[What happened.]
[Leonardo’s Mansion - Three days ago.]
The mansion was quiet, a rare sanctuary of silence in a room that usually humd with political intrigue.
"Peace," Leonardo muttered, taking a slow, deliberate sip of his tea. The porcelain clinked softly as he savored the warmth, his gaze drifting lazily around his sitting room. It was a mont of respite he had desperately needed.
"Yeah... Victoria made so troubles, but Eldoria settled it by taking over the nation... Sotis it’s just good to stay quiet without interfering," he mused to the empty room, placing his teacup on the small table before him. He was a God-rank warrior, a pillar of the Nations, yet even he found comfort in the idea of simply letting the younger generation—Sunny and his terrifying family—handle the chaos.
BAM!
The double doors flew open, slamming against the walls with a violence that shattered the tranquility.
"Huh?"
Leonardo turned his head to the door, his brow furrowing. Valerie and Maria rushed inside, their chests heaving, their faces drained of blood and etched with pure panic.
"What happened, why are you two excited?" He asked, slowly getting to his feet, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
"The third elder! He is missing!" Maria yelled, her voice trembling with a worry that didn’t suit a warrior of her caliber.
"What?!" Leonardo stood up in shock, the tea forgotten. The Nation’s leadership had already been decimated during the last battle against Lilith’s fragnt. They had barely scraped by, leaving only four Elders to hold the nations together. And now, the Third had just mysteriously vanished?
"Calm down, he can’t just disappear, he is a god rank warrior, aren’t there any clues?" Leonardo asked, trying to project a stability he didn’t feel. "Besides, he is injured..."
"Clues... We followed his footsteps and spirit energy, and discovered a cave... But we didn’t enter. Lady Valerie said we should inform you first," Maria explained, wringing her hands.
Leonardo was silent for so seconds, processing the information. A God-rank warrior didn’t just wander off into a cave while injured unless sothing—or soone—compelled them. He gestured for them to lead the way, his face hardening into stone.
___
[The Cave.]
The three Elders stood at the mouth of the cavern. It was an ancient fissure in the earth, exhaling a breath of stale, cold air that slled of iron and old rot. They were all God-rank warriors, beings who could level mountains, but even so, they felt a primal chill crawl up their spines as they moved deeper inside.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Leonardo asked with a frown, summoning his great sword. The heavy blade materialized in his grip, humming with spirit energy.
"Yes," Valerie nodded, also drawing her sword, the tal scraping softly against the silence as they walked deeper into the dark throat of the cave.
Sunny’s phantom form—a silent, invisible observer riding the currents of Leonardo’s dying mory—slowly followed behind the three. He moved his gaze all over the place, analyzing the rock formations, looking for signs of struggle.
After walking for five minutes or more, the narrow tunnel expanded into a vast, cathedral-like open space. High above, the cave ceiling was pierced by a jagged opening, allowing a single, focused beam of sunlight to stab through the gloom. Even with the warm atmosphere of the sun above, the cave remained unnaturally cold.
Leonardo, Valerie, Maria, and the spectral Sunny fixed their gazes on the center of the chamber.
There stood the Third Elder, Jabari. He was motionless, a dagger clutched in his hand, his back facing them. The sunlight shone down from the hole, bathing him in a celestial spotlight that felt more like an interrogation lamp.
"Jabari?" Maria called in a low voice. She took a step forward, but before she could move further, Leonardo raised his hand.
"Stop, sothing isn’t right here," he said, his voice tight. He could sense it—a dense, suffocating amount of spirit energy swirling around Jabari. It was an energy signature far stronger than Jabari’s own, far stronger than even Leonardo’s. That wasn’t possible.
"Hehehe..."
All of a sudden, Jabari started laughing. The sound was deep, cold, and hollow—nothing like a human, let alone the friend they knew. The three Elders instantly dropped into combat stances, their gazes locked on the figure.
"How nice."
Jabari turned around to face the group. His face was slack, his eyes completely lifeless, void of any recognition.
"What... What happened to you, Jabari?!" Valerie asked in shock, her sword tip wavering slightly.
’That voice?’ Sunny thought, staring at the scene. ’This is the Heaven of Souls speaking. But what happened before now? How did he or she take control of the Third Elder?’
"Who are you?!" Leonardo asked, raising his sword at the Third Elder, his knuckles white on the hilt.
"I am Light. And I am here to give you strength."
Jabari raised his own hand, grabbed a handful of his own hair, and brought the dagger to his neck with his other hand. His movents were jerky, like a marionette controlled by a drunk puppeteer.
"What... What are you doing?!" Maria yelled in horror, her face pale.
SWISS!!!
The wet, tearing sound of a blade slicing through at rang out, stunning everyone in the cave. They stood frozen, paralyzed by the sheer grotesquery of it, watching as Jabari continued cutting his throat with the dagger with chanical precision. Blood sprayed in a crimson torrent, painting the rocks, but he didn’t stop until he completely separated the head from his neck.
".....?!!!"
Sunny and the Elders were flabbergasted. Their faces were masks of horror, shock, and disbelief. Their minds went blank, unable to process a God-rank entity ending themselves so casually.
WHOOSH!!
Sunny frowned, his eyes narrowing. He saw a dark, viscous smoke fly out of Jabari’s severing neck. The mont it left, the headless body dropped to the ground like a sack of stones. He followed the smoke with his eyes as it shot across the room and slamd into Maria, who had already broken down in tears.
BAM!!
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