it a glance. "Pathetic efforts, princess. You're still a child on this battlefield." He paused. "And never call me by that name again. Nero Almik is dead."
As he vanished, Ayumi sank to her knees. The god shuddered. "That creature…his power eclipses divinity itself. Why did he spare us?"
Final Scene: Whispers in the Void
Trapped in the collapsing dimension, Nero glanced at his healed palm. Weak, he thought. All of them.
Eri's voice echoed in his mind: Trouble?
"Just a pest." He smirked. "But the horn's showing. Time to move."
Somewhere, Ayumi stared at her trembling sword. "Nero…what have you become?"