Rain fell in steady, muted sheets across Seoul. Neon lights blurred in the wet streets, reflecting off puddles like scattered shards of glass.
I walked toward the hospital, Mistilteinn strapped and wrapped at my back, Gaia whispering softly in my mind:
> [Executor, the next truth grows beneath the blade.]
The lobby was quiet, the antiseptic smell sharp, almost biting. Nurses and attendants moved silently, the hum of machinery underscoring the rhythm of life.
Then I saw him.
A patient room on the far end of the hall, door slightly ajar. A boy, no older than sixteen, sat upright on the bed. Even here, frail and pale under the harsh hospital lights, he carried the kind of presence that drew attention — a natural aura of calm confidence, quiet nobility.
Han Do-kyun.
Sword Saint. Sword God. Sword Demon. The names whispered through the underground corridors of my memory, though here he seemed… broken. Fragile. Human.
Before I could step closer, a woman appeared — his mother, eyes cautious yet tired.
"Do you know him?" she asked softly, voice trembling.
I hesitated, then smiled faintly. "A classmate… from school." A small, harmless lie. She nodded, and the tension in her shoulders eased.
The door opened fully, and I stepped inside.
---
He looked away, staring at the sterile ceiling, hands clenched loosely over the blanket. My gut twisted. Something wasn't right.
> [Executor, emotional resonance high. Sight Beyond may activate automatically.]
I tried to resist, but the pull was strong. My vision shimmered. The room faded, replaced by a black void. In it, a small boy curled into himself, trembling, sobbing in silence.
Darkness. Silence. Breath.
Jin Ho stood a few steps behind the curled figure of Han Do-kyun — the boy's back to him, arms wrapped around himself like he was holding in his own cracks.
Then the first memory flickered to life.
---
Memory 1 – Young Hope
A bright classroom formed around them.
Teacher:
"Han Do-kyun! Perfect score again. Keep this up and you'll skip a grade."
Young Do-kyun (smiling shyly):
"Yes, ma'am."
Classmates clapped, some impressed, some jealous.
Jin Ho watched silently, his expression unreadable.
Then the scene twisted.
---
Memory 2 – Pressure
Older Do-kyun sat at his desk, eyes tired.
Father (off-screen voice):
"Why is your score dropping? Are you being lazy?"
Mother:
"Stop embarrassing us. Study harder. Do you understand?"
Do-kyun didn't speak. His fingers tightened around his pencil until his knuckles turned white.
The darkness around the present Do-kyun — the curled one — gave a small, choked sound.
---
Memory 3 – Bullying
Hallway.
A boy shoved him against lockers.
Bully 1:
"Hey, genius. Fail another test lately?"
Bully 2 (grinning):
"His parents probably beat him for getting a B."
Do-kyun swallowed hard but said nothing.
Bully 1 slammed a fist into his stomach.
Bully 1 (low whisper):
"Speak, or we'll break more than your pride."
Present Do-kyun in the dark space flinched. His voice finally escaped in a whisper:
Han Do-kyun (murmuring to himself):
"I didn't do anything... I didn't... why…"
Jin Ho narrowed his eyes slightly but remained silent.
---
Memory 4 – Home
Father hurled a book across the room.
Father:
"Are you picking fights now? The school called! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Mother:
"You're becoming a disgrace."
Do-kyun, trembling:
"I– I didn't— They—"
Father:
"Enough excuses!"
Slap.
Present Do-kyun's fingers dug into his sleeves, curling deeper into himself. A broken whisper:
Han Do-kyun:
"No one listens... I said I didn't… I didn't…"
Jin Ho watched the boy's back, eyes calm but sharp — like he was memorizing every pain.
---
Memory 5 – Betrayal
Outside the school gates.
His two closest friends stood with the girl he liked.
Friend 1 (fake smile):
"Sorry, man. She's not into losers who cry to their parents."
Girl (coldly):
"I don't talk to liars. Don't ever come near me."
Friend 2 laughed and shoved him back.
Friend 2:
"We told her everything. She didn't even hesitate."
Do-kyun stared at them, stunned.
Do-kyun (cracked voice):
"You… lied to her? Why… why would you…"
Friend 1:
"Because it's fun watching you break."
The scene froze.
A heavy silence.
In the dark void, the present Han Do-kyun finally spoke louder — voice hoarse, crumbling:
Han Do-kyun:
"Why didn't anyone stay? Why did they leave me? I tried… I tried so hard…"
His head lowered. His shoulders shook.
Jin Ho took one step closer. His voice was low — not soft, but steady.
Jin Ho:
"So this is where you've been."
The crying stopped. The broken figure didn
't turn, but the darkness itself seemed to listen.
Jin Ho's eyes glinted — calm, unreadable, dangerous.
"Han Do-kyun…"
Jin Ho's voice echoed softly in the hollow dark.
"…how long do you plan to stay buried here?"
The boy didn't move. The only sound was the faint dripping of unseen rain — or maybe tears that never reached the ground.
Jin Ho stepped closer.
His boots echoed on nothing.
"You think this place protects you?"
He stopped behind the boy.
"It doesn't. It's a cage you built — with every word they threw at you."
The boy's fingers twitched.
The darkness rippled, faintly reacting to Jin Ho's presence — like even this void knew his name.
Han Do-kyun (hoarse):
"They… they took everything. My friends, my parents, her… I didn't even fight back. What's left?"
Jin Ho knelt behind him, eyes calm, tone steady but edged with conviction.
"Pain. Regret. And a heart that still remembers how to bleed — that's what's left."
Han Do-kyun shivered.
His voice cracked.
"Then what's the point of living with it?"
Jin Ho leaned forward slightly.
"Because you haven't used it yet."
Do-kyun turned slowly, his face pale, eyes hollow — yet deep, like shattered glass reflecting dying stars.
Jin Ho met his gaze.
"Every scar, every betrayal — that's a blade. Forge it, and you'll never be weak again."
For a moment, silence filled the world.
Then the dark around them began to tremble — like something deep within Do-kyun had heard those words and responded.
Han Do-kyun's breathing quickened.
The void cracked under his feet, faint red lines crawling outward.
The boy whispered, almost to himself:
"…a blade…"
Jin Ho nodded.
"Yes. Let it out. The world tried to break you — so cut through it."
The darkness shattered like glass.
Suddenly, they stood in a storm — memories swirling like ashes and screams.
Each scene that once hurt him now took shape as ghostly figures — bullies, parents, friends — all sneering, laughing, shouting.
Han Do-kyun's body trembled.
Han Do-kyun:
"They… they won't stop…"
Jin Ho's voice cut through the storm.
"Then make them."
Do-kyun's hand clenched.
A faint glimmer of silver appeared in his grasp — an unfinished sword, made of light and shadow both.
Han Do-kyun looked down at it, breath trembling.
"I can't… I'm not strong enough…"
Jin Ho:
"Then borrow mine."
Mistilteinn flared faintly in Jin Ho's hand — and a single ember of that light drifted into Do-kyun's chest.
His body jolted.
The storm froze.
When he looked up, the fear was gone.
The boy who had been beaten, broken, betrayed — now stood tall, the sword in his hand pulsing like a heartbeat.
He whispered, voice steady for the first time:
"…Then I'll cut it all away."
He swung.
The darkness screamed.
The illusions shattered.
And for the first time, the void had light.
The last fragments of darkness drifted away like ash.
Do-kyun stood breathing hard, the half-formed sword in his hand still humming faintly.
Then a voice rippled through the stillness — ancient, mechanical, yet strangely human.
> [System Notice – Gaia Protocol Active]
[Potential Resonance Detected – Subject: Han Do-kyun / Title Seed: "Nameless Sword"]
[Recommendation: Executor Jin Ho, initiate Ally Bond to preserve this branch.]
Jin Ho's eyes narrowed. Mistilteinn pulsed against his back, answering Gaia's call.
> [Ally Candidate possesses latent correlation to Root Authority.]
[Synchronization possible through Executor consent.]
Jin Ho exhaled slowly.
"So that's your plan, huh? You want me to bring him in."
> [Affirmative.]
[The sword you saw forged from despair will one day cut truth from lies.]
He looked back at Han Do-kyun.
The boy's eyes still burned faintly, but the storm around them was gone — replaced by a calm, moon-lit emptiness.
Jin Ho stepped closer, voice low but firm.
"Han Do-kyun. What you just fought wasn't the world. It was yourself."
Do-kyun blinked, disoriented.
"I… I saw everything… My pain, my hate… and you…"
Jin Ho nodded.
"That's my ability — Sight Beyond. It lets me walk through what others hide, even from themselves."
He paused, then added, "But Gaia — the thing that governs the Roots — saw you too. It wants you to stand beside me."
Do-kyun frowned. "Gaia…?"
Jin Ho extended a hand toward him.
"Call it the will of the world, or a cruel god. Either way — it recognized your blade."
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then Do-kyun looked at his trembling hands — the faint light still coiled there — and asked softly,
"…If I take it, what happens to me?"
Jin Ho's expression was unreadable.
"You stop running. You fight. And maybe… you change the ending both of us saw once before."
The boy hesitated — then, slowly, he reached out.
When their palms met, light flared between them.
> [Ally Bond Established – Han Do-kyun (Seed: Sword Demon)]
[Resonance Level: 37 % – Growth Potential Overlimit Detected.]
Wind rushed through the collapsing realm as the void dissolved into white.
---
Jin Ho opened his eyes in the hospital room.
The monitors beeped steadily. Han Do-kyun lay on the bed, but now his pulse burned with quiet energy.
Gaia's whisper lingered:
> [Executor. The Root has chosen its first Branch.]
Jin Ho looked at the sleeping boy, then at his own hand still faintly glowing.
He muttered, "Welcome to the war, Sword Demon."
A faint tone echoed from the heart monitor.
Then—another sound layered beneath it.
A pulse that wasn't mechanical. A rhythm older than language.
Jin Ho straightened. The light around Han Do-kyun's body had not vanished—it was being drawn inward, like breath returning to flesh.
Do-kyun's eyes snapped open. For a heartbeat they reflected pure silver.
> [System Online – Gaia Interface Seed Activated]
[Designation: Han Do-kyun / Branch of the Root Executor Line]
The voice rang inside both of their minds.
Jin Ho froze.
"…No way. Two interfaces?"
> [Affirmative.]
[Dual-Resonance Event Confirmed.]
[Executor and Branch share synchronized access to Root Authority Tier 1.]
Do-kyun gasped, clutching his head as data streamed into his consciousness—symbols, memories, equations that weren't human.
"What… what is this voice?"
Jin Ho placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Gaia. The same one that brought me back after the world ended."
Do-kyun blinked through the blur. "You mean this isn't a dream?"
"Dreams don't burn like that," Jin Ho said quietly. "Listen to it—see if it speaks your name or your will."
> [Calibration in progress — Han Do-kyun alignment detected: 'The Blade That Defies Fate.']
[Title Registered: Sword Demon (Prototype).]
Light burst from the mark forming on his chest—thin lines etching a sigil shaped like a fractured circle bisected by a blade.
The hospital room trembled; loose papers spiraled upward.
For a second, every monitor in the ward flashed the same text:
> GAIA RESURGENCE x2 — BRANCH CONFIRMED
Then silence returned.
Do-kyun stared at his shaking hands. "It… it's real."
Jin Ho nodded.
"Yeah. And it means you're tied to me now. Same war. Same truth."
He stepped back, eyes thoughtful.
"Gaia doesn't make mistakes. If it gave you a system, there's a reason. Something in you reached back when I entered your mind."
Do-kyun's gaze hardened. "Then tell me what I have to do."
Jin Ho's lips curved faintly—half approval, half warning.
"Survive. Learn what this power wants from you before it decides for itself."
The rain outside the window had stopped completely.
For the first time since his regression, Jin Ho felt the world shift again—two rhythms instead of one beating beneath Gaia's sky.
> [Executor & Branch Synchronization Initiated.]
[Next Directive: Seoul — District 13 Root Anomaly.]
Jin Ho looked toward the window. "Looks like our paths were meant to cross."
Do-kyun tilted his head, the silver still glinting faintly in his eyes.
"Then let's see what this 'Root' wants from us."
---
The rain over Seoul hadn't stopped all day.
It drummed against the roof of Valhalla Guild Headquarters, tracing silver veins down the glass towers.
Han Do-kyun followed Jin Ho through the revolving doors, his hands tucked in his jacket pockets. The inside was alive — hunters moving in and out, digital boards glowing with mission reports, the hum of mana everywhere.
It felt like stepping into a world he didn't belong to.
Do-kyun glanced at Jin Ho. "Are you sure this is fine? I'm… not even a registered hunter."
Jin Ho smiled faintly. "That's why we're here."
---
Registration Hall – Valhalla HQ
A tall woman with a clipboard scanned him with a mana sensor.
The device glitched, flashing error after error before abruptly powering off.
She frowned. "Your readings are unstable. Are you suppressing something?"
"I don't know," Do-kyun said truthfully.
Jin Ho cut in smoothly. "He just awakened recently. The system might still be adapting."
The receptionist sighed. "Fine. You'll need to take a preliminary aptitude test before you can register officially. Wait in Hall B."
As they walked away, Do-kyun muttered, "That machine didn't even recognize me…"
Jin Ho's gaze flicked toward him. "It's because of Gaia."
Do-kyun stopped. "So that voice in my head really was—"
"Yes," Jin Ho said quietly, eyes sharp. "And no one else needs to know that. Ever. Valhalla thinks you're just an irregular awakener. Keep it that way."
---
Hall B – Aptitude Room
A large, empty chamber.
Mana targets lined the far wall — glowing silhouettes designed to absorb impact.
An instructor watched from behind reinforced glass. "Alright, kid. Let's see what kind of power you've got. Strike when ready."
Do-kyun swallowed. His hand trembled slightly as he extended it toward the targets. He didn't even know what he was doing.
Then the Gaia system pulsed faintly in his mind.
> [Synchronizing…]
[Mana Core Stable — User: Han Do-kyun]
[Initiate Resonance?]
Before he could think, the energy erupted.
A black-and-blue ripple tore through the air — silent yet shattering.
Every target disintegrated at once, their mana patterns collapsing like sand in a storm.
The instructor gaped. "What the— What rank was that output?!"
Jin Ho stepped forward calmly. "His mana control's unstable. He didn't mean to do that."
"Unstable?" the man muttered, staring at the cracked walls. "He just broke the guild's reinforced targets."
Do-kyun lowered his hand slowly, the light fading from his eyes. "I… didn't mean to."
Jin Ho touched his shoulder. "It's fine. You did well."
---
Later – Rooftop
Night had fallen over Seoul. The neon skyline burned beneath the clouds, the guild's insignia glowing bright white above them.
Do-kyun leaned on the railing. "What is Gaia, really? Why us?"
Jin Ho looked out at the city, his voice low.
"Gaia isn't a system for hunters. It's something older. Something that's choosing people for reasons we don't yet understand."
Do-kyun frowned. "So I wasn't the only one it picked."
"No," Jin Ho said softly. "You're the second."
Silence settled between them, heavy but not cold.
Then the Gaia interface appeared before both of them — unseen by anyone else.
> [Executor Node – Jin Ho]
[Secondary Node – Han Do-kyun]
[Branch Alignment — 42% Synced]
[Ragnarok Protocol: Connection Established]
Jin Ho's eyes widened slightly. "It's linking us directly now."
Do-kyun looked at him. "Then… we're allies."
Jin Ho turned to him, half-smiling. "No, Do-kyun. We're connected. Whether we want it or not."
---
The city lights shimmered below, and in the reflection of the
glass tower, two faintly glowing symbols appeared behind them — one blue, one black — merging like twin constellations.
> [Gaia Network Expansion: Seoul Node Active]
And in that moment, neither of them realized that their awakening had just been noticed — not by Valhalla, but by something buried deep beneath Korea's oldest dungeon.
---