The world was silent.
Aira's blood still stained the stones of the ruined battlefield, a grotesque reminder of the price they paid. Squad Umbra stood broken—emotionally and tactically. Kaizen hadn't spoken a word in hours. He sat still, motionless beside the ruins, his eyes locked on the last place Aira had stood.
Nobody dared approach him.
The sun had long set, and what replaced it was a heavy, suffocating dusk—unnaturally red. The sky seemed to bleed.
"Crimson clouds…" whispered Kita, eyes narrowing.
That was when the alert came.
A raven, scorched and half-dead, collapsed in front of them. Strapped to its leg was a scroll. Mira opened it with shaking fingers. Her voice trembled as she read:
> "To all remaining Umbra units:
South Watchtower has gone silent.
Last report: A colossal Bist force advancing from the Black Wastes.
Estimated force: Over 2,000.
General Krovar is leading.
Deploy immediately. This is not a drill.
—Umbra High Command."
Aira's death was no longer the worst thing that happened that week.
---
Squad Division
General Nerva's voice crackled through the comm-stones.
"We're splitting you. Kita and Mira will form Alpha Squad—civilian extraction and defensive setup at South Ridge. Kaizen, you're leading Beta Squad—frontline recon. Ayaka, Delta Squad will work intel extraction. There's something we need to know about Krovar."
Kaizen stood up slowly, voice hollow. "Understood."
He didn't protest. He didn't care. The only thing in his mind was fire, the flames of revenge, and the ache of Aira's scream.
Ayaka moved close to him, her hand brushing his arm. "Come back alive. Don't lose yourself… again."
His eyes met hers—cold, stormy. "I'm already lost."
---
The Vision
On their way to the frontline, Kaizen's Veins began to burn.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping.
"Kaizen!" Kita shouted, but it was too late.
Darkness swallowed him.
A world of ash and bone.
He stood alone, surrounded by statues of humans, twisted in pain, screaming. And towering above them, a shadow with six arms and a crown of jagged light: Zar'Vok.
The beast whispered:
> "The Black Vein pulses stronger now.
Soon, all things will be one.
Your blood sings of betrayal, Kaizen.
Ayaka… she is not what she seems."
He awoke with a jolt, sweating, and a name on his lips: Krovar.
---
The Bone Tyrant Arrives
As Beta Squad reached the South Gate walls, they saw it.
A red eclipse covered the sky.
The sun was dying.
And in its place came Krovar the Bone Tyrant, a twelve-foot tall abomination clad in rib-like armor and a spine-forged blade the size of a tower. Behind him? Thousands of Bists—organized, armored, marching in sync like a cursed army.
Kaizen's team froze.
Mikael, one of the squad, whispered, "That's not a Bist… that's a god."
Screams rang out. A massive bone spike impaled Mikael mid-sentence. Blood exploded.
"AMBUSH!!" Kita screamed.
Another soldier—Liam—was crushed beneath a berserker's claw.
Two dead within seconds. Fifty more surrounded.
The ground shook.
---
Kaizen Awakens Again
As all hope faded, Kaizen's Veins glowed.
Not red. White. Blinding white.
Time slowed.
He saw each movement, each heartbeat, each scream. With a roar that shattered the sky, he exploded forward, tearing through six Bists in a flash. His blade, now shimmering with burning light, danced like lightning.
Krovar turned slowly to witness the massacre.
Kaizen—unstoppable, godlike.
But it lasted only moments.
Blood began pouring from Kaizen's mouth.
He fell to his knees.
Ayaka's voice echoed from the distance through the comms, panicked. "Kaizen?! Answer me!"
Krovar raised his sword—
But something unexpected happened.
---
The New Bist's Entry
Just before the blade could fall, a female Bist cloaked in black shadow appeared between them, deflecting Krovar's attack.
Everyone froze.
She wasn't like the others.
She was… protecting Kaizen?
Krovar growled, "Traitor."
She looked down at Kaizen and whispered, "Your time hasn't come yet. Wake up."
She flung Kaizen backward toward his squad, taking the full brunt of Krovar's next blow. Her scream was not monstrous—it was human.
Then—
She vanished with Krovar into the eclipse's storm.
---
End Scene
Kita ran to Kaizen's side, bloodied and breathless. "We need to fall back. We need medics. NOW."
Kaizen's vision blurred, his heartbeat thudding.
Ayaka's voice, distant through the communicator, broke into sobs:
> "Kaizen… please… don't die…"
The last thing Kaizen saw before everything went black… was the sky turning blood red.
And in it…
A second eclipse forming.