When the war between Resonants and Graceless was said to have ended, many grieved over their fallen ones, and barely any cheers were heard.
The war had brought no benefit to either side.
When Lucian heard of Gislen's cowardice and failure, he didn't shout. He sat behind a desk stacked with papers, his voice calm but final.
"We're no longer accomplices."
Gislen trembled. "But I'm still alive! Why... Why throw me away?!"
Lucian's sigh was heavy as he leaned back on his chair.
"One who has no respect for themselves or their enemies… has no right to stand beside me."
Somehow, Lucian knew about what happened between Gislen and Kazuhiko.
"Respect?" Gislen's voice cracked. "You spat me out like filth, and you talk about respect?!"
The guards moved forward. Lucian didn't even glance at him.
"Don't kill him. He's not worth it. Just remove him from my sight."
And so he was discarded.
In the Graceless world, Lucian Daichi's word was law. To be dismissed by him wasn't just losing a comrade; it was losing protection, contacts, and a place to exist. Those who Lucian spat out were not simply ignored; they were devoured by the streets.
The following years were a blur of filth and loneliness.
The world of the Graceless started to heal after the destruction.
The Graceless rebuilt their cities with slow, stubborn determination. Those who had fought were given medals, positions, and quiet admiration.
But for the discarded, there were no parades, no second chances; they were forgotten.
Gislen fell into depression.
He stopped shaving, stopped living like a man. The war had left him broken. He couldn't get a job or live a normal life.
So he stole. First a wallet, then a purse. Survival was all that was left to him.
One day, while running with a stolen bag, he heard the woman he had robbed cry out for help. Hunters, the government soldiers, spotted him and chased him down.
He was cornered, panting, when a blur of motion knocked one Hunter down. In moments, all of them lay unconscious.
A boy stood there, grinning widely. He had brown hair and eyes full of innocence, which was what Gislen lacked.
Gislen could barely speak, but at that moment, something changed in him.
"What's…Your name?"
The boy grinned wider.
"Yamikuro Asaki. Remember it."
That night, in his crumbling shack, Gislen stared at the ceiling. A single act of kindness from a child burned into his mind.
'A boy like that risked his life for someone like me… Why?'
The question broke him. He sobbed, screamed, and finally found himself standing on a bridge, staring at the stormy river below.
The waves clashed against the rocks peaking out of the water.
Maybe this is the only path left.
Before he could step forward, a voice cut through the rain.
It was as if a guardian angel stopped him.
"If you're going to throw your life away… why not offer it to Father Animus instead?"
He turned to his right in shock.
A girl glowing bluish-green stood beside him, her expression was unreadable.
She spoke like she had been waiting for him. Not a stranger in the rain, but someone sent by something far greater. In every word, Gislen could hear the promise: you will not be useless again.
That night, Gislen Urdale became the first human test subject of Animus, one of the higher-ranked gods.
But why was he chosen? That he didn't know, nor did he care to find out.
The only important thing was that he mattered to someone once again.
And after years of training and unlocking his power, he returned.
He was now known as Gisurd, a different person from what he once was.
His target was Kazuhiko Ryoti.
And eventually, he was going to take down Lucian Daichi.
At the present day, in the middle of Gisurd's invasion.
Cedar and Rye, being in the same class, heard loud disturbances in the hallways.
Rye immediately stood up, trying to focus on the noises.
A shocked gasp escaped Cedar's lips. His hand was placed over one of his eyes.
"What is going on?!"
Rye's gaze fell onto Cedar behind him.
"How are there so many people here? Fifty... No- More than a hundred people have invaded this school!" Cedar yelled out.
The class fell silent, the air heavy with disbelief.
Those who knew Cedar's lineage understood why. The Junigenme, inherited from the Genyju clan, one of the five noble clans in The Hideout, could pierce through layers of reality itself, spotting enemies through the walls.
However, Rye didn't need special eyes to figure out the number of enemies, as his Naiko was able to pick up on every current being within the school's radius perfectly, along with Gisurd, whose presence was unmistakable.
"One hundred fifty-six."
Cedar removed his hand from his face, pushing himself up from the chair.
"What?"
"There are exactly one hundred fifty-six enemies here," Rye repeated.
Cedar looked at everyone in the classroom; terror covered their faces, along with visible shivering.
"We have to see what's going on."
But Rye had already opened the door, inspecting the hallway left and right.
He stepped out without saying a word. That was Rye's way of saying it was safe to go in the hallway.
When Cedar got to the door, Rye was already peeking over the wall on his right.
But Rye's left was completely unguarded; perhaps he expected Cedar to keep a watch over that side.
And so Cedar ran the other way.
Echoing steps got louder as Cedar cautiously moved, leaning against the wall and getting a glance over the corner.
'What are they?' Cedar questioned, seeing men in grey hazmat suits walk toward his way.
'Are those the Hunters?'
He remembered seeing something about them in history books, talking about a war between Resonants and Graceless.
There were mentions of soldiers in hazmat suits that could replicate powers, though nothing about bluish-green powers.
"Who's there?" One of the Hunters suddenly asked.
Cedar decided to reveal himself, stepping out and facing them.
He decided to take a gamble here.
Cedar hadn't used the Junigenme eyes in battle for ages, but he was left with no choice. He vowed to one day take down his clan with those same eyes.
His heart started beating rapidly as he fell to his knees.
Thump-bump
"Father, why?!"
Thump-bump
"Cedar, you know I'll always protect you."
Thump-bump
"Liora!! Don't go... Please!"
His pupils were framed by an impossible pattern, lines folding over themselves until they formed something like a 3-dimensional cube.
The Hunters noticed that and remained cautious, taking a step back.
Cedar stood up, clenching his fists.
"Come."
The Hunters hesitated, looking at the inhuman eyes that pierced through their soul.
One of The Hunters in the lead let out quick bursts of deep breaths, his fists also clenched.
With a sudden yell that echoed throughout the building, he charged at Cedar.
Cedar had a grin on his face, despite not favoring his clan; his eyes did most of the fighting for him.
He could see the Hunter attack before it actually happened, and thus, he moved just enough for the punch to miss.
Cedar's punch slammed the Hunter against the wall, concrete crumbling under him.
The others charged at Cedar, this time ten of them.
Cedar read each of their moves in real time before they happened and found the perfect place to stay safe from the attacks.
He crouched down, and once one of them tried to kick Cedar, he jumped.
Landing on the back of one of the Hunters, he leaped into the air, letting the other Hunter attack the kneeling one with his bluish green orb that shot out of his hand.
Others charged up their attacks as well. Despite only having a tiny fragment of Animus' power, the orbs were deadly and destructive.
By only having awakened the 3rd-dimensional eyes out of twelve, Cedar had to strategize.
He was good at it, having excellent grades, along with his love for knowledge. Which was why he was able to come up with a plan.
Instead of letting the hallway crumble, he put all his focus on his eyes.
There were big drawbacks, but that was worth the risk.
Thump-bump
Blood dripped down Cedar's eyes.
The 3D-cube changed forms, turning into a 4th dimension cube.
All of a sudden, the orbs disappeared from the Hunters' hands.
The Junigenme eyes had a lot of mysteries surrounding them, as only a few in history have gotten past the 6th dimension. But one of the abilities of the 4th dimension was the ability to alter reality itself, absorbing the enemies' powers.
Cedar collapsed to his knees, covering his eyes with his hands. The pain was insufferable, and Cedar wanted to cry.
However, in a flash, the Hunters fell before him.
Rye had taken all of them out in an instant. He looked at Cedar before him; the drawbacks of the eyes were far too strong.
Cedar's eyes returned to what they were before, and he put his glasses back on his face.
"Brother isn't here today, so I have to be the one to protect everyone with my eyes."
Rye was already near the stairs at the end of the hallway, taking a glimpse downstairs.
"Let's go."