Chapter Title: The Dark One's Arrival
THE SERPENT'S AWAKENING
A thick, churning cloud of smoke blanketed the ruins of a dark ritual chamber an undisclosed location where the Ten had once etched their legacy in blood and betrayal. Now, it was alive again, the air rippling with ancient magic, static pulses, and the smell of fire-soaked incense.
From the depths of the smoke… a voice emerged—silky, sinister, and unmistakably female.
"How many decades has it been, Arcade?"
The whisper coiled like a serpent through the chamber.
Ssssshhh…
A snake hissed in the fog, its tongue flicking between time and memory.
Huey chuckled from the shadows.
Lord Arcade, standing still and commanding, allowed a rare smile to cross his lips.
"Egle. Welcome back."
The smoke parted like drawn curtains, revealing her.
She floated just above the cracked stone floor, wrapped in coils of a colossal golden-brown serpent—its head alert, its body muscular, glowing faintly beneath her.
Egle was breathtaking and terrifying. Her long turquoise hair fluttered in the ambient stillness. She wore dark, skin-tight leggings inscribed with glowing tribal gold patterns, and over her shoulders hung crisscrossed straps bearing curved ritual blades. Tattoos and bandage wraps covered her torso and arms, radiating a ceremonial elegance part war priestess, part monster queen.
The serpent coiled tighter around her as if worshiping its mistress.
"It seems," Arcade said, "you and your pet Saharan are doing just fine."
Egle tapped the serpent's head gently. Its tongue flicked in and out, tasting the tension.
"You remembered her name. Beautiful, my Lord."
Suddenly
CRAAACK!!!
A coffin beside Egle split open, its runes shattering.
The serpent lashed out, striking with frightening speed BOOM!!! obliterating the wooden shell before it could fully open.
But something moved.
A lean figure flipped from the shattered remains, landing atop a glowing blue totem pole etched with jaguar, owl, serpent, and monkey faces.
He crouched there like a hawk, dressed in war paint and scavenged tribal armor, a red-and-white headdress billowing behind him. A rune-inscribed cleaver dangled lazily in his hand.
"Egle," he spat. "Keep your pet under control. If it touches me again, I'll slice it open."
Egle's smirk was thin and venomous.
"Try it, Shiva. I dare you."
Lord Arcade raised his hand, voice calm but firm.
"Enough. You've all just awoken. Save your wrath for the world that forgot us."
His gaze turned toward the final four unopened coffins.
"It seems our other brothers require… a bit more time."
The chamber darkened again. The gathering storm was only beginning.
THE SHAMAN'S DOMAIN
Far away, between worlds, Sakamoto and Sir Varion followed Cain deeper into the sacred territory of the Anumari Clan. Vines parted. Drums echoed faintly in the air, though no one played them. Trees bowed inward, forming a living hallway toward the temple's heart.
They arrived at a clearing. There, in the center of a stone circle surrounded by ritual bones and standing torches, stood her.
She turned slowly as they approached.
Volcanus, the priestess of the Anumari, was unlike any human Sakamoto had ever seen.
She wore tattered robes, wrapped in ceremonial bandages soaked with runes. Her head was crowned by a horned white skull mask, adorned with long, blue ritual feathers. Charms, bones, and grotesque baby-like skulls hung from her staff like chimes in a forbidden temple.
Her body was lean starved, perhaps, by purpose. Her presence was immense.
Cain bowed slightly.
"Lady Volcanus. The hunters from SUHA are here."
She turned. Her voice was sharp and slow—like wind brushing across a grave.
"It feels… like the gods have allowed another higher being to bridge into our space and this earth"
Her head tilted slightly.
She pointed her grotesque staff at Sakamoto.
"What a terrifying fate you carry, child. The Dark One, hmm? The Prince of All."
Sakamoto flinched.
"What… did you call me?"
Varion stepped forward quickly.
"Volcanus. Enough of the riddles."
She laughed.
It wasn't pleasant.
"I jest. Perhaps. Or perhaps not."
She leaned her staff into the soil.
"What brings SUHA to our doorstep? I thought the lines were clear: the world of war, and the world of spirit, do not mix."
Varion nodded with respect.
"We wouldn't have come if it weren't desperate. But Lord Arcade… has returned."
Volcanus froze.
The playful air died instantly.
"You lie."
"I wish I was," Varion said. "He walks again. The world trembles. And we need your help."
Volcanus turned her back.
"The Anumari will not taint our hands in the bloodshed of your world. We protect balance. Not sides."
Varion stepped forward.
"Listen—"
"Leave." Her voice cut like a dagger.
A wave of Shen pressure erupted from her violent, divine, raw. Even Varion took a step back. Sakamoto's knees buckled slightly from the force.
"Your world burned. And now you beg its last survivors for help?" she hissed.
Varion clenched his jaw.
Then, quietly…
"Your lover, Fendro… was killed by them."
Volcanus stopped. Cold. Still, frustration visible on her face
"…Fendro?"
Her voice trembled.
She turned slowly, eyes behind the skull mask wide with disbelief.
"He's… dead?"
Her fingers tightened on the staff. The feathers trembled in the wind. The ritual fire behind her cracked and hissed.
END CHAPTER