Zero walked home from school as always—head down, lost in the melodies flowing through his headphones.
In a city where even the streetlights didn't seem to recognize him, he existed, distant from people.
No one had remembered his birthday. Then again, he was used to that.
When he got home, he went straight to his room and lay on his bed.
Staring up at the ceiling, a thought passed silently through his mind:
— "I wish… there was a way out of this life."
At that very moment—
A flash of white light swallowed the room. Zero didn't even have time to close his eyes.
It was as if his soul had been torn from his body and pulled into another place.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in the middle of a forest.
His clothes were the same, but in his trembling hands was an old, torn envelope sealed with a wax mark.
He opened the letter with shaking fingers. The writing looked handwritten, but the letters glowed like gold:
"Zero. If you're reading this, you're no longer in your world. Your advanced abilities will soon awaken.
You are a 'Soldier of the Exiled.' The Kingdom of Arctheria awaits you."
A jolt ran through his body. His pupils widened. His ears sharpened. His muscles reacted faster.
He could now see the falling speed of a single leaf.
— "This… is my power?"
That's when he realized: He was no longer alone.
And this world… would not witness his death—
…it would witness his rise.