Emberfall Chronicles

The air crackled. The battlefield trembled.

Rajiv's energy had changed.

No longer was it the unstable, flickering force he had struggled to control. Now, it pulsed with something ancient, something powerful.

Golden energy radiated from his body, moving in smooth, controlled waves. Lazarus Energy. His presence had shifted—he was no longer the reckless, determined warrior from before. His posture was calm, his expression unreadable. He wasn't just stronger. He was different.

Quiet. Elegant. Unshaken.

Across from him, Anil's possessed form was the opposite.

His dark mist churned violently, his energy unstable, wild. His fingers twitched, his body pulsed with raw, chaotic power. He bared his teeth, his breath heavy, his red eyes blazing with malice.

A strange black aura surrounded him now, shifting like liquid smoke.

But even through the madness, he grinned.

"So, this is the new you?" Anil cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders. "I have to admit… I like it."

Rajiv didn't respond.

He simply vanished.

A golden blur flashed across the battlefield.

Anil's eyes widened—too fast.

Rajiv reappeared beside him and—

BOOM!

A single golden strike sent Anil flying. He slammed through the stadium walls, shattering stone like glass.

The impact shook the entire arena.

But before the dust could settle—

Anil came back.

He erupted from the rubble, his body twisting midair, spinning like a dark storm. His feet barely touched the ground before he launched himself at Rajiv.

Their clash shook the sky.

Golden and black energy collided, warping the air around them. Each strike sent shockwaves ripping through the stadium. Their movements became a blur—kicks, punches, energy blasts—so fast that the ground itself cracked beneath them.

Anil laughed, wild and unhinged.

"This is it! This is what I wanted!" he roared, his fists glowing with dark flames. "Don't hold back now, Golden Child!"

Rajiv's expression remained unreadable.

Then—

A golden symbol formed in his eye.

Anil barely had time to react before Rajiv's foot slammed into his ribs.

CRACK!

Anil coughed blood, his body bending unnaturally as he was sent crashing into the air—but he recovered instantly.

He was evolving too.

His dark aura thickened, swirling like a living entity. The black mist around him shifted into symbols—ancient markings that pulsed with forgotten power.

And then—

His energy changed.

"Let me show you…" Anil whispered, lifting his hand.

His fingers twisted into a forbidden sign. His body trembled, absorbing the energy around him.

"…what true power feels like."

BOOM!

A shockwave of black lightning erupted from his body. The stadium collapsed inward, the entire battlefield tearing apart.

Rajiv raised his hand, his golden energy twisting into a spear of light. He threw it—

But before it could hit—

Everything went dark.

The Ocean of Light

Rajiv opened his eyes.

He was floating.

Not in the battlefield.

Not on land.

In the middle of an endless ocean.

Golden waves stretched in every direction, shimmering under an invisible sky. There was no sound, no wind—just an infinite, glowing sea.

Then—

A man appeared.

No face.

No body.

Only a golden aura.

The figure stood above the water, his presence radiating something beyond mortal understanding.

"I can give you power."

Rajiv's breath caught.

He couldn't speak.

The man reached out a hand.

For a single moment, the ocean seemed to freeze in time.

Then—

Rajiv blinked—

And he was back.

The Battle Continues

Rajiv's golden energy erupted outward, stronger than before.

Anil gritted his teeth, narrowing his glowing red eyes.

"Tch." He spat blood onto the ground. "Guess I need to get serious too."

His body twisted unnaturally, his dark aura forming new symbols across his skin. He exhaled deeply—and then smirked.

"Let's go again."

And with that—

Their battle restarted.

The sky trembled.

The city burned.

And in the deepest, darkest parts of A1 City…

The truth about the Strays was waiting to be uncovered.