Chapter Title: CLADER'S DREAM, LUCID NIGHTMARE
A soft breeze whispered through the air as calm waves lapped against the warm sand. CLader lay still, stripped of all garments but his underwear, the sun's golden rays casting a gentle glow on his worn body. His eyes remained closed, the serenity of the moment washing over him like a lullaby.
> "This is calm... this is the world I want to create," he murmured in his mind. "Peace, quiet... calm. Ah... I wish this isn't a dream."
A voice, soft and familiar, broke through the quiet.
> "Clader... Clader..."
His eyes fluttered open slowly. The world was still bathed in gold. Her face was close—so close—it was as if she had descended from the heavens just to touch him. Glory, his wife. Her beautiful, radiant face hovered near his, lips slightly parted like she had leaned in for a kiss.
Clader's breath caught in his chest.
> "This is the life I want to live..."
He slowly raised his hand and brushed it against her cheek. A smile formed.
> "I hope this isn't a dream."
Glory smiled.
> "And what if it was?"
Clader chuckled gently.
> "Then I won't wake up."
She laughed, then rolled from his chest and lay beside him on the warm ground, the sunlight kissing their skins. Her hand found his, their fingers interlacing.
> "I'm sorry," he said after a long silence. "I let you down."
> "What do you mean?" Glory turned to him, eyes curious.
> "Am I not a failure?"
> "No. Never," she replied without hesitation. She cupped his face. "You are my hope. My everything. You still remember the promise we made to each other, right?"
Their eyes locked. In perfect synchrony, they whispered the sacred vow:
> "Even though the world is about to break, I will always be there like a hero."
Tears welled up in Clader's eyes.
> "Please stop," she said gently, wiping his cheeks. "If not, you're going to disgrace yourself... in your son's presence."
She placed her hand on her belly, a loving smile playing on her lips. Clader's eyes widened, then softened with joy.
> "You're pregnant."
He reached out and held her tenderly.
> "I will make sure our son, Metro, will never be in danger. I will protect him."
> "So you've already named him? Wow, you're fast," she laughed. "But... I like it. Metro. It's beautiful."
Silence returned, not from awkwardness but from overwhelming peace. They lay there, hand in hand, staring into the horizon.
> "This is so relaxing," Clader whispered. "I wish I could stay here forever. This is my dream."
But reality shattered like glass.
Clader's eyes flickered, and suddenly he was standing, breathing heavily, a blood-soaked knife in his hand. Blood painted the ground, and his heart pounded with confusion and terror. Before him, Glory's body lay sprawled, punctured by deep stab wounds, her lifeless eyes still filled with love.
He screamed internally. "No. No. No. No!"
Then he saw Metro. A young boy, barely five, hidden in the corner. His eyes wide with horror, his tiny body shaking.
> "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
---
Back in the present, Clader stood in monstrous form, his eyes wild, his voice a storm.
> "AAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Lucien took no time. He had calculated every move, watched every stance, learned Clader's patterns. He soared in with immense speed, his first punch slamming into Clader's ribs, spinning him in the air.
Clader countered but missed. Lucien ducked, stepped in, and delivered three rapid punches to Clader's chest and face, then leapt back as Clader's monstrous claws nearly caught him.
Lucien used the wind to launch himself skyward, flipped, and dove, punching Clader's shoulder with such force that the earth beneath them cracked.
The two titans clashed. Clader roared, his clawed hand swinging wildly, but Lucien weaved between strikes, focusing not on raw power but precision.
A kick to the back of Clader's knee. Another to his face. A glowing spell cast from Lucien's palm blinded Clader temporarily.
Clader tried to retaliate with dark tendrils of energy, summoning ancient demonic chains. Lucien, chanting quietly, wrapped his body in a protective sphere, then broke the chains mid-air and drove his fist through them, striking Clader's jaw.
> "You think you're strong because you bear pain?!" Lucien shouted. "But this isn't strength! This is surrender!"
Lucien soared with a final burst of energy. His punch struck true—directly into Clader's chest. The impact sent shockwaves for miles. Clader's monstrous body stumbled, then fell like a fallen colossus.
Lucien landed gently beside him, breathing heavily. He looked down at the man.
> "Now you know... the path you chose was wrong."
Suddenly, a tingle of danger prickled Lucien's spine. He flew straight upward just as a massive beam of light exploded beneath him, cracking the heavens. The beam dissipated, smoke rising high.
Lucien hovered above, staring as the dust cleared.
> Clader's body... was gone.
Lucien said nothing. He simply narrowed his eyes and muttered:
> "Now... the real battle has begun."
---
Slayers Headquarters
Inside a grand, circular hall, eleven high-ranking Slayers stood with their assistants, each one cloaked in armor, eyes steeled with duty. At the center, seated on a large obsidian throne, was a grey-haired old man: Oroto, the Head of Slayers.
He ended his call with Lucien and turned slowly to his gathered warriors.
> "This mission will be brutal. We fight not just demons... but destinies."
He rose, his voice heavy with finality.
> "And this time... we bring Metro home."
To be continued...