The last thing Kai Renji remembered on Earth was daring the train to go faster. He stood at the window with his forehead pressed to the glass, the city streaking by in flashes of neon. People muttered about him, told him to sit down, cursed under their breath, but Kai only grinned wider. The wheels screamed, sparks spat from beneath, and the horn let out a wail that twisted into something no horn should ever make. It wasn't a sound—it was a pull. Something hooked behind his ribs and yanked, and just before the world tore apart, Kai laughed.
When he woke, he was lying on damp soil. The sky above him was wrong. Three crescent moons glowed red like open wounds. Their light bled across twisted trees with clawed branches, and the ground itself seemed to breathe, rising and falling beneath his back. He sat up, brushed moss from his jacket, and muttered, "Well, this ain't Tokyo."
A hiss came from the shadows. Kai turned his head and froze. A creature stood a few feet away, too tall, too thin, its skin gray and stretched. Its face was nothing but a torn seam for a mouth, and where its eyes should have been were only holes, black and bottomless. Its arms bent the wrong way, fingers stretched long and sharp like knives. The thing moved toward him with jerking steps, reaching for his throat.
Instead of panicking, Kai tilted his head and grinned. "Wow. You're ugly."
The monster lunged, and Kai swung his fist. The ground under the creature turned soft like mud, and its legs sank up to the knees. Kai blinked, surprised, then burst out laughing. "Neat trick!"
The monster screamed and tore itself free. More shapes slipped out from the trees, mouths opening to reveal rows of clicking teeth. His chest burned, like something inside him wanted to get out. He clenched his fists and laughed again, and the sound shook the air. One of the creatures stumbled as if the world itself had tripped it.
Kai charged. One clawed at him, but he ducked under it and did the dumbest thing that came to mind: he bit the monster's arm. It tasted like rust and rot, but something inside him opened like a black hole. He swallowed, and the monster's flesh shriveled. Strength rushed into his chest. His grin grew wider. "Oh yeah," he coughed, spitting out gray grit, "I'm awesome."
Another monster leapt at him. He kicked it in the chest, sending it crashing into a tree. The last opened its crooked mouth and blew out a cold breath that numbed his ears. Before Kai could react, a knife whistled past his face and buried itself in the monster's throat.
A figure darted from the trees, fast and precise. A girl in a black hood spun and drove another blade into the monster's chest. It dropped with a hiss. She pulled her knife free and glared at Kai with sharp, dark eyes. Her hood slipped just enough to show blunt black hair cut at her jaw, and a thin scar across her cheek.
"You're insane," she snapped. "Why are you laughing?"
"Better than crying," Kai said with a shrug. He spat again, grinning. "And hey, it worked."
She studied him for a long second. "Most people who cross the Veil scream until the Wraithborn eat them. You laugh. Why?"
Kai's grin didn't falter. "Because I'm still alive."
She shook her head. "Idiot."
"Thanks. Name's Kai. What's yours?"
"…Lyra."
"Kai and Lyra," he said cheerfully. "Sounds like candy."
Lyra turned away without answering, her knives sliding back into their sheaths. "Follow me if you want to live."
"Got it, boss."
They walked until they found a clearing. Lyra lit a small blue fire with powder from a pouch. The flame burned low and steady, throwing long shadows. Even the forest seemed to hesitate around her as she worked. Kai plopped down across from her, chewing on the strip of dried meat she'd tossed him.
"So those things—Wraithborn, right?—not very friendly."
"They eat souls," Lyra said flatly. "They shouldn't be here unless the Veil tore. Which means you tore it."
Kai raised his brows. "Oops."
She narrowed her eyes. "What happened when you bit one?"
Kai leaned back, still smiling. "Felt like I dropped it into some black hole in my chest. Made me stronger. And hungrier."
Lyra's face tightened. "That's not possible."
"Guess I'm impossible then."
Before she could argue, the air above the fire shimmered. Strange symbols twisted into view, shapes that bent and shifted. Lyra didn't react. She couldn't see it. Only Kai could. A voice spoke in his head, steady and cold.
System initialization. Welcome, Unbound Soul. Choose your Origin Power.
Four glowing banners appeared in the air. Kai leaned forward, grinning wider than ever.
The first said: Devourer's Core. A void behind your heart. Swallow anything—food, magic, monsters. What you eat becomes power. But if the meal is stronger than you, it may eat you instead.
Kai laughed. "I'm a trash can. Love it."
The second said: Anarchy's Crown. Your laugh bends reality. The louder and truer the laugh, the greater the effect. Break weapons, flip gravity, turn fire to rain. But never stop laughing—or the Crown will break you.
Kai chuckled, and the blue fire sputtered, turning green for a second. "Okay, that's hilarious."
The third said: Soul Forge. Take the souls of the fallen and shape them into weapons, armor, or tools. Each piece whispers and remembers its pain. Too many, and their screams may break you.
"Creepy," Kai said. "But cool."
The fourth said: Primordial Beast. Wake the ancient blood. Grow the limb of a dragon, the eye of a titan, the spine of a beast-god. Power is yours, but the more you change, the less human you stay.
Kai whistled low. "That's metal."
Lyra's hand rested on her knife as she watched his grin grow wider. "What do you see?"
"Options," Kai said. "The kind that make teachers twitch."
The voice pressed in again. Choose now. The Veil heard your laugh. If you won't choose, it will.
Kai stood. The banners spun slowly around him, glowing against the dark. His chest thrummed with energy, wild and eager. He looked at each one. Every choice was insane. Every choice was dangerous. Every choice felt right.
He lifted his chin, spread his arms, and laughed.
The laugh shook the clearing. The fire bent sideways. The ground quivered. Steam from the kettle froze into glittering ice and scattered across the dirt.
Selection registered. Anarchy's Crown chosen.
Kai blinked, then doubled over laughing harder. "Oh man. I just became a king."
Lyra swore under her breath. "What did you do?"
Kai grinned at her, the moons glowing red above him. "I got crowned. And guess what? It fits."
The trees rustled though there was no wind. Somewhere far beyond the forest, something unseen and vast laughed back.
Kai only laughed louder.