Twilight Ruins, Two Shadows

The wind crawled over the ruins, driving dry dust. Vaulted stone pillars and crumbling corridors, the remnants of an old kingdom, and a thin layer of moss on the cracked ground, that this was once a glorious city, now buried in legend. Erda. The place where the ancient apocalyptic war, the Great Golden Collapse, began. It was now one of the ruins the Cult of Gold explored and sealed off over and over again. Beyond the crags, a man crouched low. A black battle suit beneath a gray cloak. A silver spherical device embedded in his right wrist glowed faintly. Aren Caius. Now he was trying to ascertain any response from within the ruins before 'they' did. 'Six men. Deployed in tactical positions. Four thinkers, one watcher, one commander level...' 'That's more than a normal scout. There must be something, a reaction.' He lifted his head and looked toward the center of the ruins. Beyond the gaping chasm created by the collapse of the arched doorway... he saw a figure. Long silver hair swayed in the wind. A woman in a black hooded coat, peering wordlessly into the artifact. In her hand, she held a sealing stone that glowed with a faint aether. “...Who are you?” Aren's voice echoed off the old stone. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised her head. Purple eyes, no surprise or fear in them. There was a coolness in them, as she carefully sized him up. “Is this... yours?”

She said, waving the artifact lightly. “Or does it belong to the kids coming up behind me now?” Aren looked away quickly. The Cult's Thoughtkeepers had arrived at the entrance to the ruins, completing the circle. Their eyes flashed red, and golden sigils glowed on their metal armor. “...Damn.” Aren spun around and shouted at her. “Get down!” In an instant, a magic bullet grazed Aren's shoulder. He quickly tackled her to the ground, throwing her to the ground. Seira took a moment to stare, then summoned two short swords in her hands. They were specialized twin swords with red rubies embedded in the hilts. “Let's run away together, in moderation. You're half on your own.” She said under her breath. “Very well, then we're halfway there.” Aren replied, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. The Thought Soldiers closed in on them in unison. A fusion of machinery and aether, they slaughtered in silence, their faces expressionless. Flashes. Vibrations. Shrapnel. The corridor collapsed, sending dust billowing into the sky. Aren kicked the wall with a swift leap, activating his cuffs. Blue ether unfurled from his fingertips, creating a computational magic circle in the air. “Aero Impulse, deploying Fifth Series.” With a vibration, a blade of wind formed, slicing through the Thought Soldiers like a gust of wind. Seira followed suit, ducking down and passing by his side. Her movements were swift, and her blades stabbed into their joints without hesitation. 'This woman...

she's used to battle, not a simple relic hunter. Aren thought as he turned his back to her again. They breathed wordlessly. Like comrades in arms who had fought together for ages. But the enemy was not the only one. In the center of the ruins, on a cracked altar. A man in pure white robes stared down at them. Lucian Cross, the commander of the Order of the Golden. A smile played across his face, A golden orb floated in his hand, spinning lightly. “You reacted quicker than I expected, Aren Caius.” His voice was quiet, but it echoed throughout the ruins. “And... a strange face. Who are you?” He shifted his gaze toward Seira. Seira looked at Aren from behind a half-collapsed stone wall and whispered. “...That man, he looks pretty dangerous.” “Yeah. A top ranked practitioner of the Golden Order. The so-called 'Soul Breaker'.” Aren said with a nod. Seira tightened her grip on her sword. The small ruby glowed faintly. Lucian held the orb in his palm and spoke. “If you hand over the artifact, I'll erase your existence from the records.” “...Your offer is laughable every time.” Aren said. Suddenly, the ether in the air vibrated. A strong pressure spread from Lucian's hand, spreading a resonant field around the altar. “You have no choice.” Like a storm, the ruins began to shake again. Seira staggered back and looked at Aren. “Do you have any idea how to break that amulet?”

“If there was, I would have already done it.” Aren gritted his teeth. “But that magic circle, the center ring, there's an unstable piece of crystal in it. If you can throw a sword at it...” Before he could finish his sentence, Seira was down, knife in hand. Taking a breath, she threw it in a flash. BANG! With a scream, the orb's crystalline grid shook. Lucian's eyes wavered for a moment, madness flashing through them. He immediately raised his hand to cast a counterattack spell, In the meantime, Aren had reorganized his magic circle. “This is a toy you made, but- I specialize in breaking things like this.” “Dimensional Split!” There was a flash of blue light that split space, The orb's crystalline grid collapsed, cracking at its center. Lucian was knocked backward with a strong impact, and a section of the ruined ceiling collapsed on top of him. A brief pause. In the dust, Seira and Aren stood up, breathing heavily. “...You're pretty good.” Seira said, wiping the back of her bloody hand. “You too.” Aren nodded. “You, what's your name?” “...Seira. Seyra Bellmore.” He took a moment to repeat the name. Then he held out his hand. “All right, Seyra. We're in the same boat from now on.” Seyra stared at the hand, then clasped it. “But... don't forget that I saw this artifact first.” “Fine, it's half yours.” And with that, they made their way through the crumbling ruins.

In the distance, the unjust sounds of the Cult were growing closer. But what storms this small alliance would bring, none of them knew yet.