ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

The world burned in Kaelen's mind.

Flashes of chaos, blood, and cries echoed in the realm of his nightmares. He stood rooted to the scorched ground of Valoria's ruins, powerless, trembling—not because of fear, but because of rage and helplessness that gnawed at his soul.

He saw Reeves—the proud and steadfast Vice Chancellor—his body torn asunder like a fragile parchment in a storm, his eyes still holding defiance even in death. The sight hit Kaelen like a steel hammer, but it didn't stop there.

As he saw how Forbes, Marel, Charlotte, Ethan, and even Guinevere followed suite.

But that wasn't the worse part, as Morris was next.

His best friend. His brother-in-arms. The one who always stood by him with that confident, cocky grin—even in their worst days at Pacesetters Academy. He tried to fight… gods, he tried. Kaelen could see him unleashing every ounce of his mana, screaming until his lungs bled—but it didn't matter. Endless crushed him beneath his boot like nothing. Bones snapped. Flesh scattered.

And then, Lila…

Her tears glimmered as she stood between Endless and a fallen Guinevere, arms stretched, a glowing shield of ice barely holding the inevitable. She turned, her eyes locking onto Kaelen—desperate, pleading, and full of sorrow.

Kaelen's scream tore from his throat—"LILA!!!"

He couldn't reach her.

Endless raised his hand.

A surge of black-red energy coiled around it like a serpent of doom.

It descended.

"NO!!!—"

Suddenly, darkness shattered.

Kaelen's eyes flew open, heart pounding like war drums, cold sweat soaking his torn armor.

But something was wrong.

A snarl.

Grrrrr....

Teeth gleaming in the filtered, eerie light of the unfamiliar forest.

A beast—massive, sleek like a predator carved from shadow—its form a monstrous fusion of a leopard and something far worse. Its eyes glowed a murderous crimson as it launched through the air, claws stretched for Kaelen's throat.

Time slowed.

His muscles wouldn't respond—his mind still reeling from the vivid terror of the dream.

Then, a blur.

A sharp gleam of metal.

A sound—wet, swift, and final.

The beast's body arched, blood spraying into the air like a red mist before it crumpled into the moss-covered earth beside him.

Its head landed separately with a dull, rolling thud.

Kaelen blinked.

Kelvin stood over the corpse, panting, his dark scythe slick with blood. His chest rose and fell with urgency, his eyes darting around the dense undergrowth like a sentinel scanning for more threats.

Kaelen sat up, still stunned, his breath ragged.

Kelvin didn't look at him right away. Instead, he turned in a slow circle, his dark scythe already in standby mode Incase of any ambush.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"You alright?" he asked, voice sharp but low, like he was restraining panic.

Kaelen swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Y-Yeah… I think…"

His voice trailed as he looked at the beast, then at the familiar features of his friend.

Kelvin finally glanced down at him.

"Whatever you were dreaming about, it must've been hell. You were muttering… twitching. I thought you'd never wake up." He took a breath, wiped the blood from his cheek. "We're in some kind of corrupted forest. Monsters are everywhere. I've been fending them off while you were out."

Kaelen placed a hand on his chest—his heartbeat was finally starting to calm.

"I saw… Endless and the First Magi." he whispered.

Kelvin's eyes darkened.

"I saw them kill everyone, Kelvin. Reeves. Morris. Marel. Even Lila… It felt real. Too real."

Kelvin didn't respond right away. Instead, he helped Kaelen to his feet, keeping one eye on the surrounding trees.

"I don't think it was just a dream," he said at last. "This place... I don't know where we are. But something tells me that Magic Pandora didn't just send us away. It sent us somewhere. And maybe what you saw... was a memory. Or a warning."

Kaelen clenched his fists as anger bubbled in his gut.

"Then we have to get stronger. Strong enough to go back and kill Endless and that wretched First Magi."

Kelvin nodded, finally meeting his eyes.

"Agreed. But first… we survive this cursed place. Then, we find the path back."

Kaelen looked down at the leopard's corpse.

And beyond it, a long path of twisted trees, glowing roots, and foreign shadows awaited them.

Their journey had only just begun.

–––––

The corrupted forest stretched endlessly, an eerie symphony of creaking branches, whispering winds, and distant roars following Kaelen and Kelvin as they trudged forward in their haggard state. Their robes were torn, their bodies aching from both the battle before and the tension of survival. The air itself was toxic—thick with mana corruption that twisted everything it touched. Trees loomed like monsters frozen in time, their bark blackened and pulsing faintly with red veins.

Kaelen's hand gripped the hilt of his Blade of Eternity, its once-pristine royal blue now laced with faint streaks of abyssal silver and storming runes flickering across its fuller like a heartbeat. It thrummed in his hand—not violently, but intentionally, as if it too had changed after the Magic Pandora's activation.

Kelvin walked beside him, silent but deadly, his dark scythe draped across his back. The weapon looked like it had been carved from the bones of an ancient god—jagged and serrated, with a faint trail of black mist seeping from its edge. Its shaft was etched with glowing marks like ancient seals, pulsing every time Kelvin twitched a muscle.

Neither of them said a word when the first wave of beasts at the Superior rank lunged from the canopy—serpentine hounds with bark-like skin and molten fangs. Kaelen moved first, his sword gleaming as he pivoted into a low stance, the Blade of Eternity slicing clean through the first creature's spine. Sparks of corrupted mana burst like shattered glass as the beast fell apart.

Kelvin followed in seamless synchrony, swinging his scythe in a wide arc, cleaving through three more with brutal efficiency. Their remains dissolved into smoke, leaving behind only the silence of their deaths and the fading sound of their snarls.

As they paused, panting lightly, Kelvin suddenly kept his dark scythe back halfway and finally broke the silence.

"Strange how we are only encountering Superior ranked beasts in this forest"

"Kelvin," but not long after though, Kaelen suddenly muttered, still scanning the corrupted underbrush, "what happened to the Magic Pandora?"

Kelvin froze. He hadn't expected the question.

"I thought… you knew," he said, turning to him with a knit brow. "While you were unconscious… it rushed into you. Not metaphorically. Literally. It dissolved into light and poured into your chest."

Kaelen blinked.

"What?"

Kelvin nodded, more serious than before. "I thought it was part of your reward or something. You didn't feel it?"

Kaelen placed a hand over his chest. There was no pain. No burn. But there was something. A strange warmth—quiet, dormant, but vast.

"Then… it's inside me now?" he murmured, almost to himself.

Kelvin shrugged, turning back to the path. "Seems that way. But if that thing chose you, it probably had a reason. All I know is, if Endless finds us again, that Pandora might be the only thing standing between him and our bones."

Kaelen frowned, but didn't argue. It made sense. The Pandora, the transformations, the Ascension of Ruin—it all aligned too well.

But they didn't have the luxury to dwell on it.

Hmmmmm!!!

A low, distant horn echoed through the trees—a deep vibration that made the ground tremble slightly.

They snapped into formation again, weapons drawn, eyes sweeping the forest like trained predators. But nothing came. Only silence.

"What was that?" Kelvin muttered in a vigilant tone. But Kaelen didn't respond as his eyes were peeled in his surroundings.

Then Kaelen saw it—just past a broken patch of the corrupted trees, beyond a low slope of glowing moss and dead roots, a faint flicker of orange light.

"Kelvin," he said, pointing.

Kelvin turned and narrowed his eyes. "Firelight?"

They inched forward, blades ready, following the curve of the forest until the trees thinned—and there it was:

A town.

Small and surrounded by makeshift barriers of reinforced wood and mana-infused stone. The buildings looked aged but functional, patched together by survivors they could depict clearly due to the distance—some standing tall, some leaning precariously while some patrolling the entrance to the town. Smoke rose from chimneys. A watchtower sat on the far end, manned by what looked like a crossbow-wielding guard in rusted armor.

They stopped at the treeline.

"Civilization," Kaelen muttered. "Or what's left of it."

Kelvin nodded, eyes squinting. "Let's check it out. Just… keep your blade loose. We don't know if they welcome strangers."

Kaelen glanced once more over his shoulder—back at the dark path they had walked, the forest that still echoed with the cries of monsters and dreams of death. Then he turned forward.

He had no idea what awaited them in that town. But at least, for now, they weren't alone in this world.

And whatever the Magic Pandora had planted inside him… he would soon find out.