Rain hissed against the blackened rooftops of Iskareth, the forgotten city once buried by curses and time. Every drop fell like a whisper, as if the sky was mourning something it couldn't speak aloud. Cain stood alone on the ledge of a crumbling watchtower, the wind brushing his coat back, hair damp, eyes locked on the distance.
Below, Ayden trained furiously, bare-chested, his knuckles bleeding from punching stone pillars reinforced by Lucien's magic. Each strike was an echo of frustration, of helplessness. "He's out there," Ayden muttered, "and we're stuck hiding like cowards."
Lucien lounged on a shattered statue, chewing on a piece of dried jerky, trying to mask his worry. "Maybe we're hiding for a reason. Ever think of that, musclehead? Last time we rushed in, Cain nearly got swallowed by that cursed gate." He twirled a rune coin between his fingers, pretending not to care. But his eyes flicked to Cain often.
Cain didn't say much. He didn't need to. The weight in his chest was growing heavier, and now, he could feel it—something in the air twisting. Like a storm that didn't need clouds.
Somewhere far beyond the ruins...
Rei knelt at an altar of carved obsidian, whispering incantations. Her fingers glowed with old magic, and symbols burned on her skin like tattoos waking up. "The Devil's Eye has been disturbed," she whispered. "They're coming... faster than we thought."
A girl stood behind her, silent, arms crossed. She had short midnight-blue hair, a mechanical eye glowing with data and magic combined—Kira, a techno-mage from the East Wing guild. "If the Eye opens, it won't just be the boys who suffer. This whole continent could fall apart. You're sure it's Cain?"
Rei nodded, painfully. "His bloodline is what binds it. But he doesn't know that yet."
Back in Iskareth...
Night crept in slow, turning the ruined city into a labyrinth of whispers. The three brothers gathered in the hollowed-out cathedral they'd claimed as a hideout.
Cain placed a cracked orb on the altar—The Eye. Black and red, swirling like a storm trapped in glass. "This is what father sealed his power into," he said, voice low. "It's waking up. Because I'm waking up."
Ayden stepped forward. "Then let it wake. We'll face whatever comes next—together."
Lucien cracked a grin. "Look at us, getting poetic. I almost cried. Almost."
But then—the Eye blinked.
A flash of red, then darkness. The entire room shuddered.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the doorway. Hooded, soaked, and humming a lullaby in a cracked voice. Her aura was electric, and her shadow danced with wings—Selene, the Gatekeeper of the Veil. "Children of ruin," she said, smiling without warmth, "your time's run out."
Cain stepped forward slowly, eyes glowing just faintly. "You were my father's executioner."
"I was his friend once," Selene replied. "But even devils can bleed. And now it's your turn."
Without warning, Ayden surged forward, blades out, slashing in an arc. But Selene was fast—faster than light. She knocked him back with a single finger glowing with celestial fire.
Lucien flung a chain, hoping to bind her—only to find his illusions shattered before they formed. "She's not just strong," he whispered. "She's a living seal."
Cain placed a hand on the Eye. "If I open this… I might lose myself."
Rei's voice echoed in his head: "Or you might finally become who you were meant to be."
The air cracked open like thunder.
Cain's arm burned with marks as he summoned the Soulfire Blade. "Then let's test destiny."
And as the blade ignited, Cain stepped into battle—not as a son of a devil…
…but as a brother who refused to break.