—silence crashed over the clearing.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just tight.
Waiting.
Brutus moved first.
He huffed through his nose, shoulders twitching like a restless bull, then stomped down off the porch. The warped boards creaked under his weight. His axe hung in one huge hand, dragging a faint line in the dirt behind him.
Up close, he was all bad decisions and old scars—bald head, crooked nose, jaw like a cracked boulder. The leather armor across his chest was held together by more hope than stitching.
He squinted at the three kids standing between his gang and the trees.
"...Who..." he rumbled slowly, words grinding together, "...who break Brutus' men...?"
Ryoto didn't answer.
He just rolled one shoulder, fire still simmering under his skin, eyes on the leader lounging in the shack's doorway.
Sylvi stepped half a pace in front of Aria again, boots scraping the ground. Her goggles slid fully down, lenses catching a slice of sky and reflecting it back in hard blue.
Aria stayed close behind her. Her fingers curled nervously in her satchel strap—
—but her feet didn't move.
The bandit leader leaned lazily against the doorway frame, red-brown hair tied back in a rough tail. His sharp eyes flicked from Ryoto to Brutus to the scattered, groaning men on the ground.
"Tch," he muttered, sneering. "You sleep through one little raid and everything falls apart."
He jerked his chin toward the girls.
"Brutus. Take care of them."
Brutus perked up like someone had just given him his first good idea of the day.
"Girls?" he repeated, grinning with too many teeth. "Brutus smash girls. Brutus smash fast."
He pointed the axe straight at Sylvi and Aria.
"Stay behind me," Sylvi muttered.
Aria almost answered back—
I can help.
—but stopped herself, swallowing hard instead.
She drew a slow breath, lifted her left hand, and revealed the sky-blue AetherBound emblem glowing faintly on the back.
Sylvi mirrored her in perfect sync—turning her right forearm so her amber-gold emblem caught the light through her glove strap.
Two emblems.
Two colors.
Side by side.
Sylvi's voice sliced through the air—sharp, unshaken.
"We're AetherBound."
Aria's followed, soft but sure.
"And we're not backing down."
Brutus stared at the glowing marks like he was trying to decide if they were food.
His eye twitched.
"...Don't care," he declared proudly. "Brutus smash guilds too."
Then he roared.
"RAAAAH—!!"
He charged.
THOOM—THOOM—THOOM—!!
Each step kicked up little bursts of dust.
"Move!" Sylvi shouted.
She and Aria split as the axe came down.
"AXE... SPLITTER!!"
WHOOSH—CRACK—!!
The blade crushed a groove into the dirt where they'd been standing. A thin tree behind them shuddered, cracked, then fell with a burst of leaves.
Aria stumbled backward, heart pounding in her throat.
Sylvi rolled and came up on one knee, goggles locked on Brutus's legs and footwork.
Too strong to block.
Too slow to chase.
"Aria!" Sylvi barked. "I need speed!"
Aria forced a breath into her lungs.
Her hands pressed together—wind gathering around her in a soft spiral.
"O guiding winds of light," she whispered, voice trembling for a beat before strengthening,
"carry her swiftly—Grace!"
A pale-blue shimmer wrapped Sylvi's boots and calves, like thin bands of light-wind tightening around her feet and ankles.
Sylvi felt her body lighten instantly.
A sharp smirk cut across her face.
"Let's dance, big guy."
She dashed in.
Brutus swung horizontally—
WHOOOM!!
—but Sylvi slid under it, Grace pushing her far enough to escape the arc.
She rose just outside his reach, revolver already in hand.
Click—PANG!
The ether-round struck his shoulder—
SPAK—!!
—and bounced off with a flash of sparks.
Brutus flinched a second late, blinking at the mark.
"Puny toy," he grunted.
He dragged the axe back around in a slow, sweeping arc.
"Brutus... SMASH!"
Sylvi jumped back, Grace letting her glide further than her legs alone could've carried her. The axe smashed into the ground where she'd stood—
THUD—CRACK—!!
Dirt and rock exploded upward.
"He's strong but slow!" Aria cried. "Don't block—just stay ahead of him!"
"Trying!" Sylvi shot back.
Brutus yanked the axe free.
"Brutus NOT slow!" he shouted, offended. "Brutus BIG!"
He charged again, all force and no strategy. Every swing tore through empty air as Sylvi darted, slid, and pivoted out of reach. Grace wrapped each dodge in an extra half-step.
Left—
Right—
Back—
Her mind tracked his movements, calculating openings.
Neck covered.
Chest armored.
Head too high.
Legs.
"Aria!" Sylvi yelled, boots skidding as the axe smashed beside her. "Going close—I'll need cover!"
Aria's pulse kicked—but she raised her hands again anyway.
Wind swirled.
Light steadied.
"Protective light," she whispered,
"form your shield—Aegis!"
A soft-white shimmer coated Sylvi's body like a thin second skin.
Brutus roared from deep in his chest.
"BRUTUS... SMASH GIRL!!"
He lifted the axe overhead—and brought it down with earth-shaking force.
BOOOOM—!!
The blade struck the Aegis—
SHNNNG—!!
The barrier rippled, ringing like struck crystal. Sylvi slid back hard, boots carving lines in the dirt, arms raised on instinct.
Aria gasped as the backlash hit her chest through the spell.
Hold... please hold...!
The Aegis held.
The axe bounced aside, slamming into the dirt.
Sylvi lowered her arms, panting, but a fierce grin broke through.
"That's enough testing."
She snapped her revolver's chamber open.
CHNK—WHIRR—
Her ether flared, runes glowing faintly along the barrel as she loaded a special round.
Not just gadgets.
This was her magic.
Sylvi leveled the gun at Brutus.
"All right, big guy," she muttered. "Let's see how you handle this."
She fired.
PCHK—!!
The blue round flew—
And that was where everything in the clearing truly began to shift.
Its electric glow streaked across the clearing—
—then the scene snapped away.
CUT TO: RYOTO VS. REDMANE
Heat shimmered on the opposite side of the clearing.
A man strode off the shack's porch with irritated, heavy steps. Dust rose under his boots. His coat was singed at the edges; his red-brown hair tied in a rough tail. His eyes were narrow, sharp, and full of annoyance more than fear.
He looked Ryoto up and down like someone inspecting a broken tool.
"So you're the brat who knocked out my men."
His voice carried easily—mocking, bored, dismissive.
"I'm Redmane," he said, tapping his chest.
"Leader of this camp.
Boss of this mess."
He gestured lazily at the groaning bodies on the ground.
"And you? You're nothing."
Ryoto tilted his head slightly.
Not tense.
Not nervous.
Just amused.
Redmane scowled.
"Don't look at me like that."
Flame welled in his palm, swirling upward in a bright flare.
"You're gonna regret stepping into my camp, kid."
Ryoto's smirk widened.
"Try me."
Redmane snapped his fingers.
"FIREBALL!"
FWOOOOOSH—!!
A blazing sphere shot across the clearing and slammed into Ryoto's chest—
BOOOOM!!
Smoke blasted outward in a thick wave.
Redmane laughed sharply, already turning.
"And that's why you don't mouth off to—"
The smoke shifted.
Broke.
Fell away like shredded cloth.
Ryoto stepped through it.
Untouched.
No burns. No soot. Not even hair out of place.
He looked bored.
"That's it?"
Redmane's jaw dropped.
"H-how—?! That should've—"
Ryoto casually brushed a phantom speck off his sleeve.
"Come on. That was weak."
The insult hit harder than the explosion.
Redmane's face twisted.
"You little—!!"
Flame whipped violently along his arm.
He lunged forward, rage breaking through his composure.
"LET'S SEE YOU BLOCK THIS!"
He sprinted toward Ryoto—
Fire surging—
Arm pulled back—
—and right then—
the instant before fire met the boy—
before the blow connected—
the scene cut away like a snapped thread.
The moment the scene snapped back—
Brutus was already reacting.
The blue round hit.
PCHK—!!
Electric light crawled across his chest in jagged lines, sparking along his arms and shoulders. His whole body twitched violently like someone struck by a wild burst of lightning.
"GHHH...?! Brutus... feels... tingly...!"
His legs locked.
His arms froze half-raised.
His jaw trembled like it was trying to remember how to close.
Sylvi didn't hesitate.
"One more," she said, flipping the next cartridge.
Her thumb snapped the chamber shut.
CHNK—!
A soft hum built inside the barrel.
Aria didn't know what that sound meant—
but the tension in Sylvi's voice made her react instantly.
"Sylvi—!"
"Cover me!"
Aria pressed her hands together, pulling wind into her lungs.
"Protective light... stay with her—Aegis!"
The soft-white shimmer wrapped Sylvi again.
Sylvi dashed forward, keeping just outside Brutus's arm range, and fired.
POFF—!!
A gentle puff of ether burst against Brutus's thick jaw.
His eyes blinked once...
Twice...
"...girls... have... tricks..."
Then his eyelids dropped.
The giant swayed—
—then collapsed like a falling boulder.
THUD—!!
The ground lurched.
Dust burst up.
Branches shook loose leaves.
Aria gasped and nearly stumbled as the Aegis backlash thudded through her ribs.
"Haa—!"
Sylvi caught her by the elbow immediately.
"Easy," Sylvi muttered. "That shield took a nasty hit earlier. You okay?"
Aria nodded shakily.
"I... I'm fine. Just... winded."
Sylvi smirked.
"Then we're good. Brutus is down."
Aria looked at the sleeping giant snoring face-first in the dirt.
"...He really is... huge."
Sylvi tapped her revolver on her shoulder.
"And now he's a huge problem for the town guards instead of us."
Aria's laugh was soft but real.
But the moment snapped—
Because heat washed across the clearing.
A flash of red-orange.
A shockwave of fire.
A man shouting in anger.
Aria froze.
"That's Ryoto!"
Sylvi snapped her goggles up.
"Move!"
They sprinted across the clearing, boots pounding dirt. Aria stayed tight beside Sylvi, careful not to trip over roots or bodies.
The closer they ran—
—the brighter the flames glowed.
A burst of fire shot upward.
A flaming kick slammed into Ryoto's ribs—
FWAM!
A flaming fist cracked across his cheek—
BAM—!!
Aria gasped.
"Why... why isn't he hurt?"
Sylvi frowned hard.
"That guy's using real spells—Fire Kick, Fire Punch—those should hurt!"
Ryoto brushed soot off his shoulder like someone brushing dust off their shirt.
Redmane stumbled backward, panic twisting his face.
Sylvi whispered—
"...No way..."
Aria swallowed, breath catching.
Her voice trembled—but carried certainty.
"That's... because Ryoto's fire."
Sylvi blinked.
"Meaning...?"
Aria stepped forward, hands over her heart.
"He's a Flame Dragon Mage. Fire magic can't hurt him. His body just... stops it. Like flames hitting stone the fire gets dispersed when it touches his body its call dragon skin ."
Redmane's flames sputtered.
"What ARE you?!"
Ryoto grinned—sharp, fearless.
Sylvi smirked beside Aria.
Aria exhaled, relief and awe mixing in her eyes.
He's really okay...
They reached him just as the real battle began.
And now—
all three stood together on the battlefield.
Redmane stumbled backward, boots skidding in the dirt as Ryoto shrugged off another burning punch. Panic flickered behind the flame still blazing in his hands.
"This... this doesn't make sense!" Redmane snarled. "You should be screaming right now!"
Ryoto dusted a smear of soot off his cheek with two fingers.
"You really don't get it, huh?"
He cracked his neck.
"This isn't even warm."
Redmane's face twisted.
"SHUT UP!"
He threw himself forward, flames bursting violently around his arm.
"FIRE RUSH!!"
He hammered punch after punch at Ryoto—
left, right, overhead, wild, frantic.
Each fiery blow struck Ryoto's skin—
FWAM!
BAM!
SHHH—!!
—only to break apart in harmless waves of scattered embers.
Sylvi watched wide-eyed.
"Is he even... moving?"
Aria shook her head.
"He doesn't have to. Fire can't hurt him at all."
Redmane's strikes grew desperate.
"You—just—BURN—ALREADY!"
He pulled both arms back—
Flame spiraled up his forearms, crackling violently.
"FIREBLAST!!"
BOOOF—!!
The explosion hit Ryoto point-blank.
A wave of heat rushed outward, burning dry leaves, scorching patches of dirt.
Aria shielded her face from the blast.
Sylvi squinted through the clearing smoke.
When it thinned—
Ryoto stood exactly where he had been.
Steam lifted off his shoulder.
He exhaled once.
Then grinned.
"Okay."
His foot shifted back.
His right hand curled into a fist.
"Now it's my turn."
Redmane's eyes went wide.
"No—NO—stay back—!"
Too late.
Ryoto inhaled—deep, steady.
Flame ignited around his jawline, small at first, then swelling into a focused glow.
Aria's breath hitched.
"Ryoto...?"
Sylvi braced herself.
He leaned forward just slightly—
stance grounded, jaw glowing brighter—
And unleashed it.
"Dragonic Flame — ROAR!!"
FWWWWOOOOOOSH—!!!!!
A cone of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, roaring across the clearing in a tight, fierce torrent.
Redmane barely raised his arms before the flame smashed into him.
"GRAAAAH—!!"
He skidded backward, boots carving trenches in the dirt. Flames shoved him off his balance, dragging him across the ground until the blast finally died.
Smoke curled upward.
Ryoto stepped through it, fire still gathering around his fist.
Redmane tried to push himself up—but his knees buckled beneath him.
"N-no... stay away..."
Ryoto's voice dropped into a low, firm rumble.
"You picked the wrong people to mess with."
He planted his feet.
Fire coiled tight around his arm.
Aria recognized the stance instantly.
"Ryoto's finishing move..."
Sylvi smirked.
"About time."
Redmane raised a trembling arm.
"W-wait—!"
Ryoto didn't.
He drew his fist back—flame tightening, bursting into explosive density.
"DRAGONIC Flame—BLASTROCK FIST!!"
BAM—BOOOOOOM—!!!
His fist slammed into Redmane's jaw with explosive force.
The impact cracked the ground beneath them.
A ring of fire erupted behind Ryoto's punch.
Redmane flew backward—
WHOOSH—CRACK—!!
He smashed into a tree trunk, splintering it down the middle, and collapsed at the base.
Unconscious.
Defeated.
Silence fell.
Only smoke drifting.
Only leaves settling.
Ryoto lowered his fist, letting the flame fade from his knuckles.
He exhaled.
"Warm-up's over."
Sylvi snorted.
"Took you long enough."
Aria's shoulders relaxed, relief flooding her face.
"You're okay," she whispered.
Ryoto grinned and turned toward them.
"Of course I am. Fire can't touch me."
Sylvi crossed her arms.
"Yeah, yeah — big hero. Help us tie him up."
Ryoto laughed.
"No promises."
The three stood together as the last smoke drifted away—
their first real battle won.