It was almost nightfall. A gentle breeze stirred the trees outside the residence, their leaves whispering softly in the fading light. Lucio and Ella were still trying to piece together Johan’s story.

“I–I think I’m going to be sick… Jeez, Grandpa, you didn’t have to explain everything down to the last detail,” Ella blurted out, clutching her stomach.

Lucio felt much the same, shaking his head in disbelief.

“You youngsters, honestly…” Johan sighed. “What I was trying to convey is that there are bigger fish than our Crimson Hound friends — monsters that should not exist in this world.”

Ella suddenly sat upright.

“G-Grandpa… what happened to the lady in your story, Sophia?”

Johan’s expression grew still.

“She unfortunately passed away from an unknown illness… The baby was never born.”

For the first time, Ella witnessed the pain beneath Johan’s usual foolish and sarcastic demeanor. Her grandfather carried a weight far heavier than she had ever imagined.

Lucio, on the other hand, realized he wasn’t the only one struggling to keep a straight face in a broken world. Everyone carried scars they tried to hide.

“Old man!” Lucio burst out, anger rising in his voice. “We can’t just sit here while those monsters roam the world! What are we supposed to do now?”

Johan smiled faintly.

“We need to grow stronger — especially you two. Ella, Lucio… you must learn to control the powers granted to you. That will be the key to our survival.”

Ella and Lucio exchanged a glance, both understanding that this was the only path forward.

“Grandpa… surely we can’t stay here and train,” Ella said cautiously. “Don’t they already know about this place?”

Johan chuckled quietly to himself.

“We’ll be visiting an old friend of mine… if she’s still alive.”

He sighed, the sound carrying a hint of regret.

“She’s the only one capable of whipping us into shape.”

Lucio tilted his head. “Where is this friend of yours anyway?”

Johan smirked and pointed toward a painting hanging on the wall — a depiction of towering mountains overlooking a breathtaking ocean horizon.

Ella’s face lit up instantly.

“G-Grandpa… are you serious? Are we really going to the ocean?”

“We are, but not quite… more towards that mountain”, Johan quietly chuckles to himself, “the person we are going to lives in a remote cabin up in the mountains – that will be the perfect location for us to clear our heads and to train, but we might take a quick detour to the beach you never know Ellie!

She snuffs at Johan with disappointment, “you are such a joy killer grandpa… so when do you want to leave?”

“As soon as possible, before they find us”, Johan stated, “time is not on our side – we might not return here for a little while.”

Lucio stands up and dust of his pants still covered with dirt from his shift, “Well then, since we going on a little adventure, I need to go pack my bag.”

Johan nods at Lucio “get back here as soon as possible.”

Ella grabs Lucio’s arm, “be careful, okay?”

Lucio nods and waves at both of them and went on his way home.

The night sky felt heavier than usual, its light barely breaking through the darkness. Lucio instinctively grew uneasy, as if someone could jump out at any moment.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass echoed behind him.

Reacting on instinct, Lucio quickly took cover and scanned his surroundings. After a moment, he spotted the source — an old drunkard stumbling through the street, laughing to himself.

“That nearly gave me a heart attack…”

Lucio continued on his way home, but the uneasy feeling refused to fade. Strange sounds echoed around him more frequently, each one sharper than the last. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught fleeting glimpses of shadowy movement where no one should have been.

“I—I’m not losing it,” he muttered.

Then they revealed themselves.

Three silhouettes stepped out from the darkness, draped in black, each gripping a knife.

“Lucio — Awakener… this is the end for you. Please die!”

They lunged as one.

Lucio was forced back, surrounded and driven into a desolate corner. The shadows thickened around them, swallowing what little light remained.

The assailants attacked without hesitation, every strike precise and deadly. Lucio barely managed to dodge, their blades slicing through the air where he had stood moments before.

If I can’t see them… I’ll have to predict their movements.

He suddenly stopped.

Closing his eyes, he took a slow, steady breath, sharpening his hearing instead of relying on sight.

For a brief moment, they hesitated — confused, as if he had a death wish.

One rushed in, blade aimed for Lucio’s neck.

At the last second, Lucio shifted aside, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Before the attacker could recover, Lucio countered with a powerful downward kick, smashing his face into the pavement.

“I’m not going down without a fight!” Lucio shouted.

Another charged forward, but before his blade could reach him, Lucio drove a fist into his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs.

“Seems like you’re the last one…” Lucio said with a faint smirk.

The final assailant hesitated — then turned and ran.

Lucio gave chase.

They reached the riverbank, moonlight spilling across the water and casting a pale glow over the hooded figure.

The man slowly turned.

“Guess I have no choice but to lay down my life.”

Lucio narrowed his eyes.

This one was different.

A dark, unsettling aura surrounded him — heavier… alive.

His sunglasses called out to him.

For a moment, Lucio hesitated. After what had happened, he was still afraid to put them on.

“I’ll have to do this without them…”

He stepped forward.

They moved at the same time.

Their fists collided mid-air.

A flurry of heavy blows followed — strike for strike, neither giving ground. For a moment, they were evenly matched.

Then the darkness shifted.

It pressed inward, slowly tipping the balance against Lucio.

The man seized the opening and delivered a crushing blow, sending Lucio to his knees.

A sudden gust of wind tore through the area, rattling the trees and bending the grass. The hood was ripped away, revealing his face beneath the pale moonlight.

Lucio froze.

He knew that face.

“T-that face… it can’t be…” His voice trembled. “Hans… is that you?”

The man staggered.

His hands began to shake violently, as if something inside him had been disturbed.

“Ah—!” he cried, collapsing to his knees. “I do not know that name… I serve only my master!”

His voice cracked, torn between pain and obedience.

Lucio stared, heart pounding.

This wasn’t just an enemy.

This was someone he had once called a friend.

A surge of violence erupted within Hans, driving him forward in a relentless barrage. Blow after blow crashed into Lucio, forcing him back.

Hans gathered his strength, charging a final strike — one meant to end it.

But just before it landed, his arm froze mid-air.

As if something… or someone… was holding him back.

“Lucio… I can’t suppress this power any longer,” Hans said through gritted teeth. “You need to get out of here. My so-called master is getting impatient—”

His body suddenly jerked.

An unseen force struck him, sending him flying backward.

Lucio rose slowly, controlled anger burning in his eyes.

“Hans… I said snap out of it…”

Hans pushed himself up, brushing blood from his cheek.

“Lucio, you fool! You need to leave—”

Their words were cut short.

More shadows emerged.

Reinforcements.

One stepped forward and leaned in, whispering something into Hans’s ear.

The air shifted again.

Heavier.

Darker.

The shadows deepened, swallowing the space around them.

Hans’s expression hardened — whatever humanity had surfaced moments ago now buried once more.

“Awakener… this is not over,” he said coldly. “We will meet again.”

Without another word, he turned.

The others followed.

And just like that, they vanished into the darkness.

Not long after, Lucio packed his bag and returned to meet Ella and Johan.