In a vast ocean of blood, bound by obsidian mountains that stretched farther than the eye could see, two men fought beneath a pale, unmoving sky.
Above them hung five black suns, silent sentinels that watched their every movement as their battle raged on.
The younger of the two was a boy with pitch-black hair and pale, almost ghostly eyes. His skin, a shade too white to be natural, was scarred from countless wounds and memories of deaths that refused to last.
His opponent was a man wrapped in chains. A mask of pure obsidian concealed his face smooth and featureless, except for the single golden sun engraved at its center. It watched Vale unblinking, a false eye that glowed faintly in the gloom.
The chained man's right arm was clad in shattered armor, and from his waist hung tattered black cloth that trailed across the blood's surface like smoke. Dozens of broken weapons were impaled through his body, their jagged edges gleaming faintly, yet he moved as though untouched, every motion deliberate and graceful.
Their blades met again and again, the sound ringing across the sea like thunder. Sparks scattered and Blood rippled. Each exchange carried the weight of centuries.
Vale gritted his teeth, pushing forward with all the strength his body could muster. But the gap between them was immeasurable. The chained man parried with effortless precision, his movements flowing like water. Vale's attacks grew frantic, desperate stabs, wide swings, until, with one elegant motion, the man's blade flashed.
Vale's head separated cleanly from his neck.
His body fell onto the crimson surface with a quiet splash. The blood rippled outward, holding him.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, movement.
Three metallic creatures stirred at the edge of the battlefield, a white cat, a crimson centipede, and a black, thorn-covered lizard. They rushed toward Vale's body as it collapsed, their movements strangely tender. The cat brushed against his shoulder; the centipede coiled around his arm; the lizard pressed its head against his chest.
It almost looked like mourning. Or affection.
The blood beneath him began to churn. His neck reformed, muscle fibers stitching, veins rethreading, flesh sealing shut until his head was whole once more. Within seconds, Vale's eyes opened again, reflecting the pale, colorless sky.
He lay there for a moment, staring upward at the clouds, crimson and black, shifting lazily around the black suns.
The three creatures climbed over his chest, chirping softly as if congratulating him.
Vale groaned, sitting up and rubbing his neck. "That was my best time yet, wasn't it?" he said hoarsely.
The chained man crossed his arms and gave a single nod.
"Twenty-three seconds," Vale muttered with a grin. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
The man tilted his head slightly, perhaps agreeing, perhaps merely humoring him.
They had grown strangely accustomed to one another in this endless place. opponents, yet bound by something deeper than battle.
Vale ran his hand along the white cat's back as the centipede and lizard tangled playfully on his lap. "So," he said, glancing up, "how many times have I died again? I stopped counting after five thousand."
The chained man gave a shrug, then raised both hands and held up eight fingers.
"Eight thousand, huh?" Vale said, blinking in disbelief. "Figures." A soft laugh escaped him. "It's weird. Even though I keep dying, I can feel myself improving a little each time. But somehow… you do too." He leaned forward, curious. "You've been holding back on me, haven't you?"
The man gave a small nod.
A grin spread across Vale's face. "I knew it. You've been toying with me this whole time."
There was no malice in his tone, only excitement. The challenge thrilled him, even though failure meant death. And he had failed eight thousand times already.
Vale stood, brushing the creatures gently aside. "Then…" He looked at the masked man, eyes burning with determination. "Are you still holding back?"
The man nodded once more.
"Then stop," Vale said, tightening his grip on his sword. "Use everything this time. No restraints."
The chained man released a slow, heavy sigh, whether of annoyance or respect, Vale couldn't tell. Still, he turned and walked back to his previous position, lifting his blade into place.
Vale adjusted his stance, heart pounding, blood dripping from his bare feet into the crimson sea below. "Ready?" he called out.
The man gave a silent nod.
"Then… go."
The word had barely left his mouth before the world blurred.
Vale's vision went white, then black. His consciousness flickered like a dying flame. He didn't even feel the strike, only the sudden emptiness where his head should have been.
And once again, Vale died in an instant.
Vale's body fell once more into the warm sea of blood, his head landing a few feet farther than the rest of him. As it rolled to a stop, his fading eyes locked onto the chained man one final time before darkness took him.
'What… just happened?'
Those were Vale's last thoughts before consciousness slipped away, leaving behind only silence and crimson waves.
It didn't take long for his body to begin its grotesque revival.
From the stump of his neck, threads of muscle and sinew stretched outward, reaching for his head like desperate hands. His skull twitched, dragged slowly back toward his torso as the three metallic creatures rushed to his side, the white cat, the crimson centipede, and the black thorn-covered lizard.
The lizard climbed onto Vale's face, its claws clicking against his skin as his neck fully reattached. The moment the connection sealed, Vale's pale eyes shot open.
He bolted upright with a sharp gasp, sending the black lizard flying across the surface of the blood ocean with a startled hiss. It wasn't fear that woke him like that, he had long since grown numb to the horror of dying. It was shock.
He'd died before he even had time to think.
The chained man had killed him in an instant.
Vale's eyes widened as he replayed it in his mind. The speed, the precision was inhuman. The man he once thought was human had moved faster than anything mortal possibly could.
A slow, incredulous smile crept across Vale's face. "You're quite the monster yourself, huh?" he said, his voice trembling between awe and amusement.
Across from him, the chained man sighed softly as he approached. He drove his long, bone-like blade into the crimson sea beside him and extended a hand toward Vale.
"Uyo dnee a ndha?" the masked man spoke, his voice calm, distorted slightly beneath the obsidian mask.
Vale stared for a moment, not understanding the words, but the gesture was clear. He reached out and grasped the man's hand.
'At least he's polite about it,' Vale thought dryly as the man pulled him effortlessly to his feet.
"Hey, thanks," Vale said, dusting himself off even though the blood never truly stuck.
The chained man gave a silent nod, as he always did.
Vale was about to speak again when a distant sound split the stillness.
a deep, guttural roar that rolled across the sea like thunder.
Both Vale and the chained man turned toward the source. The obsidian mountains loomed on the horizon, jagged silhouettes against the pale sky. Even the creatures at their feet, the cat, the centipede and the lizard turned their heads in unison, their metal bodies tensing.
"So…" Vale muttered, squinting at the mountains. "Another monster?"
"Ikelyl," the chained man replied, his tone low.
Vale couldn't make sense of the words, but the man's calm delivery told him enough.
"Likely, huh?" Vale sighed, resting his sword on his shoulder. "How many does that make? Six?" He chuckled bitterly. "Guess these things are the local pests."
He peered across the bloody horizon, eyes narrowing. A faint green mark shimmered on one of the distant peaks.
"There it is," he murmured.
The stain began to move.
This one wasn't like the others. It climbed the mountainside with terrifying speed, darting from ledge to ledge, closing the distance faster than Vale could blink. Its shape resolved into something lizard-like, sleek, muscular, walking on eight legs, its scales glowing a sickly, radioactive green.
Before Vale could comment, the creature leapt from the mountain. It hit the crimson sea with a splash that sent waves rippling for miles. Then it ran, straight toward them.
Its movement was almost graceful, its limbs arranged perfectly for speed: six legs in front, two in the back, claws slicing the surface like blades.
"Fast little bastard…" Vale muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.
But then, without warning, the monster stopped.
Dead still.
Vale frowned, tilting his head. "That's… weird."
He squinted, watching closely. The creature didn't move, but something about it had changed.
A low hum began to vibrate through the air. The green light along its body intensified, shifting from a faint glow to a blinding radiance that reflected off the bloody waves.
Vale's eyes widened. "Wait… is it,"
He didn't finish the sentence.
"glowing?"
The word left his mouth in a whisper of disbelief as the sea around them began to shimmer with green light.