The world was once at peace after the last world war—the war that ended with the defeat of the Reichland. The Reichland was subjugated and forced to sign a peace agreement under the victorious Yorkland. The world came under Yorkland's domination. But power never lasts forever.
The rapid growth of science and technology within the Reichland began to destabilize Yorkland's hold on power. Fearing the loss of its supremacy, Yorkland began to restrict the exchange of technology and knowledge with the Reichland. This created a rift between the two nations.
A crack turned into a conflict when the Reichland successfully created the most powerful futuristic weapon—a quantum chip. Yorkland's leader demanded that the Reichland share the technology behind the chip's creation, but the Reich refused to comply with York's self-serving demands.
The Reichland's leader then used the quantum chip to decrypt all of York's cybersecurity systems and neutralize Yorkland's proudest weapon: the nuclear warhead. Yorkland plunged into crisis and instability, and in a panic, their forces scrambled to seize the chip.
The Reichland quickly overwhelmed Yorkland's first invasion. The balance of power shifted firmly into the hands of the Reichland. While some resistance from Yorkland's old allies persisted, the Reichland solidified its hold, bolstered by alliances with the far-eastern nation of Jepunia and other nations.
The world had been divided into two power blocs. One was led by the Reichland and its sole allies: Jepunia and Italia. On the other side stood a joint alliance led by Yorkland and its old partners: Britland and Frankland. The old allies refused to surrender and continued to resist the Reichland's growing dominance.
Other nations that declared neutrality were never truly neutral—some cooperated with Yorkland, while others sided with the Reichland.
Two years after the first chip was produced, fearing the technology might be exposed, the Reich ordered the execution of all researchers and anyone who knew about the chip's production. They then relocated their research center to a remote island in the northeast sea—Granitz Island—where the Reich's National Research and Engineering (NRE) Center was established. The NRE's mission was to explore any field of research that could strengthen the Reich's power against its enemies.
The island was heavily guarded by the Granitz camp, where much of the Reich's advanced technology was secured, including the quantum chips—only five of which had been produced before the murders.
Although the massacre was intended to eliminate all knowledge of the project, one life secretly survived. A five-year-old boy was adopted in secret into a high-class family. His records and history were completely rewritten.
At the time of their deaths during a war with Yorkland, the boy – Pierre – had barely remembered anything—just a bright, sterile room filled with advanced instruments, followed by loud noises. After his parents died, he was taken in by a family friend—a household already burdened by wartime duties. They had two sons of their own, and taking in another child seemed almost impossible. Yet they welcomed him without hesitation, giving him a bedroom of his own, a place at their table, and a spot in their hearts. They treated him like a son, with a kindness that softened the ache of his loss.
The two boys—one a little older, one a little younger—accepted him as though he had always been there. They played together in the dusty yard, chasing each other until they collapsed in laughter, breathless and sweat-streaked. They learned to fight and survive amidst the looming dangers of war. Sometimes, they would sneak out to hunt in the Schwarz Forest. Their parents scolded them, but nothing could dampen their eagerness.
But happiness did not last forever. Soon, their father separated them, sending the older brother (17) to Jepunia and the younger brother (15) to Italia, while Pierre (15) remained in the Reichland. Their mother had no power to stop her husband, who wielded the full authority of the Reichland. His relationship with his foster family was distant.
Pierre was later sent to a private school with tight security, where he developed a fascination with science and gradually learned the truth about his late parents.
One day, after returning home from school, Pierre was scrolling through his monitor for something exciting and stimulating when a sudden spark jolted his brain. By instinct, he clutched his head in pain, feeling as though it were being crushed by two fists. The spark brought a flood of memories long buried.
Five men. Gunshots. Screams. Pleading. Cold voices. Amused voices. Trembling voices. He remembered the truth: his parents had not died in the war—they had been murdered by five men.
The headache faded, but the memories remained, leaving a deep mental scar. A grudge consumed him. Those men had to die—a single, unshakeable determination that would shape the rest of his life.
Day after day, corpse after corpse, Pierre honed his scientific skills and his charm, using them to track down his parents' murderers.
A year later, he found two of them during one of their missions. He captured them and tortured them, extracting information about the other three. One was in transit, and the other two were on Granitz Island.
With this knowledge, Pierre set his sights on the NRE facility on Granitz Island. He vowed to destroy everything those men had built would perish.
As he captured and tortured his targets, his heart raced with excitement at seeing them humiliated and suffering. He realized he was becoming like the very men who had killed his parents. But he had come too far to turn back, and there was no room left for grief or regret.
Four years later, Pierre Therma (22), a brilliant young scientist, was invited to work as a researcher at the NRE. The loss of his parents when he was five years old left him with a deep hatred and a desire for revenge. He wanted to destroy everyone involved in his parents' murder.