Chapter 1 - The beginning

Chapter 1 — Chaotic Trident
1/2/189 — New Era (NE)Conflict Zone: Erg-Tarrah Valley, southern ElderiaStatus: Ravaged terrain, magical instability, elemental disruption — critical level.
The world seemed held in a breath.The once majestic mountains were half dislocated. Riverbeds had been ripped open, the water mingling with still-smoldering craters. The air was heavy with mana and ash.
And yet, two beings faced each other.Two presences so different they seemed to belong to opposing planes of existence.
On the ground, boots planted in the mud, stood Léonem Adrien DioAngelo.Body tense. Breathing steady. Black steel sword in hand, a strange weapon with a fluid hilt, as if forged in water and then frozen in time.
In the air, several meters above him, the Heroine of Lightning floated.A woman draped in electrical energy, her cape flapping under the pressure of the ionized wind. Her spear of light in one hand, her hard gaze fixed on Leo's.
— "You've disrupted the balance enough, anomaly. Your existence... is a mistake."Her voice vibrated like a contained storm, threatening, imperial.
— "You should never have been born."
Leo narrowed his eyes.His red hair beat against his temples. A gash was bleeding on his cheek, but his smile remained insolent.
— "I didn't expect to be judged by a weather goddess today..."He raised his weapon. — "But I admit, your entrance was stylish."
No response. She disappeared.
For half a second.
A deafening crack ripped through the air—Lightning Flash. She had just crossed thirty meters in a single pulse. Her spear rocketed toward Leo's side, trailing a shockwave of electricity behind it.
Anticipate.
Leo pivoted, the water beneath his feet solidifying for a moment, creating a moving platform. He slid along the surface, narrowly avoiding the blow.
Then counterattacked—glaive in hand—aiming for the abdomen.
Clang.
The woman parried with the shaft of her spear, then spun around, releasing a wave of spiraling lightning.
Rotating lightning, triple tension. Bad angle.
Leo jumped back, but a residual charge hit him in the shoulder. He gritted his teeth, planted his weapon in the ground, and closed his eyes for half a second.
Analyze. Reaction time: 0.4 seconds. Each impulse generates an overload, then a phase of inertia.
He smiled.
— "I've figured out your rhythm. You may shine, but you're predictable."
The woman frowned.She rose into the air, floating above the area.She raised her arms.
The sky immediately darkened. The clouds began to swirl like a maelstrom, sucking in air, light, and energy.
Black lightning began to fall, targeting the area with precision. The temperature dropped, then rose sharply.
— "You're going to disappear here, Léonem."She spread her arms. A spear of pure, massive black lightning formed above her.
— "The One Strike Thunderbolt." »
Leo looked up.And… breathed.
Beneath his feet, the earth vibrated. Then became water.His ears split, becoming those of a newt.Flippers appeared on his arms and calves. His body adapted, fluid, mobile, amphibian.
His sword transformed: the handle lengthened, the hilt split.A watery trident took shape. Each of its points vibrated with pent-up energy, surrounded by circles of blue and silver mana.
"If you unleash your true strength…" he murmured."Then I no longer need to hold back either."
He reached out. The water around him spiraled, his form becoming more fluid, faster. He jumped.
The trident charged, pulsing with a liquid, unstable power.
— "Chaotic Trident."
The weapon flashed.
The two attacks met.Lightning screamed. Water roared.
And at the point of impact...
Silence.
Then an explosion. Spherical. Colossal. Colorful.A clash of raw magic, divine energy, and human emotion.The valley was engulfed in light.
And then, only then, a voice spoke. Far away. Timeless.
> "This is the story of a young man... who dared to defy the gods.""And it all began... seven years ago."7 years earlierAtokanayah is a resurgent Aztec city, nestled between lush jungle and sacred mountains. Its obsidian pyramids are adorned with luminous glyphs, powered by Celestium stones that diffuse electricity and pure water through blue energy channels. They also circulate through veins engraved in the ground, illuminating the streets at nightfall.
In the courtyard of the DioAngelo house.
The sun of Atokanayah had that warm, late-afternoon warmth, the kind that doesn't burn, but caresses. The leaves on the trees rustled gently, and the sacred birds of the temples sang in the distance. It was a peaceful late afternoon, like so many others.
— Clap!
A wooden stick violently struck another, followed by a small, muffled cry.
— "Ouch! I haven't even said I'm ready yet!" »— "Do you think an opponent would wait for you nicely?"
In the courtyard of the DioAngelo house, Rowan and Leo were training. Well... Rowan was training. Leo, on the other hand, was mostly rolling, groaning, and provoking.
The twelve-year-old boy, with flaming red hair and icy blue eyes inherited from his mother, firmly grasped a training stick almost as tall as he was. His T-shirt was stained with sweat, his cheeks red, but his eyes shone.
— "It's unfair! You have giant muscles, and I haven't even finished shedding!"
Rowan, opposite, was laughing. His age-marked face, his warm violet eyes, and his messy red hair gave him the look of an old lion... or a father too strong for his own good.
— "Oh?" So that's why you tried to sneakily kick me in the knee, huh?"
"A strategy of attrition, sir! I'm exploiting the loopholes in the system!"
"The day a monster attacks you with an administrative form, you'll be ready, that's for sure."
Aurona, sitting in the shade with a glass of herbal tea, watched the scene with a smile. Her dark blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore a simple dress, slightly open at the neck. She looked both serene and amused.
"They're incorrigible..." she murmured under her breath.
"Mamaaaan!! He's cheating!"
"He's your father, Leo. He was born for this."
Rowan glanced at his wife with a knowing look. Then he approached her, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the hem of his cape, and stole a furtive kiss.
— "For luck."
Leo froze.
— "UGH!"He waved his staff like a panicked exorcist.
— "You guys are disgusting, seriously! You could at least wait until I'm dead!"
Aurona burst out laughing, putting a hand to her lips.
— "And yet, it's this kind of 'disgusting' that brought you into the world."
— "...Too much information, Mom. TOO MUCH INFORMATION."
Rowan sat back down beside her, handing his son a water bottle.
— "You're improving, Leo. Your punches are less hesitant. And that feint earlier, it was almost believable." »
— "I'm going to be the best, you have no idea! One day, even the gods will tremble before me!"
Aurona raised an eyebrow.
— "And what will you do when you've made them tremble?"
— "I'll steal their heavenly cookies!"
Rowan placed a hand on his face, amused and resigned.
— "...He's mine, isn't he?"
— "For the sarcasm? Totally. For the eyes, he stole me."
The trio stood there for a moment. Just them, the wind, and the golden light of the dying day. Leo lay on the grass, arms crossed behind his head, dreaming of imaginary battles.
And in the distance, the first song of a river spirit echoed, like a forgotten whisper from the ancient world.The evening meal at the DioAngelos' was never silent.
Between the clattering of cutlery, Leo's grumbling about the vegetables, and Rowan's teasing, the dinner resembled a play more than a scene from ordinary life.
— "Why are there black roots on my plate? Are they dead?"
— "They're sleeper roots, rich in elemental mana. They'll help you better concentrate your aura."
— "It'll especially help me die of disgust..."
Aurona hid behind her glass to keep from laughing. Rowan, meanwhile, stabbed a root with his fork, chewed it exaggeratedly, and declared:
— "A good knight eats what he's served."
— "A good knight has taste, above all."
— "A good knight will get a beating if he continues."
— "I didn't say anything!" " Leo hurried, all smiles.
This kind of exchange was their daily routine. On ordinary days.
But that evening, as the main course drew to a close, Rowan calmly set down his cutlery. A gentle silence fell, like a breath about to be taken away.
"I'll be leaving soon."
Aurona raised her head. Leo too.
"A category S aberration has appeared in the southern lands. Near the desert border. An opening from the Netherworld."
The word hung in the air, heavy.
Netherworld.The world below.The impure root of Yggdrasil.Where corruption eats away at the logic of the gods.
Leo frowned.
"It's serious, isn't it?"
"Very."
"Are you going alone?"
"No." I'll be with a high-ranking team. Diamond Knights and one of the Trinity Heroines."
Leo sat up immediately, his eyes shining.
"The heroine?! The real one? The one who defeated the Ash spirit with a single attack?"
Rowan smiled.
"That one. A top-notch fighter."
"She's stylish. Ultra stylish. I read about her in the academy reports. She wields lightning like music. And she's super classy."
Aurona raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Classier than your father?"
Leo paused.
"Hmm... tie!"
Rowan snickered.
"That's a good answer."
But Leo had already stood up, his gaze burning, his arms raised as if defying the heavens.
— "One day, I'll be a Diamond-ranked knight too! Even higher! And when I catch up with you, Dad... I'll challenge you to a duel!"
Aurona let out a soft laugh.
— "Will you challenge him to beat him?"
— "No. Just to prove to him that I've grown up."
Rowan looked at his son for a long time.A look without mockery. Just... a calm pride. And a little melancholy too.
— "I'll wait for that day, Leo. Eagerly."
And in his heart, Leo swore that day would come.The DioAngelo house was asleep.Or at least... it seemed so.
The light breeze rattled a loosely closed shutter. The magic lanterns crackled softly, casting a blue light into the hallway.And in the kitchen, Rowan, shirtless, his hair a little disheveled, drank a glass of water in silence. He loved these quiet nights. He had learned to savor them... because they were rare.
But that evening, one detail caught his eye: the back door was ajar.
He put down the glass. His instincts were triggered. A break-in? An intruder?
He approached discreetly, his hand ready to draw the knife on the table.
But as soon as he stepped through the door, he stopped.
There, under the pale moon, Leo, in rumpled pajamas and barefoot, was striking the air with his practice stick. Again. Again. Again.
Each movement was clumsy, but sincere. He was sweating. He grunted sometimes. He mumbled things like "lunge, pivot, spin—no, too slow," then continued.
Rowan leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"This is the time for dreams, not wars, little knight."
Leo jumped, then turned, blushing.
"I couldn't sleep. And besides... I have to improve. I want to be as strong as you. No, not stronger."
Rowan approached slowly, placing a hand on his son's head.
"So I can fight, huh?"
"No."He gripped his stick.
"To protect Mom. And this house. Like you." »
A silence. Soft, but heavy.
Rowan looked at him. For a long time. Then sighed.
— "You think I won't come back. Is that it?"
Leo didn't answer.
He looked down.
And in that silence... everything was said.
Rowan gently took something from his pocket. A silver watch, slightly dented, a little old. But well-kept.
He placed it in Leo's palm.
— "This watch is linked to my aura. As long as the hands turn... I'm alive."
Leo looked up, surprised.
— "Are you giving it to me?"
— "I'm giving it to you. And I swear, Leo... I won't die that easily. I have a son to beat later."
Leo stared at the watch for a moment, fascinated. The ticking resonated in his hand, warm, almost alive.
— "I'll give it back to you when you get back. I promise. It's a little too old-fashioned for me anyway... but I'll wear it. Every day."
He clumsily fastened the watch to his wrist. It was too big, but he was smiling.
— "Thanks... Dad."
Rowan patted his head.
— "Don't push it too hard. Your aura will awaken one day, when the time is right. You are under the protection of Quetzalcoatl, remember?"
— "The Rainbow Serpent?"
— "The guardian of renewal. He's watching over you too."
He walked away, then said as he left:
— "But if you keep training on the sly, your mother will hang you upside down."
— "She wouldn't dare..."Then, whispering:
— "Yes, she would totally dare..."The sun had barely risen over Atokanayah.
The air was still cool, the streets silent, as if even the spirits dared not disturb this morning.
In front of the DioAngelo house, Rowan adjusted his traveling cloak, his cape bearing the seal of Diamond Knighthood dancing gently in the wind.
His sword hung at his hip. Another, shorter one was secured to his back. Two more were sealed in magic transfer rings. He left prepared for anything.
Aurona stood on the steps, straight and dignified, but her eyes shone with a light she never showed.
And Leo… Leo tried not to frown too much, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on his father's.
"You haven't forgotten anything?" Aurona asked.
"Nothing." Except maybe stealing a star to give to you... but I'll have time when I get back."
She smiled softly, then looked away, visibly touched.
Rowan turned to Leo.
"I'll be back in four or five days, no more. Until then..."
He knelt down to be eye level with his son, placed a hand on his shoulder.
"...protect your mother. You're her acting knight now."
Leo stood up proudly, puffing out his chest.
"At your command, Captain!"
"And above all... no nonsense. Or I swear I'll throw a sword from the south and cut your ass off."
"Your aim is that good?"
"I aim better than that, kid."
They exchanged a glance. A wink. A connection.
Rowan stood up, took one last look around. Then turned to Aurona.
He approached her and, with a sweet, almost youthful smile, whispered:
"I'll always come back to you... my beloved bunny."
Aurona rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile fondly.
"You know our son is right here?"
"Perfect. He needs to know where his sensitivity comes from."
He kissed her tenderly, unabashedly, unhurriedly. A real kiss. Human. Living.
At the bottom of the steps, Leo turned bright red.
"UGH... This is too much! This is too much! Help, my eyes!"
Rowan stepped back, turning to him with a wide smile.
"Come on, crybaby. Keep a close eye on the house. And take care of her..."
He placed his hand on his heart. Then on Leo's.
— "...how I'll take care of you. Over there."
---
And then he left.Without music.Without ceremony.Just... a silhouette moving away in the dawn light.
And behind him, a silent woman.A child clutching a watch on his wrist, which continued to tick... tock...
To be continued