If love existed there wouldn't be much fawly in this world. We'd all live in harmony as one nation with one leader. But since man decided to unsheathe their swords and women their cat, here we are now. Hence I say—if love existed I wouldn't be in this traffic.
A man thought to himself as he puffed smoke, staring at the blurred window, which was momentarily cleared by the wipers. The tick-tick of rubber against glass almost sounded like a heartbeat.
But then again… we'd still be—
He finally reached the traffic lane only to be stopped by a red light. His teeth clenched. He felt like cutting through them all, just to be free, but he swallowed the intrusive thought.
That's when he saw her.
A child in a white nightdress, standing in the rain, clutching a one-eyed teddy bear. She stared right at him. Was she looking for her mother? A chill ran down his spine as he saw that she was smiling.
He rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, the glass was painted red.
....A bunch of ants.
He gazed through the window again, and the girl was walking past burning bodies. The wipers squealed, but he felt no rain anymore—only heat, as if the car itself were inside the fire. He gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white.
His phone was dead when he tried the hero agency. No help. Outside, a man walked, engulfed in flames, his footprints burning yet never going out.
The man didn't want to die in his new BMW 3 Series. He felt like he was inside a movie as horns bled into screams outside. He called here the anempathetic music playing in his head.
He fixed his tie, sweat slick against his throat, and prayed for the first time in his life before opening the door. The rain hit like glass.
People hung on black rods like meat on sticks. Corpses still burned, others were scattered in pieces.
And then—voices. Laughter. He turned.
A group of beings sat in the fire, sharing sake like it was nothing. Their glasses clinked; the sound overlapped with the screech of wipers still going behind him.
He ran. Just as he reached the other lane, darkness swallowed him. The traffic light turned green.
"Why didn't you let me take the last piece?" a voice asked, tinged with sadness.
The man engulfed in flames laughed.
"I thought male ants weren't an appetizer, Jack the Reaper." She stared at Jack, who raised his glass, the scar Zoro had given him still carved across his chest.
"Cheers!" my squad shouted as glasses clashed in the biggest bar in the city.
"So you really jumped off a bridge after giving up on life… only to end up here after choosing the warrior's path instead of a blissful one?" Olivia twirled her finger around her glass, her tone teasing. "I've heard of people getting two choices, but never thought I'd meet one."
"It happened to those from Ecardwark," Blaze added with a slap to my back that made me wince. "Your story's wild, kid. Tell us more."
Humans can hide many things, but not the emotions that burn in their eyes. I searched their faces for envy, doubt, or bitterness… but found none.
My fingers tightened around my beer glass until it cracked. I hope …they don't leave me cold after giving me this warmth.
The noise around us suddenly shifted, silence sweeping the bar. I didn't have to look—I already knew who had arrived, i could never forget his presence. Lucen. And his new squad.
I didn't feel like drinking anymore.
"Woahhh, the super-cool squad, ranked number one!" Luna rolled her eyes as she exaggerated a cheer.
Melissa leaned in with a smirk. "I thought you had eyes for Lucen."
"Please. I'm more into quiet, mysterious guys," Luna said—and her eyes landed squarely on me.
Ethan and Evan scoffed. "Is he nonchalant, or just rainbow-type?"
"They're walking towards us," Blaze whispered.
One of Lucen's men threw an arm around me. "So you're the famous demon slayer? Not too shabby. Lucen says you're his rival—why don't you fight me? Let's see how strong my captain's rival really is."
Everyone stared. The last time I had an audience like this… I was humiliated by Lucen. I sighed—too loud.
The man's glass smashed against my skull. Beer and blood dripped down my face. I raised a finger signaling my squad to not get involved. Blaze clenched his fist.
"Take me seriously, brat!" he barked.
"Blake, stop!" one of his squad shouted.
But Lucen only stared—like a child waiting for lightning to strike.
I shook. I want to kill him so badly.
Blake sneered. "Scared? I don't know what Lucen sees in you."
Neither do i . He's the one who called me his rival.
He reached for my katana. "So this is the blade that gave you the guts to kill monsters. Mind if I—"
Steel clashed. My dark katana had already met Lucen's crimson-white sword. Sparks hissed between them.
Only then did I realize how close I'd come to slicing Blake's head off.
"Thanks," I said coldly, sheathing my blade.
Lucen slammed Blake's head into the floor and bowed. His squad froze. The girls' eyes widened in awe.
"My apologies," Lucen said evenly. "He drank too much."
I blinked. Bowing? This isn't the Lucen I know.
"It's unlike you to bow to your rival," I said with a crooked smile. "Not that I've known you long."
"You've changed, Kael."
That's my line, show-off.
"I hope to see you in the System Fallout Heroes competition."
"…I've changed, huh? Even I don't recognize myself. But one thing's certain—I am darkness." I met his eyes.
Lucen's face paled. "So Lucen, do you mind doing me a favor… wash away that darkness, child of light."
He took a long pause before raising his glass.
It felt strange calling him by his System-given title, but I mirrored him anyway. Our toast thundered like a bomb in the silence.
And just like that, he was gone.
Noise rushed back into the bar, ten times louder. Phones flashed.
"This'll be on the front page tomorrow," Blaze groaned.
That name fell a long time ago when I failed to bring Zoro's head," Jack muttered.
"What brought you to that kid? I heard you couldn't kill him. And you're supposed to be the so-called goddess of destruction."
She hugged her doll, sticking her tongue out. "You meanie. I won't tell."
I caught sight of a figure in a black hood slipping through the chaos, hands quick, stealing valuables while the crowd was distracted.
Unlike them, I wasn't asleep. No—I couldn't afford to let my guard down, not unless I wanted another five thousand monsters crawling out for me.
Her expression shifted, worm to snake, sly and sharp. "He's your boss's brother. A fundamental chess piece of mine…" She twirled, tilting her head.
The figure drew closer. From her hands, her swiftness, I could tell—female. She reached, light as a shadow.
I grabbed her wrist before she took my wallet. She froze, trembling.
A second later, she cut her sleeve with a dagger and fled, leaving the fabric in my grip.
"He's my knight," the doll-girl whispered.
Without a word, I followed.
"Hey, Kael—don't just…!"
Melissa giggled. "I heard this is how people skip out on their tabs nowadays."
Jack poured another sake. "His brother died with his parents… Who is he now? You've had your share of toys. Let me see if this one breaks."
Damn—she was fast. I pushed through the mob. A truck nearly clipped me as I broke free, but she vanished into the corner of a building.
"You break all your toys," she muttered. "You broke Zoro. You broke his wife… the one who became Kael's katana." Jack dropped his sake.
She slipped into a gate, the sealed it of afterwards, panting.
"I shouldn't have tried to mug that guy," she whispered. "He looked like a big shot. But I got tempted."
"Well, look where those temptations dragged you."
Her blood ran cold when my hand pressed down on her shoulder. She dropped my wallet.
"I chose to break them," Jack's voice crawled , low and cold. "But this one's far too interesting to break."
Before I could breathe, children swarmed us like ants.
"Sis Tana! You're back! Did you bring a new teddy?" one girl in a nightdress beamed.
A sharp pain lanced my skull. My heart clawed at my ribs. Instinctively, I drew my katana. For a second—I thought she was the girl.
"We sin sometimes without knowing," a calm voice rose through the haze. A priest stood ahead, oddly familiar. "Emotions pull the strings, yes… but all runs on choice. And humans—" His eyes burned into me. "—humans often fall prey to the wrong ones. Don't you agree, young warrior?"
I froze. My blade trembled.