"Hello? Please, is this the Dragon Fang Guild?" asked a young boy, no older than eight, as he held tightly onto his sister's hand.
He had smooth brown skin, bright golden eyes, and short, spiky purple hair. His sister, who looked just like him but slightly taller and far prettier, clutched his hand with equal intensity. The two stood at the entrance of the guild as the screams of people and roars of monsters could be heard.
Currently, a brutal battle had broken out on the city's outskirts. A swarm of grotesque monsters raged through the streets, tearing into buildings and people alike. Adventurers fought tooth and nail to push them back, but they were hopelessly outnumbered.
"Guild Master! At this rate, our city'll be wiped off the map!" screamed a brown-haired girl in bloodstained armor, driving her spear deep into a monster's gut.
"This is truly troublesome," muttered a muscular old man, his fists soaked red from the day's endless combat. His name was Dandrol, leader of the Dragon Fang Guild.
"It's like they're never-ending," he growled, scanning the horizon. "What the hell is going on?!"
"They're stalling us. Something's coming." His voice grew low. "We must hold our ground! The last of the civilians are finishing their evacuation!"
As if galvanized by his words, every adventurer bearing the dragon mark across their skin shouted in unison, "Yes, Guild Master!"
But before he could issue another order, he heard a small voice behind him.
"Hey... are you the Guild Master of the Dragon Fang Guild? Someone said it was you," the boy asked again. His name was Lucius. He stared up at Dandrol with wide, unblinking eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here, kid?!" Dandrol barked. "This place is too dangerous! Get out of here!"
"No way!" Lucius's sister snapped. "We came to join your guild!"
"This isn't the time for games! I'll have someone escort you—" Dandrol paused. His gaze shifted to the horde surging down the street. Could anyone even make it through that alive?
His jaw tightened. "…Just stay behind me. No matter what happens, don't move!"
Lucius and Anisia nodded, standing side by side.
"Brother," Anisia whispered, eyes glowing faintly, "should we use that skill? The sooner these monsters are gone, the sooner we can join, right?"
Lucius gave a curt nod. "Alright."
"Jester's Box," Lucius muttered, and a multi-colored cube appeared in his hand, spinning wildly as magic burst from it.
"Game Master's Box," Anisia said softly. A dark cube floated before her, covered in blinking eyes that turned in every direction.
Dandrol's eyes widened as the air thickened around them. The twins' mana surged so powerfully it took on a visible form—whirling arcs of rainbow and shadow clashing like storms in the air.
"What… is this power?" Dandrol breathed.
"Two Thousand Knights Group," Lucius said, pulling a single glowing card from his box.
"Hehe, I got the Iron Maiden," Anisia giggled, showing her own card with a smirk.
"Merge!" they said in unison.
The cards rose, spun together, and fused into a single blinding sigil.
Suddenly, two thousand armored figures—twisted iron maidens with elongated limbs and hollow eyes appeared across the city. They attacked the monsters immediately whiles sparing any human in their path. Blood sprayed. And the monsters rushed to attack the iron maiden in groups but the maidens were just too strong.
"Kill the monsters only," Lucius commanded.
"Rescue the people too," Anisia added.
The iron maidens obeyed, cutting through the beasts and scooping up injured civilians, shielding them with their warped bodies.
Dandrol could hardly believe his eyes. "That magic…! Who taught you something like that?!"
Lucius calmly reached into his pocket and handed the guild master a sealed letter.
Dandrol tore it open. As his eyes scanned the contents, his hands trembled. His breath hitched. The color drained from his face.
"…This seal… this handwriting…" he murmured. "Impossible she's still alive."
He looked up at the children as if seeing ghosts.
"So she said join us huh," Dandrol asked and the twins nodded.
"Fine then after this we'll register you. But focus on rescuing the people. Because we're afraid of hurting the civilians in the city my guild members had to hold back. But with the people safe we can go all out," Dandrol chuckled whiles cracking his knuckles.