Dark's Pre Crisis [Origin]

The portal spat them out without warning, dumping Dark and the others onto the edge of a dense forest. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting fractured silver onto the earth below. For a moment, the stillness of the night surrounded them—so stark, so quiet it felt unreal after the chaos they'd endured.

Dark staggered slightly, his boots sinking into the dirt as he caught his breath. His crimson eyes flicked upward, scanning the landscape. Trees stretched tall and ancient, their branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. The world was calm here, but something about it felt... off.

Leona dropped to one knee, steadying herself as she exhaled sharply.

Leona: (grumbling) I swear, if I see one more void or portal today—

Tier cut her off with a sharp motion of his hand, his expression tightening. He didn't speak, but his eyes, colder than usual, darted around the clearing.

Tier: (low, almost inaudible) ...wait.

Gilmuar stilled beside him. His golden gaze, sharper than any blade, narrowed as he glanced toward the forest ahead.

Gilmuar: (firmly) There's something wrong. Do you feel that?

They all fell quiet.

The forest had gone deathly still.

No wind. No chirping insects. Not even the distant calls of birds. It was as though the world itself had paused, holding its breath for something inevitable. The air thickened, pressing against their skin with a weight they couldn't explain. Dark straightened, his fingers tightening around Kyuketsu's fractured hilt.

Dark: (low) ...Stay ready.

And then it happened.

The tremor started beneath their feet, subtle at first—like the heartbeat of the earth itself. It swelled violently in an instant, ripping through the ground with a force that shook the entire clearing. Trees groaned as roots were torn free, their trunks snapping like brittle bones. Dirt and debris exploded outward, filling the air in a whirlwind of dust and chaos.

BOOM.

The impact came next—a deafening, soul-crushing collision that shattered the night's silence. Something massive had crashed into the earth just beyond them. The shockwave rolled through the clearing, knocking Leona and Tier back a step, forcing Gilmuar to brace himself.

Dark stood firm, his eyes locked on the epicenter of the blast.

As the dust settled, the clearing was no longer still. A jagged crater scarred the earth, steam and smoke curling from its edges as though the ground itself had been scorched. Its depth swallowed the moonlight, leaving it a pit of pure shadow.

And then they saw it.

A figure, crumpled and unmoving, lay at the heart of the crater.

The air shifted again, heavier than before. No one spoke, but the tension was palpable—a coil wound so tight it could snap at any moment. Dark took an instinctive step forward, his expression unreadable as his crimson eyes narrowed on the figure's silhouette.

Leona: (whispering, unsettled) ...What the hell just fell?

Tier: (low, gruffly) That's not a what. That's a who.

Gilmuar didn't move. He only watched, golden eyes narrowing faintly.

Dark said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the figure.

The crater seemed to groan as the dust swirled, carried by an unseen force. The figure's form was obscured by shadows, but something about it felt wrong. Its presence alone made the air shiver, as though existence itself didn't know how to process it.