It was almost time for the Trial of Heaven's Gate.
Levi, who had spent countless hours in relentless training, looked up to the sky with quiet awe. The heavens—so distant, so sacred—now felt within reach.
In this world, one's birthplace determined one's worth. And Levi was born in Foltera, a land forgotten by the stars and shunned by the heavens. For someone like him, dreams were not allowed. Yet Levi pressed on—not with hope, for hope had long left him—but with the unshakable will of perseverance.
The moment had come. The path to the heavens had opened. But before setting foot upon it, Levi visited his parents' graves one final time. As the wind stirred the tall grass around him, he heard their voices echo like a blessing across eternity:
"Our son… no matter what you do, and no matter how you do it—if you ever become a Night Reign, be a pillar of hope. Not just for yourself… but for every young Folterian who still dreams."
With those words burning in his heart like a sacred vow, Levi turned away from the graves and walked toward the unknown, carrying with him a new flame—something greater than mere ambition. A calling.
To become a Night Reign was no small feat. These were the rare few who had conquered Heaven's Gate and claimed a Dark Star—a celestial shard said to unlock unfathomable power. But the trial was ruthless. Many who entered never returned, their names lost to the winds between worlds. Levi knew the danger… and still, he walked forward. He had trained his entire life for this.
Well—half his life.
At twelve years old, Levi lost both his parents to a cruel illness. When he was 10 years of age during one of his lonely hunts in the wild forest that he first encountered the Nameless Man. He emerged from the mist like a ghost, eyes like eclipses, words like riddles.
"I am a Night Reign, one who protects," he said.
Levi had blinked. "That sounds lame."
"You also get a bunch of cool powers," the man added with a smirk—
'So cool' Levi thought,And just like that, he vanished into violet clouds crackling with lightning, leaving only a note behind:
"Come find me in the land beyond the skies."
It was the most bizarre moment of Levi's life, and it never left him.
He returned home and told his parents. They had heard stories, old legends about the Night Reigns, and though they hoped Levi would grow up to be a humble farmer, they said something he would never forget:
"A parent's dream must never constrain a child's ambition."
And so the dream took root.
Now, standing at the edge of destiny, Levi felt every memory crash over him like a wave. His longing, his grief, his purpose—they all pointed skyward.
To become a Night Reign.
To protect those who could not protect themselves.
To ascend not just for glory, but for all of Foltera.
And as the clouds parted and the heavens whispered his name, Levi stepped forward—toward the trial, toward the stars, toward the unknown.