The air is thick—almost suffocating. It presses down with a force that cracks the marble floor and sends dust spiraling in the dim torchlight. Loose stones grind beneath Rayn's palms as he lies sprawled, crushed from Lex's earlier strike. Every breath hurts.
Rayn's eyes dart wildly, seeing Lex and Ren squared off like monsters.
"What? Zone? I heard it's an ability that brings out someone's true power, and it only unlocks after certain conditions—different for each person... This is my first time seeing it," Rayn gasps, voice shaky.
Lex moves forward, pure instinct. His face blank, eyes unblinking, he surges toward Ren like a predator. Suddenly, the room distorts; the ceiling groans and the air itself slams downward. Rayn's body flattens, and the polished floor splinters under him.
"Ugh, what is this? It's like I'm being crushed by tons of buildings. I can't move!"
His fingers tremble, scraping blood from stone.
Lex drops to one knee. His knuckles leave cracks as he struggles against the invisible pressure. Dust trickles across his shoulders. Ren approaches, cast in shadows, the wound Lex made already sealed and flawless.
Ren stands above them, boots grinding against shattered tile.
"Second," he says.
The force multiplies. Lex thuds to both knees, stone crumbling beneath him. Rayn's cheek mashes into the ground; spiderwebs of cracks spread outward. He feels the cold bite of dust mixing with his own blood.
Ren surveys Lex, head tilted.
"I'm quite surprised you're still on your knees. You should've been crushed by now."
Torchlight flickers across Ren's emotionless eyes. He crouches, face close, unflinching.
"Tell me, where did this strength come from? You were nothing before. What is your full name?"
Lex looks up, no emotion, no words—his body jerking only with survival instinct.
"That's rude," Ren says quietly, and sits in front of Lex. He grips Lex by the chest, his palm sinking through torn fabric.
"Gravity Thrust."
Lex rockets backwards, smashing through a column—the stone explodes. He slams into the castle gates at full speed. Iron warps and the doors bow inward, dust blasting up in a grey cloud. Lex lies motionless amid twisted debris.
Ren watches, expression unchanged.
"I didn't expect that kid to be so powerful. Where did you get him, Rayn?"
He glances over his shoulder—Rayn is pinned beneath shattered tiles, blood leaking into the cracks, one eye swollen from pressure.
Rayn's thoughts spin—his vision tunnels, losing light.
What am I even doing here? I talked so big about overthrowing the royal family… I am just as pathetic as I've always been. What have I achieved? I'm losing consciousness… When did all this start?
Darkness swallows him.
Flashback: Rayn's Past
Images flicker: A run-down shack. Moonlight leaks through broken boards.
A child—Rayn—is curled on the floor, fresh bruises along his arms. His father looms, beer bottle in hand, rage burning.
"Don't hurt mom!" Rayn sobs, voice tiny.
His father yanks his mother's hair, shaking her roughly.
"Bitch, didn't I say to give me money?"
He throws her aside and storms out, leaving blood spattered on the wood.
Rayn crawls to his mother, bones visible, lips bleeding.
"Mom... Mom, ugh. Why does father beat us every day? We didn't even do anything..." Tears stream down his face.
"I'm so sorry, my poor boy," his mother whispers. She can barely sit, one cheek swollen. "Please forgive me…"
"No, mom—don't blame yourself," Rayn sobs, clinging to her.
Evening falls. His father returns, anger radiating.
"Still lounging? Get up! Who'll work if you don't?"
Rayn blinks up, trembling. "Mom... why does he keep hitting you?"
His father's hand lashes out, slapping him so hard the room spins and goes dark.
His mother's cries echo. "God, why? What did my son ever do to deserve this…?"
Late at night, his father staggers back, cursing.
"I hate coming here. Working all day and feeding you pigs—ah, forgot my bottle!"
Rayn's mother glowers. She rushes forward, shoving him from the roof.
Tears leak silently. "Finally…"
The next morning, the royal guards arrive.
"Did anyone see how he died?"
Their neighbor, an old woman, steps out of the shadow.
"Yes, I saw it all. He was drunk and fell by himself. Always drinking, always trouble."
Rayn's mother tenses, fearing punishment or separation. But the woman nods gently and smiles—shielding them.
"Thank you," the guards say.
Now, sunlight streams through their home. Rayn's cheeks fill out. His mother hums, cooking. The old woman brings stew, setting it on the table.
"Is there a seat for me?" she jokes.
"You're part of our family—come eat!" Rayn's mother laughs, and for the first time, Rayn feels warmth.
Those days were beautiful with mom.
Years speed by.
Rayn is a teenager in the market. Banners flutter; crowds whisper.
"Kneel—the prince is coming!" shout the enforcers.
Fear ripples. Rayn drops, mother beside him.
Prince Arion swaggers forward, boots caked in mud, robes gleaming.
"Is she your mother?"
"Y…yes, my lord."
"Then beat her," he says, grinning.
Rayn tries to protest, but is kicked aside. The guards slap his mother.
"But we didn't do anything!"
They ignore him. Rayn bites his lip until blood drips down his chin.
Why can't we just live peacefully? Why does fate keep crushing my mother? First my father, now these royals. It isn't my fault—no, it's their fault! I'll never forgive them!
Rayn grabs a stolen weapon, stabs a guard, defiantly fighting back through tears.
Prince Arion only laughs.
"Oh, nice! Now you'll be working under me."
At home, Rayn gently wipes medicine across his mother's wounds, hands shaking.
I'll never forgive them. I'll join them, break their system from inside, and destroy this rotten country. Just wait—I'll kill you all.
Present
Rayn's vision fades as the weight of gravity crushes him. The cold, hard ground sticks to his cheek. Blood leaks from his mouth, but he refuses to pass out.
How can I lose? Everything I did was for payback—those bastards will never beat me! Never… I need to get up, get up…
Rayn crawls, forcing every muscle against the gravity, finally getting to his knees—dust falling from his tangled hair.
Ren glances down, impassive.
"I didn't think you had this much strength left. Third."
Gravity doubles again. The floor shatters beneath Rayn; blood sprays from his lips with a sickening crack.
"I need to do something about this gravity first..." Rayn mutters under his breath, eyes unfocused.
Suddenly, a new voice snaps through the tension, echoing across cracked stone.
"OI, BASTARD! What do you think you're doing to our captain?!"
Rayn's mind reels. "Zen!"
Ren looks up, puzzled. "A child?"
Across the rubble, the vice captain appears—eyes sharp. The torchlight glints against his tiny 3.7-foot frame, katana strapped to his back.
"Huh? Only my height is small, jerk!" he spits, glaring up at Ren.
"Now, will you let go of my captain first, or should I kill you first?"
The broken hall holds its breath. In the scattered dust and faded lamplight, a new force has entered—the one thing Ren didn't expect.