Part of the city lay in ruins. The academy had crumbled into rubble.
Smoke still rose from the debris, leaving behind the scent of dust and scorched magic.
Kazuki Altherion… vanished into the mist.
No trace.
No one knew where he went.
He left behind destruction… and a massive question mark.
But the world still didn't know who the White Reaper truly was.
To them, he was nothing more than a mysterious figure who appeared and disappeared,
like a nightmare in a silent night.
But not everyone believed it was just a dream.
From the charred wreckage…
Someone stood, their body trembling with seething rage.
A student—one of the few survivors.
Their gaze locked onto the darkened sky.
Teeth clenched. Fists tightened. Their face was smeared with dust and wounds.
"White Reaper… I don't care who you really are…"
That voice, filled with vengeance, echoed through the silence.
"I'LL GET MY REVENGE!! I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN, WHITE REAPER!!!"
The scream pierced the dark sky, answered only by the cold slicing wind.
But elsewhere, far from the ruins…
Atop a stone tower that faced the dark horizon…
Kazuki stood still, his back turned to the world.
His black cloak swayed gently, and the White Blade rested sheathed on his back.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"…Revenge, huh?"
His tone was flat, yet beneath it, there was a faint trace of amusement.
"Darkness grows quickly in the hearts of men. Fascinating."
He descended the tower step by step, like an actor closing the curtain on his first act.
"If you want to come find me… go ahead."
He vanished into the shadows.
"I'll be waiting for you… on a grander stage."
Kazuki's footsteps echoed across cracked stones, slow but purposeful.
His black cloak fluttered lightly in the night breeze, shrouding his calm figure like an untouchable shadow.
As he walked, he looked up at the dark sky, still stained with the remnants of devastation.
"Hmm… my Death Bloom," he muttered softly, a slight smile forming on his lips.
"Not bad. Might be handy for flattening a Demon King… or a God, maybe."
His voice was light, as if discussing dinner plans.
But what he spoke of was power on a catastrophic level.
Suddenly, from the shadows of the ruins, several cloaked figures emerged.
Their steps were firm, yet filled with reverence.
A girl with purple hair walked at the front.
Neera… the Execution Commander of Nocturne Eclipse.
She bowed deeply.
"Welcome back, Leader," she said firmly yet gently.
Kazuki stopped for a moment, turning lazily.
"Oh… it's Neera," he said casually, like meeting an old friend at a night market.
Neera gave a faint smile.
"Lord Kazuki… we've prepared a gift for you, as the leader of our shadows."
Kazuki tilted his head, his violet eyes sharp.
"A gift?"
Neera gestured.
The members of Nocturne Eclipse parted to reveal a massive stone door hidden by high-level illusion magic.
They led him through it, descending a dark corridor and spiraling stone stairs, to a place where even light hesitated to enter.
And there it was…
The new base of Nocturne Eclipse, standing majestic deep beneath the earth.
A chamber without walls, surrounded by black crystals and pulsating magic circles.
A control center of the shadows, where strategies, experiments, and plans for domination were born—untouchable by anyone.
Not even the Gods or Demon Kings would know this place existed.
Kazuki stood in the center of the room.
He looked around, then smiled softly.
"...Interesting."
He turned around, facing all the Nocturne Eclipse members now kneeling before him.
"Listen."
His voice was low, yet every word echoed with power.
"Shadows don't need recognition. We are not heroes. Nor are we villains. We simply… play the roles we've chosen."
He glanced toward the crystal walls displaying projections of the outside world—chaos, war, and the manhunt for the 'White Reaper.'
"And now… it's time to write the next chapter."
Kazuki grinned.
"With a touch of theatricality."
He sat slowly on a dark throne—an imposing black seat carved with crescent moons and ancient magic sigils.
He said nothing.
Just sat in silence… like a shadow king savoring his stage.
Before him, all the members of Nocturne Eclipse kneeled in complete silence.
Their cloaks spread over the black stone floor, heads bowed in deep reverence to the one they called: White Reaper.
A few seconds of stillness passed.
Then, Kazuki spoke in a flat tone… yet somehow, it rang with grandeur.
"Alright then… even though I possess overwhelming power capable of flattening cities and silencing the skies…"
He paused. His expression remained neutral.
"...by day, I'm just an ordinary boy.
Short, too."
Silence.
One of the members suddenly spoke up, half-laughing but still respectful:
"Of course, Sir! We'll play our roles as well, just like you do!"
Kazuki sighed lightly, then looked up—as if staring at a camera that wasn't there.
A familiar smirk formed on his face. Absurdly satisfied.
"Good. Tomorrow night, we continue."
He stood slowly from his throne. His gaze sharp and theatrical.
"But this time… we won't take any sides. Not hero. Not villain.
We'll simply follow our own will."
He raised his hand halfway, as if commanding fate itself.
"Because true shadows need no reason."
All members of Nocturne Eclipse bowed deeper.
"Yes, Lord Kazuki!"
The magical lights in the room dimmed slowly.
Kazuki's footsteps echoed as he returned to his seat.
The smirk never left his face.
He leaned back, then whispered… softly, yet strong enough to close this chapter.
"Play your role… for this world is but a stage."
...End of Chapter.