The sky above Kyomisu had turned dark by the time the brothers reached the ridge. From their vantage point, they could see chaos spreading across the village—flickers of firelight, shadows twisting where none should be, and rivers of Ryuma glowing like living veins.
"What happened?" Dylan whispered. "The whole place looks alive."
Kevin's eyes narrowed. "Alive—and sick."
Kris clenched his fists, his aura already pulsing. "Then we fix it."
The glow around them thickened as they leapt down the slope in synchronized bursts. Dylan's lightning carried him across the treetops, Kris's earth strength shattered paths through rock, and Kevin's shadow cut shortcuts through space. Trails of violet, gold, and silver chased their movements—a tri‑color storm descending into battle.
The First Encounter
They reached the outskirts just as a Remnant lunged through a line of defenses near the market square. Saya's twin blades spun in arcs of wind, deflecting its claws, while Renji's strikes seared the air into molten trails. Despite their efforts, the creature reformed each time it fell, its body a shifting mass of fractured energy.
Saya saw movement in the corner of her eye—three flashes arcing from the mountain like comets.
"What in the sky—" she started, but her words died when the lightning hit.
Dylan crashed into the plaza, his entry exploding into a shockwave that scattered debris. Kris followed, his landing quaking the ground and trapping stray spirits in sudden fissures. Kevin appeared last, emerging silently from the Remnant's own shadow, blades already drawn.
The creature shrieked, its body flaring with unstable energy as Kevin's strike sliced directly through its core.
The village defenders froze, unsure whether to stare at the monsters or the boys who had just arrived like living embodiments of the storms above.
Renji whistled low. "Kids these days."
Unlikely Allies
Saya steadied her stance, still holding her twin swords. "You three—are you the reason the seals woke?"
Kevin gave no answer immediately. His eyes scanned the plaza, noting the villagers sheltering behind arcane barriers and the streaks of Ryuma still climbing into the clouds. "We didn't cause this," he said finally. "But we'll end it."
Renji gave a sharp laugh. "Big words." His eyes glowed faintly as he studied them. "You must be Kelivin's brood. I'd know that energy anywhere."
Kris stepped forward, jaw set. "You knew our father?"
Renji grinned in half‑memory, half‑resentment. "Let's call it… complicated history. Right now, you'll want to keep that thing from reaching the shrine."
Another Remnant screeched, bursting from the side street. This one was larger—part stone, part vapor, its body laced with golden cracks.
Kevin's eyes flared. "Kris—anchor it!"
Kris slammed both palms to the ground, forming a dome of compressed rock. The creature struck it, shaking but unable to break through. Dylan vaulted high, gathering lightning into a spiraling spear, while Kevin's shadow widened beneath them, connecting all three of their energies.
Their attacks synchronized. The lightning spear drove through the Remnant's chest as Kevin's aura constricted its form, forcing the corrupt Ryuma inward where Kris's barrier compressed it fully.
The creature imploded—silent and clean, dissolving into dust.
When the smoke settled, even Saya looked impressed. "Not bad," she admitted.
The Defense of Kyomisu
More Remnants surged through openings along the east gate, drawn by the energy from the shrine. Renji shouted to a group of guards. "Hold formation! Keep your focus on the minor ones; these three handle the big beasts."
The brothers exchanged quick glances, instinctively falling into a triangle formation their father had drilled into them countless times. Kevin moved first—disappearing into shadow, striking unseen. Kris followed, fracturing every path the creatures used. Dylan weaved between them, his movement sparking blinding arcs that turned the dark into flashes of controlled light.
The longer they fought, the more efficiently they moved—not as three individuals, but as one rhythm. Their Ryuma harmonized, creating ripples that resonated with the village itself.
Lady Ai felt it from the shrine steps. She pressed her palms together, eyes widening as the seals' tremors began to settle. "They're syncing," she whispered. "Their unity is tempering the seal's chaos."
Down below, Kevin landed beside Saya, shadows retreating like a cloak around him. "They're coming faster. Something's pulling them."
Saya deflected another Remnant strike. "Then we cut the source."
He nodded. "The shrine."
The Bridge of Bonds
As they pivoted toward the temple, the air above the plaza split with a roar. The clouds themselves folded downward into a spiraling vortex of violet energy. From its core descended a figure half‑formed of mist and armor—the first true General of the Remnants.
It landed heavily, crushing a dozen stones beneath its blade-shaped arms.
Dylan's lightning scattered uselessly across its chest; Kevin's shadow couldn't pierce its form. Kris clenched his jaw, blocking a swipe meant for Saya.
"This one's different!" he yelled. "It's adapting!"
Renji unleashed fire, but the creature absorbed it, veins glowing red.
Lady Ai's voice echoed from the temple doors. "It's feeding on elemental attacks! You must strike together—synchronize your Ryuma completely!"
Kevin's mind raced. "Together… not in sequence, but as one pulse."
Dylan's eyes widened. "Like we did in the Market."
They nodded once, understanding wordlessly.
Kevin drew in shadow from every corner, Kris summoned earthlight from below, and Dylan condensed his lightning into a single sphere. They stepped into the same stance, aligned their breathing, and released it at once.
Shadow wrapped the light, lightning fused through stone, and the combined energy struck the Remnant's chest. For a heartbeat, silence—then a blinding eruption as the being disintegrated into silver motes, shooting upward into the clouds.
The shockwave rolled across Kyomisu but brought calm, not destruction.
The Aftermath
When the energy faded, the village stood intact. The seals still hummed faintly, but no new breaches appeared. The few surviving Remnants dissolved quietly into mist.
Saya lowered her blades, exhaling slowly. "I don't know what you are," she said to the brothers, "but you just saved everyone."
Kris grinned despite the exhaustion. "Guess that means we passed whatever test the universe gave us."
Renji folded his arms. "Don't celebrate yet. That energy you used? It'll draw bigger things next time."
Kevin turned toward the shrine. Through the smoke, he could already see his father waiting at the steps. The expression on Kelivin's face was unreadable—somewhere between pride and worry.
The brothers started forward, unaware that behind the calm sky, invisible fissures rippled across realms like cracks in glass—proof that their victory had come with a price none yet understood.