Natsuo stood in the center of an unfamiliar landscape, the strange energy of the
portal still humming in the air around him. His surroundings were unlike anything he had seen before—lush, overgrown trees with glowing leaves stretched
endlessly into the horizon, and the sky shimmered with vibrant, shifting colors.
It was undeniably beautiful, but foreign. This wasn't his world.
His eyes narrowed as the portal behind him flickered, beginning to close. I
need to get back… to Minami… to my family, Natsuo thought. But just
as the portal was sealing shut, something shot through it—a dark, small shape
tumbling forward, stopping mid-air before him. It hovered, spinning erratically,
revealing a floating, grotesque eyeball with a bat-like wing attached to its sides.
Natsuo instinctively took a step back. "What the—?"
"Don't follow me, Luci," Natsuo growled, instantly recognizing the aura.
The floating eye stopped spinning and bobbed up and down excitedly, as if
giggling. "Wha—? How did you know it was me?!" Luci, the floating eye,
spoke in a high-pitched, whining voice.
Natsuo's eyes darkened with calm confidence. "I have all the knowledge, you
fool devil."
Luci stopped bobbing, clearly offended. "Oh… I forgot about that. Stupid devil,
huh? That's rich coming from the one who made a deal with me." The eye
fluttered closer, looking smug. "Well, you may have all the knowledge now, but
guess what? I'm not going anywhere! I'm super useful, you know! There's no
getting rid of me!"
Natsuo's patience was wearing thin. "Useful? In that form? You're just a
floating eye now."
"So what if I'm a floating eye? I have a soul, you know! Getting out of that
dimension took everything I had—this is the only form I can possess right now!"
Luci protested, his wings flapping pitifully as he floated closer. "Besides, I know
where your family is!"
Natsuo's expression hardened in an instant, his hand reaching out and grabbing
Luci, squeezing him tightly. "What did you just say?" His voice was dangerously
low, his eyes flashing with intensity.
"Gyaaah! Ow! Ow! Okay, okay, I was gonna tell you, I swear! But you never
asked!!" Luci squealed, flailing his wings as Natsuo squeezed harder. "I know
where your family is, alright! So stop squishing me like that!"
Natsuo released his grip, but his eyes were cold and unrelenting. "Why didn't
you tell me from the beginning?"
Luci floated back, wobbling a bit from the rough treatment, and muttered,
"You never gave me a chance! You're all 'oh, I'm so cool and emotionless now'…
besides, you'd have found out eventually, right, Mr. All-Knowledge?"
Natsuo glared at the floating eye, but before he could respond, Luci spun around,
changing the subject as fast as possible. "A-anyway, you're lucky you have me!
I know things! Really important things! Like how your family is connected to
the Demon Lord! And you'll need me to save Minami too!"
Natsuo's gaze remained sharp, though a flicker of intrigue crossed his mind.
"What do you mean?"
Luci spun lazily, clearly enjoying the attention. "A long time ago, I used to
work for the Demon Lord, y'know. Big bad guy, lots of scary magic and armies,
blah blah. Anyway, one day, he gave me a special task… a very important task.
To retrieve the Eye of Elmora."
Natsuo frowned, his mind racing with newfound information. "The Eye of
Elmora…?"
Luci's voice took on a sing-song tone, his personality childish despite the ominous topic. "Yep! Once every 1,000 years, a hero is chosen. This hero is given
the left eye of Elmora, the god of knowledge and power. That eye can control
unimaginable magic… the kind even you can't copy!"
Natsuo absorbed the information, piecing together the implications. The Demon
Lord had sent Luci after the Eye of Elmora, and if his family was involved, they
could be part of something much bigger than he realized. But before he could
dwell on it, Luci floated closer, his tone shifting to one of excitement.
"So! I'll make a deal with you, Natsuo! You let me stick around, and I'll help
you save your family and Minami! Plus, I'll keep you updated on all the juicy
secrets that you don't know yet! Sound good?"
Natsuo's eyes narrowed, considering the offer. Luci was annoying, clumsy, and
clearly power-hungry, but there was no denying that the floating eye had information Natsuo could use.
"Fine," Natsuo muttered. "But don't get in my way."
Luci twirled in mid-air, thrilled. "Yay! You won't regret it! I mean, I am super
useful! I have so many secrets I can tell you—like, do you wanna know how the
Demon Lord eats souls, or how he plans to invade—"
"Enough," Natsuo interrupted, his voice cold. "Let's just focus on getting back
to my dimension."
Luci's gleeful expression faltered. "Ah, about that…"
Natsuo ignored him for the moment, closing his eyes and raising his hand, focusing all his energy into creating another portal. With his power of knowledge,
opening a portal should be easy—like flipping a switch. His hand glowed faintly
as he concentrated.
But nothing happened.
His eyes opened, narrowing as he tried again, this time with more focus. Again,
nothing. No portal. No response.
Luci floated in awkward silence, his single eye darting around nervously. "Sooo…
funny thing about that… you can't open a portal right now. Sorry! Hehe."
Natsuo's patience snapped. "Why not?" His voice was cold and sharp, his
expression unreadable but tense.
"Well! You see… when you fell through the portal into this magic-filled world,
it messed with your abilities. Like, it scrambled the portal magic. You're in a
different plane of existence now, and—"
"I don't care about your excuses, Luci. Fix it." Natsuo's voice was like ice.
Luci gulped, his wings flapping nervously. "W-well, I can't fix it, exactly… but
I can help! I told you, I'm useful, remember? We just need to find the right
kind of mana to stabilize your portal magic again. That's all! Easy peasy!"
Before Natsuo could respond, a faint sound reached their ears—the unmistakable clanking of armor. Natsuo's sharp senses alerted him to the presence of
approaching figures. He turned, his gaze scanning the horizon.
From the shadows of the trees, a group of armored knights emerged, their swords
gleaming in the dim light. Their armor bore the crest of an unfamiliar kingdom,
but their intentions were clear.
"They're coming for us," Natsuo muttered, his eyes narrowing as the knights
closed in.
Luci floated closer, suddenly panicked. "Uh-oh! Those guys look serious! Wh-? what do we do? We can't fight them, right? Right?!"
Natsuo ignored Luci's frantic whining, his mind already calculating his next
move. His newfound powers pulsed within him—knowledge, multiplication, and
the ability to copy anything.
A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "They don't stand a chance."
Luci's eye widened in awe, the floating devil trembling with excitement and fear.
"Ooooh! Natsuo, you're so cool now! I knew sticking with you was a good idea!
Let's totally wipe the floor with these guys!"
Natsuo's cold gaze remained locked on the approaching knights, his thoughts
solely on one thing: Minami.
If these knights wanted a fight, they would regret it. And once this was over,
he would make sure to find a way back to her—no matter what it took.