Locked Shadows

Pure chaos. No words could describe how panic-struck Ethnica was. The aura of the meteor ascending down on the nation crept closer and closer, and everyone who lived in the borders knew it. There was a mad scramble for the outside dimensions, and, according to Oura, Ethnica would be completely obliterated, with no stone on top of another.

No one has ever seen his face in the light or even the darkness. His ominous persona made him an unpredictable and intimidating person to approach, let alone talk to. To him, that was normality. His Warriors, his elite Seven were no exception either. His cold stare pierced crimson skies before him, and today wasn’t any different. The sunset was shaded with the crimson blood of doom.

The Meteor was coming.

As realistic as it was, Oura couldn’t believe himself. No…it was too soon. As an Overseer of his Seven, it was his responsibility to see that they would be ready for Era, the lethal meteor that destroyed whatever obscured its path. The meteor falling swiftly as he felt it coming was, no doubt, Era itself, which everyone knew about, making it no surprise for their uncontrollable chaos.

Tsk. Terrible preparation on his part. But another thought flashed in his mind.

Where were his Seven?

To his utmost terror, that was answered the minute he asked himself. Oura almost didn’t feel it. There was a massive tremor on the ground, and he felt heat rising slowly yet steadily.

Era was closer.

There was nothing he could do. His Seven were sent to escort panicking villagers to areas of safety. But after fiercely calculating the meteor’s course in his mind, another shock came to him.

The Seven were directly on its path.

There were no adequate replacements for the elite. No one besides Oura himself could match their strength. If they died…

He had no choice. If he had to die in order to save them from this, so be it. It would require much of his strength to pull such a dangerous thing off. Survival was slim, yes, but to Oura, it was a desperate chance. The meteor was about to make impact with the dimension. Destruction was creeping threateningly closer.

The Overseer whisked off to the core of Ethnica to finish what he decided to start.

Era was but a speck in the dimension of Yvara. Residents in Ethnica, the partnering dimension in siege, would be flooding to Yvara, which would make every villager feel right at home.

Yes, the Yvara Ruler thought, right at home.

“Ha! The Ethnicans can shelter themselves just fine here, but all we need from them is the Keys!”

“Patience, Cliethenes,” the Ruler hissed, staring at an obnoxiously chipper brunette girl, dressed with a sinister maid’s outfit, who was toying around with a wakazashi on her lap.

“Master Equar,” Cliethenes inquired, “What are you really looking for? It’s not the Keys alone, isn’t it?”

The overlord became stiff cold. His head slowly and angrily turned to face the girl, who shuddered as his silver eyes met hers. “That’s none of your business,” he said curtly, “But know this.

“The Shadow Reed will be mine.”

With a flash, he faded into the shadows, leaving Cliethenes frozen in fear.

Somewhere in Yvara, the ground suddenly erupted.