Chapter 5 – The Awakening of the Matrix
The forest howled with silence after the clash. Leaves floated lazily through the misty canopy of Kiwiki, but the battlefield below was anything but calm. The Asura twins—Kizen and Kazen—stood opposite Moro and Kaya, their breathing steady, their smiles sharpened with menace.
Moro's body shook with exhaustion. Sweat plastered his shirt to his skin, his fists bruised from the furious exchange. He had fought street thugs, bounty hunters, even agency grunts, but these two weren't ordinary assassins. They were bred for war. Every punch he threw, every block he attempted, was swallowed by their overwhelming technique.
"You're slowing down," Kazen said, twirling his chain-blades. His eyes glowed a faint crimson, a reflection of the dark legacy within him.
Kizen, calmer but more ruthless, cracked his knuckles. "This ends now. Orders are clear: bring back Moro—dead or alive. Alive is optional."
Kaya gritted her teeth, stepping forward to shield Moro. "Over my dead body."
The twins laughed in unison, voices echoing like a distorted chant.
---
Kaya's Rage
The fight exploded again. Kazen lunged at Moro with terrifying speed, his chain-blades slashing through the air. Moro barely dodged, but his arm caught the edge of a blade, blood splattering across the mossy ground. He stumbled back, clutching the wound.
Kizen was already behind him, moving like a phantom. A fist slammed into Moro's ribs, sending him crashing against a tree trunk with bone-rattling force. The tree cracked, bark splintering.
"Moro!" Kaya's scream pierced the forest.
Fury consumed her. Her body ignited with raw elemental energy as if every injustice she had endured—every slave whipped, every child starved—flowed through her veins.
She charged Kazen with a roar, her fists glowing with crimson aura. The air itself vibrated with the force of her strikes. Kazen smirked and blocked, but Kaya's rage was not just strength—it was desperation, and desperation had its own power.
Her blows landed like falling hammers. One strike caved Kazen's chest armor. Another shattered his guard. She grabbed his face and slammed him into the earth, a crater forming beneath them.
"You will NEVER take him!" she roared.
Kazen spat blood, smirking even in pain. "Tch… I see why the agency marked you as unstable."
---
Moro's Fall
While Kaya unleashed hell, Moro struggled to rise. His breath came in ragged gasps. His muscles screamed. He pushed off the ground, but Kizen was merciless.
"You're weak," Kizen said coldly. His hand extended, glowing with dark force. "Your father… your bloodline… all wasted."
He thrust forward, and a massive burst of energy shot from his palm. It hit Moro square in the chest, driving him through a tree and impaling him against another. The thick trunk pierced his back like a spear.
Blood dripped from Moro's lips. His vision blurred. His arms hung limp. The world tilted.
For a moment, he thought it was over.
---
The Flashback
Then—voices. Not of the present, but of the past.
"Moro, stop thinking like a fighter. Think like the storm."
His father's voice. Calm. Steady. The man who had vanished into legend.
Moro, younger and smaller, panting after countless hours of training in the ruins.
"Dad, I can't. I'm not strong enough."
"Strength isn't the Matrix. The Matrix is will. The body breaks. The heart falters. But will… will reshapes reality."
The memory shifted: his father's hands, scarred and powerful, resting on Moro's shoulders.
"When the time comes, the Matrix will answer. Do not fear the fall, Moro. Fear not rising."
The boy in the memory clenched his fists. And the man on the battlefield, bloodied and impaled, did the same.
---
The Awakening
A tremor shook the ground. At first, subtle. Then violent. Blue light flickered beneath Moro's skin, veins glowing like rivers of energy. His eyes snapped open, blazing azure.
The Matrix had awakened.
The tree trunk shattered as Moro stood, the piercing wound knitting itself shut with searing energy. Blue aura engulfed his body, crackling and roaring like a storm barely contained. His hair, low-cut and simple, now gleamed with radiant light, every strand carrying sparks.
The Asura twins froze.
"This… this is—" Kazen gasped, staggering back.
Kizen narrowed his eyes. "Impossible. He's not supposed to—"
But Moro was already moving. Faster than thought.
---
Moro Unleashed
He vanished from sight.
A sonic boom erupted as he reappeared in front of Kizen, fist slamming into his chest. The shockwave tore through the forest, flattening trees in a wide radius. Kizen flew back like a ragdoll, crashing through rock and soil, his armored chestplate cracking apart.
Kazen screamed, swinging his chain-blades desperately. But Moro caught the blades mid-air with glowing hands, the metal melting from the sheer heat of his energy.
"Your chains…" Moro's voice was deeper, resonant, filled with Matrix power. "…mean nothing to me."
He yanked Kazen forward and delivered a devastating headbutt, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Kaya, panting and bruised, watched in awe. "Moro… what are you…?"
Moro didn't answer. His body moved on instinct, guided by the Matrix. His aura rippled like the ocean during a storm.
Kizen staggered back into the clearing, coughing blood. "Y-you… you've awakened it…" His eyes widened with realization. "The Matrix… lives in you…"
Moro appeared before him in a blink. Their eyes met.
"This ends now."
His fist glowed brighter than the sun, and when it connected, the explosion rocked the forest, shaking the heavens themselves.
---
Retreat of the Twins
When the dust cleared, Kizen lay on the ground, broken and beaten, Kazen unconscious beside him. Their bodies trembled, unable to rise.
They had underestimated the son of legend.
Kizen's lips curled into a weak smile. "Tch… Father was right… you're dangerous." He grabbed Kazen's limp body, shadows wrapping around them. "This isn't over, Moro. The Asura twins will return… stronger."
With a final surge of their shadow technique, the twins vanished into the night, leaving only silence in their wake.
---
Aftermath
Moro fell to his knees, the blue aura flickering before fading. His body shook violently from the toll. The wounds were sealed, but the exhaustion was overwhelming.
Kaya rushed to his side, catching him before he collapsed. Her face softened, tears in her eyes. "You idiot… you scared me half to death."
Moro chuckled weakly. "Guess… the Matrix finally listened."
Kaya held him close, whispering, "You're not alone anymore, Moro. We'll face them together."
Above, the moon shone through the shattered canopy, casting its pale light upon the broken battlefield. The forest was scarred, but alive—just like them.
And in the shadows, Aiyan, who had silently watched from a distance, smiled faintly inside his alien disguise. "Interesting… very interesting."
The true journey had only just begun.