"Gamble, boy."
The voice of an old man broke the silence of the night. Beside him, a young boy gazed at the stars as if trying to read the future from them.
"What is it, Grandpa?" Gamble asked, not taking his eyes off the sky.
The man, his face lined with wrinkles and his eyes reflecting the starlight, smiled slightly.
"A boy with red hair... Can you call him your star?"
The question sent Gamble into deep thought. He remained silent for a long moment, searching for the right words. Finally, he stood up, stretched lazily, and looked at the old man.
"Akira is the sun," he said at last. "He brightens everything around him. He can make anyone laugh, but he can also be terrifying."
The man nodded, then, still staring at the night sky, asked another question.
"And what would you do if that sun were to go out one day? Or if it focused all its light on the earth... Would you then become the moon? Would you share the fate of the one you call the sun?"
Gamble furrowed his brows, trying to grasp the meaning of those words. He sat back down and muttered under his breath,
"I don't know... You sound like you're suggesting that Aki will take Akira away, and I'll never get to see him again."
The old man placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"The sun must sometimes focus on the earth. The moon, however, always longs for its attention. If you don't want your friend to face a choice that will separate you... then become a sun for someone else."
Gamble wanted to respond, but suddenly...
He woke up.
The wagon's wheels came to a sudden halt, and the jolt yanked him from his sleep.
"And I was sleeping so well..." Akira groaned sleepily, stretching before hopping off the wagon.
Four masked figures stood before the horses. Their bodies were tense like drawn bowstrings, hands resting on the hilts of their weapons. It didn't take much to understand their intentions.
"Akira, wait," Gamble said, stepping in front of him with his hands raised.
"Let's try to do this peacefully."
He took a step forward and spoke in a calm voice,
"We are heroes of the blade. Sword and shield. We seek the el—"
He didn't get to finish.
One of the attackers lunged at him with a spear, aiming for his heart. Gamble dodged at the last second, grabbing the shaft of the weapon and breaking it in one swift motion. He stepped back toward Akira, who, in the meantime... yawned.
"May I?" Akira asked lazily.
Gamble, with a slight bow, made a theatrical gesture as if opening the doors to a royal hall.
Akira smirked mockingly and raised his hand.
"Let the eyes of the wind turn to me. Spirits of the wind, surround me with your strength!"
The air around him began to swirl. Invisible gusts whipped around his body, lifting dust and leaves. The attackers took a step back, but their hands remained clenched around their weapons.
Akira sighed heavily.
"So that's not enough to make you run?"
The wind died down.
He snapped his fingers.
From his back, four sparks shot out, each like a lightning bolt piercing through the air. Before the enemies could react, they collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Akira stretched again and glanced at Gamble.
"Well, that's settled. Shall we move on?" he asked the terrified driver.
"Akira, wait. Let's check them," said Gamble, approaching one of the attackers and tearing off the black robes.
But beneath the fabric, there was no body—only a wooden puppet.
"You've got to be kidding me! I wasted all that mana on dolls?!" Akira growled, kicking a stone against a nearby wall.
Gamble furrowed his brows, then noticed a plume of smoke rising above the jungle. "We'll go on foot from here," he announced, brushing off his knees.
The coachman, still pale with fear, looked at them uncertainly. "Are you sure? The elves roam this jungle..."
Akira slung his bag over his shoulder and replied with a grin, "They're exactly who we're looking for."
Terrified by their carefree attitude, the coachman quickly turned the wagon around, but before disappearing into the distance, he called out, "Be careful!"
"I think we should head south," Akira said, staring at the map. However, he soon noticed that Gamble was still staring at the wall, as if analyzing something. "Something bothering you?"
"How hard did you kick that stone?" Gamble asked without looking away from the wall.
"Hard enough to turn it to dust. Why?"
Gamble touched the wall and sighed. "A hit like that should've at least left a crack... but this wall didn't even make a sound."
"There was a loud bang," Akira pointed out.
"Yeah, but that was the sound of the stone breaking. What about the wall itself?"
Gamble took two steps back, then punched the wall. His fist bounced off like a rubber ball, as if he had struck something soft, despite the wall looking solid.
"Did you hear anything?" he asked, rubbing his hand.
Akira frowned and focused on the wall.
"Try using an explosive punch," Gamble suggested.
"What?"
"Just try it."
Akira stepped back and struck the wall with full force, releasing an explosion. The wall shattered with a loud crack, revealing a lake with a massive tree growing on an island in the center.
Both of them stepped closer, stunned.
"This… is incredible," Akira whispered.
"Look over there." Gamble pointed to a massive gate emerging from the rock.
As they approached, the doors slowly opened on their own, revealing a castle beyond.
"A Reality Breakdown…" Gamble murmured, studying the surroundings.
Akira suddenly tensed.
"Something wrong?"
"I can sense Kaido and Hana's mana."
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the castle. Gamble tried to follow, but the moment he stepped onto the bridge, it vanished, leaving him suspended over the abyss.
"Damn it, they're trying to separate us," he thought, summoning his shield. Standing on it like a platform, he used wind magic to keep himself airborne.
Then, he heard a calm, familiar voice.
"Welcome, Fallen Star's Monster."
Gamble turned and saw a man standing in the shadows.
"You can step down from the shield," said Shuu.
Gamble eyed him warily but slowly descended to the ground.
"What kind of illusion are you using?" he asked.
Shuu extended his hand, revealing a mask—one almost identical to Vecton's.
"This mask… and yours. We need them."
Gamble narrowed his eyes.
"So, we are going to fight after all," he muttered, fastening his shield to his forearm and taking a battle stance.
Akira ran as fast as he could toward the castle, but the closer he got, the farther it seemed to move away. Frustration built with every step until he finally came to an abrupt stop, staring into the distance.
"I'm about to lose my fucking mind..." he muttered under his breath, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He took a deep breath and turned to check his surroundings. However, instead of the familiar landscape, ruins stretched before him. He wanted to keep running, but when he looked behind him, the castle and the bridge were gone— as if they had never existed.
"I should've listened to Viktor and his ramblings about Reality Breakdowns..." he mumbled, trying to stay calm, though deep down, unease trembled on the edge of fear.
Suddenly, a powerful explosion shattered the silence, shaking the air. The shockwave threw Akira to the ground before he could shield himself. He crashed into a wall with such force that the breath was knocked out of him. Without wasting time, he jumped behind cover and concealed his mana, sensing that something unsettling was at play.
"I didn't sense any mana in that… Pure strength? No… It's something else." His thoughts raced as he slowly got to his feet.
Determined, he moved toward the source of the explosion. Sprinting past the ruins, he leaped into the air, trying to spot his opponent.
And then he saw her.
She stood there—a half-cat girl, the same one whose attack had nearly torn him apart earlier. Her gaze brimmed with wild confidence.
Without hesitation, Akira summoned his sword and hurled it straight at her. Seeing the weapon flying toward her, the cat girl leaped into the air, certain that Akira wouldn't be able to evade her attack.
"Tough luck, beetroot!" she hissed, raising her claws, ready to strike.
"Switch!" Akira shouted, swapping places with his sword at the last moment.
"Not beetroot! Apple sounds better!" he shot back, as two spikes shot up from the ground, aimed directly at his opponent.
With lightning-fast reflexes, the cat girl landed on the ground, striking it with such force that the shockwave dispersed Akira's attack. She landed on a cross rising from the ruins, slowly reaching for her weapon. The rapier in her hand gleamed under the moonlight, and her cloak billowed in the wind. Her emerald eyes shone like jewels, staring at Akira with a challenge.
Before he could make another move, a boy emerged from behind her. The same one who had pointed them toward the path back at the bar. He seemed to have stepped straight out of the moonlight, surrounded by a faint nocturnal glow.
Surprised, Akira kept his eyes on his opponents, pulling his sword back into his hand and shifting into a battle stance. The air thickened with tension, as if the world itself was holding its breath before the coming clash.
"Let's begin..." he whispered, his gaze turning icy.