ZigZagkers

Enix stood in front of Nki to protect her. He and the woman locked eyes.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THISSSS!!" she screamed again.

Then she dashed towards them at full speed. Enix raised his hand, ready to fight back.

Suddenly—

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion ripped through the air, the impact forceful enough to tear up the earth beneath their feet. Flames erupted like a volcanic burst, and in the blinding blaze, both Enix and the demon woman were thrown backward like rag dolls.

Enix crashed against a tree trunk, his ribs rattling from the impact. He gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lip. Nki tumbled into the bushes, coughing and dazed but alive.

And there—standing tall in the center of the smoking crater—was a man.

His coat fluttered dramatically in the aftermath wind, black with deep red edges. His dark boots crunched the gravel as he stood relaxed, hands in his pockets. His posture screamed confidence, and his silver-gray hair was styled back in a way that felt both natural and effortlessly cool. His silver piercing eyes—sharp, cold, and calculating—scanned the scene before walking beside Nki. Then he turned to the demon woman with disinterest.

"Tch... Looks like we're late," he said, his voice calm and low, almost annoyed. "There's already a girl caught up with this demon."

He slowly turned to face Enix, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion.

"…And what is this?" he muttered, tilting his head slightly as if trying to make sense of Enix's very existence.

Before Enix could respond, a quiet thud echoed beside him.

Another figure stepped out of the fading smoke—a boy in a deep navy coat, clean-cut, and with sleek black hair that barely covered his forehead, his dark eyes cold and focus. He adjusted his round glasses with a smooth motion, the lenses gleaming ominously.

He didn't speak.

Instead, his sharp gaze locked directly onto the demon woman. Then his glasses flashed with a brilliant white glow, as if reacting to something only he could see.

Thump.

A thick, leather-bound book dropped from thin air, landing gently in his waiting palm. He opened it slowly, flipping to a marked page as arcane symbols began to glow across its surface.

He started reading silently.

"RAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The demon woman screamed, her eyes blazing in rage, and lunged forward with unrelenting fury. Her claws extended mid-flight.

The silver-haired man didn't move much. His left hand raised slightly, palm open toward the incoming beast. A small flame flickered at his fingertips—not the usual fire, but a blue flame, calm and elegant.

"Don't worry, girl," he said without looking at her. His voice was easy, confident. "We're here now. So there's no need for you to be scared."

Nki blinked. "H-Huh?"

She stared up at him, still crouched near the bush where she had fallen.

And then—

She thought the dumbest thing at the worst time.

("Who is this guy...? Why does he look like he walked out of a shampoo commercial in the middle of a warzone?")

But then her eyes drifted, and her gaze landed on something that crushed all those swirling thoughts—

Enix.

He was still standing. But barely. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his shirt. His legs trembled like they could no longer hold him.

"Darling…" she whispered.

Their eyes met for just a second.

And then—he collapsed.

"Darlinggg!!" Nki shouted in panic.

She scrambled to her feet and started running to him—but her eyes caught a glint on the grass. A familiar color. Her red thread, the one she threw away. She changed her direction and dashed towards it.

Without thinking, she dropped to her knees, snatched it up, and hastily tied it back into her hair, hands trembling.

She clenched her jaw, turned toward Enix's still body, and ran—her heart pounding like thunder in her chest.

Behind her, the silver-haired man smiled faintly, stepping forward.

And beside him, the boy with the glasses finished reading the glowing lines from the book—his mouth curling into something cold and unreadable.

"So sad..." he said in a small voice and continued speaking.

"She's a Mirror Ghost," he said flatly. "She can teleport using mirrors—any surface that reflects light. Glass, water, even polished metal. She can even make mirrors. But…"

He adjusted his glasses with a sharp flick. The lenses gleamed.

"She can only do it once."

The demon woman, eyes wild and full of hate, hissed again—and with a screech like tearing metal, she dashed forward, straight at Nki.

Nki spun and threw herself in front of Enix, arms spread wide.

"No. Not again. I'm not letting her touch him."

But before she could even blink, the air beside her cracked.

FWOOOSH!

The silver-haired man appeared mid-air, his entire right fist engulfed in blue flame. The fire danced and pulsed unnaturally, almost like it was alive.

"Move," he muttered, eyes locked on the incoming threat.

Then—he punched.

His flaming fist collided with the demon woman just before she reached Nki. The impact let out a thunderous shockwave, blowing trees and dust back like a bomb had gone off.

The woman screamed as she was launched across the field, her body spinning wildly before crashing into the dirt with a violent roll.

Nki, still stunned, fell to her knees. Her ears were ringing. Her hair whipped wildly behind her from the heat that lingered in the air.

The boy with the glasses stepped forward, book still in hand.

"Her core…" he said calmly, as if reading a final sentence from a chapter. "…it's hidden in that mansion. Somewhere."

He tilted his head toward the massive, eerie structure floating in the distance—the upside-down mansion.

The silver-haired man cracked his neck lazily. "Tch. Let me finish this quickly."

He turned toward the mansion.

He spread his arms wide. Blue flames curled up both of his sleeves and spiraled around his hands. The heat intensified instantly, warping the space around him. The sky darkened slightly—not from clouds, but from sheer pressure.

A massive sphere of roaring blue fire began forming between his palms—growing larger and larger until it dwarfed even the treetops.

Then—

SHHHHHHHHK!

A blur shot past the trees.

The demon woman—scorched, bruised, and bloody—teleported using a makeshift shard of reflective glass on her claw. She had only one goal.

Nki.

She came down like a bullet, claws aimed straight at her heart.

Both the silver-haired man and the glasses boy turned at the same time, eyes wide.

"Oh shi—!" the silver-haired man cursed.

The fireball flickered in his hand.

Too late.