# Chapter 4: Light Against the Darkness

  ## I. The Friend's Fury

  In Zack's room, the atmosphere was one of abandonment. Orpheus sat in the only chair by the fireplace, observing the surroundings with disdain. Dust had accumulated in every corner; nothing seemed to have been cleaned or cared for. The only light came from the flickering flame, casting a sinister glow over the **Black Moon**, which leaned against the wall.

  Zack was at the edge of the bed, hunched over a large map spread across a small wooden table. With a metallic marker, he traced routes and noted every detail of the plan.

  — Is the boy settled in? — Orpheus asked, his voice as firm as iron.

  — Yes... — Zack replied, his concentration unwavering on the map.

  — You're an idiot. He needs a father, not a general. Don't be a jerk! — Orpheus snapped, his red eyes flashing in the dim light.

  Zack let out a breath but didn't look up.

  — Trust me. He doesn't need a father. And certainly not me.

  Orpheus flashed a bitter smile.

  — Of course. You're always right, boss. That's why we get along so well.

  Zack began to resume his planning:

  — Right... now, moving on...

  In a *flash*, Orpheus's fist struck Zack's face, violently hurling him through the wall. Wood splinters and debris flew as the setting sun bathed the destruction in a burning orange.

  Zack rolled in the dust outside, blood trickling from his nose. He spat a crimson thread onto the earth and looked at the sky, the last rays of sun setting the horizon ablaze.

  Orpheus hovered over him, spinning like a dark butterfly. His robes fluttered as he drove his knee into Zack's back.

  ***CRAAACK!!!***

  The snap reverberated through the neighborhood. Windows flew open in alarm. From the bar next door, hunters leaped from their seats — K, Alf, the Boy, and Pacho among them.

  Orpheus pressed Zack against the ground, delivering blow after blow to his already battered face. Each punch sent droplets of blood into the air, an echo of metal against bone that shattered the silence.

  The hunters surged forward, blades drawn and a fierce energy radiating from them.

  — Stay out of this! — Zack roared, his voice hoarse with desperation.

  Orpheus leaned in, his whisper heavy with contempt:

  — Two years away, and you're still the same jerk. You swore you'd change... I'm going to beat you until you do.

  With a single impulse, Orpheus leaped back and drew his katana, its blade glowing with a hellish red.

  — Get up! I'll give you a head start. — His voice was unmistakable, echoing through the frantic environment.

  Zack crawled to his feet, spitting blood, his eyes swollen but resolute.

  K and the Boy exchanged worried glances.

  — Orpheus, what are you doing? — K shouted, torn between disappointment and rage.

  Orpheus remained silent, raising his katana to the sky. From the blade, a crimson aura rose toward the firmament. The orange of the sunset blended with his power, igniting the area with a menacing light.

  ## II. The Rise of the Emperors

  — **LEVEL 1 TECHNIQUE – SCARLET HOUND!**

  Orpheus let out a sharp whistle, as if summoning an ancestral guardian. In an instant, the air thickened with a crimson heat. His energy spread in spirals of fire, painting the street with currents of a feverish peace. Every breath that followed became soft and measured, as if the weight of tension had dissolved into embers.

  Around them, the observers felt their hearts calm. Fear gave way to a strange stillness. The scarlet aura danced in the void, transforming the street into an unlikely refuge, an oasis of warmth and quiet amidst the chaos.

  Zack's eyes widened as he understood the signal.

  — My God...

  He raised the **Black Moon** to the sky and roared:

  — **COME TO ME, BLACK MOON!**

  His dark command echoed, and a whirlwind of dark energy erupted from his body, rising, palpable — the Void itself crying out to the heavens. Ebony veins traced his skin, starting from the corners of his eyes and running down his arms. The power of the Void merged with Orpheus's scarlet flame, giving birth to a living maelstrom.

  A putrid and furious aura burst forth, wild and melancholic, spreading chaos through the air. Gradually, the people understood the horror: Zack was releasing the power of his Black Eyes, the Void itself pouring out in living fury. Eyes widened, hearts froze — for when the essence of darkness takes shape, nothing remains but fear.

  The walls of the neighboring houses shook, and the ground cracked. The hunters recoiled, stunned. The environment became a whirlpool of shadows and flames, the promise of an ancestral storm.

  Zack smiled — a wild and magnetic smile — ready to face the unknown.

  ## III. The Duel of Titans

  Zack and Orpheus stood face to face, their eyes burning with hatred and anguish. The air vibrated with tension as the walls of the houses trembled and the ground fractured under the weight of their titanic confrontation.

  Around them, the residents watched in agony. K and the Boy kept their distance — they knew they couldn't intervene. That duel transcended any human power. The crying of children rose in unison, a piercing lament that gripped every heart.

  In the blink of an eye, Zack and Orpheus raised their blades: **Black Moon** against the Scarlet Katana. In a swift blur, they became shadows in the whirlpool, delivering fierce blows. Each attack scattered dark sparks and crimson flashes, too fast for the hunters to follow. Their only recourse was to raise human shields, protect the houses, and stay alive.

  For a moment, steel pressed against steel — blade against blade. Zack smiled, and Orpheus returned the smile with bitter satisfaction.

  — You fight clean... always fair. That's why you'll die young — Orpheus taunted.

  — You never learn... — Zack began, but Orpheus didn't wait. He stomped his foot on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that blinded Zack for an instant.

  Seizing the moment, Orpheus delivered a brutal kick to Zack's stomach. Bones cracked as he flew backward, coughing up blood and opening fissures in the earth beneath him.

  Before Zack could recover, Orpheus disappeared and reappeared at his side. Leaping high, he shouted:

  — **LEVEL 2 TECHNIQUE – RISING COYOTE!**

  A roar of amber energy erupted from the Scarlet Katana, flooding the street with chaos and disorientation. Zack's senses betrayed him — his vision blurred, sounds merged into a deafening roar.

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  Then Orpheus struck downward, driving his blade into Zack's chest and pinning him to the ground. With a second devastating blow, he drove his knee into Zack's skull, sinking him even deeper into the earth.

  — **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!**

  Orpheus hovered over him, relentless. He was determined, at any cost, to teach his old friend a lesson. But why?

  Zack's cry of agony blended with the distant hiss of the mist. The street, now a battlefield of shadows and feverish light, awaited the next move in this stunning duel of allies turned adversaries.

  ## IV. The Thunder Emperor

  Orpheus stepped back a few paces, watching Zack sprawled on the ground, his body lacerated and bleeding.

  — If you don't take this seriously, you're going to die! — Orpheus bellowed, his voice echoing off the stone walls. — I'm not joking, old friend — get up! Have the courage to look me in the eye and tell me why you broke your promise!

  The setting sun tore through the black clouds, casting orange rays that, for the first time in years, opened a rift over the district. The black mist dissipated, revealing a vibrant sky.

  A man in the crowd lifted his frightened son, pointing upward:

  — So this is the sky? It's so beautiful, my son...

  The child, who had been crying, broke into a smile of pure wonder — a miracle born of light.

  Zack raised his head, his black eyes now shining with the reflection of the burning horizon. With slow determination, he stood up.

  — Thank you, Orpheus. I really needed you... I missed you, friend.

  Orpheus broke into a grin and gave a thumbs-up:

  — I know, you useless bastard.

  Zack wiped his hand across his face, his voice trembling but sincere:

  — I'm terrible with people. Boy, K... I love you both, even if I don't know how to show it. It's no excuse, I know. But I'm terrified of losing you because I was weak... I made that mistake before, and I won't make it again.

  K shook her head, affectionate and impatient:

  — You're an idiot, Zack. I love you, but you have to open up to us. I understand your responsibilities to the district and the hunters, but you can't carry everything alone.

  Zack gave a light slap to the side of his head, a gesture of contained frustration:

  — I know, K. Sorry, Boy. I'll do better.

  The Boy, impatient as ever, huffed:

  — You're weird, Old Man. You're embarrassing me! Hey, Uncle, finish this fight already so we can drink together!

  The hunters erupted in warm laughter, and the street filled with shared hugs and kisses under the blood-colored sky.

  Orpheus looked at K and the Boy, a wide smile lighting up his face:

  — Uncle is going to give you an old-fashioned thrashing!

  Then he gave another thumbs-up.

  — Don't be mad at me, little sister. A promise is a promise.

  K blushed, clenched her fist, and told Orpheus to shut up while everyone around burst into laughter.

  Zack fixed his eyes on Orpheus, a steely determination in his gaze.

  — Let's finish this.

  And so, under the burning sky, two friends prepared to end the duel that would shape their destinies.

  — **BLACK MOON!!!**

  Zack's roar split the air like a prelude to the storm. His sword shot toward the sky as a torrent of dark energy poured from his body — tangible, ascending — the Void itself crying out to the heavens. The ground shook beneath every witness. There, the untamable power of their leader was born: Zack, the **Thunder Emperor**.

  Orpheus clenched his fists and shouted:

  — Here we go!

  He brandished his Scarlet Katana, releasing a wave of crimson flame that licked the walls of the neighborhood.

  Zack looked up, his voice soft and icy against the wind:

  — **THUNDER EMPEROR!**

  The sky answered. Blood-colored clouds parted like scars, split by black lightning. The fusion of the scarlet aura and the shadow tore through the firmament, forging a portal of light and darkness. Bolts of pure electricity cascaded around Zack in rhythmic crashes, like war drums. The crowd — hunters and civilians alike — raised their voices in ecstasy, each thunderclap a cry of adoration.

  The Black Moon drank every bolt, channeling it into veins of dark electricity that coiled around Zack's form. The air around him crackled with living sparks, shimmering under the weight of the Void.

  With his eyes fixed on Orpheus, who kept his guard high and his body tense, Zack chanted:

  — **LEVEL 1 TECHNIQUE – EL THOR!**

  At the moment of invocation, the thunder resonated with cosmic fury, announcing the controlled wrath of the Thunder Emperor.

  In a fraction of a second, a bolt of lightning struck the ground beside Orpheus. Before anyone could blink, Zack had teleported along with the discharge, materializing behind his friend with inhuman speed — impossible to track with the naked eye.

  The **Black Moon** smashed into Orpheus's spine with a thundering crack. The impact launched him into the sky as Zack flashed a cold smile. Then he raised his arm in solemn invocation:

  — **LEVEL 1 TECHNIQUE – EL THOR!**

  From the crimson clouds above, a gigantic black lightning bolt — three hundred meters long — tore through the heavens and slammed into Orpheus. The deafening roar forced everyone to cover their ears, and the sizzle of pure electricity rippled through the In Medias Res. Orpheus's scream tore through the air, followed by incessant shocks, each blow like relentless hammer strikes.

  — **Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!**

  His animalistic roar subsided into a wounded bellow.

  — **LEVEL 3 TECHNIQUE – RED ECLIPSE!**

  The sky transmuted into a blood-red sea. Zack's dark energy was spent, and the dying sun shone with a final crimson fury. A collective shiver ran through the crowd — something monstrous still lingered.

  Zack felt an internal fracture, shivered with cold, and a word echoed in his mind:

  **DEATH!**

  He bellowed:

  — **THUNDER!**

  He dodged a downward strike from Orpheus and reappeared high above, shrouded in crackling electricity. Spinning like a whirlwind, Zack dove — and met Orpheus rising, his blade ready to sever his head in a single fatal blow: a moment of perfect tension — *Game Over*.

  Their eyes met in a frozen instant. Orpheus collapsed to the ground, his body bruised and burned. Both Zack's black aura and Orpheus's scarlet energy pulsed over him. Above, Zack hovered in the sky, a towering figure wreathed in black lightning.

  He descended again, his voice low:

  — **THUNDER!**

  **END OF CHAPTER**

  A note from L.KNocturne

  Author’s Note:

  A tale forged from cosmic horror, power, romance, and fantasy. An original story born from a tabletop RPG session.