Morning began like any other.
On Earth, there was no magic, no curses, no whisper of higher beings. People lived quietly—commuting to work, nagging about bills, rushing to school.
Kael blended in with them, just another student walking into class with his usual blank stare. His classmates thought he was strange—too quiet, too detached. Sometimes, when he looked at them, his eyes seemed to shimmer unnaturally, as if reflecting a color that didn't belong in this world.
But no one ever questioned it. After all, the world was ordinary. Or so they believed.
---
That afternoon, the sirens began to scream.
A neighboring nation had launched missiles—war had arrived.
From the rooftop of his school building, Kael stared at the sky as fire streaked downward, tearing through the clouds.
His expression was calm. Too calm.
"…Straight at me, huh?" he whispered.
And then it happened—his eyes bled into burning crimson, glowing like cursed flames. A pulse erupted from him, warping the air around his body. Glass trembled. Dust shivered.
The students below couldn't see it, but if they had, they would have sworn a demon stood at the top of their school.
Kael raised his hand toward the sky.
The missiles trembled, caught by invisible chains.
And in that instant—he heard it.
"Burn it all. Tear them apart. Let me free…"
The voice slithered through his skull, heavier, louder than ever before. His breath caught, sweat breaking across his forehead.
And then—the curse screamed.
"No—!! Not him! Not now!!"
Kael's eyes widened in shock.
He didn't understand what the voice feared—until the air itself split open.
---
The sky ripped apart, unveiling a vast black portal that swallowed the sun and drowned the city in shadow.
From it, a man stepped through. A towering figure clad in black armor, his aura suffocating, ancient, infinite. The ground shook beneath him, the clouds twisted in terror, and the missiles above simply disintegrated into ash without ever striking.
The Monarch had come.
Across the planet, satellites froze, broadcasts stuttered, and governments stared at screens in disbelief. The world had witnessed gods in their myths, but never like this.
With a single gesture, the Monarch extended his hand.
Far beyond the horizon, the enemy nation burned. Their military bases, fleets, and weapons—erased as if they had never been. No thunder. No explosion. Just silence, and then absence.
Billions of people across Earth saw it live, powerless before the sight of a god walking their skies.
The Monarch said nothing. He simply turned his head, his helm tilting—his gaze brushing the rooftop where Kael stood.
Kael's chest tightened. His crimson glow surged wildly, the curse writhing inside him.
"Kill him. Kill him before he kills us!" the voice shrieked, violent and afraid.
Kael's hand shook, his sword nearly manifesting on instinct—
But before he could move, the Monarch dissolved into shadows, the portal folding shut behind him.
---
When Kael blinked, the world around him had shifted.
The rooftop, the city, the horizon—gone.
He stood amidst the smoking ruins of the enemy's military base, the air choking with ash. Soldiers lay lifeless, entire fortifications reduced to molten rubble.
And there—still standing in the wreckage—the Monarch.
The black-armored giant turned slightly, as though expecting him.
Kael's eyes flared crimson, the cursed sword ripping into existence in his hand. The air cracked with its heat, the voice inside howling with hatred.
"…I didn't think you'd still be here." Kael's voice was low, steady.
He lunged, blade raised, red power shrieking through the ruins—
But before he could strike, the Monarch dissolved into darkness, leaving only silence behind.
The sword hissed and shattered into sparks. Kael stood alone in the ashes, the faint trace of another color—blue—flickering once in his eyes before vanishing.
"…Big brother," he whispered into the void.
And the world would remember this day as the moment the Monarch first revealed himself.
For Kael, it was the day his chains pulled tighter.