A stillness had fallen over the great hall of the High Council in the city of Aurenfall.
Golden sunlight filtered through stained glass windows, casting fractured colors over the polished obsidian floor. The nobles sat in silence, the recent memory of the ancient magic that had scorched across the skies still fresh in their minds. A living legend had returned — Ryuuji, the Demon Slayer, the Hero, thought lost for over a decade. And he hadn't just returned. He had declared judgment.
Lord Vareon of House Thornclaw, pale and tight-lipped, was the first to break the silence. "That man… that Ryuuji… he's still alive. Not only alive—he has not aged a day."
Councilor Merethis, an elven sage draped in violet robes, whispered, "He used the True Voice. The Language of Creation. Only Archmage Lethandir or one of his students could wield that without consequence."
"But Lethandir vanished five years ago," muttered Grand Chancellor Helbron. "And no heir to his legacy was ever recorded."
"He was Ryuuji's teacher," Merethis said quietly. "That is now clear."
Murmurs surged through the hall like a wave.
Fear. Awe. Panic.
One man had slain the Demon Lord and four Generals. One man had resurfaced after fifteen years and made every noble and ruler of the continent look like fumbling children. One man had proclaimed with ancient magic that he was watching—and would punish them, should they walk the wrong path.
A new voice spoke from the shadows. "He is a threat. A relic of war in a time that now demands peace. If we allow him to interfere freely, the nobility will become… unstable."
That voice belonged to Lord Caelstrom, a high-ranking council member, and secretly, a manipulator behind many of the dark dealings Ryuuji had hinted at in his ancient magical proclamation.
"What do you propose?" asked Vareon, though his voice trembled slightly.
Caelstrom's eyes gleamed. "We send a message. We remind him that while he may have ancient magic, we have the power of unity. Already, I've secured the services of a master enchanter—one capable of controlling even the most iron-willed of warriors."
He laid a silver-bound scroll on the table.
"A target?" asked Helbron.
Caelstrom smiled thinly. "One of Ryuuji's old comrades. Duncan the Sword Saint."
Meanwhile, in the Forest of Rylthane…
Ryuuji strode through the trees like a whispering wind. Kiko was safely with Elysia back home, and Jarred and Marla had started rebuilding their tavern-style cottage on the island. Peace still lived in his heart, but his steps were no longer idle. His eyes were sharp again.
He had received word from Sierra—her message delivered via enchanted hawk—that Duncan had vanished weeks ago during a visit to the southern reaches of the kingdom. Rumors of a dwarf in strange armor and a hollow gaze defending the royal city had reached Sierra's ears. She feared the worst.
And Ryuuji feared even worse.
He moved swiftly, cloaking his presence with runes learned from Archmage Lethandir himself, bypassing guards, traps, and wards. Eventually, he arrived at a secluded glade, where a crude, magical barrier shimmered like disturbed water.
Beyond it stood Duncan.
The proud dwarf's beard was braided tightly, his once-warm brown eyes dull and cold. A silver circlet hummed on his temple.
"Duncan," Ryuuji said softly, stepping into the circle.
No recognition.
Ryuuji sighed and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You stubborn, battle-hungry lunatic. If you're in there… wake up."
Duncan's hand moved for his sword.
It came fast. Too fast for any normal warrior.
But not for Ryuuji.
He caught the blade with two fingers. "Sorry. I'm not fighting you, old friend."
He whispered a counter-incantation taught by Lethandir—a rune of mind clarity, laced with an ancient truth-seeing glyph. The circlet flared… then cracked.
Duncan's body convulsed. His knees buckled. Ryuuji caught him.
"Ry… Ryuuji?" Duncan gasped.
"You're free now."
Duncan clutched his head. And then his eyes widened. "They took Sierra."
"I know."
"They tortured her."
Ryuuji nodded grimly.
And then Duncan stood. "Where is the one who did this?"
Ryuuji didn't answer—he just pointed behind a tree.
Bound by a summoned root spell, the enchanter was trembling. A man with fine robes and trembling fingers.
"I spared him," Ryuuji said. "To question him."
Duncan stepped forward. No hesitation. No mercy.
One swing.
One clean, furious cut.
The head rolled, eyes still wide with fear.
Ryuuji exhaled slowly. "You didn't need to—"
"I did," Duncan said. "For Sierra."
Later, in a hidden cavern beneath the old guild ruins…
Sierra sat before a gentle fire, her face pale but calm. Duncan approached slowly, dropping to one knee beside her.
She turned. "You're here."
He touched her hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
She closed her eyes. "They used you, didn't they?"
He nodded.
And she whispered, "Then you were a victim too."
Ryuuji left them alone, stepping to the cavern entrance where an old memory greeted him: a mural drawn by one of their friends long ago, showing five figures standing beneath a moonlit sky.
Ryuuji.
Sierra.
Duncan.
Rapthael.
Reina.
Where were the other two?
He clenched his fist. "One step at a time."
Back in Aurenfall…
The council had gathered again—this time in a panic.
"We lost the enchanter!"
"He's dead," Caelstrom hissed. "Duncan broke the spell."
"He'll come for us," Merethis said. "And we deserve it."
"You're a coward," Caelstrom spat. "You fear him too much."
"I respect what he did. What we couldn't."
"He's dangerous."
Suddenly, a gust of wind slammed the council doors open.
A scroll floated inside, unfurled in midair by ancient runes.
It bore one sentence:
"You have sown fear to hold your thrones. Reap what you have planted. – Ryuuji."
Back on the Island…
That evening, as the sun sank below the sea, Ryuuji stood on the edge of a cliff, the wind in his hair. Kiko ran up beside him, her hands full of seashells.
"Papa! Look! This one looks like a dragon's tooth!"
He smiled and picked her up.
"We found Uncle Duncan!" she chirped.
"Yes," Ryuuji said. "And we'll find the others too."
Elysia stepped beside him, folding her arms. "Word came from the west."
He turned.
"Rapthael… might be in trouble."
Ryuuji closed his eyes for a long moment. Then nodded.
"One step at a time," he whispered again.
And the journey continued.