"What happened!?"
I exclaimed in disbelief, my eyes widening at the scene before me.
"Your Majesty... I'm sorry..."
Miho choked out, coughing between words.
Struggling, sweat dripping down her face, she looked at us with a pained expression.
Leroy turned to the soldier, his expression demanding answers. The soldier quickly explained that they discovered Miho lying on the ground, bleeding, upon their arrival.
One of the soldiers began recounting the events, detailing how it all unfolded.
As the soldiers scoured the aftermath of the battle with the Cribreos, they stumbled upon Miho, sprawled on the floor of the dimly lit hallway.
Alarmed by her condition, they swiftly bring the medics for urgent medical aid, hoping to tend to her injuries with haste.
Struggling to convey the situation, Miho recounted how, as Miho and pursued the man Leroy was chasing, they dashed towards the hallway.
Suddenly, a mysterious figure, cloaked in shadows, materialized before them, effectively blocking their path. His malevolent smile sent shivers down their spines, signaling his determination to capture Siana.
Despite her duty as a maid to protect with all her strength, Miho found herself in a dire situation. As the battle raged on, she fought valiantly but tragically lost her left arm to the mysterious man's relentless assault.
In a devastating turn of events, the man succeeded in kidnapping Siana, leaving Miho reeling in shock and despair.
As the soldier's grim words echoed in my ears, shock and confusion flooded my mind. Why was this happening? Fear gnawed at my heart as I worried about Siana's safety and dreaded the thought of where the man might have taken her.
Turning to Leroy, I found his usually composed face contorted with rage. The ground trembled softly beneath us, mirroring the intensity of his fury.
His eyes blazed with a fierce determination to hunt down whoever was responsible for this disaster and the kidnapping of his sister.
"Your Majesty, PLEASE CALM DOWN!"
The soldier pleaded, his voice trembling with the weight of everyone's fear in the face of Leroy's wrath.
"I will never let this happen AGAIN."
Leroy declared, his voice ringing with unwavering determination to ensure that the mistakes of the past would never be repeated.
Suddenly, a shadowy figure swiftly emerged from the corner of the hallway, Leroy dashed toward it, seizing it by the neck before it could even touch the ground.
"It was you... WASN'T IT?"
Leroy's voice resonated with intensity as he confronted the shadowy figure.
As the figure struggled under Leroy's grip, a sense of unease gnawed at my gut. I reached out to warn Leroy, but my words fell on deaf ears.
"Got you."
The shadowy figure sneered, its voice laced with malice as sharp teeth materialized from its mouth.
In a horrifying turn of events, the shadow began to envelop Leroy's entire body. Despite his efforts to resist, Leroy found himself immobilized by the darkness.
Without any hesitation, I lunged forward with my dagger, determined to rescue him. But before I could reach Leroy, he was consumed by the darkness, his form disappearing into a dark abyss.
As I emerged from the darkness, confusion clouded my senses, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, The eerie silence enveloped me, broken only by the distant echo of my footsteps against the empty corridor.
Struggling to make sense of my surroundings, I ventured forward cautiously, each step fraught with uncertainty.
With every passing moment, the weight of bewilderment pressed down on me, intensifying the feeling of disorientation.
Suddenly, an ominous presence loomed behind me, unseen hands seizing me in a vice-like grip, dragging me into unconsciousness.
My senses dulled, and I slipped into the depths of sleep, enveloped by darkness once more.
When I awoke, it was to the distant crackle of flames, the sound piercing through the silence like a beacon of hope.
Blinking groggily, I found myself in an unfamiliar place—a vast hallway flanked by towering buildings, devoid of any signs of life.
Struggling to my feet, I attempted to shake off the fog of sleepiness that clung to my mind.
Questions raced through my thoughts, chief among them:
"How did I end up here? Where's Leroy?"
A sense of foreboding settled over me as I stood alone in the desolate corridor, the echo of approaching footsteps ringing in my ears.
Instinctively, I readied my dagger, prepared to face whatever danger lurked ahead.
With each echoing footstep, the tension in the air grew palpable, until finally, a figure emerged from the shadows—a mysterious man, clad in a white suit and adorned with a hat.
His slow, deliberate clapping filled the air with a sense of malevolence, as he reveled in our predicament.
"Hehehe... ah~ wonderful... To see two people falling into my trap is truly amusing isn't it, my assistant…"
He chuckled, his voice dripping with amusement, as another person emerged from the shadows. To my disbelief, it was Skyler.
"S-Skyler!?"
I exclaimed, unable to contain my astonishment.
With a cold expression, Skyler turned away from me, his demeanor distant. Meanwhile, the mysterious man's eyes widened slightly as he locked onto mine, his gaze intense.
"Oh? Didn't know that I have captured an EmoCrysta user..."
He chuckled, a hint of surprise coloring his smile.
"EmoCrysta? What do you mean by that?"
I queried, taken aback by his words.
"You, kid, you have the EmoCrysta inside of you..."
He replied, his tone laced with amusement.
His revelation sent a jolt of shock through me, as I recalled the moment I had touched the crystal, vivid memories flooding my mind.
I remembered the surge of power that had coursed through me, the sensation of raw energy pulsating beneath my fingertips.
With every instance I unleashed my power, a mysterious gauntlet materialized upon my arm, its purpose clear as day—to protect Siana, to heed my instincts, and to wield the dagger pulsating with a black and red aura.
In those moments of peril, everything fell into place, and the true extent of my abilities began to reveal itself.
As the sinister laughter echoed from the man's lips, his hand covering his face in a menacing gesture, I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Never thought that I have hit the jackpot. Looks like I won't need that fool's help after all…"
He sneered, his gaze fixated on me with a malevolent glint in his eyes.
His words sent a shiver of apprehension through me, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as his gaze bore into mine, his intentions veiled behind that chilling smile.
As the multiple black shadow hands emerged from the man's shadow and darted toward me with alarming speed, I swiftly dodged the shadow hands, relying on my quick reflexes to evade their grasp.
"Hmm, impressive…"
The voice of the man's adversary remarked, tinged with amusement at his nimble evasion
Suddenly, two black shadow hands appear below me gripping them onto my legs to be unable to move.
Struggling with all my might to break free from the tight grip, but it was futile. Even my dagger seemed powerless against it, unable to cut through as if slicing through thin air.
"...but not impressive enough."
His voice was cold as he approached, more shadowy hands ensnaring my arms, rendering me immobile.
"What's the point of this?"
I questioned, feeling helpless.
"This…"
The mysterious man's voice trailed off as he revealed the ring that Siana and I had returned to Leroy, a gleam of triumph in his eyes.
"Just got this from the Young King himself..."
He chuckled a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Where's Leroy?"
I demanded.
"Ah, the Young King himself is somewhere different from where you are right now."
The man replied cryptically.
"Mainly, I was going to trap him, but… fate decided to change things up. You're quite a special one, aren't you? Aki…"
"How do you know my name?"
I asked, suspicious.
"From my assistant, of course."
He replied with a smirk, his gaze piercing through me with an unsettling intensity.
As my face fell into a mix of hopelessness and disappointment toward Skyler's betrayal, a sudden realization dawned on me. The shadowy figure described by the soldier matched the appearance of the mysterious man before me.
"You're the one who kidnapped Siana, aren't you…"
I accused, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation.
The mysterious man's lips curled into an evil grin as he gazed back at me.
"Hmm...? Who knows? Am I?... Maybe she's having a Great Time with this knife…"
With a sickening twist in my gut, he brandished a knife, its blade stained with fresh blood.
Shock and anger surged through me.
"You bastard! What did you do to her!?"
My voice echoed through the darkness, filled with urgency and fear.
With a maniacal laugh echoing through the room, the man reveled in the surge of power emanating from the EmoCrysta.
"HAHA! That's it! It's Anger! HAHAHA! I was right!"
He slid the ring onto his finger, the emblem of his triumph, before seizing my face in a tight grip.
"Your power is far more interesting than I thought."
He smiled triumphantly as he finally got what he wanted the most, the power of the EmoCrysta slowly beginning to consume the ring in his possession.
I felt a sharp pang of pain and dizziness as I was forcibly compelled to watch the ring being consumed by the man's hand.
I struggled with all my might, but the black shadows binding me proved too strong to break free from.
Suddenly, a massive black and red strike emerged from the dark hallway, hurtling toward the man with incredible speed.
With lightning reflexes, the man dodged the strike, leaving everyone stunned by the sudden appearance of the attack from the dark hallway.
"Hey hey… That's pretty bold of you over there..."
The man said it with a smirk on his face, clearly underestimating the situation.
The echoing footsteps from the hallway indicated the source of the strike, revealing the person who delivered the strike.
As the figure emerged from the dark hallway, my face lit up with joy.
The man continued his sentence, a hint of surprise in his voice as he spoke the name.
"...or should I say… The Red-Hair Swordsman, Miyaki Hanae."