A lone man walked through the shadowed streets of Eldina. The moonlight carved silver veins through the grime and ruin of the city's worst district.
A beggar stumbled into his path, trembling, pleading for coins so his children could eat.
"Move aside, bum!" the man snapped, shoving him hard.
"I have nothing for you!"
He didn't look back.
Tall, powerful, and wrapped in wealth, this man wasn't just anyone—he was a high-ranking official of Eldina.
He continued his stride, heading for his luxurious home, where a beautiful wife and perfect children awaited him.
His life was perfect… or was it?
Despite his riches, something gnawed at him. He was unfaithful, cheating on his wife with his assistant. He'd shattered the heart of the woman he once swore to protect—and worse, the trust of his children. His city ties made him powerful, made him rich, yet he wouldn't spare a single coin for the dying poor.
The gold watch on his wrist ticked like an executioner's drum.
He reached into his pocket, fumbling, and something slipped through his fingers.
As he bent to retrieve it, his knees buckled—and he collapsed.
A shadow emerged, dagger gleaming.
The hood dropped. A 15-year-old boy stared down at him, cold and sharp.
Hayase Souta. A name whispered like a curse in Eldina's streets.
Hayase reached for the man's belongings—until the man's lips curled into a crooked grin.
"Run… kid," the man rasped, pressing a button on his watch.
Sirens wailed across the city. Armed officers stormed the streets like a pack of hounds.
"Hands up!" they roared, weapons trained on Hayase.
He turned slowly, his dark eyes unflinching.
"Chief, that's him! The troublemaker!"
The chief's face twisted as recognition hit.
Hayase Souta—homeless, infamous, wanted for everything from theft to murder.
"You want me to walk over, officer?" Hayase asked with a smirk.
"STAY BACK! HANDS UP!"
He stepped forward anyway. The guns erupted—but the bullets disintegrated midair.
A figure waved from the rooftops.
Amber.
Hayase grinned. "Perfect timing!"
She dropped from above, landing like fire.
"What kind of mess are you in this time?" she teased.
"You know that thing I said I'd do?!"
"Yeah?!"
"I just did it!" he laughed.
"Oh!?"
"Stop right there!" the officers shouted.
Hayase looked at Amber, eyes sharp.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Hell yeah!"
They bolted into the alleys, the officers giving furious chase.
Gunfire sparked. Amber burned the bullets mid-flight.
"Damn that girl!"
"How can she use Seikai? She's not licensed by the Rorian Empire!"
Amber laughed, unstoppable. In this world, Seikai required licenses, but she learned it on her own—defying every rule.
Hayase, though, had no Seikai. Just wit, instincts, and a mind sharper than any blade.
The officers closed in, but the pair was close to their hidden bunker.
Then—a shadow lunged. A hand yanked Hayase to the ground.
He hit hard, a brutal punch knocking the breath from him.
The chief stepped forward.
"Your reign of terror ends here, Hayase… Souta!" he sneered.
Hayase glared upward. The man was no ordinary soldier.
"Red…" Hayase muttered.
The Rorian Knight's glowing eyes burned like a predator's.
Rumor said Red could rise to Master rank if he wished.
Amber sprinted out of the alley, seeing Hayase clutching his stomach.
She hurled a fireball—but it blinked out midair.
Red flash-stepped before her, hand raised—
—but a fist intercepted.
Yusuke, Hayase's twin, had arrived.
"Picking on girls now?" Yusuke smirked, raising his guard.
"Foolish," Red said, dodging and pinning them both to the ground with terrifying speed.
The officers laughed as the trio was subdued.
One by one, needles sank into their skin.
Hayase's eyes blurred. Darkness swallowed him whole.
The scene shifted—he stood in a palace made of crystals and gems.
He knew this place.
Before his parents died, they'd given him a necklace shaped like an emerald. He never understood its power… until now.
A woman appeared before him, her presence sharp as steel.
Kimiko.
"This world is broken! Not me!" Hayase roared.
"The world is cruel, but that doesn't excuse you, Hayase!" she said, turning away. "I've known someone like you, but—"
"Yeah, yeah! I've heard this story a hundred times!" he snapped.
He glared into the abyss.
"I don't tell you this to scold you, but to reveal the truth…"
"What truth, Kimiko? I'm nothing. Worthless!"
Kimiko looked at him, sorrow etched in her eyes.
"One day, you'll understand. And when you do… everything will change."
Hayase laughed bitterly.
"Not happening."
Rage welled in his chest.
"They'll lock me up for life. For what?!"
"This isn't about fate. It's about responsibility, Hayase. Stop letting anger guide you."
"You're insane, Kimiko…"
The palace faded like smoke.
"I guess I'm done here."
Kimiko walked away, grief unspoken.
Hayase's eyes snapped open.
A mob surrounded him, Yusuke, and Amber.
Rocks pelted their bodies.
"Let them die!"
"Let them die!"
"To the forest!"
The officers dragged them forward into the forest.
Hayase clenched his jaw.
"Curse you!" he roared at the sky.
Yusuke and Amber stayed silent, heads bowed.
They reached a halt.
Amber begged, but her words fell on deaf ears.
"We'll die out there!" she cried.
Yusuke's fists trembled, but Red shoved him back.
Red's grin only stoked the fire in his eyes.
Hayase snapped.
"You know what's in there! You can't do this!"
The officers sneered at his fear.
"Go… or we'll force you," one said.
Red raised his hand.
Wind Style: Gust.
The violent wind hurled them deep into the forest's cursed heart.
The soldiers laughed as they walked away.
"Those rats are finished! Now for the others!"
Hayase glared after them, sinking to his knees.
The forest had changed. Twisted. Dark. Alive.
Rage burned through him.
"CURSE YOU, ELDINA!!"
He rose, eyes blazing.
"I'll tear them down… if it's the last thing I do. But first… I survive this hell."