In the bustling western district of Grimoir, skyscrapers pierced the cloudy morning sky like metal spears. Nestled between sleek apartment complexes and cold glass office buildings stood an oddly large residential house—a relic of an older Grimoir, stubbornly holding its ground.
Inside, a mirror reflected a smug grin.
"Heh… I-am-so-handsome," Kriss muttered, tousling his messy blond hair with zero shame. His uniform was freshly pressed, his shoes polished to a shine, and a distinct aura of self-confidence clung to him like expensive cologne.
He checked the clock: 08:10 AM. A bit late, but not too late to make an entrance.
Crossing the wide hallway and into the dining room, Kriss found a poised middle-aged woman sipping coffee with one leg over the other. Her expression was unreadable behind the morning paper.
"Good morning," he mumbled, grabbing a few slices of toast with one hand while slipping on his jacket with the other.
"Don't you want to sit down and eat properly?" she asked without lowering the paper.
"No time. I've got things to do on campus. Organization stuff."
"Already that busy? Well, at least you're being productive." She said, finally peeking over the top of her paper with a faint smile. Her face bore the marks of a woman who aged gracefully.
"I'm not even accepted yet. The selection is brutal, remember?" Kriss replied with a half-smirk. "But well... nothing ventured, nothing gained. Wish me luck."
"You'll do fine. Just don't ride like a maniac again."
"Heh. No promises. Bye, Mom!"
Kriss burst into the garage, toast still between his teeth, and hopped onto his sleek black sportbike. The engine roared to life with a purr that turned heads—and probably annoyed the neighbors.
"Alright, let's get this day rolling," he grinned, revving the engine. "Showtime."
*Vrooom!
He shot out of the driveway like a racer on a mission..
As he turned into an alley near the main street, a box truck suddenly cut in from the right, screeching into the narrow lane with zero warning. The driver leaned on the horn, panicked by the incoming bike.
"What the—?!" Kriss yelled.
His body reacted faster than his brain. He swerved hard left toward the sidewalk, but his speed was too high. And worse, there was an elderly woman walking right in his path.
"Granny, MOVE!"
*Skkreeeeeech!!
The next thing Kriss knew, his motorcycle had halted completely. But his body hadn't. Momentum launched him through the air like a ragdoll. He flew past the shocked old woman and slammed into a tree with a solid...
*THUD!
"Aaagh… my back…"
Dazed and groaning, Kriss opened his eyes. His motorcycle stood a few meters away, still upright. The engine had shut off on its own.
What the hell just happened?
"Are you okay old lady?" a voice called out calmly.
"Thank heavens. I thought that was the end for me," she said, patting her chest in relief.
The calm voice belonged to a boy—a kid, really. Maybe fifteen. He stood casually beside the path, spinning a basketball in one hand like nothing had happened. He wore a black and yellow jacket, jogging pants, and a cold, bored expression that didn't match the chaos he'd just walked into.
Then, without warning…
*Dagh!
"Agh! Hey... What was that for?!" Kriss yelled as the kid kicked him sharply in the ribs.
"If you wanna die, fine," the boy snapped. "But don't take other people with you."
"Ow… okay, point taken…"
The boy let him breathe, but his glare didn't soften. "You were driving like a lunatic this early in the morning. What were you thinking?"
"I dunno, man… I guess I was just excited," Kriss replied with a sheepish laugh.
"Excited to die?"
Before Kriss could answer, people began to gather. Passersby who had seen the near-accident rushed in, asking the usual questions.
"Are you both alright?"
"Do you need an ambulance?"
"Nnaah~ We're fine!" Kriss assured them, laughing nervously. "Really, it's all good. Just a wake-up call, I guess."
But when he turned to thank the boy…
He was gone.
"Huh? Where'd he—"
Kriss stood, scanning the sidewalk. The crowd had blocked his view, and in the blink of an eye, the boy had vanished.
Around the corner, beside a convenience store, the boy leaned against the wall. He didn't need thanks. He didn't need attention. He certainly didn't want anyone realizing that he had used a power that normal people weren't even supposed to see.
Stopping a moving object at that speed was nothing for someone like him.
"Sigh... Such a troublesome morning," murmured the child as he 'flew' in another direction with his ball.
* * *
Meanwhile, near the North Grimoir port, a large bridge was experiencing a small commotion. There was a group of menacing-looking men surrounding a high school student.
"Hi there, brat! Give us some money!"
"Uh... b'but..." the boy answered with fear.
"Let's check his bag, he must be carrying something valuable!"
Despite the people who passed by and were too afraid to defend the teenager, there seemed to be one guy who dared to approach the commotion. Whether he was truly brave or not, it seemed like he was just passing through.
Zeyn just walked towards them, looking at the thugs expressionlessly. Suddenly, the thugs were afraid and immediately stopped what they were doing.
"Those red eyes. You are..."
"Oh, it's Zeyn! G'good morning."
Their behaviour changed 180 degrees after the young man arrived. They shuddered and felt intimidated by his expressionless gaze.
"We were just about to leave, hehehe. Excuse us."
One of the men quickly pulled his companions to flee from the scene, as if they did not
"Are you okay, kid?" Zeyn asked.
The boy was surprised, his mouth gaping open, after witnessing what just happened. He didn't know who this young man was, but with his arrival, the thugs suddenly fled.
"Yes... Thank you so much. I'll take my leave," replied the teenager as he expressed his gratitude and left the scene.
"Sure. Be careful next time, okay?"
"Ok then."
And so, he continued his journey.
Ever since Ayu drove that strange scabbard into his chest—his body had been betraying him. The pain wasn't visible on the surface, but it throbbed from somewhere deep within, like a parasite burrowing into his core. It wasn't the sharp kind of pain. It was cold. Crawling. Invasive. As though his bones were slowly freezing over.
But he kept walking. He arrived at his workplace, a cafeteria with a sign that read ' Julius Photocopy' on the front.
"Good morning."
Pedro waved. Aldi was setting up a printer. Julius, seated near the front desk, gave him a quick nod.
"Where is Mr. Hendri?"
"Oh, him... I don't know either," Julius replied. "He hasn't stopped by for two days. He said he had some business that he couldn't explain."
Upon hearing the answer, Zeyn immediately held his own chest. Until now, he still felt pain from that incident.
"What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"No. Nothing."
"Anyway, there's work to do!" Julius added as he pointed to a laptop sitting on the table.
He approached the electronic device and immediately opened it, occasionally checking its physical condition in case there was any damage.
"What's the problem?" Zeyn asked.
"The owner said there's a problem with the OS update. After she updated the system, the laptop restarted several times and then experienced a Blue Screen," Aldi answered.
Without hesitation, he stretched his arms and prepared to do the repair. Only, this time he didn't seem enthusiastic. Not like usual.
"Hey, you alright?" Pedro asked from across the room.
Zeyn didn't look up. "Fine."
"You look kinda pale, bro. You sure?"
"I'm fine. So... BSOD, huh? Alright then. Time to fix this one before heading to campus."
Aldi and Pedro looked at each other, both confused by his strange behavior.
* * * *